Organisation is key if you wish to excel and get productive throughout the school year. Everyone uses different systems which they adapt to what works best for them. Here you’ll find 7 general tips to help you out on being systematic and tidy for the scholastic year.

1. Invest in a year planner

School brings with it many tasks and activities which need to be completed within specific time frames. And obviously school isn’t your only commitment, you have many other things going on in your life. Having a year planner allows you to lay out all that you need to do; homework deadlines, exams and tests, extra-curricular practice/training, private lessons, appointments, social events, etc. The list goes on and on. This will greatly aid your time-management skills and make you feel less overwhelmed and pressured. This doesn’t need to be a physical notebook, nowadays there are several applications and websites which serve the same function. Just choose what works for you most.

2. Prepare stationery and schoolbag essentials beforehand

You are sure to be more productive and ready to face the new school year if you have all that you need. Buy/download all the books on your book list, stock up your pencil case with the necessary amount of pencils, pens, correction rollers, rulers, rubbers, highlighters: whatever it is that you require. It’s always recommended to buy some extras and store them in your drawer, so that the second you run out of something you’re always covered. Same applies to schoolbag essentials.

3. Sort out your bookshelf

If you choose to be a hoarder and keep your copybooks, notes and handouts from primary school in your bookshelf, it’s time to take them out. Store them away in a box and keep them away. Your bookshelf should only include books and files which you will be making use of during that particular scholastic year. Makes it much easier to find whatever you need. If you want to be even more organised, grab a few pieces of old cardboard and create some dividers to sort out your books and files according to subject.

4. Colour-coding

This is an efficient system which can be applied to files, copybook covers, notebooks, timetable, etc. Associating a particular colour to a separate subject will assist you in finding your stuff quicker by being more eye-catching. It’s definitely not the first time that you confuse a file or notebook with another; colour-coding will simply eliminate this consequential mistake. Although not an effective benefit, it’s also more aesthetically pleasing and satisfying to the eye.

5. Label everything

Putting labels of your name and surname on your items will facilitate them coming back to you in the circumstance that you leave them somewhere behind you. In a school with a large community especially, it’s common to have the same items as other people and they could easily be swapped out. You also cannot exclude that some people steal from school as well, so having your name on your items makes it easier to catch the culprit. You could label your items with a permanent marker, sewing your initials, or sticker labels which you could purchase or print yourself with a labeling machine.

6. Schoolbag checklist

Whilst certain items are staples in our backpack that never change, others are taken in and out of it on a day-to-day basis. In the hustle and bustle of packing your bag, it’s nothing new to leave an item or two behind. Creating a daily checklist ensures that you pack every single thing you need, never forgetting a sole item. Create this checklist based off your time table and whatever your teachers tell you, and then refer to it before prepping your bag. Easy and responsible!

7. Download the necessary apps

Our phones are constantly with us. Although our parents are constantly calling it a distraction (they’re not completely wrong) it could also be put to good and beneficial use. Certain apps can really help us to keep organised and on the ball. They’re accessible at any time, avoid you from carrying many stuff with you, and most are even free! Check out this article entitled 4 apps every student needs!