Tidy it Up: New Semester

    Although I'm typically organized, I'll be the first to admit that by the end of last semester I got lazy. Between studying for finals, taking finals, packing, and generally just being ready to leave, I let myself slack off on staying on top of keeping things tidy. However, the nature of life is that you get what you give, and I am definitely paying the price for all of that. On top of moving all my clothes back in, I'm also having to go through and organize my closet, drawers, desks, and old notes. But that's okay, because an organized room means a happy Amanda...although unpacking and organizing are two of the biggest pains there are.

After everything was out of the suitcase and before the unpacking began.

     Few things bother me more than having stuff strewn about my bed, so the first order of business was to clean that off. I've found that closet organization goes by easier if you do it in sections. I have a section of jeans, a section of sweatshirts, a section of button-ups, etc. so when I'm rushed and have something in mind I have a narrowed section to sort through. I also finally put hooks on the walls to hang up my book and tote bag to get them off the floor.

     I also had some straightening to do for my desk, but that was more of putting things in their rightful place than anything. I have little storage boxes from Michael's where I put things I don't reach for often (like my "Hoarders" level stash of Post-Its) and a desktop drawer set from Target for more everyday items (like my "Hoarders" level stash of pens...). 

     

     The biggest project I had to tackle was taking care of my notes from last semester. I couldn't figure out what to do with them, but was scared to throw them away, and truthfully I fretted about it on and off throughout Christmas break. Last week I finally decided to get a binder and a set of dividers from Target. Each class will get it's own divided section where I can store everything that I gathered for the class over the semester.

     This pack came with 8 dividers, so I can use it for years to come considering I'm not saving my notes for every class. The way I determined what to save was if I was taking the next level of the class (I'm taking German 2, so I saved my German 1 notes), if I had to take more classes relevant to the class (I'm taking Calculus so I saved my Algebra notes), or if I had turned in a lot of assignments in the class (I saved all my graded papers from Comp 2). Each class got it's own section of the binder, and I took the syllabus, all the quizzes/tests, and any assignments I had been handed back and stuck them in the pocket of each divider. I then went through my notebooks and tore out all my notes for the classes, and put them in the corresponding divided section.

     Now I can reuse my notebooks from last semester (I went a little overboard and bought one per class), and all of my old notes are safely packed away in a binder if I ever need them for reference. They also take up a lot less space than if I had kept them in individual notebooks or binders, so the overall appearance of my desk stays neater.

     I feel so much better having done all this! Starting out my new year and new semester already organized is like a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. Definitely worth putting in the extra effort to get everything tidied up.

Does organizing make you feel like you have a fresh start?

-best,

    Amanda. xo.