You just finished a college semester, or school year or a course? You have: Books, course material, copies, notes and notebooks? No matter if paper or their digital counterparts. Maybe the pile has been growing for years? Then take care of it right now!
Let's get an overview:
What books/notes have been added this year/semester?
Check the materials: were they just for a specific course/subject that you won't be taking anymore? After you got your grade, are you still interested in the topic? Do you need it for next year/semester?
Is the course finished and your notes will help you better or the book will not be helpful to you?
Then: give your books to an open bookcase, sell them if they are in good condition or donate them to other learners.
Look through your notes and assess if they will be of use for you later.
Otherwise, keep with confidence what will definitely be helpful to you and structure it so that you can easily find it to reread, get ideas for term papers, or review important material. Put labels on your folders and structure them into subjects or categories with separators.
Tidy up your desk and only keep the documents nearby for what is still to be done, e.g. seminar papers that still need to be written or study materials for final exams.
Think about the environment too: paper printed on one side can be reused on the other side or used for notes.
Don't forget the digital declutter: go through your download folder and your learning platform (to which you may soon no longer have access?) for important files and store them in an easy-to-find location. Everything else can go! Your work will gradually bring everything together and you can really take a break from learning for now.
And now: Have a great summer! And: if you need help with decluttering don't be shy and contact me :)
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