Organizing Your Life

Every morning you wake up. You put on your clothes and you brush your teeth. You then head to the kitchen to grab something to eat and head out to school for a brand new day.

You knew exactly where your clothes were, maybe because you left them there last night, but more likely because you found them in the closet or drawer that they’ve been stored since the last time you did laundry. You were able to brush your teeth with your favorite toothbrush instead of a new one every morning because you knew exactly where you had last placed it. The food was of course preserved perfectly in the refrigerator or perhaps in the toaster, ready for consumption, just like every other time your stomach demanded sustenance.

All these actions every morning take less than thirty minutes because you know what you want and you are able to get what you need quickly.

Just imagine how life would be if you woke up every morning not knowing where your clothes are or where your toothbrush is. Imagine how much time would be wasted just by trying to find those things.

Isn’t your academic life the exact same way?

When you need to find notes, it is so much faster if you know exactly where the notes are. Or maybe you need to study for a test? Your life would be significantly easier if you could just click a few buttons on your computer and retrieve those worksheets you wanted instead of fumbling through mountains of paper.

So how do you stay organized? It’s not hard, really.

Firstly, have folders and dividers for each class/subject. The more you divide up your belongings into categories, the easier it will be to find them later. Of course it would be counter-productive to have too much tabs/dividers that each section only ends up with three pieces of paper, so being reasonable and logical is essential. Have binders for each class and divide up the binder into “Homework”, “Notes”, “Tests/Quizzes”, and “Labs” (if needed).

Secondly, date your papers. It is absolutely critical to date your papers and put them up based on their dates (usually the most recent papers would be on top). That way, when you study for exams, you will know in what order you learned the material, and it will help you memorize key points in the notes!

Lastly, keep your computer as organized as your binders. Computers have become inseparable aspects of our lives, therefore it is important to keep your computer organized as well. Of course, there is always the “search” option on your laptop that you can use to locate your files, but why should you have to do that each time? Keep your computer organized by having your own folder for school, and having subfolders just like your binder. Have subfolders for each subject as well as “notes”/”homework” etc. Then when you name the files, be sure to title them with dates and names that will help you identify the file weeks into the future!

Stay organized and stay in control of your life