More and more schools are shifting to paperless systems, and there are very few schools that don’t rely on some form of learning management system (LMS) such as Google Classroom, Canvas, or Jupiter Grades. Students take notes, complete assignments, turn in projects, and communicate with teachers in the digital space, but rarely do they set up a digital organization system that’s analogous to the binders, folders, and notebooks of days gone by. By the time students figure out how helpful it would be to have a system, it can feel overwhelming to get started. Here are our digital organization tips for students to make the process as painless as possible:
1. No need to go back in time!
If you’re creating an organizational system at the start of the school year — awesome! If not, don’t stress it. Pat yourself on the back for starting now, and organize documents going forward as you either create new ones or use old ones.
2. Centralize
It is rare for all of a student’s teachers to use the same organizational system, so before you get into the weeds with each class, take a moment to identify all of the platforms and websites that your child needs to navigate regularly. Create an easy way to access all of those platforms (think bookmarks or a Google Doc with links to each platform), and take note of the kinds of resources they’ll need to organize.
3. Folders first
Armed with the information from step two, decide on the most practical folders to use and create them. Certainly, one folder for each class makes sense. Subfolders might be named for each unit or for resource type. If there are cumulative exams in your child’s future, a subfolder titled “Exam Study Tools” to which your child can add shortcuts to relevant documents is also a great idea.
4. What’s in a name?
Use consistent naming conventions. Give each document a descriptive title that will make it easy to locate in the future. Depending on a given teacher’s system, you might consider including a date as well as a topic in the title — for instance “SOHCAHTOA Notes May 15” or “Evolution HW Sept 20”.
5. Expect imperfection
Organization is hard! None of us always remember to file correctly or to add a shortcut where we’re most likely to look for it. So, with the expectation that your child’s files might trend toward the messy as life goes on, plan to sort documents at some regular interval. By taking time to sort stray files once a week, your child should be able to keep things manageable; alternatively, they might sort content for each class after any assessments, deciding which documents to keep track of and which to delete.
By implementing these five power-packed digital organization tips, you and your child will take a giant leap towards increased productivity, reduced stress, and a smoother academic journey. Remember, staying organized is an ongoing adventure, so encourage your child to keep refining their system and adapting it to their evolving needs. Go forth, swipe, sort, and succeed, knowing that our executive functioning coaches are available to help at any step of the way! Contact us or reach out to your director to set up a strategy session.
