Structure and Organization: The Key to Academic Success by Brianna

Structure and Organization: The Key to Academic Success by Brianna - January 2022 Scholarship Essay

The only constant in life is change. I have heard that phrase so many times, and it has proven true over and over. Change is something I have feared and tried to avoid. Trying to balance academics amid this changing world has proved a challenge to many, myself included; however, implementing structure into my life has provided clarity in all my daily practices. Maintaining a structure through routines and good organizational practices allows me to succeed more in my academics.
People have different routines at different times of the day that create their daily structure. It looks a little different for everyone. Mine involves waking up early, especially on days I know I have work to do. This elongates my day and allows me to work longer before I must stop for other priorities. Having more time in the day to do schoolwork lets me slow down to a pace where I am comfortable. I also work freshening up into my routine daily. Whether I simply wash my face, take a shower, or indulge in a bath, I walk away feeling renewed and refreshed – ready for my work ahead. The last thing I am sure to include every day is taking breaks. I used to think taking breaks was a bad idea. I would eat lunch while typing up a paper, often letting whatever food I heated get cold. Then, I met my study group, who insisted I take breaks. They followed the Pomodoro technique, working for twenty-five minutes before taking a five-minute break and repeating. That did not work for me. I lost focus on the task at hand when I stopped in the middle of it. They suggested picking a task with a clear endpoint that would take me approximately twenty to thirty minutes to complete and breaking up larger tasks as close to this mark as I could. Once I completed my task, I would take a break and not lose focus while working. For example, when writing an essay, I would write one to two paragraphs, depending on the length, before sitting back and relaxing for a bit. This allowed me to clear my head and focus more on my schoolwork when I started up again.
While having a daily routine is great, I would not be nearly as successful if I did not learn organizational skills. I switched how I organized my days and weeks several times to figure out what works best for me. I tried using a bought planner and creating a daily planner with a bullet journal before I went online to canva.com and created my printable daily and weekly planner. It did not have too much on the page I would not use, and the most important areas were bigger for my ease of use. I could write down my weekly assignments, estimate how long it would take to complete each one, and then separate the tasks into the days of the week I would be able to work on them. Whenever I got lost or was ready to move on to my next assignment during the day, I could reference my planner and move on much faster than if I had to keep looking online and flip tabs between all my classes. I knew what I needed to accomplish every day and easily stayed on track throughout the semester.
The key to academic success is behind the scenes. It is putting in the effort to succeed through creating a plan and following through. Studying, finishing assignments, and projects are accomplished by using the time available to complete as much as possible to the best of one’s ability. I found the most success in my academics this past year by creating a structure, organizing my days, and following through.