Organize for Success

There is one thing that tends to get in the way of student progress whether they use knowledge based learning or more traditional formats. That one thing is organization. I am a single mother of one, living in a remodeling project while working as a freelance writer and trying to grow a full garden. You could say it is a bit overwhelming at times.

When I graduated from WGU Indiana with a BA in Special Ed/ Elem Ed, I felt a huge weight off my shoulders...until I entered the Master program. I assume that most people have more than they can handle, even if they don't have kids or they work a "normal" job. So I assume in turn, that they could use a few tips to get organized.

• Create a physical and virtual folder for every class you are enrolled in.
• Print out all tasks from Taskstream.
• Create a schedule that includes a bit of work on one task at a time for set amount of days a week. (Personally, my son goes to his dad's every other week during the summer, so my goal is to complete a task a day while he is gone and then only do revisions as needed while he is here. Otherwise I am trying to work around him and one or two of his friends.)
• Use the tools WGU Indiana gave you. My absolute favorite tool from the Success Package is the door hanger. Everyone knows to only open the door it is hanging on if there is a fire or a significant amount of blood. (If you don't go to WGU or WGU Indiana, create your own door hanger for your doorknob that says "Studying" or something similar. After you have to point it out to a couple of people in your house as you are under obvious stress, they will take it seriously.)
• Reward yourself. Short term goals make the world go round. Not one invention would have been complete if it didn't go beyond the first step of thinking about it. Set a goal you can achieve for the day/week/month and reward yourself. For instance I finished my work and my homework for the day and I plan to give myself some quiet pleasure reading time or a good movie. I was tempted to do more work, but am hoping to avoid burnt out by just keeping a steady pace.