How to Organize School Binders

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This is Janice, co-founder of 5 Minutes for Mom, with some tips on organizing school binders. This post is part of a sponsored campaign with Post-it Brand, but my enthusiasm, opinions, and decades of dependence on Post-it Notes are my own.

It doesn’t take long for a desk full of binders and duo-tangs to become a disorganized mess. It can happen to anyone.

With new assignments, hand-outs, and papers coming at students every day, it can be hard to have everything filed properly, neatly, and ready to find.

Last year, my son would often come home without the correct duo-tang for his homework and when I would go to his classroom desk or look in his backpack, I would see a dishevelled mess of unsorted, crumpled up papers.

So when his teacher allowed him to stop the duo-tang system and store all of his subjects in one large binder, I was relieved.

Yes, the binder was heavy and large, and if he ever lost it, it would be disastrous. But it helped my son stay organized and it ensured that he had the correct notebook for homework.

Here are 5 tips for organizing school binders:

1. Tabs, of Course

It goes without saying that a notebook needs tabs. How else can you mark individual sections or subjects?

When I was a student, (many years ago,) and we needed new tabs for our dividers, we would cut up little pieces of white paper and slide them, very delicately and slowly, into the small plastic tabs on our dividers.

However, nowadays, the dividers I have been buying for my son don’t have those refillable plastic tabs — they only come with a small set of white stickers to attach to the plastic tab. “But what if I need to change the sticker?!? What if I need more stickers?!?” Yes, I panicked a little, staring at the set of five, tiny, white stickers.

Fortunately, there are Post-it Study Binder Tabs to come to the rescue. These binder tabs are extra thick and strong for long term wear and tear.

The Post-it Study Binder Tabs also score winning points with me because they are bright and colorful, can be used for color coding, and they can easily create sections in notebooks and binder, re-positioning and moving as necessary.

2. Use Flags and Page Markers

In addition to using tabs to mark sections and subjects to keep binders organized, highlighting and marking key facts and notes makes studying and finding information much easier.

With Post-it Study Writable Flags, Note Tabs and Grid Notes, you can simply and neatly add and remove notes, reminders, and questions to your notes.

The Post-it Study Message Flags are quick to use and easy to remove for reminders to Study, things To Do, and things On Test within your notes.

3. Keep Your Organization Tools Handy

It can be hard enough to find a pencil when you need one, let alone have all your organization tools ready when you are studying.

Fortunately, there are tools to keep your tools.

The Post-it Study Pocket can keep your organization items handy — from your paper clips to your Post-it Study products.

And if you really want to have your Post-it Study notes and flags accessible — check out the Post-it Study Notebook Kit.

The kit attaches inside the back cover or textbooks, notebooks, or planners and folds out while you study so note and flags are right there where you need them. When you are finished working, fold it in to keep them safe and protected.

4. Use Pockets in your Binder to Stay Organized — Not Disorganized

The interior pockets on three-ring binders can be dangerous. While they are handy to quickly add papers that aren’t hole punched, they can quickly become a stretched out dumping ground for unsorted papers.

In order to not lose important papers, keep a three hole punch at your desk at home so you can regularly go through your binder pockets and file away papers in their appropriate destination.

5. Mark Your Spot

Finally, do yourself a simple favor and keep Post-it Study Tabs, Flags, or Pagemarkers at your “spot” so the next time you sit down at your desk you can quickly flip to where you left off.

Consider it your bright and cheery bookmark.

Here is to happy and organized studying!

Written by Janice Croze, co-founder of 5 Minutes for Mom
Talk with me: @5minutesformom and Facebook.com/5minutesformom
Pin with me at http://pinterest.com/5minutesformom/

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