It’s time to reorganise your backpack

We’re in the second half of the year, so get your stuff back in order. (If it wasn’t in order in the first place, pretend it was.)

Through every school day, every class, every lunch, there’s one trusty friend by your side: your schoolbag. But these helpful allies usually end up kicked, covered in dirt, tainted with rotten food and stuffed with random bits of paper and junk.

Today, you’re going to dump everything out and start again. Fresh and clean.

Use your pockets

Most backpacks have a lot of different sections and pockets (look at this thing, for example). The first thing you should do is have a good look at your options, and think about what could go where. Some bags have pen holders or change zips or separate sections to put tampons and pads, for example. And some have extra clips on the straps that you can hang things from. Or use as a dancing aid.

Get rid of anything you don’t need

That pile of things you dumped out? Go through and it get rid of anything you don’t need. That might mean chucking mouldy sandwiches in the bin, or it might mean “archiving” study notes in a drawer at home, because you won’t need them day-to-day. How many different pens, pencils and other stationery items do you need? (For some people, the answer is “lots”. For others, it’s “Zero, because I’ll borrow one off my mate.” If your bag is too heavy, it’s no good for your back. Or hiking over slippery rocks.

Split your stuff into groups

Everything else you’re keeping? Group it all into different piles. The idea we’re going for here is that everything will have a home in your bag with similar items. So you won’t end up with your lunchbox and your notebooks squashing up against each other in the same pocket, and your charger/earphones will have their own little section so they don’t get crushed and tangled around everything else.

Get it all in there and see if it’s working for you

That’s pretty much it. Move things around to see what’s most convenient. And, if you can, keep your water bottle on the outside of the bag. Nothing sadder than a leak across all your papers, electronics and cat.