Label everything. Use the Brother label as it is the most user-friendly brand. Whenever you get new information, file it away into the right folder and label it. Label items by Categories first, and then Specifics, such as Real Estate – Rental – New York Property X; Trips – France – Paris; Academics – Psychology – Peak Performance Class X. Use 3 levels of hierarchy at most for each category.

I use four color post-its for OARP/DTCM, Actions, Delegate, and Waiting signals. I like Orange for action (Outcome-Oriented), Green for delegate (Go Do It), and Yellow for waiting (Yield to Traffic). I use post-its to highlight and note key sections of borrowed books, since I never bought any academic books in high school or college.

Use a 2-4 level file cabinet and keep it less than ¾ full. Use a simple A-Z label system to make the files accessible and memorable. Don’t use hanging folders. Just label the plain vanilla folders with the Brother Labeler with the 3-level Category. Use a separate file cabinet for the tickler file system if you have a physical one, or just use the free Google Apps and Calendar like I do.

I transform my 3 subject notebooks into 6 subject notebooks by taking notes from the front of one and the back of another. This gives me double the bang for the buck. I also use my 7-Hour School Week note taking techniques to be able to go through an entire school year of 18 classes with just one notebook.

The best way to save time, money, and energy is to eliminate everything in life that doesn’t add value. This means throw away all useless subscriptions, magazines, and other useless information. Learning to say “no” to what doesn’t matter allows you to say “yes” to what does. Get a big and cheap wastebasket. It’s for trash. No need for a fancy or expensive one.

A surge protector will protect your precious computer, as well as help you save electricity by easily turning all electronics off with one touch. I love the Belkin 12-Outlet due to its design that allows you to put large adapters on the sides. This allows you to get the most out of every outlet.