Do-It-Yourself advice from Noah Pilchen, class of 2012, of the Washington-Lee High School newspaper, Crossed Sabres, Nov. 18, 2009 (reprinted by permission).

DO

1. Use your assignment notebook every day.

An assignment notebook is really the only way to ensure you will not forget an assignment or test. If the one that the school provides at the beginning of the year is too small, make or buy a new one. Make sure to add homework, project due dates, test dates and extracurricular activities.

2. Keep your backpack clean and neat.

One of the worst student habits is throwing handouts directly into backpacks without looking at them. Those handouts are never seen again. When teachers hand out papers, make sure to put them in the correct section of your binder or folder.

Another hint for backpacks is to pack them the night before you go to school. This will make for less stressful mornings, and you may even be able to sleep-in a little.

3. Obey the K.I.S.S. policy.

Keep It Simple Stupid. You do not need a binder for each class. Combine multiple classes into one binder. However, only combine binders if:

1. The teacher does not require a separate binder
2. You have those classes on the same day.
3. Shop at the Container Store.

The Container Store provides a vast selection of organizational items for desks, drawers, or lockers. You do not need to buy the whole store, no matter how much you may want to. Buy a few boxes for stuff in your drawers, or magnetic pencil cups for your locker.*

5. Have a set work place.

The more work places you have, the more opportunities you have to lose material. Ideally, a work place should:

1. Have a good source of lighting
2. Have a large solid surface to work on
3. Have a comfortable chair with support
4. Have little to no distractions (i.e. computer [unless needed], TV, other people)

Although these may be standard, you should use whatever works for you.

DON'T

1.  Throw away old papers.

Most teachers hand out extremely important papers that may seem trivial at the time, but when studying for quarter exams or finals, they prove to be very useful. This goes with assignments, too. If you have no room in your binder for them, designate a folder of old handouts and leave it at home.

2. Use five subject notebooks for multiple classes.

Although you are conserving space, if a teacher collects your notebook to grade, you are done for. You will have nowhere to write notes or assignments for the other classes. These notebooks also tend to be pricier than single subject notebooks.

3. Have multiple calendars.

Calendars are brilliant, but only when you have all of your dates marked down. One of the worst things that can happen to a high school student is overbooking dates. With numerous calendars, the risk of overbooking is greater.

One idea is to use whatever you use to write down homework to also keep track of extracurricular activities.

4. Make an organization system too quickly.

Organizing is a process. Like most processes, it will not happen overnight. Getting organized will take a lot of time and effort on your part, but it will all be worth it in the end.

5. Procrastinate.

Procrastination can make organizing your life a complete waste of time. The point of organizing is to be able to perform tasks on time and accurately. When you procrastinate, you wait until the last minute to do work, usually resulting in a sub-par product.

Procrastination can also add stress, which no student needs more of.

WARNING: Sticky Notes

At first they seem like an ingenious organizational invention, but the end result of sticky notes can be a disaster. One leads to another, which leads to another, until finally your notebook is a sea of brightly colored papers which is unreadable and disorganized.

*NOTE: NVTS does not endorse any retail operation or product.