School Study and Organization Tips

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Here's too my second semester in college! I thought I'd share with you some tips on studying and being organized for school. High School and College is much easier when you are organized and if you study the material you need too. I love finding new ways to study and organize so hopefully you'll find the tips I've acquired over the years helpful.
Here we go!

1. Find A Quiet Work Space
• Bedroom/Dorm Room
• Kitchen
• Library
• Living Room

I find my bedroom to be the perfect place to study and do homework. I have a big desk that is nice and organized. I also don't have a TV in my room so I wont be tempted to watch and distract myself from my work. It is also best to not do homework/study on a bed or couch because they could possibly make you too comfy and you'll end up wanting to take a nap instead.

     2.   Have Everything You Need Right By You

• Textbooks            
• Pens/Pencils
• Sharpener
• Paper
• Notebook
• Binders

Since you have everything by your side you wont need to take time out to find something. I have all my stuff at my desk. I keep my bag for school near my desk. I also have a designated book shelve for my textbooks which is near my desk.

     3.  No Distractions!

• No phone
• No TV
• No lyrical music
• No social media

While doing your work shut everything off so you wont be distracted. Getting distracted will make it harder to grasp what you are learning.

     4. Take Breaks
Taking breaks is much better for your brain than cramming a lot information for a long period of time. Our minds tend to wander when it needs a break. So when you notice yourself not focusing as well...take a break! Go get a healthy snack, take a minute to text, go for a walk, go online, play a quick game. Make sure you set a timer so you don't go overboard with your breaks. I usually study a subject for a half hour (30 mins) then take a 5 to 10 minute break then go study a different subject so that your more interested in doing your work and you also get more done.

     5. Keep An Agenda

• Test
• Assignments
• Final Exams
• Social
• Appointments
• Work
• To do lists

I can't stress enough on how important an agenda is! Knowing when everything is makes life SO much easier. You also are less likely to miss an assignment/test. I have this huge problem with agendas...I can't find one that makes me happy. I've had only small ones so I'm going to pick up a bigger one within the next couple of days to see if that works. There's just always something I dislike. To small, no lines, bad set up, to chunky. I guess I am a very picky agenda person...anyone else? If you have an agenda spice it up a bit. On the month at a glace color code different categories such as:

• Purple-School
• Green-Assignments
• Pink-Social
• Blue-Work 
• Orange-Appointments

This way you are able to distinguish what is coming up. Sticky notes are useful as well. They can be used for reminders, to do lists, and shopping lists which I usually use them for. You could also do the day by day section of your agenda for To Do lists, scheduling, or homework. When I am in school I use the day by day section for homework and when I'm not I switch to To Do lists.
 

       6. Organization System

• Color Coded: Pick a different solid color folder for each subject along with matching notebooks.
• Binder System 1: Put a different solid color folder or tab dividers for each subject in a binder and some paper between each folder.
• Binder System 2: Use different binders for each subject.
• 5 Subject Notebook: Find a 5 subject notebook that you like and designate a section to each subject.

If you don't have a system choose one! I find following a system helps a lot. These few are very easy to follow. I tend to color code and use folders for my classes. It is much easier to carry around especially on a campus. I also have a note book specifically for math class then one notebook for paper for class notes for my other courses.

       7.  Type Notes From Class

Once you take notes in class take time to type them up. They are much easier to read, neat, and you can add nice pictures. Add and clarify anything while you type them up. Save the notes from class and file them away. Once they are typed put them in a folder or where ever you choose to put them. I'd suggest to put the most recent notes on top of other notes so they are ready when you need to study. Make sure you keep all notes for once subject together so they are ready for you when finals come! Make sure to not mix notes with other subjects it becomes harder to study because you can't find them.

        8.  File Notes For Final Exams

Get into the habit of not throwing any work away until the end of the semester. Keep all the notes, papers, assignments, tests in a safe place. I have a binder with tab dividers for each class and I hold all the papers I don't need in it. When we finish a section in class I put all of the assignment associated to that section into the binder. When final exams come I pull out the binder and look through all the papers I have. You could also use an accordion file, a file box, or folders.

        9.  Highlighters, Sticky Notes, Tabs, and Colored Pens

I'm a sucker for all of these! They help with studying and organizing. While reading papers that were handed out and textbooks highlight things you find important. I'd suggest making sure the highlighter doesn't bleed through the page first. If it does opt for underlining with a pen/pencil. I use sticky notes to mark pages, write down questions, and words I don't know. Tabs are great for marking the page your on or something you want to put attention towards such as a graph or picture. Last but not least colored pens are great for color coding as well as making your notes look nice to look at and easier to read.

        10. Cut Your Index Cards In Half!

In school we go through so much index cards. I like to cut my card in half so I have twice as much and I still have plenty of room to write down what I need to but this may depend on how big your handwriting is. Also cut a piece of paper the same size as the index card to label what the cards are for such as: Science Section 1.

         11. Create A Study Binder
I have a small binder that I put useful school papers in such as:

• Multiplication Chart
• Roman Numeral Chart
• Formula Sheet
• Punctuation Chart
• Periodic Table
• Conversion Chart
• Maps
• and more!

I've acquired these papers over the years. I find this helpful to have at your desk so if you need to know something you can just flip open the binder.

Disclaimer:
All opinions are my own.

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Filing System

I have two accordion files. One for important things and the second for school related stuff. 

The first accordion is a Hello Kitty accordion file that has six (6) tabs. I've had this agenda for a long time so I'm not sure where I got it. Its held up for quite some time so I'm very please with the quality. 

This accordion is my "School" filing system. Anything over the years of high school that seemed important to keep are in here. The first two tabs are Manuals and Science. Yes, I decided to put my manuals in here because I had no where else to put them. They are out of the way so I don't mind that they are in here. In the science tab I have some periodic tables from chemistry, star maps from astronomy, and some notes that typed up from classes and other helpful things such as that. 

The third and fifth tab are English and Math. I like to keep a lot that has to do with English since it is my favorite subject. I have a lot of informational papers such as: Elements of the Gothic Novel. Then I have a lot of short stories. In my math tab I keep a lot of notes. I'm not the best at math so keeping a lot of notes I can go back to look at is helpful. Then I have the handy formula sheets. 

The last two tabs are self-explanitory. The school tab has things related to school such as report cards, transcript, and scores on those assessment tests. Then last but not least my awards tab houses all my awards I received since 8th grade. 

I'm less likely to go into this accordion on a daily basis but its there if I need something related to school or if I need to look at a manual. 

The one I use most is a black four (4) tab accordion that I got from target a while ago. It was in the $1 section so it isn't the best quality but it does it's job. 

The first two tabs are Taxes and Medical. The tabs in this accordion are self-explanatory. I put all tax related things in the Taxes folder. All the medical related stuff I put in the medical tab. 

The third and fourth tabs are Receipt, and Misc. I put all my online order receipts into the Receipt tab. And I have random credit card mail ("brochures") in the misc. tab for future reference. I also have papers related to cats. I have a 12 year old gray cat who is the world to me. So if I find anything interesting or stuff from the veterinarians I keep in the misc. tab as well. 

Overall I enjoy my filing system. It simple and easy to put stuff away. I go through everything in the files every new year to discard things I no longer need. As I get older my filing system will grow but as I'm still young I don't need a very specific filing system. 

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