Q&A for How to Organize Your Binder for School

It is a hole puncher that has holes where you can link it into your binder. You should be able to purchase these at Staples or any other school/ office supply store.

They make pencil cases to go in your binder, so you can put your scissors, glue, post-it notes, pencils and so on in your binder.

Put holes in everything and don't put things in pockets. Stuff in pockets falls out, and if all of your papers are stacked in a folder, you're more likely to miss or forget to do something.

Homework assignments, notes, handouts or anything, really. .

You should keep notes, homework, handouts, and classwork in the binder. Try not to keep doodles and random things in your binder that will take up too much space.

Its a good idea, because you can have places for each different subject, instead of having everything thrown together.

You could always make a DIY version. Take a sheet of paper and attach a tag to the side so that it is easily accessible just like a regular divider. Then, simply hole punch it.

You will usually want to have one divider per subject, so it depends on the number of classes you're taking.

Ideally you would want a binder. You could organize the folder with pockets by date, but it will get messy and chances are things will fall out. I would highly recommend a binder.

You should ask your teachers which kind they prefer, because some may want a binder just for their subject while others may be fine with you having a larger binder and combining them with other subjects.

I wouldn’t advise this. The weight of all the notebooks will likely bend or break the binder's rings.

If your school allows you, try to carry a book bag around or try combining two classes you have near the same time into the same binder.

Make sure you have enough dividers for each subject you're taking. You also want to make sure you clean out your binder weekly, so the clutter doesn't build up.

When using one binder per class, use 1 inch binders. Five of these are only about 5 inches. One large binder would be 3 inches, but then you would always have to take all subjects home.

It really depends on how many subjects you have. If you have 3 subjects, then you can use one binder. With 6 subjects, I would recommend having either a 2-inch binder or 2 1-inch binders.

As long as your teachers don't have any rules against this, sure. Just be advised that the binder might get kind of heavy, and you might even have difficulty closing it if you end up with lots of notes, handouts, etc.

You can start using binders whenever you want to or feel like you need to (or whenever your teacher tells you to use one). Kids usually start using binders around third grade.

You can get whatever colors you prefer. You can always decorate them if you decide that you want different colors.

Try making your own dividers. If you can't do this, try organizing by the date or subject.

Probably not. The rings would most likely bend out of shape or break.

If your locker doesn't have one, buy a locker shelf. You should keep your first few class binders on top of the locker shelf and your last few class binders on the bottom of your locker shelf.

I like to keep all of my binders, textbooks, folders, pencil case, etc. in one pocket (my backpack has a compartment with a fabric “wall” so I have an extra slot) or compartment, then put my lunch (and sometimes my P.E. uniform) in the next compartment, then I go from there. Usually I only use one or two compartments regularly and the other compartments are for when I take my instruments or some kind of project home. Keep loose objects like pencils, pens, highlighters, calculators, etc. in a pencil bag in the front pocket of your backpack.

It is helpful to have dividers by subject in your home binder too. This way, if you need a specific paper (i.e. if your teacher forgets to put in the grade, or if you need to study for a test) it will be easier to find.

Use binder dividers to separate both the subjects. That way you can use one binder for two subjects.

You could, but if it works better for you to have a separate pencil pouch for different tools, that's perfectly fine too. It's really up to you, unless your teacher prefers you to do it differently. If you find it more convenient to put everything together, then you should do that.

Handouts, notes, vocabulary, homework, upcoming assignments and classwork is one way you could organize it.

Ideally, you should use a binder for every subject to be the most organised and prevent heaps of clutter. If your order of classes is the same every day, you could use 7.5cm binders (3in) to hold 2 subjects with 1 binder. If you have very little access to your locker, don't have lockers or are forgetful with your schoolwork, use an 'everything' binder, but I recommend cleaning it out on the weekends to prevent it getting messy. Make sure you have dividers in your binder(s) to keep yourself super organised.

Yes. There are cheap binders though, so don't worry! There are binders at dollar stores and variety stores, and office supplies stores. You could also use notebooks as a substitute for binders if you really don't want to buy another binder.

Yes, binders are better than folders because more papers will fit in a binder. However, if only a few sheets need to be kept, a folder would be more ideal.

It is likely a Casemate binder because of the way it is shaped.