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20 Ideas to Help Students

Get Organized

by Maria Gracia Updated October 1, 2023 Join our newsletter to be notified when new content is added to our website. A bright, new school year…now is the perfect time to start off on the right foot and get organized. Here are 20 ideas to help students stay on an organized path to success. 1. Set 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. 2. Don’t rush. Wake up early enough to arrive at school 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 more likely to stay up. 3. Prepare your wardrobe. Before you go to bed each night, choose, iron (if needed), and lay out your clothes for the next day. The next morning, you’ll be all set and won’t have to waste time deciding. 4. 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. As papers become outdated, such as an event that has passed, toss them immediately. 5. 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. 6. Create an effective study area. Designate a quiet, well-lit area for studying. Don’t study in front of the television, or in an area of your home where you’re bound to be distracted. Hang a Do Not Disturb sign on your door. If you can’t find a quiet spot at home, go to the library or a coffee shop. In addition, 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. 7. Get your beauty sleep. Get a good night’s rest to ensure you are alert and ready to learn the following day. 8. Eat healthy. Eat three healthy meals each day, along with raw veggies, fruit, cheese, and nuts for snacks. Don’t overload on sweets, which cause many people to feel tired. 9. Avoid overload. While you may sign up for extra school activities, such as basketball or cheerleading, don’t take on too much. First determine how much study time you need. Then, choose one or two recreational activities that you enjoy. 10. Use a student planner. Use a good student planner or organizer. The ones that have pocket folders, dividers, and planning calendars are ideal. 11. Use ONE calendar. Use one calendar to plan all of your school and personal activities, rather than two or more. When you use more than one, you run the risk of scheduling conflicts and missed appointments. This is very important. Heed the old proverb, A man who wears two watches, never knows the correct time. Most smart phones have calendar apps that make scheduling, planning, and avoiding scheduling conflicts super-easy. 12. Color-code. If you prefer a paper planning system to digital, 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. 13. Record it. When you learn of an upcoming test, event, or anything you must prepare for or attend, immediately type it into your digital calendar or jot it in your planner. Don’t wait for later or you may forget about it. 14. 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. 15. 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. 16. Break it up. Break up big tasks, into smaller, bite-sized jobs. For instance, if you have to study three chapters in your history book, study one chapter at a time each day. If you have to work on a project, break it down into three or four stages. 17. Eat your broccoli first. Imagine eating your dessert before your broccoli. What would be left for you to look forward to? Just the same, do your homework for your most difficult subjects first. Then, everything else will be a breeze, and therefore, more enjoyable. 18. Set rules for yourself. It’s easy to take a little bit too much time for fun, and leave minimal time for studying. Set rules for yourself like, “no checking my phone notifications until I’ve worked on homework for a full 20 minutes.” 19. Turn off notifications. Getting off-task is very easy when your email is chiming, your phone is dinging, or your social media notifications are pouring in. Turn off all device notifications while you’re studying or doing homework. 20. Re-organize daily. at the end of each day. Take 5 to 10 minutes at day’s end to declutter. Recycle any papers you no longer need. File into folders or binders. Clear your desk. Double check that all tasks were completed. Plan for tomorrow. Back to Organized Kids Index