How to Organize Your School Supplies

Co-authored by Katie Styzek

Last Updated: February 3, 2023 Approved

Schoolwork is always made so much easier when you purchase the proper school supplies. Organization is the key to knowing where everything is, and locating important papers. Proper school supplies will also get you higher grades, because you will always know just where to find things.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Gathering Supplies

1
Make a list of things you need, such as:^{[1]
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- Pencils (including colored pencils, where relevant)
- Pencil sharpeners
- Pens
- Rulers in different lengths
- Erasers (and perhaps liquid correction fluid)
- Highlighters
- Glue
- Scissors
- Geometry set
- Mini calculator
- Textbooks
- Markers
2
Buy one big folder, or buy many smaller folders for each subject you take. Keep your papers in there. Don't be lazy––organize them whenever they get a little untidy. When you get to class, all you've got to do is to pull your folder up, and there you have everything you need. You should keep your old notes in a box, you may need them later.^{[2]
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3
Make sure you have a notebook for each subject. Don't mix your notes up or you will make it harder to find what you're looking for. Write nicely, to make it easier to understand what you've written later. Another good thing to do is have folders with holes on the inside to put notes in.^{[3]
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4
Have a pencil case. That way you can keep all of your pencils, pens, etc. in the pencil case. You'll know where they are, and you won't have to look for that one pencil. The case can get quite messy, so you should throw away broken pencils and everything you don't need.^{[4]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Staying Organized

1
Get a studying spot at home. Instead of spreading all your school supplies all around your house, keep it in that one place. Keep a couple of pencils, pens and rubbers in different jars, don't just let them flow all over your desk. If your desk has drawers, you shouldn't just throw random objects into them; mark them. For example, one of them you could use for textbooks, another for old homework, the next for other supplies, and so on.^{[5]
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2
Clean up your locker and/or your backpack. Keep your folders and notebooks organized. This will make everything easier if you're late for class. Using a shelf in your locker will help hold more books and binders too. If you organize your books so that each subject has one spot, just grab the pile. In your backpack, keep all your books and folders in the biggest "room".
3
Keep your digital files in order. If you're using your laptop to take notes, clean it up once in a while. Make one folder called "School", and in that, name other folders with the subject you'll be using it for. Place all of your documents in their right place.