Organization.
You know what it means. You know why it matters. Are you the only one at home who does?
You tell your teen to get organized. You know that backpack is full of loose papers, broken pencils, and possibly even some forgotten snacks.
But, your teen doesn’t want to. Your teen thinks organization isn’t for him, isn’t for her. What do you do when your teen tells you his system “works”? When she says she always knows where everything is at?
To answer that question, I have another question for you: Is your teen organized enough to focus? To be distraction-free?
I want to let you in on a secret: organization leads to focus which leads to distraction-free students.
Would you like to know what happens when students like yours aren’t distracted and unfocused? They get homework done FASTER, they study MORE, and the quality of their work is BETTER which means their grades improve along with comprehension.
So, if you want your teen to be organized enough to focus, there are two steps to take now before winter break is over. First, your teen has to know what needs to be done.
Does he need to clean out his backpack?
Does she need to put all of her clothes away and clean off her desk?
Or, maybe as a family you all need to decide where the homework completion space is at home – the kitchen table? The dining room table? A high counter in the kitchen? Or desks in each child’s room?
After each of your teen’s knows what needs to be done, it’s time for step two: supplies.
When your teen cleaned out his backpack, did he find an entire box of pencils he’s never used?
If that’s the case, maybe he doesn’t like to use pencils. Some teachers will require pencils in classes like math and some sciences, but if your child would rather use pens most of the time, take out that box of pencils.
Why lug it around if it’s not going to be used?
How about notebooks, folders, and binders? If you were pretty proud of your daughter’s grades this past semester, it means she’s probably well organized. Papers had a home in folders, and notebooks were used effectively. Maybe a restock is necessary?
Overall, is it easy to get organized? Definitely. And, winter break is the perfect time to do so.
Allow your teens to go into the new semester organized enough to focus. If your child brings a messy backpack to the first day of the second semester, he’s not starting the semester on the best foot possible. And, if your daughter comes home to a cluttered workstation, homework is going to go undone or get lost.
If you’re looking for more study tips like these to get your teen more organized and more focused, join my Facebook group Students Aiming for A’s at www.facebook.com/groups/asforstudents