Student Resources

Ideas to Help Students Get Organized

You have a bright, new school year ahead of you, ready once again to help prepare you for your future. Now is the perfect time for you to start off on the right foot, and get organized. Here are a few tips to help you manage your time, avoid clutter, set goals, and stay on an organized path to success.

GOALS. Set realistic goals at the beginning of the school year, and break those large goals into mini-goals. Write these goals down on index cards and keep them in a highly visible place where you can see them every day. Writing down your goals makes them more concrete, and motivates you to keep working towards them.

DON’T RUSH. Wake up early enough for school to arrive well ahead of time. If you need 30 minutes to get up, shower and dress, pad that time by waking up at least 45 minutes prior to your departure. To ensure you don’t turn off your alarm clock and go back to sleep, place your clock at the far end of your room. This way, you actually have to get out of bed to turn it off, and you’re most likely to stay up.

AVOID CLUTTER. At the beginning of the school year, you have no clutter. Be careful not to build clutter as the year progresses. Create separate folders for school announcements, tests that have been graded, papers you must give to your parents and so on.

MAKE TO DO LISTS. Always spend a minimum of 15 minutes per day, preparing your To Do list for tomorrow. In doing so, you will know exactly what tasks you have to accomplish the next day.

EFFECTIVE STUDY AREA. Designate a quiet, well-lit area for studying. In addition, you should study while sitting at a table or desk. Avoid studying in a very comfortable chair or a bed, which may cause you to feel drowsy.

GET SLEEP. Get a good night’s rest.

AN APPLE A DAY. Eat three healthy meals each day, along with fruit for snacks. Don’t overload on sweets, which cause many people to feel tired.

USE A STUDENT PLANNER. Use a good student planner or organizer. The ones that have pocket folders, dividers and planning calendars are ideal.

USE ONE CALENDAR. Use one calendar to plan all of your school and personal activities, rather than two or more.

COLOR-CODE. You may consider color-coding similar activities on your calendar. For example, highlight all upcoming tests in yellow, study time in green and recreational activities in pink.

WRITE IT DOWN. When you learn of an upcoming test, event, or anything you must prepare for or attend, immediately jot it in your planner. Don’t wait for later, or you may forget about it.

BREAK UP YOUR STUDY TIME. Determine how many study hours you need, and schedule study time in your planner. For example, if you need six hours of time to study for a test, you may break that time up into six sessions, of one hour each. Choose the six days, and make a Study Time notation in your calendar.

SCHEDULE CONSISTENT STUDY TIMES. Set aside time every day for study, and make it consistent. For example, set your study time for each afternoon from 4:00pm to 6:00pm. Whatever you do, avoid last minute studying and cramming.

START WITH MOST DIFFICULT.  Do your homework for your most difficult subjects first. Then, everything else will be a breeze, and therefore, more enjoyable

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