How I Organize my Desk For Studying

I've been in college for four years, I've changed my desk around plenty of times. But I've FINALLY got it the way I want it.

So I have a before picture of my desk which I like to call a "Organized Mess"...

Nothing really had a place, I just put stuff where ever it fit. I bought the Desk at Office Max for around $250 I believe. 

Now.... 

I put everything in its own little place. I'm a very organized person, so to get the place I spend about 85% of my time during school clean was a must. I used stuff I had laying around in storage to help get it to work for me. 

1. My Wall Calendar..

I bought this at Hobby Lobby for around $11 (with a 40% off coupon). 

I write down all my due dates for school, doctors appointments, days I work. I then cross it off when I'm done. I will eventually take those clips and write down #1, #2 for things I need to do in what order. 

Heres the calendar filled out with my school things. 

2. Shelf organization.. 

This is my favorite thing about this desk.

The first shelf (to the left)... has all my bill, college, and a small random notebooks and folders. 

The middle one has my binder I plan on using for this Fall, along with a clipboard. 

Last one has my wedding binder, an my 5 subject notebook I use to write random stuff in. 

The top shelf has receipts, one of my books for the Fall, and my iPad. The bottom shelf has all my school books for this Fall. 

I also have an assignment book where I keep track of all my homework (bottom right corner). 

3. The drawer on this desk is honestly a POS. But I really don't open it a lot so I deal with it. 

4. My Filofax sit here so their easy to grab. The small one is my Budget/ Finance keeper. The big red one is well my everyday planner. 

I also have a coaster, so my drinks don't cause a ring on the desk. 

5. Since I don't use my drawer a lot I have this desk organized (I got it from Target). I put my everyday things here; scissors, pens, pencils, glue, post-its, stapler, tape, highlighters, etc. Then I have my post it organizer I got from Big Lots. I also have my Staedtler Pens, which I must say, are the BEST pens ever. Kind of in the picture I have my cuticle oil and hand lotion. 

6. This index card holder of course holds all my index cards. I study with them, so I have a TON! Also bought from Target. 

7. The desk has four of these shelves, the top one pictured has all my Filofax/planner items in it. Such as stickers, my sticker maker, all my avery labels, etc. The bottom one (sorry I thought I had a better picture) has all my extra notebooks and folders, along with my paper cutter, and hole punch. The drawers I bought from Michaels a long time ago. The two shelves not picture hold my DVD player and child books. 

I love having this new desk I can spread all my homework out, and I just feel more productive with everything organized. 

If you have any questions, just ask. 

Five Ways I Take Notes in College

Starting my fourth year of college (I graduated with two associates degrees in May 2015) I've wrote notes in almost every way possible.

The way I write notes really depends on the class (duh). 

In my Social Psychology class, I wrote in 4 different ways until I figured out what was best. 

Types of Lecture I've had:

1. Goes along with Powerpoint

2. Just rambles 

3. Writes random stuff all over the white boards

4. Makes you write your own book notes then goes over stuff later in class. 

Hand Writing:

1. I bought a Cornell note book (here) when on sale these are the best deal. Original price is around $8. I use the same pen when I write in this notebook, because it writes fine and is really smooth (here is the type of pen).

I have a key when I write notes: 

Definitions have bullet points in the cue column

and arrows in the note section.

They are also highlighted yellowed if on a test, then blue if on final.

Powerful words have a circle around them 

~ Are the studies done

< Title of Powerpoint Page > 

I only do this for the Cornell System. However I plan on doing this, this coming Fall for notes also. 

 * I don't always use the summary part 

2. I also take notes by hand on normal college rule.. these notes are following a powerpoint so for this...

1. I < title the powerpoint slide> if the same slide goes on for three more slides, I don't rewrite it I just keep going under that titles. 

2. I number each slide and skip a line between each slide. 

3. I use different colored pens for definition, studies, and then just the rest of the writing. 

Having so much paper left over I've decided to do this type of note taking for my Fall 2015 semester. I will only change, one thing, I plan on incorporating the Key I use for the Cornell system.

3. Note taking from the BOOK....

I write my own notes going along with the book, leaving space in-between. Then when I get in class I write in whatever the Professor talks about. 

                    

Using Technology 

1.  I have an iPad that I use to follow along with Powerpoint during class. I only take my Macbook Air when I have projects. I hardly ever type my notes, you learn better if you have to physically write them.

I took these notes because I missed a day, lucky another student in the class had the notes and emailed them to me and I just added on to his.

* I recommend becoming friends or hope that a person who types notes will share them with you if you miss a day. 

I used my iPad when I took online classes, I haven't used my iPad for note in along time. But I might pick it up again this semester. 

Extra Way:

I once had a Professor who gave us the Powerpoint online. We had so many Powerpoint's (I filled a 3 inch ring binder FULL with all of them) I just decided to print them out in outline format and wrote my notes in. I ONLY used this for this one class. 

Then during my education class the Chapters were so short, my Professor printed out the Powerpoint's and gave them to use to write in whatever we wanted. 

Over all the type of note style I do depends. I usually go through each type of note taking, during the first week till I figure out which one will work best. Although, the Fall 2015 semester I plan on sticking with hand written while using my Key. I find I learn best using this method. 

Hope you enjoyed. Leave your own advice in the comments.