How to get organised

[Access Denied]

I have just finished my first year, and admittedly I haven't cared much about school. I do work on the last minute, procrastinate all the time and have never bothered with homework. I simply rely on natural ability to get through with predicted score of 39.

Red lights have flashed up, and i realise that to get my 43 that i need for law, i need to try harder, I just can't seem to break out of old ways

old habits die hard

any suggestions and methods you have used to stay organised, whether its colour coding, to do lists etc.

[ShineeLikeMe]

I personally keep a list inside my head. But have you tried a good old fashion planner? That seems to work for most poeple. It didn't work for me because I was just lazy to check it and update it all of the time.

If you could have like a caldnar haning right by your desk and right your assignments that are due on it right when you get home maybe itll remind you whenever you look at it?

the only color coding I use is when im doing my langauge A1 assignemnts and marking lit features.

[AndreaRuiz]

Hello I'm Andy! I was a complete addict to my computer and games and all, but when IB strucked me, this is how I learned how to manage my time:

1. Make a big BIG BIG calendar on your room. It can be set next to your bed or in front of your desktop or anywhere where you spend a lot of time and you can see it perfectly. Write everything you do from Monday to Saturday. For example, Mondays: 7am-3pm School. 3:30-5:20 French class. 5:30-7:30 Volleyball practice. 8:30-9:30 Homework + Studying. And so on with everyday. Make sure to follow your schedule rigorously

2. Find days where you study with a group of friends. For example, mine are fridays and we study Math and Chemistry. I have a couple of friends that already finished Mathematics on Universities, and they are of a LOT of help!

3. DON'T PROCRASTINATE! Sometimes when my afternoons are busy, I don't pay attention to classes that I'm good at and do homework for other classes. Teachers warn me and sometimes kick me out of the classroom, but dude, it's necessary.

4. Uninstall Messenger, AIM, Google Messenger... Block facebook, myspace, oovoo, EVERYTHING! And take your laptop everywhere with you, you never know when you'll need it.

Good luck on managing your time!

Oh btw I'm

HL: Math, English, Chemistry, Biology

SL: History, Philosophy, Physics

[Sandwich]

If Calendars don't work for you, I'd also recommend blind panic as an excellent motivator to do your work

I gave calendars a go and think I spent more time making them pretty than actually following the advice I'd laid out for myself. I also suck at organising myself, unfortunately.

In the end it was a mixture of panic about my results, re-prioritising so I only did the relevant homework and therefore felt like it was worthwhile and also just inventing a rewards system for myself. For instance I'd get home at 7, reward myself with an episode of a TV show/dinner for an hour and a half, work for half an hour, reward myself with some chill-out time online for an hour and then bomb it the rest of the evening until I was finished.

Either that or I also found doing homework during free times, on the bus or whilst waiting around for after-school stuff much more constructive than doing it actually at home.

[wombat123]

I also suck at organizing my time and would love it if I would stop procrastinating. I tried making daily schedules, for myself, but I never end up following them. As for the agenda/planner, I suggest writing each piece of homework, assignment, test, etc. down on the day it is assigned, and then writing down "________ due today" or "_________ quiz/test today" on the day it is on/due. Highlight everything you have finished or that has passed. (Highlighting gives you a visual idea of your progress, and plus feels awesome when you realize you've finished something.)