Stay Organized

Alice KorsEloise GrahamColumnistEditor-in-Chief There was a time in which those words would never have left our lips.  There was a time when dirty clothing articles of every variety littered the floor and spilled out into the hallway.  Books and papers were no more organized than tossed salad in heaps on the floor.  Towels lined the entry way like sopping-wet red carpets, adding some class to the daily entrance.Everyone has a different method for dealing with organization — there are those that can find anything in a pile of junk. Parents scream, “Son, where is the book I lent you!?” and they are answered with a cheerful but detailed explanation, “underneath the pile of clothes in the back left corner next to the inside out orange sweatshirt.”And then there are those like us who have blossomed into up-tightly-organized-matrons of color-coding.  Those of us that are in that club have separate notebooks for every subject, four sets of colored pens and matching pencil cases. We arrange our pens in rainbow order when we’re bored.  We spend way too much money at Staples and squeal when there’s a sale. And we’re here to help you get and stay organized.As the year is quickly coming to a close, it’s important to realize that organizing your life can do wonders for organizing your mind and getting you out of the end-of-the-year slump. Everyone goes through it, from the Frenzied Freshman to the infamous Second Semester Senior, when suddenly all of those once-new binders are in ruins and pens have mysteriously disappeared. Read on for tips on how to organize every aspect of your life.One of the most underrated areas in which one can craft a hub of organization wizardry is your computer.1. When on your desktop, hit the command key and N key to create a folder for each class (command, shift, N on a Mac), maybe even each year of high school. This will make finding documents much simpler. Documents are such an integral part of high school; never again will you fear that you have accidentally deleted a 10-page paper!2. Do not let your photos, pictures, videos, documents get lost in the Desktop of Doom. Many of us are familiar with this infamous monster that awaits us as soon as we turn our computer on. The randomly titled thumbnails overlapping what may either be lethal computer viruses or honest MP3s. Whatever the case, the infinite mass of files will do you no good. Time to organize! Start sifting through these files and decide which are needed and which are not. Those important files like school work or photos from your family’s trip to Bora Bora will now have a home in those newly created organizational files.3. On to the most used portion of the computer — your internet. Chrome, Safari or Heaven forbid, Internet Explorer, there are probably bookmarks that need saving and those that need deleting (just highlight the bookmark and hit backspace). Following suit with your labeled folders for school work that now house the stuff on your desktop, create bookmark folders (again with the command and N keys). And, if you’re feeling brave, set your homepage to something other than Facebook for a more productive internet experience.Probably the most important and the most prominent area of organization is school. With most students schlepping between five to eight classes every day, it is easy for papers to get lost in transit or crumpled into bits. To help you stay organized, follow these tips:1. Buy yourself a binder. We know it can be heavy but it’s really the best way to organize. Use one binder for all of your classes. You might want to get a mini hole punch to go along with it.2. Buy dividers and actually USE them. Don’t divide your binder into just classes (English, math, science) but rather into specific sections in your classes (English handouts, English homework, English writings, Algebra II worksheets, Spanish assessments). The more specifics you can fit on that tiny tab, the better off you are.3. We know not everybody likes them but they brighten our day. Literally. Get yourself a set of colored pens. We recommend you get a matching set but you’re welcome to collect randoms to create a beautiful rainbow. Our favorite are Pentel Flairs. Use the pens to color coordinate your notes and annotate your reading. It really does help.4. Write your homework assignments down in class. We know it’s annoying and maybe you have to stay two minutes after into the passing period but you’ll thank yourself after your eight-hour day. When you get home, there’s no way you can remember every single thing you have to do. Writing down your homework and descriptions of exactly what you need to do will help maximize your time actually doing the work and minimize the time you spend trying to actually remember what you were supposed to do. Also, date everything. Even your notes.One problem high school students frequently battle is time management. You’re on the basketball team, in band, taking AP English, Honors Precalculus/Calculus A, Spanish 3 and trying to find some time to get a wink of sleep, we get it. But there IS a way to manage your time:1. Write down every single thing you have to do, from brushing your teeth to writing a paper, make a schedule.2. Prioritize. And finish one project before you start another. Most Samo students do not have time to do every single piece of homework they have in one night. If you have a Spanish test and a Physics test and you’re better at Spanish than Physics ... do NOT study Spanish first because it makes you FEEL good about knowing everything. Spend your time solidifying the information you’re unsure about. Also, is it that important to check Instagram when you have a term paper due tomorrow?3. If you have a cell phone with a calendar, input all your events and appointments into it. If you don’t have a cell phone or one with a calendar, get yourself a planner or calendar that you can easily tote around. We suggest one that spans a week over two pages so you have plenty of space to write.4. Leave time for your family, friends and yourself. The more relaxation time you can fit into your schedule, the more efficiently it will run and the happier you will be. Also, if you can block out this time as opposed to fitting it in sporadically, it will prove to be more effective.Having a designated, organized work space to work within will work wonders for your ability to focus and task manage. For the most part, the age-old adage is true — cluttered desk, cluttered mind. Clear desk, clear mind. Sprucing up your room and study space may give you the organizational burst you need to start writing the next Nobel-prize worthy paper.1. Clear off the desk. It may have been, at one point, essential to keep those receipts from last week’s Panda Express trip, but chances are, that space could be put to better use. Throw away trash immediately; it has no place on your desk. But make keep, toss and not sure piles before doing so to make sure you don’t ditch anything important. Perhaps go to IKEA or The Container Store and invest in a few drawer and desk organizers — they can be lifesavers when it comes to keeping paperwork in order. We like the wire trays and pen holders.2. Much like the real estate agent mantra “location, location, location” think of the organization fanatic’s mantra as “label, label, label.” Label your bins of work. Label your dividers. Your sock drawer. Heck, you could even label the door to your room if you feel so inclined. Labeling ensures that you will commit to the idea “a place for everything and everything in it’s place.” Also, remember to actually use the labels. Don’t spend all of your time working on them and then disregard them.3. Onwards to the closet. In our case, the closet is a meticulous trifecta of arrangement by color, type and length. Now, this system definitely doesn’t work for everyone and may even get frustrating for some. Nevertheless, closet organization can save you time in the morning and just make your life generally easier. Start by getting rid of things you never wear (and probably will never wear again). Also, make sure you have drawers and hangers where you can store everything. If you have the space to put your clothes away you will. But if you don’t, it’s hopeless.Tip #1: Set alarms. We recommend setting alarms and alerts one day before an important event and two hours before the event to avoid any chance of tardiness. Even the most antiquated cell phones have an alert system that can assist.Tip #2: Plan ahead. Get ready for school the night before. Pick out your outfit, compile your backpack and pack your lunch. Also, put everything you need to get ready in the morning (hairbrush, makeup, etc.) in one place. This way you’re not rushed in the morning.Tip #3: Post its. Use post it notes to mark up your books, leave reminders on your mirror, help you with a to-do list or just because they look pretty. We of course recommend rainbow colors but the regular yellow will suffice.Tip #4: Wallet. Use a wallet! Don’t just shove your money and cards in your empty (or not so empty) pockets and bags. One with a lot of card slots will help you easily find your ID when you’re running late to school.Tip #5: Time yourself. It may sound silly but it really does work.  Allot yourself 20 minutes for a Spanish worksheet and an hour and a half to read a textbook chapter. It will motivate you to have to meet your own deadlines.Tip #6: Spring clean. Go through all your belongings, not just your closet or your desk, at least every two months and make a pile of everything you don’t use, won’t use or can’t use. Donate it to Good Will or leave it in your alley.eic@thesamohi.com