Organization Tips

Get Organized

Organize Your Stuff. Being organized makes everything else easier. It helps you get to work faster without wasting time looking for stuff.

Keep your assignments and class information organized by subject. Put them in binders, notebooks, or folders. If you find yourself stuffing loose papers in your bag or grabbing different notebooks for the same class, it's time to stop and reorganize!

Clean out your backpack regularly. Decide where to keep returned assignments and things you want to hold on to. Offload things you no longer need to carry around.

Organize Your Space. You need a good workspace — some place quiet enough to focus. It's best to work at a desk or table where you can spread out your work. Have a place set aside for homework. That way, when you sit down, your mind knows you're there to work and can help you focus more quickly.

Organize Your Time: Have a set time that you work on your schoolwork each day. Set an amount of time that you will work on your assignments. At the end of the scheduled time, if you have been on task you can reward yourself with an allotted amount of free time.

Get Focused

Avoid Distractions. When you multi-task you're less focused. That means you're less likely to do well on that test. Park your devices and only check them after your work is done.

Some people concentrate best when it's quiet. Others say they study best if they listen to background music. If you study with music on, make sure it isn't going to sidetrack you into singing the lyrics and dancing all over your room. If you find yourself reading the same page over and over, it's a clue that the music is a distraction, not a help.