precocious

I was a freshman last year and I had a terrible time organizing myself... probably because I'm by nature a messy person and my room looks like a hurricane ran into it 90% of the time (much to the horror of my roommates), but I always forgot papers or material we were using in class that day in my room

I tried using a planner to write all my daily work in, but I got too lazy for that so I just carried all my syllabi around to check my work for that day. I also used 4 1-subject notebooks for all my courses plus corresponding folders, but then they would get all messy and mixed up--Calc worksheets in my Econ folder and such. I'm still trying to work out a system, I think I might go back to the old high school 3-ring binders and just shove all my stuff in there, but they are so bulky and big and bothersome to write in, especially on those tiny flipdown desks in lecture halls. My laptop is HUGE too, so I rarely take that out of my room.

I have an especially hard time when it's finals crunch time and I'm trying to put all my notes in chronological order and some readable format... any suggestions from you overachievers with methods that earned you good grades?

Venkat89

I sympatize with you. My desk basically a hurricane full of random sheets of paper. I was still able to pull stuff together and somehow get organized in time for finals. Here's some advice I would give based on my personal experience having many of the same problems you do.

Go through every syllabus you get on the first day of classes. Write down the major homework assignments, tests, and quizes into your calendar. That way it's already there and you won't have to add it later. If you aren't the type to carry your calendar around with you consider getting a smart phone where you can easily put all of your assignments and schedules. That way your calendar and phone are one in the same (and somthing you'll carry everywhere).

I like your idea for a spiral notebook for every class. This helped me keep organized and have all my notes for each class in one place and in order.

Instead of folders to keep all of your papers try a 1 inch binder. For classes with a lot of readings, get a larger binder. For classes like math where there aren't a lot of readings, just keep a small binder on your desk to file quizes and other graded assignments. If you have small binders, take your binders to class when you need to. For ones with bulky binders, just take the papers to class when you need them. With everything in a binder instead of all over the place it'll be easier to find papers for class.

Something else you should really try to do is take time once a week to go through all of your binders and papers and make sure everything is in order and where it should be. If you stay on top of your stuff this will take less than 5 minutes a week.

You're bound to go back to your disorganized ways (as I found last year as the semester wore on). However, if you start with everything organized and keep it going for a while, you'll find that over half of your stuff is already in one place and you'll have to do less digging and searching than if you hadn't done any of this at all.

mikemac

There are 2 books I'd suggest to you. The first is "Getting Things Done", a popular book about organizing and scheduling your time. You can find info about it with a google search, too. The 2nd book is "What Smart Students Know". It is written by one of the co-founders of the Princeton Review prep service, and explains how to prepare for and study different subjects. Really a great explanation of how to use your time effectively, take notes, etc.

precocious

Thanks! Both your posts were extremely helpful, I will check those books out and use some of the techniques Venkat recommended!

mochamaven

ohhh i totally feel your pain...I'm so disorganized!

two words: white board. Put it up on your wall, write assignments on it, remember to look at it...it's so useful!

Another thing to consider is having a canvas/cloth bag for your stuff for each subject...just keep your folder/notebook (and use corresponding colours...haha so helpful) in there and grab the whole bag when you need to go to class.

BCEagle91

Son used Google Calendar and Google Documents for organization. Todo list in Google Documents. Take the schedule and put in due dates for assignments. It provides views for day, week, month so that you can get a feel for your week or month.

He used slash folders to hold things. For some subjects, he needed multiple slash folders. He also requested two bookcases so that he could put course stuff together on the bookcases.

Web page for course links, library homepage, email, admin system, academic calendar, course list for next semester, schedule (room number, professor, etc.). He has an iPod Touch so he can grab the web data while walking around campus.

Lumine

Get one big binder and a bunch of those three-hole-punched folder/dividers. Put the folders into the binder and organize it all that way. Total life saver for me.

OKgirl

I get a 3 ring binder for each subject. Then I sometimes use dividers to seperate the handouts, syllabus, notes, graded papers, and "other crap". For some subjects, I will use a spiral notebook, but only if we don't get any handouts because I really can't stand having handouts stuck in them (even in the pockets).

I also use my phone and Winows Calendar (I just didn't like Google too much). In my phone, I put all the assingments on the "To Do" list (and keep up with the status) and in the calendar. In Windows calendar, I have a different color for each class and then other colors for personal, important dates, school events (like meetings or games). I usually make due dates be in all capital letters so they stand out more. I also put reading assignments on there so I don't forget. I also put a piece of paper at the front of my binder so I can jot down date changes and new assignments or directions to an assignment. I usually also color code my stuff for every class. I also mark things off on the syllabus once I complete them. Wow, I think I may be a little OCD.....

purplefoam

I am also super disorgnized, but I love my college organization system. I have 5 1 subject 50 cent mead notebooks (1 per class), and a plastic expanding file holder thing with like 6 dividers. Every day I put the file thing in my backpack and the notebooks I need at the moment. It keeps my backpack light and everything in order.

COlsen573

shove all of your papers into a big bin and when it comes time for finals burn them all and inject them into your temple. instant 100's. it works.

bobbafatty

I love COlsen573s idea!! I generally shove everything into my backpack, and cross my fingers that I find it the next day.

cbeley

Well, I started using a wiki at the very end of High School and it seems to work wonders to keep organized. I have my scanner set up on my laptop and it only takes a few minutes to scan something in and upload it onto my wiki (same ammount of time for multiple pages because most of that time is letting the scanner warm up).

I can keep track of all of my notes in digital format, access them anywhere in the world, and search through them. Also, on the front page I have a to-do list and links to important resources and tools. Additionally, if i'm working with a partner we can both collaborate on a project without being together. Best of all I can access them anywhere in the world and anywhere on campus with my laptop or a random computer (I'm hoping I'll win that ipod essay contest for my orrientation optional essay and also hoping that its an ipod touch so I can easily get on the internet :-P I think I have a decent chance with my essay).

People who get easily distracted may not like a fully digital solution, but for me it is great. Also, I can use the wiki to create a sort of archive of my whole life...a sort of in-depth journal. For example, I will scan cards I get in the mail that have anything interesting on them and stick them on my wiki. It's fun to go back years later and look through that stuff, but it's not fun to have all that stuff sitting in bins taking up space. So I scan them, and throw them away. :-)

pensive123

Get a 3-hole punch and use it on all handouts, then put them in the binder for that particular class.

You have to be a little compulsive every few days to get this stuff put away in the right place in the binder. Once it gets to the right place, you will eventually study it when you stop procrastinating and start studying. Nothing worse than trying to track down papers and organize when you should be studying instead.

As long as you shove it in the right spot, you can forget about it until you absolutely need to start studying. I myself don't like too much rigidity, either, and in fact get turned off by too much perfectionism, but you really have to have this basic housekeeping done or it will impact your studying effectively.

I really really like the idea of the different tote bags for the different subjects. Hmmm, wonder if my disorganized d would like to try that?

Off the subject, but if I really need to remember to do something that day, I put it on an index card and tape it to the door. As I leave, I see the note and can take it with me.
I also put notes on my steering wheel when I need to remember to drive somewhere..

Hamman

wow, the wiki idea seems so good yet the work involved in scanning all those pages must suck

cbeley

How often do you have papers you have to scan in though? I type my notes anyway, and professors put a lot of stuff online. If you had 5 sheets of paper to scan in a day, all on differnt pages, with a wiki and a old scanner it would take about 7 minutes to create the pages and scan them in. the few extra minutes involved seem worth it to not have a mess and not worry about losing it.

If anyone is interested, I use Dokuwiki.