Organization Essentials

It’s that time of year again for all my fellow students out there: the school year is beginning! I have always been a lover of learning, so the beginning of the school year is an exciting time for me. This year, my goal is to be totally organized before classes begin so it will be much easier to maintain the organization (and my sanity!) throughout the semester. I learned a few things during my first two years in college about organization (but this knowledge reaches far past the boundaries of college campuses!).

1. Less is more

Living in a shoebox college dorm room (or any small place) often makes us feel the need to fill any empty space with our crap possessions, but I have learned that sometimes I get a little too carried away with maximizing space, especially on my desk. A desk should be an open area, welcoming textbooks, folders, laptops, and lots of notes. If a desk is already filled to the gills, doing work on it does not look appealing (or possible). It may be tempting to fill that empty area, but concentrate on only filling it only with what you need. On my desk, I found that the only things I really need are a pencil/pen holder, a cute bowl filled with paper clips and rubber bands, a stapler, and post-it notes. By only filling your desk with the essentials, you leave space open for work to be done, clutter-free!

2. If you’ve got it, flaunt it

I don’t think I’m alone when I say that I have what seems like a million pieces of jewelry that I never wear. It’s not that I don’t like them, but when I’m getting ready in the morning, it’s easy to reach for the handful of pieces I always wear instead of searching through drawers of tangled jewelry (can I get an Amen?). This is why I decided to display my jewelry in these super cute, DIY jewelry holders. All you need to make these is a picture frame and a pretty print! Now, I can actually see all of my jewelry options and they are so much easier to access!

3. Be Logical

It took me two years in college to learn that bookshelves are for books (how much am I paying to go here?). For the past two years, I have been filling the bookshelf above my desk with decorations, picture frames, and fun mementos. These things are great, but then where do my books go?…on my desk, taking up valuable work room. I finally have decided to be logical and put my books where they rightfully belong. I bought a cute bookend from HomeGoods to add a little decoration to the shelf and to keep my books from tumbling down.

4. The VIP Section

This folder is for Very Important Papers only. It is crucial to have a go-to place for all VIPs so you can put them away (instead of allowing them to clutter up your desk and room) and so you know exactly where to find them when you need them. This expanding folder from Target is perfect for my VIPs because it has 13 pockets, which is plenty to organize my busy little life.

 

What are your organization tips?