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When my son was in the third grade, I had the opportunity to attend a life-changing workshop. The workshop was presented by the Davis Joint Unified School District and was all about organization skills and children on the Autism Spectrum. I know this sounds dull, but stay with me here.

What I learned there not only was invaluable to my son, but to myself as well. Before this workshop organization was not my strong suit. I stank in school my whole life and really never learned how to study, or even read to retain information. Through this workshop I learned some shockingly simple, yet amazing tools that I still use to this day (my son does too).

Anyone can benefit from these, as long as you’re a visual person. If you learn best by visual reminders and cues (or have a child that does) then these tips should work great. I thought it would be nice to share them as I hope we all have a smooth school year.

1) Color is your friend! Give each subject in school its own color. Or if it’s for you, each class you’re taking. For the house? Each area of what needs organizing. For example, vacation-blue, kitchen-green, bills-red, kids-yellow, medical-orange. Same with subjects. For my son this goes so far as he even has color binder paper. This way if something falls out of his binder, rather than be overwhelmed by reading and deciphering, he can tell by the color where it goes.

2) Simplify! That’s right. If you don’t need it and aren’t using it, toss it! This goes for school work, office supplies, home items, everything. No one can study with a desk covered in old graded work. If they don’t need it, toss it! I like to keep a box with all my son’s graded papers through the current school year just in case a teacher says they didn’t turn something in or it’s needed for a test. This will also make it easier to focus on your task at-hand.

For school (for my son) I like the dividers with pockets. One side of the pocket is for things to take home or put away, the other side is to turn in. He HATES using the 3 rings (snapping them), so this way he can do it all at once, at home and not lose anything on the way.

3) Clearly post what needs to get done and when. See rule #1. For myself, I have a dry erase board in my study area that I write that current week’s homework (in the color of the subject) and when it’s due by. That way I keep on-task and don’t feel overwhelmed. It’s also a great sense of accomplishment to cross something off. Above that I have my calendars for each class for the semester. This helps me keep larger projects and deadlines in the back of my mind. My son has a student planner that works well for him.

4) Post-it’s are your friend. Yup. Get different colors so you can use one that matches what task or subject you’re on. This is especially great for studying for a test. You can mark relevant sections in the book, even write definitions or snippets. I personally LOVE the little arrow tabs that you can stick in books (without harming them) to remember important things.

5) See #1. That’s the best tool you can implement!

You may think these tips sound like they are for older children or even adults, but really they’re not. It’s NEVER too early to start good study skills and to teach your child how to organize their work. A simple system like the color system is one that can grow with them. It works just as well for my college classes as it did for my son in third grade.

I have plenty more tips on the subject, but I think this post is quite long enough. I hope you all are having a great first week back (who are in school, or who have children in school). Have a GREAT three day weekend!