How to Set Up an Organized Notebook Binder for School
For many students, organization is a constant battle. All too often, their notebooks are a constantly disheveled, cosmic black hole. Lack of organization can potentially lead to serious academic consequences. By taking steps to keep your notebook organized and neat, you can ensure that you will be able to find your work, access your notes and locate project descriptions whenever you need them, without the hassle of digging through a mound of crumpled papers.
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Things You'll Need
- Two-inch three-ring binder
- Eight pack of dividers
- Small three-hole punch
- Pencil pouch
- Loose-leaf paper
Instructions
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Purchase a large binder with rings measuring at least two inches. Some students elect to carry separate binders for each class. This practice generally only leads to the student grabbing the wrong binder in haste during the hurried class change. It is highly beneficial to use one binder for all subjects, as by doing this you will ensure that you have all of your necessary material with you, regardless of which class you are attending.
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Acquire an eight-count pack of dividers. Use dividers to separate the materials you store within your binder. Many dividers come in packs of five. This quantity is not enough for most students. Make certain that you have at least as many dividers as you have classes to ensure that no two classes have to share one notebook slot. Label each divider clearly with one of your classes. You may want to consider putting your classes in order, from earliest to latest, as you move back through the binder.
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Purchase a three-ring hole punch. A number of companies create small three-ring hole punches that can be attached to binder rings and lay nearly flat within the binder. Buy one of these handy tools and keep it in the front of your binder to ensure that you can quickly punch any papers and prepare them for placement in your notebook.
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Buy a three-ring pencil pouch. If you place a pencil pouch loaded with pencils and pens in your binder, you can be certain that you will never arrive at class without the necessary writing utensil. Place that pouch right behind your hole punch so that you can easily access your supplies.
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Place your academic planner behind your pencil pouch. Many schools provide students with academic planners in which they can note their assignments daily. If your school doesn't provide students with this useful tool, invest in one. Keep your planner securely fastened in the front of your notebook.
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Include loose-leaf paper. After your planner, place a package of loose-leaf paper into your binder. This paper can be used for note taking or assignment completion. When you need to use the paper, open the binder rings and remove the paper. Do not rip the paper out of the notebook, as you will not be able to place it into the proper section if you have ripped the paper holes.
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Organize each section. Keep subject section materials in order by placing any homework assignments at the front of the section. Put your notes directly behind the homework. Then place project descriptions or important assignment directions into the section. Finally, place returned assignments behind the previous material. Keeping your papers in this order is an effective organization method because it ensures that the most important papers are closest to the front of each section.
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Use your organizational system. The system will not help you if you do not actively use it. Before you leave each class, take a moment and put papers in their proper place. If you simply stuff papers into your binder, the system will break down and your papers will, once again, be in disarray. Take time to maintain the system and benefit from your hard work.
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