Desk organization

Last year I had a student who was very disorganized.  We tried different techniques to try to keep his papers in order but was not very successful.  He listened to me and tried the techniques that I gave him but nothing seemed to ever get in his binder.  His desk was a disaster of papers and materials all stuffed in.  Near the end of the year I sat down with him and we discussed how to be better organized.  This time though he looked at me and said, I know how to be more organized, just find me the top of a box.  The ones that are on top of the photocopy papers and I will be more organized.
I looked at him suspiciously and said okay , I will see what I can find.  The next day I brought in the box top and asked him to show me how this will work.  He put his binder and materials into the box top and put the box into the desk.

 

I looked at him and said how will this help.  He said he has two reasons it will work.  The first one is that because the box top blocks the opening, he can't just stuff his papers into his desk.  He has to actually open slide out the box top to put papers and pencils in.  Also because he is sliding the box out it reminds him to put the papers in his binder.  He also said that since we move our materials around to other desks he will be able to take the box top out and just move it . 

 



 

 

So he began using his system and sure enough the organization became much better.  His technique also spread amongst the class and now many other students have their own box top in the desk.  For those chronically disorganized it is worth a shot.  A free desk organizer sitting in the paper room.