What’s the best way to organise information?

Loose bits of paper covered in scribble and doodles probably isn’t the best option.

In any given school year, you’re going to come face-to-face with a huge mountain of information that you’re expected to either memorise or be able to refer to in your notes when required. Here are some useful ways to keep everything in order, so you don’t wind up trying to sing about Hatshepsut in Music and discuss the Pharaoh Semi-Quaver in Ancient History.

Consider the LATCH method

Some of it may not be relevant to you, but it’s interesting to see how organisational thinkers…think. LATCH stands for Location, Alphabet, Time, Category, Hierarchy – five different ways you can put your information in order. Read more about it here.

Build collections

It’s okay if you scribble down notes on the nearest sheet of paper or quick Evernote, but you should take time later to move that information into a more convenient, consolidated collection. Maybe it’s a notebook, maybe it’s a Google Doc or even a group of folders organised by subject, topic and term.

Because that’s where the most important stuff should be, for easy access. That’s true whether you’re talking about a specific drawer in your desk or a specific folder on your device. Of course, this doesn’t mean everything should get stuffed in the same place.

Finally, don’t be a hoarder. If something isn’t going to be immediately useful, put it away in a box. Later, go through the box and chuck out anything that you don’t need anymore.