Back to School

Here we are again. Summer is fast winding down and it’s time to get ready for school. I’m going to share with you a few organizational tips I’ve gathered over the years.  

A few principles to begin with. First of all, start off the school year by establishing good habits. The tricky part is sustaining them. When your student is all gung-ho at the beginning of the year, this excitement inevitably wears off and it’s at that point that the habits take over. Having good habits (and sticking with them) not only saves time and effort, it usually improves results.

Secondly, you only need to get organized enough. I’ve had so many people give up because the system they were taught took more time than it saved. Or, the technology was so cumbersome it didn’t save any time or effort. The goal in getting organized is not to be organized just for the sake of organization, but to save time and effort. 

Tools You’ll Need

1. Planner. These are often provided by the school, but my experience is that they are often too small. I like one that is big enough to put lots of notes in. Plus, the bigger it is, the easier it is to keep track of. 
2. Backpack. You may not really think of a backpack as a tool, but it can be an extremely valuable one. Use it to not only haul books back and forth, but to keep essential supplies such as pencils, pens, and highlighters. Getting into the habit of always putting the planner in the backpack can save a lot of headaches later on. 
3. An iPod or iPad or smartphone. OK, I’ll admit that I put those on the list mainly to appease the kids. I personally haven’t had time to get familiar with the apps that are available to help students be organized, but there are a lot of them out there. The primary advantage to having an electronic tool is the ability to have alarms. The disadvantages include having many other distractions on the device and the screen size being rather small. 

Habits to Develop

1. As much as possible, establish a daily routine. Our brains are much more efficient when we know what to expect. Plus, when certain activities are well-established habits, such as brushing your teeth after breakfast, we don’t have to spend much energy thinking about what to do next. Here’s a link to a sample form that can help get your started with a daily routine: http://www.adhdandyou.com/documents/Elementary-School-Weekday.pdf 
2. Have a quiet place for doing homework. Ideally you have a desk where you can keep extra pens, pencils, and erasers (I always had one of those really big pink ones). If you don’t need your computer for homework, don’t have it on because emails and instant messages can be very distracting. Don’t have the TV on and if you listen to music, listen to some without words. Your brain may want to pay attention to the words of the song instead of the task in front of you. 
3. Track what you do. For those students who end up having a lot of missing assignments, getting into the habit of checking off completed ones can help. It gives a sense of accomplishment and helps reduce arguments. When a homework assignment is completed, check it off in your planner then put it in your backpack. If a parent needs to check it off, too, it’s useful for the parent to have a set time to do this so he or she doesn’t forget. For many students, it’s good to have one folder, a nice bright-colored one, that is only for homework that is to be turned in. Some people like a folder for every subject, but for others, this is too much clutter. If you just use the one folder, it goes into the backpack along with the planner. 
4. Always pack your backpack as soon as homework is finished. Everything should have it’s own place and your planner, notebooks, and textbooks should live in your backpack so you don’t have to scramble around looking for things in the morning as you’re rushing to get to school on time. 
5. Put your backpack in the same place every night so you don’t have to search for it in the morning. Parents will love this and it can reduce the amount of yelling and nagging that they do. Remember students, if you do it consistently on your own, then your parents don’t have to nag!
6. Use your planner. A lot of students really resist using a planner. They experience it as just another task that has to get done, rather than a tool that actually saves them time. It’s important to stress that if the planner is used correctly, it saves time. Lets start off with a little test. If you have 5 things to do today and all of them are written in your planner, how many things do you have to remember? Most people I give this test answer with either “5” or “none.” The correct answer is “1” - remember to look in the planner. The idea is to take 5 things off your mind and literally put them onto a piece of paper. Then all you have to do is get into the habit of looking at the planner so you don’t have to keep so many things in mind. 
7. Plan ahead. For bigger projects, don’t write down just the due date, but also the date that it needs to get started. Break the big assignment into smaller tasks, such as gathering the articles and materials necessary, finishing the rough draft, etc. Give yourself deadlines and put them in your planner. Remember to check them off when you get them done. 

Many parents ask me when the best time to do homework is. Some students do best to do it right after school so that the rest of their evening is free. Others need a break and should at least have a snack and then maybe some time to play. I recommend a good activity instead of watching TV or playing video games. But, sometimes these activities can be a good way to wind down after the school day. Just limit the amount of time spent doing these things. Again, get into the habit of doing homework at the same time and in the same place everyday. 

Finally, reward yourself for jobs well done! Celebrate accomplishments and develop a sense of pride for getting things done and establishing good work habits. 

Have a great school year!