INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Sorting clutter is really hard for most people, and it's easy for your progress to stall. To keep yourself on track, set a time limit for your cleaning sessions and set a goal for completing your clear out. This will prevent you from getting stuck in the clear out phase of organizing your home. For instance, set a goal to complete your clear out in 1 weekend or give yourself a 4-hour block to work. If you have a lot of stuff, you may need to do several cleaning days to purge all of your excess clutter. Don't feel pressured to do it all in one day if you're struggling. Walk through your living space and imagine how you want it to look. Consider the space you have to display and store items, as well as how you want to use your space. This will help you figure out how many sentimental items you can save. It's important to be aware of the space you have so you can decide where you'll place each item you save. If you can't find a spot for an item, it's best to let it go. Your home should help you live your best life, but clutter can prevent you from doing what you like. Consider how much space you need to enjoy your hobbies and interests. As you sort your items, think about how each item will affect your ability to live the life you want in your home. For instance, let's say you enjoy cooking. Consider how much space you need to display or store your cooking gear. Make sure you can easily access your gear and ingredients. Similarly, you might enjoy playing the guitar. Pick a spot to display your guitar and make sure you have space to practice. It's okay to keep sentimental items if they're important to you. To avoid creating a lot of sentimental clutter, limit yourself to a small space for storage. Display or store the items, depending on what works best for you. For example, you might designate a single shelf for sentimental items or a small shoe box for memorabilia like photos, movie tickets, and concert stubs.

SUMMARY: Give yourself a time limit for clearing your space. Determine how much space you have to display or store items. Prioritize keeping items that fit in with your lifestyle. Designate a small space or box for sentimental items.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: You may not want to devote much time to prepping for your reading log. However, a little prep work will help you stick with the log and finish it efficiently. If your teacher allows you to select which book you want to read, you can find one that you enjoy reading. This will make it much easier to read quickly, and you can successfully complete your reading log in no time. Here are some tips for finding a good book: Think about the topics or subjects that you are interested in, and a pick a book that best fits. For example, if you like mysteries or suspense, look for a book in these genres. Have you studied a subject or event in school that you'd like to learn more about? Is there a book you read in the past that you liked? If so, look for books by the same author. Ask your teacher for recommendations. He or she will be impressed that you asked for their assistance, and will probably be able to give you some good possible options. Your teacher also has a good idea of your reading level and will be able to suggest a book that's a good fit. Get help from a school librarian or a public librarian. They are trained to help people find books. If you tell them what grade level you are in and mention your interests, they will be able to point you in the right direction. Even if your teacher provides you with a list of possible books, you may be able to choose which one is the most appealing to you. Although it may sound silly, the more you practice reading, the faster you will be able to read. That's part of why your teacher is assigning these reading logs. Before you get started reading the book you selected, make sure you know what information you have to fill out for the reading log. For example, do you have to answer specific questions about the book for the log, or will you have to complete a book report or other project at a later date? If you know what information you will need to look for, you can keep this in mind while you're reading and your log will be easy to complete. If you wait until the last minute to read the book, you're going to feel stressed out and it will be harder to comprehend the book and quickly fill out your reading log. Procrastination also won't make this process any more pleasant. Set aside time each day to read. When you are done, reward yourself by doing something you enjoy. It may sound too simple, but finding a good location to do your reading in can make the process a lot more enjoyable and faster. Look for a place where you can focus. This might be a quiet corner in your house, a comfy chair in a coffee shop, on the front porch, or on a park bench. If you read in bed, you might be tempted to fall asleep, and the dining room in your house might get noisy when everyone is home. When you find a good spot, make sure there are no distractions such as the television, radio, computer, or your phone. These will make it harder to get into the book you are reading and concentrate. If your mind keeps wandering while you are reading, take a short break. When you return to the reading, you should be better able to pay attention. If you don't have access to the log while you are reading, keep track of your reading in a notebook, journal, or even on a scratch piece of paper. Then, you can easily transfer the information to your log when you have to turn it in. Pay attention to how long you read and how many pages you read. These details can be difficult to remember later, and if you don't keep track along the way, you will find it harder to accurately and quickly fill out your reading log. If you have questions about something you read, write them down so you can look up the answers later or ask your teacher. Think about the plot of the story, what the characters want, how the author writes, why the book ended the way it did, and what the author seems to be trying to teach the reader. Taking notes while you read will help improve your comprehension and help you focus on the book. If you are having any difficulties reading or feel like you are having a hard time comprehending the material you read, talk with your teacher or a parent. They will be able to offer some excellent tips and advice on how to improve your reading skills.

SUMMARY:
Commit to prep works. Find a book that you enjoy reading. Practice. Analyze your reading log before you get started. Don't wait until the last minute to start reading. Find a good place to read. Eliminate distractions. Make notes to keep track of your reading. Don't be afraid to ask for help if you are having trouble reading.