As a student I know first hand how difficult it can be to stay organized, and I also know how stressful it is when you’re not. How anxious you get when you swear you did your homework, but cant find it, when you’re in a sprint to get to first period on time, or when you’re cramming and studying last minute or when you feel like your school life is clutter within your backpack. How devastating it is when you look at you grades slowly drop because you aren’t organized and prepared for class. From experience, I know that if you find a way of organization that works for you, stick to it, and it’ll become habit, making life at school a ton easier!

Dont rush!

Many students, especially athletes have heard the phrase, “and if you’re early you’re on time, if you’re on time you’re late,” and being on time, one, shows your teacher that you care for their time, and two, you care about the sport and your performance. Being on time can also make you more confident during class, and you might be more willing to participate when you avoid the stare you get walking in ten minutes after the bell.

A way to ensure that you are up and ready for school is to try putting your alarm clock on the opposite side of the room, that way when it goes off you have to physically get out of bed to turn it off, and then, since you’re already out of bed, you’re more likely to stay up and not go back to sleep for that “15 minutes.”

Another thing to try, especially for the ones who spend FOREVER picking out an outfit, is to choose your “fit” for the day, the night before, that way you save yourself the twenty to thirty minutes each morning.

To save you time, you could also make sure everything you need is in your bag or backpack the night before. That way you aren’t likely to forget any materials and you don’t spend time in the morning gathering all your books, binders, etc.

Throw out the Clutter!

Students can be pretty lazy at times; our backpacks fill with unnecessary garbage, papers and extra junk! This extra clutter can make you overwhelmed and confused on what you need to get done for each class. There are countless ways of keeping your bag or backpack clean and organized throughout the day.

(1) Throw out old papers that you don’t need. If a unit is over, get rid of the papers, or if you really must save them put them in a separate folder and leave them at home. These extra papers and assignments can confuse students on what you really need versus what you don’t. It may also help you know exactly where assignments are, you wont have to shuffle through fifty papers to get to that one you need to turn in, this can help you get all papers turned in on time.

(2) Have a certain place to keep all your materials, this could be a pocket in your backpack, a pencil box or pen container. When you have your materials and know exactly where they are, you will always be prepared and will never have to whisper to a friend to borrow a pen because yours have ran away.

Binders are Key!

Every student needs a certain place for certain things. Most school work is carried in a binder or folder, but just because you have a binder or folder does not make you organized. You need a specific process in which your binder “operates.” Labeling each and every part of your binder can make all the difference but may be excessive to some students to label everything, but it helps.

(1) Tabs are fabulous. You should have tabs for each subject or class; these are your main tabs. For Dublin High students there would be six for six classes. This ensures that their is a place for everything and you’ll have no problem finding your assignments. For example, I put a main tab for Chemistry. Then I put three subtabs (homework, classwork, notes) for each section of that class.

(2) Tabs can be expensive and for most students tabs for school are not something they want to spend their money on. Ways to make a tab without spending $5.99 at officemax is to punch holes in colored or printer paper, write the subject on the paper and wala! Another is sticky notes, way cheaper than actual tabs but do the job just as well. If you are going to go through all the effort of putting tabs in your binder, you need to put things back in the certain tab they should be under. When the bell rings we shove all our paper into our binder or bag and rush out of class; take the two minutes to put your papers where they belong. This will make a difference because you aren’t as likely to lose your papers or for them to get crumpled and ruined.

(3) Homework folders were great when you were in fifth grade and your mom was helping you with homework but they are still helpful now. You could have a homework folder, tab or binder pocket but find some way to put your homework in a pocket all together. This may help you, know exactly where your homework is cause its all in one place but it may also help you know what your homework is and will save you when you would usually say “oh, I didn’t know that was homework.”

Cure the forgetfulness!

Every year at registration students get a student planner, and even the ones who buy it still might not use it. Student planners don’t work for everyone because some minds just don’t work that way.

(1) An alternative method, is sticky notes. Have a sticky note stuck somewhere in your binder or bag and just write all your homework down on those for each day.

(2) You also could use a calendar, that you keep in your bag or even your room to write down important tests, quizzes or when certain assignments are due. This may also help you with all of your activities like, school, sports, social plans. You could write each part in a different color. for example, plans with friends in blue, school work in red etc.

For some students it may be difficult to change their organization skills, but it could possible make a big difference in your school performance. Try some of these tips or find your own to help stay on track and make you less overwhelmed. If you work hard at it, it could possibly become a habit and habit are usually pretty easy to keep.