When you have one main workspace and many subjects, it’s admittedly very easy for your space to get out of hand. Every class needs different materials and tools, and unless you create a proper home for each thing (and commit to keeping those things IN their homes), you’ll be drowning in stuff in no time!

While things like writing utensils and notepaper tend to be used for everything, course-specific materials don’t need to be as accessible all the time. This means that it’s worth creating a nearby (but out-of-the-way) place for things that you don’t use all the time. This “place” could be a full-on cabinet or something else quasi-permanent, but it could also just be a tidy stack of items at the back corner of your desk. In short, things should have homes, and it’s worth making an effort to keep them there.

If organized chaos is your thang, I totally get it. I am one of these people, too. My brain is usually pretty good at remembering the last place anything was seen, so it’s pretty common for me to be able to get away with leaving things out. BUT - this doesn’t mean that I should, and it doesn’t mean that I don’t regret it when I do…

The thing with home learning is that there’s not necessarily always someone else around to bail you out when you can’t find something…..and not many things have an easy replacement. You don’t have classmates to share textbooks with or an endless supply of fresh handouts. Even pens don’t appear out of thin air. When you’re at home by yourself, you have one of each important thing, and when it’s gone, it’s gone until it’s found.

Having space at your desk also gives your brain the space to breathe and think. By putting one set of materials away and bringing out another, it signals your brain to change gears. When you’re not moving from classroom to classroom or being given clear signals from an instructor in front of you, this designation of change becomes increasingly important.

Sometimes when your brain is exhausted, it’s not even a break that you need - it’s a CHANGE. Just as it’s useful to find multiple places to study to keep your brain refreshed, changing things like the textbook to your right can also make a huge difference. 

If all you have in front of you all day is a disorganized clump of papers and books, you aren’t helping your brain realize that anything’s changing over the course of the day and it will tune out from the monotony.