10 Organising Skills Every Student Should Develop

Organizing skills are essential competencies that significantly contribute to academic success and overall student development. Mastering these skills enables students to manage their time effectively, prioritise tasks, and achieve their goals.

Learning organising skills for students enhances their academic performance and prepares them for future challenges in both personal and professional settings.

Table Of Contents

What are Organising Skills?
Importance of Learning Organising Skills for Students
Top 10 Organising Skills for Students
Fostering Organising Skills for High School Students with UNIS Hanoi

What are Organising Skills?

Organising skills refer to soft skills that enable students to manage their time, workspace, and tasks effectively. They are integral to task completion, helping students to:

Break down complex tasks into manageable steps
Assign deadlines and prioritise critical tasks
Mark important milestones for communication and collaboration
Maintain a tidy workspace, ensuring a clear mental focus

These skills empower students to manage multiple responsibilities simultaneously, facilitating success in both academic and personal life.

Importance of Learning Organising Skills for Students

By enhancing their organising abilities, students can improve their focus, complete projects more efficiently, and prepare for their future careers.

The key benefits of developing organising skills include:

Help students focus: A well-organised workspace and structured schedule reduce distractions, allowing students to concentrate better.
Foster critical thinking: Organising tasks encourages students to analyse their workload and creates a systematic approach, sharpening their analytical abilities.
Promote independence: Strong organising skills foster self-reliance, as students learn to manage tasks autonomously.
Facilitate time management: By setting goals and creating schedules, students develop efficient time management habits.

Top 10 Organising Skills for Students

By developing these skills, students can enhance their focus, boost productivity, and set themselves up for success in their studies and future endeavours.

1. Set Goals

Goal-setting enables students to define what they want to achieve, breaking down larger objectives into smaller, manageable tasks.

Example: If students aim to improve their grades, they can set specific goals like reading one chapter each night or dedicating a particular time to review each subject.

Teaching Strategy for Educators: Teachers can guide students to set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) goals. Starting with small goals, like completing an assignment early, gradually builds their confidence and competence in goal-setting.

2. Manage Time

Time management is a foundational organisational skill that allows students to allocate their time efficiently, balancing academics, extracurricular activities, and personal interests.

Example: A student might use a planner to track assignment deadlines, extracurricular activities, and personal commitments, ensuring no overlap and adequate time for each.

Teaching Strategy for Educators: Teachers can encourage students to identify where they spend their time by creating a time log. This activity helps students recognise areas for improvement and identify blocks of time that could be used more productively.

3. Prioritise Tasks

Prioritising helps students tackle urgent assignments first, ensuring they meet deadlines without last-minute stress.

Example: Students may have an upcoming test and a project due next week. They should prioritise studying for the test while allocating time for the project as well.

Teaching Strategy for Educators: Teachers can help students categorise tasks into three groups: Urgent, Important, and Can Wait. Older students may benefit from using the Eisenhower Matrix, which categorises tasks by urgency and importance.

4. Establish Routines

A consistent routine helps students follow a structured daily schedule, enabling them to stay on top of responsibilities without unnecessary stress.

Example: Establishing a morning routine with set times for breakfast, homework review, and class preparation can create a productive start to each school day.

Teaching Strategy for Educators: Educators can create daily classroom routines that include designated times for specific tasks, such as homework check-in or reading, making it easier for students to adapt to productive routines in their personal lives.

5. Plan Schedules

Creating a schedule helps students manage multiple responsibilities by allocating time for each task, ensuring they remain on track with deadlines.

Example: Students can use calendars or apps to schedule study sessions, assignments, and personal activities, ensuring they allocate enough time for each task.

Teaching Strategy for Educators: Teachers should assist students in creating personalised scheduling systems, ensuring they incorporate flexibility to accommodate unexpected events and changes.

6. Plan Projects

Project planning enables students to organise long-term assignments or group projects, dividing the workload into smaller, manageable tasks.

Example: When assigned a research project, students can identify each step- research, drafting, revising – and assign a timeline for each, ensuring steady progress.

Teaching Strategy for Educators: Educators can provide project planners for students, teaching them how to create an outline and identify required resources, time frames, and potential obstacles.

7. Organise Space

Teaching students to keep their environments orderly can significantly enhance their ability to complete tasks efficiently.

Example: By designating specific places for books, school supplies, and electronics, students can easily access what they need and avoid wasting time searching for materials.

Teaching Strategy for Educators: Teachers can model good organisational practices in the classroom, using labelled bins or folders for handouts and materials. At home, parents can establish a nightly clean-up routine, helping students develop habits that maintain an orderly workspace.

8. Take Notes

Effective note-taking is a skill that helps students retain information and stay engaged during lessons. Developing a personalised note-taking strategy can make studying more efficient.

Example: Using techniques like bullet points, colour-coding, or summarising in their own words can help students better understand and recall lessons.

Teaching Strategy for Educators: Teachers can introduce students to note-taking methods, like the Cornell or outline method, encouraging them to experiment and find which style best suits their learning.

9. Budget Finances

Understanding how to budget effectively sets the foundation for responsible financial management in adulthood.

Example: Students can learn budgeting by managing their pocket money or allowance and dividing it into categories such as spending, saving, and donating.

Teaching Strategy for Educators: Teachers can incorporate financial literacy into the curriculum using simple budgeting exercises. Students might track hypothetical spending on school supplies or budget for a class event, giving them practical experience in managing funds.

10. Prepare Tests

Effective test preparation involves a range of organisational skills, including time management, study techniques, and stress reduction strategies. Students need to develop a systematic approach to test-taking.

Example: A student preparing for exams can set a study schedule, allocating specific days to revise each subject or topic.

Teaching Strategy for Educators: Teachers can demonstrate various study methods, such as flashcards or practice exams, and encourage students to use them in preparation. Involving parents in the preparation process can also reinforce these test-prep strategies.

At UNIS Hanoi, we recognise the significance of developing organising skills among our students. As an IB World School, we are dedicated to providing a robust academic programme that centres on each child’s individual needs and abilities. We believe that fostering a structured learning environment can significantly enhance our student’s organisational competencies.

Our commitment to excellent learning at UNIS Hanoi ensures students are encouraged to extend their thinking, reflect on their learning experiences, and transfer their knowledge to various contexts. Through our Co-Curricular Programme, we offer diverse opportunities for students to engage in purposeful activities that further develop their organising skills and promote social growth.

Fostering Organising Skills for High School Students with UNIS Hanoi

As students progress through their academic journey, developing strong organising skills becomes essential for managing increased responsibilities and preparing for the future.

At UNIS Hanoi, we provide a supportive learning environment where students acquire, apply, and refine these skills, helping them to extend their thinking, set personal goals, and collaborate effectively. Contact admissions@unishanoi.org to learn more about how we foster success through organising skills at UNIS Hanoi!