Do These 4 Things to Stay Organized Throughout the School Year

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Do These 4 Things to Stay Organized Throughout the School Year

Classes at Chicago Public Schools start soon, and this promises to be a year like no one has seen before. Lots of things are going to happen that are out of your control, which is why preparing for what is in your control is even more important this school year.

If you’re like most students, you have a bunch of brand new notebooks, pens, binders and more sitting all shiny and new in your backpack.

While that’s a good start, just having the materials themselves doesn’t guarantee that you’re going to be organized throughout the year. To truly stay on top of your assignments and materials, you need a system, and you need to follow that system all year long.

Here are four simple routines to help you stay organized (and sane) from the first day of school to the last:

  1. Check Your Planner
    You probably purchased a planner or received one from your school. But a planner won’t work unless you actually use it. In addition to writing down the dates from your syllabus, you’ll also want to add vacation days, your game and practice schedule (if you play a sport), personal commitments, and more.Then, at the beginning of each week, check your planner to see what you have coming up for the week so you can plan your time accordingly. In addition, take a glance at your planner each day when you get home from school so you don’t forget to complete assignments due the next day.
  2. Create a Color-Coded Filing System
    One great way of staying organized throughout the school year is to color code all of your binders, folders and notebooks by subject. You can buy a three-ring binder and create a different colored tab for each subject, or you can use a separate binder for each class — each one a different color. When you get handouts, worksheets, or returned tests and quizzes, put them in their correct folder. Don’t just stuff papers into your bag or into the first random folder you see. Take a few minutes at the end of each class to put everything where it belongs. For more info on how to organize your binder, check out this blog.
  3. Create a Filing System at Home
    Keep a filing box or accordion folder and create sections for each subject. When you get papers or tests back, put them in each folder and save them for later when you have to study for exams.
  4. Go Through Your Backpack Once a Week
    To prevent your backpack from becoming a biohazard area, spend a little time each week cleaning it out. Sunday nights are usually the perfect time for this. Throw out all of the half-eaten sandwiches and dirty socks you have in there, and file any of the papers that didn’t end up in their correct folders. Put items that you don’t need any more into the home filing system for later. Then repack your backpack, putting the heaviest stuff in the back against your back and all of the smaller items into their appropriate compartments.

Following these few on-going routines will help you stay organized and on-track all year long. Need some additional organizational tips? Check out this blog.

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