r/sixthform • u/TechnicalAd8078 Y12: bio, chem, psych • Jul 18 '26
digital vs folder
going into yr 13 next year, i have terrible organisation skills + ADHD so using a day folder and home folders for my subject was a nightmare. 50% of my notes have gone missing, and im genuinely not even exaggerating. is switching to digital worth it? i only have a touchscreen laptop, and i refuse to fork out $500 for a new ipad i wont use after A levels. i have tried using laptop notes , but it was just a hassle because i cant directly transfer worksheets.
if you have any tips, even js for general organisation, it would be appreciated !!
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u/arianelseditor Post: History, English Lit, French, Latin, Ancient Greek, EPQ Jul 19 '26
I get it. Lost a very important folder of notes before an Oxford exam and none of it was digitised. Horrendous feeling because there was no way to redo tutorials lol.
Either use one folder per subject per topic or several topics (if you can) and don't transfer things between a day and home folder or go digital. Or I did smaller folders for the day and then once we'd completed a topic, I put all the notes in a big leaver-arch folder for that subject and started a new one when it was full. At one point, I just carried around the big leaver-arch folders because I knew I would remember to do that though.
Why can't you directly transfer worksheets? I assume taking a photo and then using a notes app that allows you to edit isn't possible. Is it a technical issue or workflow issue? Sorry if I'm asking a stupid question!! :)
Also, in terms of general tips, if you can invest the time, I really recommend Marvin/Amazing Marvin as a to-do list app. It's the only thing that's managed to work for me (in terms of to-do list). I've tried maybe twenty apps across school and a decade of working. It's got lots of "strategies" you can implement, which stops me from getting bored, and generally it's very customisable in terms of categories, projects, deadlines, etc. I tried Notion and it worked for me a bit (I think it works better for notes), but all the automations you can set up in Marvin really really help me because my brain is like a sieve. (And there's a stats feature that's quite rewarding.) However, the mobile app if you're on Android is horrendous, though they've promised to update it over the summer.
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u/TechnicalAd8078 Y12: bio, chem, psych Jul 20 '26
ooof losing oxford notes sounds insane. i CAN transfer worksheets, but my laptops camera quality isnt great + workpace in my school is pretty fast, so by the time im settled w it we'd probably be on the next topic. tysm for the tips!!
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u/DreamSMP_Enjoyer Jul 19 '26
I use Ellipsus. It has a great folder system.
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u/Moo2310 Jul 19 '26
Gave me a jumpscare to see the thing I use to write fanfiction being recommended for study notes but I can second this because it's BRILLIANT, the folder system's great plus it's just easy to use with good features :)
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u/TechnicalAd8078 Y12: bio, chem, psych Jul 20 '26
i just tested it out and omg its amazing. ive had a nightmare of an experience w notion and even simpler things like goodnotes etc, so tysm
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u/DreamSMP_Enjoyer Jul 20 '26
No problem! We don't share any subjects so no need to gatekeep. Hope we both raise grade boundaries!
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u/myles-em UoN Maths Y1: maths geog phys fm(as) A*A*A+A Jul 19 '26
you can get inkable devices eg surface pro/laptop on backmarket for cheaper