Nursing Student Organization Tips: How to Keep it all Together in Nursing School
You’re taking a big step forward in your life by starting school to earn your nursing degree. For many students that means balancing classes with an already busy life. You may be worrying how you’ll be able to keep it all together in nursing school?
The good news is that there are many different methods of staying organized to ensure that you have a good balance between getting your schoolwork accomplished and not neglecting other areas of your life.
Scheduling Tips
There are a number of tips that can help make going to school for your nursing degree easier on you. Just remember that there’s no one right way to handle your scheduling as everyone is a bit different in what works for them and what doesn’t. The key is finding your balance.
- Don’t overschedule yourself. You don’t want to overwhelm yourself with too many things to do in a small space of time. You may feel like you’re getting more done this way, but in the end, it’ll probably backfire on you. Give yourself enough time to sleep, eat, and relax during your schedule to not get burned out. If you don’t take care of yourself, you can really struggle in school.
- Create a study space that’s free of distractions. When you’re ready to study, it’s important not to have that sink full of dishes or television distracting you with other things you could be doing. This step may mean that you spend more time at the library or your favorite coffee shop, but it can be beneficial, especially when finals are around the corner.
- Create a reward system. Many people function better with rewards, so you can reward yourself by sticking to your schedule. Go big and buy yourself a treat at the end of the week when you followed your planner every day for classes or small by treating yourself to something simple and refreshing after reading a certain number of pages.
- Don’t underestimate the time it takes for projects and studying. It can be easy to not give yourself enough time in your schedule to finish the task up, and this can wreak havoc on your deadlines and other tasks. If you know that an assignment is harder for you to work on, give yourself extra time for it. Overestimating the time a task will take can be more beneficial in the end.
Pomodoro Technique
The Pomodoro Technique is an excellent tool for people that get too caught up in their work, and don’t make time for themselves or for those that need a reward for their hard work. In this methodology of keeping time, you’ll work on a particular task for 25 minutes and then take a five-minute break. After you’ve gone through this cycle about four times, it’s time for a longer break.
This technique can be tweaked to fit your own needs, such as 20 minutes working on school work and 20 minutes folding laundry. You can set a timer on your phone, use one of the many Pomodoro Technique apps available online, or even use a kitchen timer like the technique’s creator did back in the 1980s.
Scheduling Tools
One of the first things that you should consider purchasing for school is a planner of some type. These planners have calendars and daily spots where you can put down important things that you have to remember. Some of them are arranged with time slots during the day that can be helpful for remembering class times or other appointments you may have.
You can often find that they have some areas for to-do lists that you can incorporate into your daily schedule. These are great for putting everything that you need to remember such as when that big project is due, scheduling time for work, making time for family and friends, and having time to get with your study group.
There are a huge number of planners available in different formats. You should find whatever schedule will work best for you and your learning style. If you get a paper planner but aren’t the type of person to always carry it with you, it’ll probably just sit on your desk gathering dust. Finding a format that works for you is key to staying on track with your planning. Pencil and paper schedules work great for some, but others may prefer electronic methods.
As many people always have their phone on them, it may be a good idea for you to check out some of the planner apps available. You can try some of the free apps to find one that works for you. Some of the free options include Planner Pro, myHomework Student Planner, Schedule Planner, and PocketLife Calendar.
There are some great paid apps too, but trying out free tools and demos first can be a good start to see what you like in the apps and what the free ones may be missing. It’s all about finding what works the best for you. Nursing school is a big step and one that you’ll crush with the right mindset. It often just takes a little preparation and careful planning to ensure that you stay focused and organized. It’s important to find what works best for you to minimize your weaknesses and capitalize on your strengths.
Are you interested in nursing school and ready to get started today? If you want to earn your Associate of Applied Science in Nursing Degree, consider ECPI University for your education. With year-round classes and an accelerated schedule, you could graduate in as little as 18 months. For more information on classes, connect with a friendly admissions advisor today.
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