| I put everything into a couple folders and then sort everything into an expandable file when I got home. You can keep things in chronological order just by putting new items after older ones.
I carry around a legal pad to all of my classes to create to-do lists and dump all of my thoughts. I use it as a checklist for my day, and at the end of the day I throw out the page. I also recycle unnecessary papers quite liberally, and this has made staying organized more manageable. You can stick post-it notes on your desk for long-term notes.
This summer I began experimenting with Microsoft Office One Note at work. I never organized on my laptop before, so I was not sure how useful this would be. It has been surprisingly convenient for quickly jotting down reminders and ideas. It's set up such that you can maintain multiple tabs, each with multiple pages of notes. It's really fast and easy. I plan to continue with this into next semester, and would recommend it to anyone who needs an easy way to stay organized. Even if you don't normally carry around your laptop, this is a powerful tool worth checking out if you haven't already. (I'm sure one could find open-source productivity software with some similarity.) |