Learn how to stay on top of all your projects without losing your mind! These nursing school organization tips are amazing!
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Nursing School Organization Tips
These quick tips will help keep you sane while navigating the craziness that is nursing school!
Use a Planner or Calendar
This will help you keep track of important deadlines, exam dates, and assignments. This can help you stay organized and ensure that you don’t miss any important deadlines. At the beginning of each semester, write every deadline and due date on the calendar so that you can have a bird’s eye view of everything that will be expected of you over the semester.
Prioritize Your Tasks
Prioritize your tasks based on their due dates and importance. This can help you to focus on the most important tasks first and avoid feeling overwhelmed. Prioritization is an important skill to master as a nurse, and you will need to begin flexing that muscle in nursing school as you juggle multiple high-importance tasks.
Create a Study Schedule
Outline what, when, and where you will study each day. It is ideal if you can do this in larger chunks (so planning 1-2 months at a time) after you see your bird’s eye view of deadlines from tip #1. This can help you establish a routine and remove the guesswork of how much time to allocate on the day, which helps alleviate decision-fatigue.
Use Technology to Stay Organized
There are many apps and tools available that can help you stay organized, such as digital calendars, task managers, and note-taking apps. Below are some popular options (as I update this post in 2023).
Trello
Trello is a project management app that lets you create boards, lists, and cards to organize your tasks and assignments. You can also add due dates, attachments, and labels to each card to help you stay on track.
Evernote
Evernote is a note-taking app that lets you take and organize notes, create to-do lists, and save articles or web pages for later. You can also set reminders and add tags to help you find your notes later.
Google Drive
Google Drive is a cloud storage and collaboration platform that lets you store and share files, create and edit documents, and work on projects with others in real-time. You can also access your files from any device with an internet connection. It can be a great place to store your nursing school documents, downloads, and assignments.
Forest
Forest is a productivity app that helps you stay focused by planting virtual trees for a set amount of time. If you leave the app before the timer is up, your tree dies. The app also lets you track your progress over time.
[email protected]
[email protected] is a music app that uses neuroscience-based music to help you stay focused and productive while studying. You can choose from a variety of music genres and adjust the tempo and intensity to suit your needs.
My Study Life
My Study Life is a student planner app that lets you manage your schedule, track assignments, and set reminders for exams and other important dates. You can also sync your data across devices and share your schedule with others.
Todoist
Todoist is a task management app that lets you create and organize tasks, set reminders, and track your progress over time. You can also add labels and filters to your tasks to help you stay organized.
Notion
Save the best for last! Notion is my absolute favorite. Notion is an all-in-one workspace app that allows you to create and organize notes, tasks, projects, and databases. It features a customizable interface, collaborative tools, and integration with other apps.
Break Things Down Into Smaller Sections
When faced with a large assignment, break it down into smaller, more manageable tasks. This can make the assignment feel less daunting and help you stay motivated. I did this all the time with writing research papers. If my paper was due at the end of the month, I’d schedule myself on different days for smaller aspects of the bigger task. One day was developing the thesis, the next was finding sources, then writing the intro and 1-2 paragraphs, and so on. I’d schedule myself to be done a week or two before the due date which would also give me time to make any changes if needed before turning it in.
Find or Create a Study Group
Join or create a study group with your classmates. This can help you stay accountable, exchange ideas, and learn from one another. Try to be focused and intentional during study time. A great technique is to attempt to teach concepts to one another. You can make it fun by preparing ridiculous presentation to each other, which can help enhance your memory and well, is just honestly a great time.
Keep Your Study Space Organized
Keep your study space clean and organized to minimize distractions and help you stay focused. This cuts down on the feelings of frustration when you can’t find what you need to sit down and study.
Nursing School Organization (Video)
Final Thoughts on Nursing School Organization
These nursing school organization tips will benefit you your entire life. You will take these skills into your job as a nurse. The more organized and systematic you can keep your daily habits, the more efficient and less stressed you will be.
Getting ready for nursing school clinicals, but feeling unprepared?
Nursing School Clinical Prep from FreshRN is a self-paced video course that will prepare you for your first nursing clinical experience. Each lesson walks you through the basic tasks and concepts you will experience in the clinical setting. Once completed, you’ll feel comfortable in a hospital setting, understand the basics of what the bedside experience will feel like, and know insider tips and tricks that will make you feel confident and in control.
More Resources
- How to Survive Nursing School -Fresh RN Blog
- How to Stay Ahead in Nursing School
- 10 Mistakes Nursing Students Make (And How to Avoid Them) – free 26 page ebook
- Nursing School Clinical Prep Course – video course
I still like printed out schedules and paper calendars. I’m old school though and slowly converting to some things digital. Organization tips are always helpful, especially doing something small toward your goal every day, and starting early.