Spring Into Finals With Organization!

A few helpful tips to keep you organized this finals season.

Zoe Siamon, Staff Writer|April 12, 2018

Around this time of year, most students are prioritizing studying, working, and stressing. With SOLs, AP exams, and finals rapidly approaching, there isn’t much time to focus on other things, and staying organized seems to be the last priority. But, ask anybody who manages to stay organized, it makes a large difference.

I have a few tips that work for me when it comes to organization. First off, use it as a break from your work or studying. If you are like me, when you have work you don’t want to do, you’ll do anything to procrastinate. I like to take advantage of this and do other tasks that I need to do that are less strenuous than homework or studying. Put on some music or a TV show and give yourself a 10-20 minute break for cleaning!

Of course, cleaning means something different for everyone. It could mean throwing out a bit of trash and calling it a day, or it could mean completely reorganizing. No matter how organized you normally tend to be, make sure you always have a system to make sure you can find anything you might need asap. “Personally, I love watching videos on YouTube about staying organized. I also don’t feel as good when my binder or folders are a mess. It is much more exciting for me to study when I look at my binders and they are all pretty and organized,” said Zoe Sauger (9).

Organizing can mean different things, depending on what you are cleaning. If it’s your room, make sure you have places to put everything, so it doesn’t clutter up your floor. If it’s your bathroom, clean any messes and make everything neat and accessible. The options are endless. Understanding how to suit your needs while cleaning is a priority.

The main factor I want to give advice for, however, is organizing binders and schoolwork. This is critical, especially when finals are so close. If you can organize your work a little before the complete stress of finals takes over, you will make life so much easier for yourself. Here are a few steps to keeping everything neat and simple.

 

  1. Know exactly where to find each subject: For some people, this may seem obvious, but I have been shocked at how many people fail to do this. Avoid having a “junk” folder that you just shove everything into, and please don’t just shove things into your backpack. Keeping binders makes studying so much easier.
  2. Have tabs to organize papers:  I have found that it is so easy to have tabs to separate papers within my binder. Depending on the subject, it may be easier to separate by unit, or by categories such as tests/quizzes, homework, notes, etc.
  3. Get rid of old work: Go through all of the random papers for each subject. More likely than not, you won’t need all of these papers for studying, or even for the rest of the year. While I strongly urge you not to throw these papers out, you don’t need to be carrying them around with you. Put them together by subject, paper clip them, and keep them until the end of the year, when you can determine whether or not to throw them out. “I like to go through a big clean out every quarter- and I don’t like to keep a lot of papers,” said Sauger.
  4. Always have a few pencils easily accessible: No explanation needed. Always have pencils.

These tips are quick and easy ways to keep organized if you find yourself struggling throughout the year. “The most important thing to remember is efficiency is key. Find a system that is easy and works for you,” says Zoe Sauger (9). No matter what, remember that you are helping yourself out, and that life will seem at least a little easier when all is said and done. Good luck!