Organization tips for students

You overslept. The history paper that’s due today has gone missing. On the way out of your room, you trip over the pile of dirty laundry between your bed and the door. You get to class, only to find out that you’ve completely forgotten about the test you’re taking today.

All of these nightmares can be prevented by improving your organizational habits. Planning, devoting time to it every day, and being willing to stay with it will prove successful for almost every student: by the end of your high-school or college years, you should be one of the most organized students around – and your decreased stress levels, not to mention the improved grades, will be your rewards.

Organize your room/study area. It might take a few hours, but you can divide it into small tasks. You might take thirty minutes every evening to clean, reorganize, and rearrange your possessions, or set out to finish one task every day (such as finding a place for all your books, or cleaning out your closet). Once this is finished, you can look around and see a big difference: all of your things will be easy to find, including those all-important assignments coming due soon!

Find a convenient and easy way of recording assignments. Many students use a day-by-day calendar or day planner to track due dates, assignment specifics, and other vital information. You can use your computer’s spreadsheet program, a dry-erase board, or plain notebook paper – the idea is to find something you’re comfortable with. Whatever method you choose should have plenty of room for you to keep track of dates assigned, due dates, assignment requirements, and notes. This is faster and easier than flipping through all of your notebooks, trying to decipher your hurried scribbles to figure out what needs to be done first.

Don’t wait until the day before the due date to begin any assignment. Sit down every weekday and look at your organizer: work a little on whatever is due first, then move on to the second due assignment, then the third, etc. If you finish ahead of schedule, reward yourself: twenty minutes with your favorite computer game, a phone call to a friend, or a trip out for ice cream. Also: remember to take study breaks for at least ten minutes every hour, even if you’re desperately behind schedule. Slouching over your desk for too long will only make things worse, and the stress in your body won’t make the job any easier to complete.

Make sure that all of your work for each class is in the same place. You don’t want one history paper in Folder A and another in Folder B. Instead, use one folder or notebook for each subject (and keep all related materials there) or invest in one larger binder and use dividers to separate each subject. Either way, keeping everything together will make it easier for you to find it, remember it, and turn it in.

Clean out your car. If there are several changes of clothes, twelve thousand CDs, and other assorted things in the back and front seat that you aren’t using, clear them out: driving to school amid clutter and chaos puts you in that frame of mind, which does nothing to maximize your learning potential during your first class of the day. It’s also harder to find books and other important items if they’re buried under everything else.

Make a nightly habit of packing your book bag, being sure that your alarm clock is set for the correct time, and deciding what you’ll wear the next morning. Get as many things done that night as you can to help avoid the morning rush out the door: the most important thing you’ll have to worry about at seven a.m. is deciding what to have for breakfast!

Set certain times of the day for studying, homework, and other school-related activities. Once you’ve established this habit, stick with it: some days will be harder than others, but it will get better as time passes. When this time comes around, turn off the TV or music, ignore your phone, and get rid of any other distractions (including the incredibly tempting computer game – close out that application so you can concentrate on your work).

Also: set certain times and days for other tasks, like laundry and shopping. This makes it harder for you to be distracted from your studies, and easier to plan out each day.

Take some time off every now and then. Every day should include at least half an hour of relaxation, whether it be soaking in a hot bath or playing a video game. This is time for you to enjoy doing nothing at all: let your body and mind recharge so you can tackle the next task.

Get plenty of rest every night, including weekends. If you’re running on too little rest, your brain – the world’s most complex organizer/computer – will lag like crazy. It’s nearly impossible to keep track of ANYTHING, even with organizers and other tools, if you can’t think clearly.

You’ll begin to see improvement in the first few weeks. You’ll spend less time searching for things. Study times will be more effective. Your grades might even be a little better, depending on how thorough you are with this organization thing. It’s a great feeling, but remember that life isn’t perfect. Random things will come up, making it impossible for you to study the entire hour, do laundry on the day you’ve set aside, or finish your homework without cramming a little right before the due date. When these situations come up, keep working with them until the end. Not every day will be easy, but it gets better as you move forward.