Ever wondered how some people are so on top of everything?

If an essay is due, they have already finished and handed it in. If they have two projects due the same day and time, they don’t break a sweat. On their noticeboard you can see the entire month mapped out on their calendars.

You can be organised too. No more procrastination, no more deadline extensions, no more late nights catching up, and no more disorganisation.

Follow these five steps to reorganising your life/workload.

1. Get a calendar/diary
Unless it is a TO DO List, writing your schedule on pieces of paper is not a good idea. If you lose some paper then that task will slip your mind, and when you do remember it could be too late. If you are a student then get a diary that runs during the school year e.g. Aug to June for Americans and Sept to July for Britons. Anyone else should buy a diary for the year i.e. Jan to Dec.

Diaries usually show that day or week, but calendars put your entire schedule into perspective. You can see how many weeks until the next deadline and how national holidays may give you extra time. Try to find an attractive calendar that improves the decor and/or raises your mood. For example, if your favourite actor is Will Smith then get a Will Smith calendar.

Even better than a diary or calendar, use the applications on your mobile. That means you can set reminders and alarms to remind you, which is great for those who don’t have the best memories.

2. Produce a TO DO List
Write down everything that you need to accomplish in the next month or two (or more if you feel up to it). Include big, medium and small tasks, to make sure nothing slips under the radar.

3. Rate by importance
Go through the list giving each task/project a rating based on its importance. Big tasks like essays, exams, and projects for supervisors can then take precedence over smaller tasks like signing up to the gym or upgrading your car.

4. Deadlines
Now add the deadlines. Remember that this is NOT related to the importance ratings. A very important project could be due in two months time, while a less significant task could be due next week. Double check the deadlines before writing them down, if the dates seem odd because past deadlines were very different, have them clarified by your superiors first.

5. Daily time spent
Based on each task’s importance and deadline, you need to plan how long you will spend working towards them everyday. The closer you get to deadlines the longer you can spend on each task, so what you plan now is not the final outcome.

Remember that your plans might change down the line. Just remain calm and work through this page again. Just slot any new projects into your current schedule and you’ll be back on track.