Finding a place to study

Being organised is not necessarily about being tidy – it’s about having a system in place that works for you. You need somewhere to study and somewhere to keep your course materials, files and books. You’ll also need access to a computer.

If you don’t have a room to yourself then you might want to work at the kitchen or dining-room table. You’ll also no doubt find other places to study – you may find you can listen to an audio recording in your car, or study on the train, for example.

Boxes or bags can be used to transport materials you are currently using, say to prepare for an assignment. A bag can even have its own filing system and you can take it wherever you need to work – on the train, in the garden, or to the local library.

I learn mostly by listening. I thought, I'm gonna get myself a digital voice recorder and tape myself. So now that's exactly what I do. I tape myself reading passages in my book, or my online journals or whatever, and I record pertinent points on my digital recorder then I can play them back on my iPod. It's really good for on the move as well as when I'm at home.