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A stream of crumpled papers overflows out of the backpack and onto the floor, but senior Sam Esquivel just smiles, thankful that he does not have to worry about such things, as all of his papers are neatly organized into color-coded binders.  

For some seniors, staying organized means prioritizing their nightly homework and utilizing the organizational tools that they have.

Senior Ritika Singh has found that using a bullet journal has helped her stay organized.

“I use my bullet journal because I like to doodle in class, so I do both by doodling and creating different layouts where I can write down my homework. It makes me want to write down my homework,” Singh said. “It forces me to stay organized.”

Bullet journaling is just one of the many ways students at the high school stay organized. Senior Tiana Laing finds that color coding her materials in and outside of school helps her keep everything arranged properly.

“I color code everything, every subject has a specific color; I can’t go without it,” Laing said. “Even when I am writing down my homework, the color has to correspond with the subject.”

Esquivel takes a different approach to organization: technology. He uses iCloud to access his homework from an iPad, his phone or his computer.

“It’s good because I’m always with my phone or my computer, or if I don’t have one, I have the other, so I can access the things I have organized in priority of what I have to do,” Esquivel said.

Laing uses a similar prioritization technique when overwhelmed with work. While teachers are more “hands off” in high school than in middle school, Laing recognizes that you can still go to them for help.

“I usually work with teachers to make sure that I am on top of everything,” Laing said. “If I can’t meet with a teacher, I usually set things as a priority and work on those before I work on anything else.”

Singh believes it is essential for freshmen to develop organizational skills now because high school teachers help less than middle school teachers with organization.

“I feel like teachers do not really play a part in my organization anymore,” Singh said. “It is more independent and up to you about how you stay organized.”

Staying organized in school is not the only important thing. According to Singh, staying organized at home can help your schoolwork stay systematic as well.

“Freshman year, I thought organization would just be school, but it is important to stay organized outside of school also,” Singh said. “In terms of extracurriculars, cleaning your room, just living in a clean room and an organized atmosphere.”

Video by Cassidy Washburn and Maddie Kennedy