Herts Study Series: Staying Sane & Organised by Rebecca Matanda
There’s
nothing worse than remembering your lecturer said something important… and then
realizing its buried somewhere between your Notes app, five random Word docs,
and a screenshot called “finalfinal(2).png”.
By second year, I learned chaos wasn’t cute anymore. I’d jot down a great quote or case during class and never see it again.
My laptop looked like it had been through
a digital hurricane. Then I started the Bar course, and that
chaos had to go. Between advocacy exercises, research tasks, and readings that
could double as doorstops, I realised organization isn’t optional, it’s survival.
My first
step towards sanity was OneNote. I started
separating my work into units, with every lecture and seminar neatly labelled.
Whenever my tutors uploaded Word docs or readings, I’d insert them straight
into OneNote as clickable links. Everything stayed together, no more digging
through my downloads like I was playing academic hide-and-seek.
The best thing about OneNote is
the flexibility: typed notes, handwritten notes, to-do lists, all in one place.
I’d tick off readings and cases as I went. Got an undergrad classic like Donoghue v Stevenson to revisit? Check. It’s basically my digital filing
cabinet that never lets me down.
And of
course, my old-school favourite sticky notes. I stick my deadlines on the wall right next
to my vanity. While I’m doing my makeup, I can literally see what needs to get
done. Productive guilt at its finest. A little mascara, a little motivation.
But okay… I’ve been gatekeeping
something. 👀
Let me
introduce you to Notebook LM. This one is next level for staying organized. I put all and I mean all my notes into it. Lecture notes, journal
articles, textbook chapters, random thoughts, you name it. Notebook LM doesn’t
just store them; it actually talks back.
It creates podcasts that summarises your notes and
readings in a super digestible way, so you can revise while walking, cooking,
or pretending to clean your room. It’s like your own personal study buddy that
never gets tired.
But it doesn’t stop there. It
helps you make mind maps, flashcards, and even MCQs from
your materials. You can literally test yourself without spending hours creating
revision resources. It takes what used to be the most time-consuming part of
studying, organising and condensing information and turns it into something
automatic.
Between OneNote, Notebook LM,
and my army of sticky notes, I finally feel like I’ve cracked the code to staying organized
without losing my sanity. OneNote keeps my units neat, Notebook LM transforms
them into something interactive, and sticky notes keep my deadlines staring me
down (in a loving way).
And honestly? It worked.
Staying consistent with these tools is one of the biggest reasons I graduated
with a First-class degree
I’m not saying colour-coding alone got me there, but having a clear system
meant less stress, better focus, and way more time understanding what I was
learning instead of just chasing missing files.
I used to spend more time finding information than using it. Now everything has a home, a
highlight colour, and sometimes even its own podcast episode.
If you’re in uni or postgrad, I
can’t recommend getting organized early enough. Whether you’re a OneNote
loyalist, a sticky-note traditionalist, or ready to dive into Notebook LM, find
a system that works for you because “winging it” stops being cute the second
deadlines start overlapping.
Chaos might make for funny
stories, but being organized? That’s what gets you your degree with your sanity
intact.