6 Habits to Become A More Organized Student

Increasing your organizational skills can help you become a more efficient and successful student. Instead of spending precious minutes scrambling to locate important notes or studying at the last possible moment, you can devote more time to crafting assignments and understanding readings. Here is a great study tip on how to orgnize your notes as well!

Here are six habits to become a more organized student:

Purchase one folder and one notebook for each class

The simplest method to become more organized is to separate your materials for each class. You can use digital or physical binders, folders, notebooks, etc.—whatever you would like. However, ensure you store your materials for each course in a distinct location. Record all of your important due dates and test dates in one calendar, and write your assignments in one student planner.

Stay up-to-date

Being an organized student means more than knowing where your materials are. It also involves developing a structured plan and detailed strategies for each of your classes. It means preparing for each exam in advance so you are not hurriedly reviewing the evening before.

At the beginning of each semester, determine which courses will be most challenging for you. This can help you decide how much time you will need to allot to each class each week to remain up-to-date.

Create a weekly schedule

Certain students prefer to tackle a different subject each day. Others find it more effective to study a small portion of each subject in the same day. Once you know how many hours of review you will need for each course, set a schedule and stick to it. Ensure you allow extra time in your schedule each week for projects or tests that may require more time. Here are some great tips to keeping and using a calendar!

Reread your notes

This is a wonderful strategy that organized students rely on to stay up-to-date. It is best to reserve one day per week to reread your notes for each recent class session. You may require additional time just prior to exams.

You can even review your notes from each lesson on the same day. It is easy to do this during lunch, study hall, or time between classes.

Address problems immediately

This can be especially beneficial for math and science classes that rely on equations. Over the course of a quarter or semester, there will be items that you do not completely understand. It can be tempting to ignore these problems until a unit test approaches. Avoid this impulse as your courses may build on previous material.

When you are studying your notes or completing homework, flag anything that gives you pause. Review this material with your teacher or consider consulting a tutor—as soon as possible—until you understand it. 

Set a series of goals

Many students hope to graduate with a 4.0 GPA, but simply saying, “I want straight As,” is not sufficient. Instead, you must set a series of smaller goals for each week, each homework assignment, each quiz, and each exam. For example, your goal might be memorizing the first 15 vocabulary synonyms by Friday. If you continuously meet your smaller goals, you will be more likely to achieve your larger ones.

Start developing these habits now in order to kick off a highly productive school year. Best of luck!