With school in full swing, it can be difficult to stay organized, especially when it comes to lockers. Books, pencils, papers, notebooks, markers, scissors, backpacks, jackets, glue sticks, rubber bands, and miscellaneous office supplies are tossed into and strewn about a locker every day. It’s so hard to turn a narrow, hollow box into a functional, organized, and well decorated space, but if you have a little time and a little bit of creativity, it’s definitely doable.

Locker shelves are an excellent place to start. They’re relatively inexpensive and easy to install. I always use two: one for textbooks and one for binders. I always leave the bottom space empty to put wet shoes in during rainy or snowy days so that the water doesn’t drip all over my supplies; that’s never a fun mess to clean up.

There are also magnetic cups available to place writing utensils in. This way you don’t have to fumble through all of your belongings to find a pencil right before chemistry class. They come in many colors and patterns, so this is a nice way to brighten up your locker. You could also simply glue a magnet onto a cup and stick that inside your locker door. 

Your locker doesn’t have to be boring. You can add colors and patterns fairly easy. If you measure the inside of the door, you can tape in a wrapping paper, a cardstock, or even a fabric that you really like.

The outside of your locker is a blank canvas for you to decorate as well. As long as you dress it up within your school’s guidelines, the exterior of your locker doesn’t have to be bland. For example, my school allows us to have sports decorations. Any athlete who wants to organize a committee of team members to design and hang up “locker decs” can feel free to do so. This helps you identify your locker in a sea of beige doors, and they look really cool.

Lockers don’t have to be bland. There are many simple, inexpensive ways to brighten up the space. Whether it’s the inside or the outside, wrapping paper or cardstock, magnetic cups or locker shelves, there are many easy ways to help turn your locker into a functional, organized area.

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