Using a calendar and creating to-do lists can help students stay organized, the Office of Student Engagement’s basic needs coordinator told students at a March time-management workshop.

In the virtual workshop sponsored by the First Year Experience program, Caitlin Silver also said students who study together can hold each other accountable.

“Organization and time management go hand in hand,” Silver said. “In order to excel in one, in theory, hopefully you’re also going to excel in the other.”

Among Silver’s tips: “Keep the momentum going when you’re in the zone. Keep going; don’t stop. When you hit that zone and you’re feeling good, stay in it.”

Silver defined “procrastination,” which means to intentionally, often habitually, put something off until another day or time.

Procrastination is “often a habit and habits are hard to break,” Silver said. “[Procrastination is] common. It’s nothing to be ashamed about. It’s just something to work on if you know that it’s something that you struggle with.”

She suggested that students write or set reminders for themselves to get stuff done.

“[Utilize] things to help you keep track of what you have to do, when you have to do it and staying on top of your game,” Silver said.

Students can prepare for success, she added.

“You can prepare for success by getting the supplies that are going to work for you,” Silver said. “If you want to have color-coded supplies, if you want to have a planner, preparing for success is making sure you have those things.”

Office of Student Engagement assistant Shelby Brown said Silver’s tip about time blocking was helpful.

“[Silver] helped me to kind of focus in more on the time blocking, like giving yourself a window [of time] to do things, like 1 – 2 p.m.,” Brown said. “I’m going to focus on this task, maybe take a 10-minute break, [and] then at 2:15 – 3:15 p.m., I’m going to focus on this task [and] then take a little break.”