Most people aren't born organized. It is a skill that is learned. Just as children are taught how to do long division, hit a baseball, or play a musical instrument, they can be taught how to organize their space, time, and tasks. It's your important job, as the adult in their lives, to pass along helpful tips for organizing success. Here are a few ideas:

* Help create a habit of doing homework in the same place, at the same time, every day.

* Teach time management skills. Encourage younger students to look at the family calendar each day so they know what's coming up. Middle and high schoolers can use a planner to track assignments, large projects, upcoming tests, extracurricular activities, and appointments. Help them see that some things will take a long time to accomplish, while others take only a few minutes. 

* Help them prioritize tasks each day, focusing first on assignments with the most urgency or earliest due dates. Teach them to use high-energy times to their advantage: It's often best to do the hardest thing first, rather than saving it for the end of the evening when they're tired. Or have them start out on a good note by tackling one quick, simple task first to get momentum going, followed by the hardest assignment. Older students will benefit from creating to-do lists. Teach them to use two task groups: an urgent, "do it today" list and a less timely "do it soon" list.

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