How to Stay Organized in School

PHOTO CREDIT: LINDSEY HANNAH

BY LINDSEY HANNAH

Organization does not come naturally for most people, especially when it comes to school. Last year, as a freshman, I tried my best to keep my things neat, but instead I ended up with a bag full of unnecessary binders and notebooks. Luckily, I’ve come up with a simple plan that will help students be efficient in their school endeavors.

The first thing you will need to succeed is an effective way to take notes and keep them arranged neatly. There are a few ways to go about this; one way is to have a pronged, pocketed folder for each class and a large binder with a divider for each class to keep at home. Whenever you start a new unit and your folder is ready to burst, empty it into the binder and save it for later. An exciting yet practical idea is to get different color folders for each class to help you differentiate courses. Another method, which I prefer, is to get a five-subject notebook with pocketed dividers and keep a binder at home. For someone who struggles with neatness, this is the way to go. It makes it impossible to misplace any important papers because they are all secured in a single notebook. Then, you can simply transfer loose handouts or assignments into your binder at home.

Color coding is another helpful tip that I highly recommend. I find that matching a color to something really helps us, visual people, to keep track of things. I take notes with colored pens and highlighters, as well as mark pages with small colorful sticky notes. It might even be helpful to assign a color per class, so if you see something highlighted in blue, for instance, you will automatically know it goes with your biology class.

Another handy tool is an agenda. Some people can manage jotting down homework in a notebook, or even just taking a mental note, but for most writing down homework along with due dates and reminders is a must. As your high school career progresses and you become involved in more activities and difficult classes, keeping dates and assignments in order is crucial for success.

Finally, the key to staying organized in school is keeping up with work. If you have one of those miracle days with hardly any homework, don’t use up your whole afternoon binge watching on Netflix. Instead, go through your classes and make sure you are up to date. If you anticipate a heavy work load- get ahead. Nothing is more disheveling than rushed notes and sloppy work. It may get you the grade then, but come study day, you are bound to have a problem.

Staying organized is a surefire way to guarantee success. The time and energy you waste trying to decipher a block of uninterrupted notes or searching for an assignment can rightfully be spent on getting the actual work done, which in the end means more leisure time for you.