Periodic Table

OneNote is literally god’s gift to this earth. [ header art ]

I downloaded OneNote onto my mac air through my school’s office365 [which is a microsoft email login thing but is easily accessible on any kind of device and you can just delete the email acc later if you want]. OneNote can be accessed on a laptop, computer or ipad/tablet. i believe OneNote is available on the appstore as well?

I use OneNote as a digital bullet journal / planner and to write down all my study notes. i also have actual books for my study notes but i tend to prefer OneNote.

OneNote is super easy to use! think of it like an actual book:

1. DESIGNING THE COVER

When you open OneNote for the first time it will ask you to create a Notebook. You can name it whatever you wish and even choose the colour of it! You can have as many Notebooks as you like, so go wild !!

2. CHAPTERS

In your Notebook, you can have “chapters”, called sections or tabs. Depending on whether you use OneNote as a bujo or for study notes, these tabs can look like this:

3. PAGES

Time to fill your chapters! These pages will contain all of your content. Whether that’s a weekly spread in your bujo or a page on DNA molecules in your humanbio Notebook. You can have as many as you want! Pages on OneNote tend to look like this:

Once you click on which page you want, it’ll open !

4. SPREADS [for planners]

Spreads are completely personalised and customised depending on you! Anything you do in your physical bujo you can do on OneNote. Habit checker? Tables? Homework diary? Inspirational quotes? Cute doodles? Day-to-Day planner? 

This is just an example of mine, you can do WHATEVER YOU WANT with yours !!

5. STUDY NOTES

My study notes are basically just what my teacher says during class or puts on the board, which is why they’re almost always in bullet point form like this:

But obviously, you can edit your notes to be however you’d like them !!

6. OTHER INFO

One feature i really like about one note is the fact you can make the paper look like whatever you want. such as blank paper, margined + lined paper, graph paper etc. this is really helpful when writing notes and especially drawing diagrams !!

also, across the top is literally everything you’ll ever need.

IN CONCLUSION:

Please download OneNote !! it’s so user-friendly and customisable. I was honestly shocked that more people weren’t using OneNote in the studyblr community. It’s such a lifesaver near test + exam time because all of your notes are in one place !!

also, OneNote autosaves and doesnt close if you close your laptop [as long as you’re not logged out or the computer is shut down] so you’ll never lose your work !!

HERE is another post about me yelling about OneNote lmao

If you have any questions or problems, feel free to ask !! ((-:

study moods by subject

chemistry: a seat in the first row, diligent note taking, falling asleep in a textbook, color coded sticky notes but with no real system, fingers running across old ink

literature: studying in bed, a cat snoozing on the pillow, orchestral movie soundtracks playing softly, rereading passages that were absentmindedly passed through

math: strong cups of coffee, graph paper planners, crowded lecture halls, a furrowed brow, warm sweaters, that one special spot in the library

history: clicking pens, stacks and stacks of books, annotations in the margins, study sessions spread out on the floor, flickering candles, working in complete silence

biology: colorful illustrations, well worn flashcards, reusable water bottles, always breaking pencil lead, carefully drafting important emails

art: getting lost in readings, pastry and a coffee, receipts repurposed as bookmarks, love for rainy days, in class hand raising anxiety, a whirlwind of a backpack

world languages: early mornings, a deep seated quizlet addiction, studying with friends, practicing presentations aloud in an empty room, fidgeting in chairs, detailed study guides

engineering: hands running through hair, cups of tea either drank while they’re too hot or entirely forgotten, typing quickly, the sound as hallways fill in between classes

music: stretching fingers after long periods of writing, 11:59 submission for a 12:00 deadline, celebrating the completion of a task with something sweet, deep respect for teachers

8 . 2 0 . 2 0

remote uni classes start on monday which means having my own little space in the breezeway 🌿🌤️

life tip

Recently I’ve tried a few things that have improved my productivity by a crap ton. Honestly, I highly recommend it.

1. The 2 Minute Rule. If it will take less than two minutes to do, do it now. I get back to my dorm after class and the first thing I do is change out of my jeans and into running shorts. Before, I would just ball them up and throw them in my wardrobe, still inside out. Now, I fix them, then I fold them and either stick them on my shelf to be put back on in a few hours or put them on a hanger. It’s quick, easy, and you’ll be really grateful in the future that you got it out of the way. And on that note, #2.

2. “Future Me will thank Past Me for this.”

I used to never make my bed. It was annoying and tedious. However, it also annoyed me when I studied because it was a messy room, and for me, a messy room = a messy mind. Now, when I wake up in the morning, it’s the first thing I do. I do this because I keep telling myself that Future Me will be grateful that I got it out of the way. Future Me can now study without having anxiety about the state of her room. Literally, if it’s something you know you’ll be moaning and groaning about in the future, do it now. It’s literally that simple.

Productivity can really be that simple, y’all. It doesn’t always have to be waking up at 6am and going on a 5 mile run. Sometimes it’s so simple as doing something small now so you don’t have to do it later.

hi everyone- here’s the full spread for this past week !! i’ve been busy working on the app and it will be available on the app store testflight soon 🥳🥳

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Just vacated beds are sometimes comforting or pleasing to look at.

avousmorne

okay, so here in california precautionary measures against COVID-19 have become increasingly intense. most schools have closed and are preparing to make the transition to “distance learning” aka online classes. this is a big change for many of us – but don’t panic!

welcome to surviving online classes 101!

–

✐ self discipline

this is more of a warning than a tip. working from home means you will have to exercise a lot more self discipline. it can be a little bit boring or lonely at times. you cannot count on motivation from others (professors, classmates, friends, etc.), so you will have to learn some self discipline. 

✐ create your own classroom

a good way to make the transition is to try and mimic the classroom setting as closely as possible. something that might be helpful is to set up a space designated for work. try to avoid the temptation to work in your bed or on the couch. that trains your brain to be alert in those places and makes it harder to relax/fall asleep. at least during online lectures, try and eliminate distractions that wouldn’t be present in a regular classroom (like tv or netflix playing in the background, or having your phone out)

✐ dress for success!

dress in the way that makes you feel most productive. if you’re one of those people who usually rolls into class wearing sweats and still kills it, good for you! if you’re one of those people who needs to put on a full face of makeup to feel alive and ready for the day, do that! even at home!! i personally never wear makeup but if i try to be productive in pjs… disaster. i’ve also found that cute workout gear makes me feel badass while still being comfy.

✐ create a schedule

now more than ever you need to figure out how to manage your time. you can use a planner, bujo, google calendar, the forest app, whatever. just make sure you keep track of things like

due dates and TIMES

exam dates

lecture times

hours spent studying

meals (pls eat 3 if possible)

water intake

sleep schedule

✐ pack your bag like you usually would

i know this probably sounds so dumb, but when you’re done working clean up after yourself. pack everything up like you would at school, to sort of signal to your brain that academic time is over for now. and then unpack and set up when you’re ready to get to work again. this is just another way to trick your brain into that school mindset while you’re stuck at home.

✐ don’t overwork yourself

break up your studying into chunks. being cooped up all day can make us feel like we’re wasting time, but be sure to schedule breaks and reward yourself after a solid study session. i’m a big fan of the pomodoro method, and it can be customized really easily to allow for more or less study/rest time. 

✐ maintain a healthy sleep schedule

now is the time to develop that healthy sleep schedule we all dream about. staring at a computer all day is exhausting and hard on the eyes and brain, so make sure to give them enough rest and time to recover each night. also, consider investing in glasses that block blue light, even if you don’t usually use glasses. this will keep our eyes young lol. 

✐ communicate with your teachers and classmates

most of us are making this transition to online learning together. any time you have questions, email your professor. reach out to your classmates at the beginning and exchange emails/phone numbers/social media so you can build a support system. if something goes wrong, screenshot it immediately and reach out to your professor. technology isn’t perfect, and mistakes can happen, just communicate them.

✐ turn things in early

this is my biggest tip. when you are relying on online submissions for assignments and digital lectures, you always want to allow extra time to fix any errors you might encounter. your professor will also be much more willing to help you fix a problem two days before a deadline rather than two minutes before a deadline. eliminate that uncertainty by playing it safe with online submissions. 

–

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!! YOU GOT THIS!! WE GOT THIS!!

“It’s never too late.”

Don’t worry. Start now. Get up, take a few deep breaths, stretch, count to ten with your eyes closed. Then take out your books and a notebook and a pen. Get on with it. Start reading, annotating, take down your notes. If you feel your focus faltering, sit back, take a few deep breaths, walk around a bit, get back to your books. It’s never too late.

I keep getting ser and estar mixed up 😭

hello amigo!

actually this is easy. just like english, you can use the verb “to be” to refer to different meaning to address essential qualities/characteristics or conditions.

The apple is green. (Condition: Meaning the apple is not ripe.)

The apple is green. (Essential: Meaning the color of the apple is green.)

in spanish we have the same but with we differentiate the meaning with two verbs: ser and estar.

SER AND ESTAR

Ser is used to address an essential quality while Estar is used to address a condition.

La banana está verde: The banana is green. (condition). Meaning that the fruit is unripe.

La banana es verde: The banana is green. (essence). Meaning the fruit color is green.

So what you can gather from that example is that Ser is used to talk about what something is and Estar is used to talk about how something is. Something that maybe you’ll see on the internet or in books is that Ser is for permanent things/subjects and Estar is for temporary things/subjects but i want you to forget that or ignore it since there can be a lot of different situations where that doesn’t apply so it doesn’t truly apply to the verbs.

Mi amigo es malo en clases

(My friend is bad in classes). You see i use the verb “ser” but that doesn’t mean that the boy will be permanently bad in class, he can improve in the future so the “rule” doesn’t apply, and there are tons of other examples with that similarity.

what you can do is use these acronyms:

SER = DOCTOR (Description, Occupation, Characteristics, Time, Origin, Relationship)

ESTAR = PLACE (Position, Location, Action, Condition, Emotion)

but before i give you some examples of like you to know that these two verbs are irregular which means that they change depending on the person and time that they are used. So check the Dictionary from the Real Academia Española (RAE), verb “ser”; verb “estar”.

there are some exclusive situations where only applies to each verb separately.

Ser Exclusives:

Name: Mi nombre es Oskar (My name is Oskar) - Description

Origin/Nationality: Soy de El Salvador (I’m from El Salvador) - Origin

Profession/Activity: Yo soy estudiante (I am an student) - Occupation

Religion/Lack of belief: Ella es cristiana (She is christian) - Characteristic

Identity: Ella es la hija de mi hermana (She is my sister’s daughter) - Relationship

Time: Son las tres de la tarde (It is three in the afternoon) - Time

Descriptions: Su cabello es de color naranja (Her hair color is orange) - Description/Characteristic

Price: Son cuatro dolares y tres centavos (It is four dollars and three cents)

You can also know when to use “Ser” when the noun follows the verb; also to tell where something is from; or simply tell where an event is taking place

Estar Exclusives:

Location (not events): El celular está en la mesa (The cellphone is on the table) - Location/Position

“Be present/be ready”: ¿Cuándo estará la comida? (When will the food be [ready]?) - Condition

Estar + progressive tense: Mi hermano está cocinando la cena (My brother is cooking the dinner) - Action

Physical/Emotional state: Estoy triste (I am sad) - Emotion

To express agreement or disagreement: Estoy de acuerdo con el profesor (I agree with the teacher) - Condition

Estar is used to tell where something is located right now.

Also there are times where you can use both verbs but it all depends on the meaning, the mostly applies when the verb is follow by an adjective since the can help change the meaning from an essential quality to a condition.

La maestra está aburrida. (Emotion): The teacher is bored.

La maestra es aburrida. (Description): The teacher is boring.

Everything depends on the meaning behind your intentions. I hope this helps with your question, and see that is actually easy at the end. Have a great day!!

Here’s my weekly planner printable from my instagram, in 3 colours :-)

Links to download:

blue version

pink version

black version

My other printables:

Assignment Tracker

To Do Lists: first version, second version, third version

Weekly To Do: first version, second version

Daily Schedule Planner

Printable tag on my blog

thank you, and enjoy! - sarah, aka @studeying + instagram