Getting Organized Your Briefcase

Organized Students Don’t carry everything they own in their backpacks. Can identify and bring home the materials they need to complete their homework. Can locate finished homework and turn it in on time. Can study efficiently because they know when tests are coming up, has set aside time to study, and don’t waste time looking for class notes and handouts.

Have to go through everything to find it

Disorganized Students Frequently lose papers Don’t hand in assignments on time or at all Have a backpack full of crumpled paper and random objects Can’t break down long-term projects and miss deadlines Leave everything for the last minute Disrupt home and class with frantic searches, urgent requests for late night help, and anxiety- ridden meltdowns.

Disrupt house & classroom

Disorganized Students Count any time they spend doing anything related to school as study time. As a result, forty-five minutes of looking for notes counts as forty-five minutes of studying, and they are ready for a break. Usually do twice the work more organized students do – and end up completely drained from trying to keep it together.

Get Organized

UnPACK Purge – take everything out of your binder Assess – determine what you need to keep (class notes, work and handouts) Categorize – put items for the same subject together Keep it Up – realize you’ll probably need to do this to your notebook and briefcase regularly.

Claim Your Binder Write your name inside the front cover of your binder in permanent marker. Write my name and room number on your notebook.

Label the Tabs Using your schedule, label the tabs of each of your dividers.

Insert Dividers Open the prongs on your notebook. Place your dividers in your binder according to your schedule.

Organize By Subject Place all your World Geography papers behind the Geography tab, English papers behind the English tab, etc. If you keep a spiral for a class, you might be able to keep it in your binder for now, but will probably find your binder will get full quickly.

Extra Notebook Paper Put extra notebook paper at the front or back of your notebook.

Track Due Dates Put the monthly calendar in front of the first tab of your notebook. Put the daily agenda in front of the monthly calendar.

Add Pencil Pouch Put your pencil pouch in the very front of your notebook. You should always carry several pens and pencils. It’s best to put your name on them, so you can keep up with them.

Maintain Your Binder You will need to clean your binder out on a regular basis.

REMEMBER The ability to process and organize information will help you get your dream job!