The one binder rule

HOw I organize my school paper work

I start school this week and tonight grabbed all my stuff to get ready. I have an ADHD strategy to keep me on track at school called the ONE binder rule. It is my rule for staying organized.

Back in middle school and even before the teachers would always make us have separate duotangs for each subject and for me that was a disaster. I NEVER put my stuff away and worse I could never find anything and would have to do it again.

In grade 6 I did assignments 2, 3 even 4 times because I lost them or just miss filled them. That teacher had WAY too many places to put things. Keeping track of paperwork is not my strength so I needed a system for success and came up with the “one binder rule”.

It’s pretty simple:

ONE zippered d-ring binder

8 tabs, one of each subject

lots of lined paper

pencils, pens, a few other supplies

Everything I need for class is in that binder, all my subjects, all my homework, everything.

To make it great I like to use a labeler for the subject tabs. Add a section at the front for notes and stuff you have to share with your parents.

Everything is in one place. Works like a charm now for 3 years.

How do you stay organized?

-jeff

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Jeff Rasmussen

[content-block title="Meet Jeff Rasmussen" color="orange"] Age: 18 City: Langley, BC Diagnosed with ADHD in Grade 7 Biggest Dream: I want to change the world for younger kids like me who are punished daily for having ADHD. Fave Class: Mechanics "I've got the plans in my head for a motorized scooter with a gas-powered engine that I'm actually capable of building." ADHD Superpower: "If I'm determined to do something, literally nothing can stop me. Nothing. Not bribes, not bullets... nothing." Fave Food: Hashbrowns (the kind you buy frozen, in a bag) Career Goals: Telecommunications Guru Life-Changing Event: Winning the WDS Scholarship for Real Life School Achievement: Completing Math & Socials 10 in just 8 weeks this summer. "School's like 99% fluff. Summer school is that, minus the fluff." Biggest Struggle: Even though I take medication I still have trouble staying on task, doing boring homework, remembering not to swear when I am angry or staying still through assemblies. (That's where some of my strategies come in.) [/content-block] [content-block title="An Average Kid with ADHD" color="purple"] My ADHD has been really bad and given me every bad experience you can imagine for a kid. Before medication teachers took away my recess, my gym classes, they put me in the hall, I have been suspended from school, and I never did my work because even though my tests say I’m “gifted” I couldn’t do it. When I first learned I had ADHD I was so happy that I wasn’t bad or broken, it had a name and an explanation for what was going on. [/content-block]