Testing, packing, graduating, moving . . . for a lot of you, this list reads less as a series of action words and more as a "To Do" list as you pull through this last semester. You may find yourself packing away your dorm room or apartment in between studying for exams. You know how it goes; spend 2 hours studying for your "Biology of Insects" exam (thanks Monica) and then an hour emailing your buds on Facebook about who has your Yankees fitted cap, what's the policy on lost dorm keys, and what's the deal with subletting a place on the beach? Or perhaps you are choosing to just study and save the whole packing thing for when Mom and Dad show up to your place to help.

Point being, there is a lot on your plate for the next week or two. A good way to organize those "things to do" is to create a "to do" list. Now listen, I know that this is not rocket science or a new concept. We've done this before; we write down the things we need to do on notecards, white boards, the back of our hands . . . . but, there is actually a method to the maddness of creating an efficient To Do List.

Today I am channeling advice from FastCompany.com. You can read more about organizing your to-do list in this "Work Smart" article, but for those of you who won't commit to clicking the link, let me lay it out for you.

A good To Do List will help you work smarter. A bad To Do List will leave you with more to do than you originally planned. The most common mistake in making a to do list is putting items on the list that are undefined; or rather, there is no way to really measure whether they have been completed.

You should first know the difference between a project, a task, and a goal. In short, a project is made of up tasks. I goal is something you hope to achieve through tasks and repetitive actions. Therefore, on your list should be TASK oriented because this is not only more measurable, but will help you to avoid distractions. For example, instead of writing "pack up dorm room" ( a project) write down the varied tasks "pack computer equipment before lunch" followed by "pack bedding after lunch and before meeting with adviser." The final goal of packing up the dorm room will be accomplished as a result of the completing the tasks.

Once you have broken the list down into manageable sections, purge it of things that are not of high priority at that moment. Your To Do List should change everyday to reflect the tasks that have been completed and those that are yet to come, so do not overwhelm yourself by putting items on the list that can wait an extra few days. Instead write these items down on a calendar and add them to the active to do list as the due date nears.

Another issue that arises when working to get things done in a timely manner is multitasking. Multitasking, which can sometimes be a desired skill-set, can also be detrimental to getting a task done thoroughly and timely. FastCompany has more advice on multitasking, too, if you're interested. The best way to get things done however is to do them the old fashioned way and get them done one thing at a time. So closing down the instant message feature on Facebook while you box things up will give you MORE time to instant message later (believe it or not) because you will have finished the not-so-fun task sooner.

And lastly, while I urged against doing too many things at once, I will ease up a little bit when it comes to whistling while you work.

We are interested in hearing your input and advice about finishing up the semester. Leave us a comment below!

"#18 | To Do lists" courtesy boboroshi via Flickr Creative Commons