How-to: Organize Schoolwork

Today's episode of How-To explains how I decided to organize my schoolwork. Everyone already should know that I'm downright obsessive about my methods, but I don't think I've actually shown anyone just how bad I really am.

I am the folder queen.

I have one folder for every class. (They're just file folders, but they're pretty!) and I keep them in a magazine holder on my desk. This is where I keep everything. Handouts, homework, assignments, worksheets, assignment instructions, notes I took on loose leaf. 

It's very important that I keep each class separate from the others so I can go grab everything I need for ECON 101 the night before a test and not need to worry about accidentally grabbing my political science notes, too. Germany's political development might be interesting, but it doesn't help me when I need to understand supply and demand. 

1. Keep your work in a place where you can find it, and keep it separate from other classes.

Do not let your classes intermingle. Do not just use one big folder. Do color code or label. Do keep everything separate. Do clean your folders out every once in a while. 

I also have a notebook for every class. I try to convince myself to type my notes in class, just because it's easier and neater, but honestly I do so much better writing things down. The writing is a huge part of memorization for me, so I'm trying to slowly go back to writing everything down. The only classes I'm not in notebook mode for are my economics and political science lectures, but that's only because I take notes and write everything down in my recitation classes later in the week. 

One important thing is that I have a notebook for every class. I cannot stand mixing my notes together. French notes do not belong with political science notes, and supply and demand graphs do not coordinate well with character analyses. 

2. If you do keep a notebook, do not use the same notebook for every class. 

Keep it separate. I don't care what your justification is for mixing notes together, even if it's a big notebook with dividers in it. Get a new notebook just for that class. Just do it. 

I don't even like to combine notes from one semester to the next — like French, for example. I could have went from French 101 to French 102 in the same notebook, but I like the fresh start. I might be a little OCD on that one, though. 

These are my favorite things ever — magazine holders from Ikea! I think they were $5 for the two of them, and they're made of sturdy cardboard with nice metal fixtures. I keep my notebooks in one, and my folders in the other. Love them! 

3. Keep your folders and your notebooks somewhere you can access them easily. 

It doesn't matter where, but they should be somewhere you can access quickly and easily. They should be within grabbing distance of wherever you do the most of your work. 

Because you know I couldn't just stop at 3 rules...

4. Don't keep a messy pile of papers on your desk or floor or in your backpack and expect that to count as a "system".  

That is not a system, ladies and gentleman. That is a pile of crap. Bradley is so guilty of this and I don't think he realizes how big of a pet peeve it is for me. Boys are guilty of it in general, actually. If I kept a big pile of handouts, notes, etc. on my desk, I would have a mental breakdown. You cannot find what you need in a big sloppy pile. You just can't. 

5. Stay consistent.

This is a big problem for people, I think, especially in college. Consistency is hard, I get it. But it's really important that you take notes for class in the same notebook every day — don't jump back and forth from notebook to computer. It's really important that you keep things in the same place — don't stash thirty different days of notes in thirty different places. You'll thank me on reading day.

Happy organizing!