It is no secret that organization is a very important thing, especially in school. Personally, I am organized for the first couple weeks of school but then I get lazy and stop. I have tried many methods of organization and it never seemed to work. I began to prosper only when I began developing my own strategies. These 3 things are essential in effective organization and they help you stay up to date with your schoolwork for the WHOLE year.
Index Card Holders
Description: Index Card holders are very convient and useful. It makes it easy for you to take your index cards places and they will not get crushed in your bag.
Price: $4 at most stores
Where it can be found: Walmart, Superstore, Costco (in bulk)
My Methods: In my opinion, index cards are the key to success in studying. My method is that, three days before any quiz or test I begin making my cards. The act of writing all your information down helps with learning. I make about 1 pack of index cards per test. Then I put all my cards in my index card holder and I will take them EVERYWHERE. Whether it is on the bus, at home or in the super market I will be reviewing my flash cards. In addition, study groups are made easy with your cards. By testing your friends or being tested by your friends you will learn the material.
LOTS of Cheap Notebooks
Description: These notebooks can be found at Staples or Walmart. They are 100 pages each and come in festive colours!
Price: $1
Where it can be found: Walmart, Superstore and Staples
My Methods: In addition to having you main notebook for note taking in class, you should have several cheap notebooks at home. These notebooks definitely are very useful in my learning. My method is that the night before the test I will grab these notebooks and read the textbook. I write down the important points and draw the diagrams in the book. By writing all the information again I remember all the points that were covered in that unit. I will also make sure I rewrite the notes I took in class. For each unit on average I will write 15-30 pages of notes.
Tip: Make sure that you keep these notes and you can review them for finals.
White Board Calendar + Colourful Dry Erase Markers
Description: These schedule in addition to my daily school planner is the reason for my academic success. These stick on white board schedule easily peel off your wall and it can be placed above your desk.
Price: $11-15
Where it can be found: Winners, Superstore, Walmart, Staples
My Methods: I will write down EVERY test/quiz/assignment due date on my schedule. Before I used to forget about my assignment constantly and as a result I wouldn’t study. However my calendar clearly shows the work I have to do and it helps me stay on track.