Getting Your Homeschool Organized

May 3, 2017
Written by:
Guest Author
Elementary Homeschool, Homeschool High School, Homeschool Planning, Homeschool Resources

Experts agree that getting and staying organized can be of great help to students looking to excel in their academic endeavors as well as personal ones.

Getting Organized in Your Homeschool

There are scores of books and articles dedicated to the great art that is organization—so many so that one might not know where to begin! Yet, few of these books are dedicated to staying organized as a digital learner. For this reason, we consulted our own in-house team of experts regarding this topic, to offer students advice on keeping organized and thereby keeping ahead of their scholastic projects.

“Being organized contributes to personal efficiency and strong time management skills,” says Jane Ferris, Dean of School Counseling.

Many experts advise that organization can help with task and time management in a number of ways. Organization can improve academic performance as it requires a student to properly plan and prepare for each course, therefore demonstrating motivation and accountability for their education.

Reduce Clutter, Use a Planner, and be Self-Aware

One topic that many agree can impact one’s organization is clutter. Our school counselors believe that in order to tackle academic assignments, one must be able to find said assignment; thus, keeping a clean, clutter-free, and organized environment is a great help to clear thinking.

Clutter is not just three-dimensional, of course. A messy workspace can include digital clutter as well. To keep virtual disarray at bay, our team suggests organizing one’s email inbox and document folders by course.

In addition to maintaining a neat workspace, our experts have a number of tips, including keeping a planner to track events. Once logged in a planner, be it digital or pen-and-paper, it is a vital second step for students to stick to their plan. This is vital not only to accomplishing tasks but to time management as well. Our counselors advise students focus on long- and short-term goals.

Our school counselors believe that one of the best ways to stay organized is through self-awareness. Knowing oneself and personalizing an effective learning environment looks, reflecting on and rechecking organization each week, and planning ahead can help to realistically view tasks that need to be done which can help to plan and prepare.

Ferris agrees, noting it is important for students to not only select a strategy for organization, but stay dedicated to that strategy for at least three weeks. “It takes a few weeks for a habit to form,” Ferris says. “Patience in the process is a must!”

Synthesizing this information, we offer the following “Quick Tips for Staying Organized.”

  • Establish a workspace, and keep it neat. Stock your area with all the supplies you’ll need for your studies before you sit down to work. This will minimize distractions and allow you to complete your tasks efficiently.
  • Utilize a planner. This can be digital, via a tool such as Google Calendar, or a pen-and-paper version you can keep with you on the go. Either way, plotting sessions for studying and schoolwork will lead to more efficient use of your time.
  • Create a schedule, and stick to it. Planning for short- and long-term goals helps students organize their time by appropriately pacing work.
  • Organize your work by subject. Grouping subject material by topic makes it simpler to keep track of important due dates and test times.

For more about what’s going on at Laurel Springs School, visit their school blog.

 

 

#ACTIVITIES FOR HOMESCHOOLERS, #HOMESCHOOL ORGANIZATION TIPS, #HOMESCHOOLING, #TIME-MANAGEMENT