We’ve teamed up with the folks at UNiDays to bring you stories about all the stuff you go through when you're studying. Did you know UNiDAYS members can nab a 25 per cent discount on their frankie magazine subscriptions? Well, now you do. Check the bottom of the story for more deets.

We’re officially half way through November, frankie friends! If you’re anything like us, then this means three things:
1. Your social calendar is starting to look rather cluttered,
2. Your work/study calendar is, somehow, even more cluttered than your social calendar,
3. Your brain is doing somersaults trying to figure out how the heck you’re going to attend all of these events, meet deadlines AND stay on top of your life admin (which includes buying Christmas pressies – a challenge in itself) before the year has officially ended.

It may be tough, but try not to fret, pals (the silly season is meant to be enjoyed, after all!). Organisation is the key to getting through the next month unscathed, and to set yourself up for a stress-free 2023. So, we’ve compiled a few nifty tips and tricks for getting on top of the mountain that is your end-of-year to-do list:

WRITE IT DOWN OK, seeing all of your deadlines at once may seem overwhelming at first, but it’s super-important in the long haul! Write down absolutely all of your time-specific activities in a diary, planner or calendar. Whether it’s a work deadline, an assignment, a dinner party or an appointment, jotting down even the smallest ‘event’ will give you a quick visual of your schedule.

If you wanna get real fancy, write or highlight different categories of events in different colours. For example, personal appointments might be blue, work meetings might be green, and social activities might be red. Or, you could simply highlight non-negotiables (like work deadlines and uni assignments) in one colour, and the stuff that could potentially be rescheduled (like a coffee date or haircut) in another colour.

BREAK IT DOWN After popping all ‘events’ in your diary or calendar, create a separate to-do list using the organisational medium of your choice (it could be a physical notebook, a digital document or a giant piece of paper – whatever takes your fancy). Rather than writing down tasks in the exact order of when they’re due, write them down in order of priority. This will help you tackle the most important tasks first.

Break down all of your major, time-heavy goals into smaller, bite-sized chunks, so that the idea of tackling them becomes wayyy less overwhelming. For example, completing an essay in 200-word bursts just feels more achievable than smashing out 1000 words in one go. Working out for 20 minutes a day feels easier than working out for two straight hours on your day off. You get the gist. Plus, on those days where you don’t have the time or the motivation to tackle one giant thing, you may be able to tick off a few small items, instead.

USE YOUR TIME WISELY As we’ve already pointed out: breaking down the big things into littler things makes doing all the things easier. And the same goes for time management. Block out your day into chunks so you can focus on specific tasks. Got an important work presentation due? Dedicate two consecutive hours of your day to work on it. During those two hours, avoid any kind of distraction – whether it be emails, social media, the dishes or another job that needs doing – just focus solely on whittling away at the task at hand. All those other things you need to do? Pop specific time-blocks into your planner for those, too! And make sure you set aside time for plenty of breaks – you don’t want to burn yourself out.

If focusing on one thing for a couple of hours is difficult for you, then consider giving the Pomodoro Technique a crack, instead. It’s a popular time-management method that involves setting a timer for 25 minutes, and using that time to focus on a task. Once the 25-minute block is up, take a five-minute break. Then repeat. It’s super-easy to tick stuff off your to-do list when you use the Pomodoro Technique a few times a day.

ENLIST AN ACCOUNTABILITY BUDDY Life truly is easier when you’ve got good mates by your side – especially when ‘life’ involves getting up at 5am to make the morning pilates class or finally going to get the blood test you’ve been avoiding for months.

If there’s something you really want (or need) to tick off your list, but you can’t quite muster up the motivation to do it, ask a friend to join you. Work on your respective side-hustles together. Go Christmas shopping together. Go to that pesky pilates class together. Run errands together. It all becomes way more fun with a friend!

To help you get on top of your to-do lists, our illustrated 2023 diary features nifty monthly budgeting pages, space for daily notes, tear-out bookmarks, stickers and more bits and bobs that'll help you organise your days. Meanwhile, our super-sweet 2023 calendar features 12 different artworks and perforated edges, so you can tear out each picture to hang on your wall. To get your mitts on a 2023 diary or calendar, swing past the frankie shop, or pop into one of our friendly stockists.

Thanks to the kind types at UNiDAYS, uni students can nab 25 per cent off their frankie subscriptions. Just click here, then register or log in using your UNiDAYS member details. Easy as!