tbhstudying:

binders

i personally use a binder for every class except one (mostly bc i like binders and some teachers require them hehe) you could decorate it to make it pretty or put useful guides in the clear cover pocket so you can glance at your binder rlly quickly before a test starts. anyways, some problems with binders are that papers often get shoved in without a single thought or the holes rip.

use plastic pocket tab dividers.
they should sell these at your average store. they’re basically tab dividers that have pockets to put stuff in. this can be very helpful for the things that you get that aren’t already hole-punched or you can’t hole punch them.
you should divide your binder up into categories such as homework, handouts, notes, etc. it makes your binder so much neater and helps you find things faster too.

get a hole-puncher
it is a pain to drag around a binder filled with unpunched papers and even if you do have pocket tab dividers, they have their limits. i have a portable 3 hole-puncher that you can place on your binder rings and it was like $2 usd.
if it’s something that you can hole-punch (margins are big enough, you can keep the thing, you want it in your binder, etc), then hole-punch it and stick it in before you lose it.

label your binder
most binders have a pocket on the spine. make a paper strip that fits the size and label that thing. all of my binders are white, so it’s difficult for me to tell which one is which right away. labels help so so much. put your name, class, period, and fun doodles on it if you wish.

folders

downside of binders: they can get heavy
how to fix that: i use folders

folders are great for classes that don’t require a lot of handouts, assignments, etc. i carry around folders for subjects like math and then file graded assignments and what not into a binder at home. this is so so much lighter than carrying 219246321 binders / expandable files.

as for me, i just carry around a general “homework” folder that has notebook paper, graph paper, and my homework. i find that it’s helpful to have all of my homework in one place, but tbh having a folder for each subject is probably more organized hehe. i have separate folders for classes like ap hugs or principles of design, tech, and engineering because the amount of handouts i get from those classes clutters up my homework folder.

pls pls for ur sanity, label your folders. get different colors or something. figure out a way to quickly differentiate between your calculus folder and your chemistry folder. it would be terrible to go to class and realize that you brought your literature folder instead of your math folder or something.

expandable files

these are like the mom of folders; folders upgraded; a family of folders

the nice thing about these is that you don’t have to get anything hole-punched, you already have stuff divided + tabs for you, and it’s pretty easy to organize.
some people like having one expandable file for their entire day while others like to have one for each subject. it all depends on you and your preferences.

it’s kinda like organized shoving.
graded homework? shove it in tab 3. syllabus? shove it in tab 1.
just make sure that you don’t shove stuff in with too much excitement (or laziness or you just want to get out of that class sooner) because the papers can get wrinkled and all folded up and possibly ripped. and nobody likes that, right?

i personally didn’t like it bc i was too lazy to undo the little loop thing and open the thing up bahahahhaha. also, i think i would’ve broken the loop at one point during the school year. but it’s portable, it’s easy to use, and there’s not much to fuss about it.

hope this helped and good luck! if you’d like to request a post, go here and if you’d like to see more helpful posts, go here!! thanks :)

(via studiants)