Loydie Burmah |Staff Writer|
Setting priorities is essential to success as a student.
“[Organization] is very important to me because with a job and school, in order to be on track I have to be well organized,” said student Claudia Ramirez.
In contrast to Ramirez, I lack the organization skills that could help provide me an orderly life.
Looking through my backpack, a water stained notebook full of messy notes and assignments rests on smashed crumbs from snacks.
Plastic bins overflowing with paperwork, a bookshelf spilling DVDs and books, and a closet full of dirty clothes strewn across the carpet constitutes my room. It isn’t difficult to determine from my behavioral habits that I have an issue with maintaining priorities.
“Students who are disorganized suffer from poor grades, stress, and low self-esteem due to lost assignments, wasted energy, and general disorder in their lives,” stated special education specialist Ramona D. Williamson.
In “Help My Organize” an article featured in Intervention in School and Clinic Academic Journal by Williamson provides helpful tips to teachers and students on maintaining priorities through organization.
“Teaching organizational skills to your students will give them tools to succeed throughout their lifetimes,” stated Williamson.
“Students who are organized feel better about themselves and tend to be more successful in school than their disorganized counterparts,” Williamson added.
Moderating clutter, time management planning, creating to-do lists or setting reminders are a few ways to maintain organization.
The Center for Educational Partnerships at UC Berkeley created a “10 Tips To Stay Organized” list including tips such as organizing your room/study area, setting aside times for studying/other school-related activities, and receiving plenty of rest.
“Let’s be honest: The more structure in place, the more that gets accomplished,” stated create structure tip number eight.
Applying organization tactics to prioritize is not an easy task to fulfill and it requires constant effort, persistent practice, as well as patience to produce sufficient results.
“You have to prioritize things and realize that free time and sleep sometimes have to take a back seat to priorities,” wrote chief information officer David Andrade in Getting Students and Teachers Organized.
What about students seeking organization in their lives but simply do not have time?
“Buy containers, boxes, or drawers and label them to store things,” said student Eduardo Torres in regards to maintaining a clean environment.
I have yet to establish efficient organization tactics that work for me, but I do value the importance that maintaining organization has to offer.
Organizing one’s needs, priorities, and duties can lead to better mental, physical, and environmental health.
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