“If There Is Any Good In Me, It’s From God.”

Flexible Time Blocking: A More Breathable Way to Get Things Done

I’ve met a lot of people who struggle with sticking to a schedule - myself included - so here’s one way you can get things done without restricting your spontaneity.

Linked: The ABCDE Method: Accomplish Tasks More Efficiently

Hope this helps!

other people succeeding and achieving things (school, jobs, relationships, etc.) before you do, does not make you a failure. it doesn’t make you bad at these things. it just means some things are going to take a little more time for you than it will for other people. you have time. there are no rules or deadlines by which you have to achieve and experience things. there’s too much pressure to have all these things done by your early to mid twenties but you have your whole life to figure yourself out and do what you want. you are doing your best and that’s what matters. i’m proud of you and you are going to be okay.

2019 Goals/Resolutions

I carefully thought through my goals for the upcoming year. None of these is actually something that could be done in a week. They’ll take time and energy and I can’t wait! At the bottom you can read about how I want you to join me on my path to dream life! 

I divided my goals into five cathegories: Mind (includes school and work goals), soul, body, social and financial.

Mind:

Read at least one book every month

Learn to drive

Study ahead for graduation 

Learn to cook

Soul:

Create something every week (drawing/writing)

Learn more about tarot and other spiritual things

Get more plants and learn how to take care of them properly

Learn how to use make-up and create my own fashion style

Get more habits into my life (meditation, streatching etc.)

Work on my confidence

Reduce waste i leave behind

Body:

Start doing yoga

Go for a walk/go jogging twice a week

Get physically strong (start strenght training)

Get my goal weight (Let me just say that my goal weight is the most healthy weight I can be at. it’s the weight recommended by my doctor and the weight I feel best with)

Social:

Spend time with family at least once a week

Spend more time with my little brother

Find at least one new friend

Hang out with people more

Financial:

Save up to 20 000 Kč (around 880 dollars)

Now the fun part! I want you to join me! Every week I’ll work on something out of this list. It can be incorporating a habit into my life or just trying out something new. This is how I want it to work:

Before the week starts I’ll post about what we’re doing and the rules. if you want to join you can reblog or just message me.

Week goes by and we’ll work on it by ourselves. I might post a little notes about it but nothing too big.

At the end I share results. If you joined you can reblog with your own results or again just message me how it went! I’d love to do it with you all!

I wish you all love and happiness in 2019. Please let me know if you’ll want to join!

They say that a clear space makes for a clear mind. This post will provide you with organization advice for your pencil case, backpack, desk, papers, and computer to help you function at your best!

PENCIL CASE

Don’t go overboard with the stationery. From personal experience, these are the absolute essentials you need to bring in your pencil case/pouch on a daily basis:

2 black or blue pens

2 pencils

lead refills (for mechanical pencils)

sharpener (for wooden pencils)

try to get a sharpener with a locking top so the shavings won’t spill out!

eraser

2 highlighters or colored pens

calculator (if your class requires one)

And these are some non-essential but useful items:

black Sharpie

correction tape

colored pencils (useful for drawing diagrams)

mini stapler

6-inch ruler

sticky notes and page flags

if your writing utensils are expensive and you don’t want them getting stolen, maybe bring an extra cheap pencil you feel comfortable lending out

Group writing utensils together with rubber bands. Save yourself the hassle of rummaging through your entire pouch to find one particular pen. Make groups of all your similar writing utensils (ex: pencils, gel pens, felt-tip pens, highlighters, colored pencils), then tie each group together with a rubber band for easy access.

BACKPACK

Get an actual backpack. If you’re carrying more than one or two books, please please please get a normal, two-strapped backpack (and make sure to wear both straps!). Tote bags, purses, and messenger bags are terrible for your shoulders and spine.

Place the heaviest items closest to your back. Textbooks and binders should go in the largest pocket, while your cell phone, novel, pencil case, etc. should go in the front. This helps distribute the weight better and prevent back strain.

Alternate the directions of your binders to fit more. Don’t put all of your binders facing the same direction like this. Instead, alternate the direction like this– put the first binder in with the rings on the left, then flip the second binder so the rings are on the right, and so on. This also works for spiral notebooks to prevent the spirals from getting caught with one another!

I recommend keeping the following things in your bag:

pencil case

obviously, books, notes, homework, binders, and anything else required for class

planner

phone + earbuds

house keys

water bottle

granola bar and/or dollar bills to buy snacks from the vending machine

hair ties

lip balm

gum or breath mints

tissues

feminine hygiene products

travel-sized hand sanitizer/wipes

DESK

Make “to-do” and “done” piles. Each evening when I get home, I take out all the work I have to get done and put it in a “to-do” pile. This pile is usually a mixture of textbooks I have to take notes from, worksheets I have to complete, flashcards I have to review, and books I have to annotate. As I complete my work over the course of the night, I move the finished items from the “to-do” pile into a separate “done” pile. At the end of the night, I take everything out of the “done” pile and pack it into my backpack to turn in the next day. This is by no means necessary to stay organized, but I’ve found that keeping a physical representation of both what needs to be done and how much I’ve accomplished is extremely motivating.

Take advantage of vertical space. If your desktop space is limited, make use of magazine holders, caddies, and stacking letter trays to hold more papers while taking up minimal surface area.

Use cable ties and labels to manage your electrical cords. Winding up excess cord, tying it with a cable tie, and labeling it with tape will keep your desk neat, keep your mischievous pets safe, and prevent you from tripping.

Book stands are your friends. Book stands can prop up your giant textbooks and save you desktop space. They also make reading for long periods of time more comfortable, since you can look straight ahead instead of down.

Keep a trash can and recycling bin within easy reach. This is a great way to prevent paper clutter. You won’t be tempted to leave junk papers lying around if there’s a bin right next to you.

Do a seasonal deep-cleaning. Every few months or so, take everything off of your desk and do a complete overhaul. Dust off the eraser shavings from the corners. Wipe down the surface with an antibacterial wipe. Go through all of your stuff before putting it back– if you find papers you don’t need anymore or pens that have dried up, don’t put them back.

PAPERS

I personally use a 1-inch binder for every subject. I like binders because they’re durable, easily dividable/rearrangeable, and they keep papers from falling out. Separating each subject makes it super easy to grab the work I need for just one class– for example, if I want to study math at the library, I can take that one binder and go, as opposed to lugging the papers for three other subjects along with me.

Within each binder, I keep 5 dividers. The labels on the dividers vary for each class but generally they include notes, handouts, graded work, and reference materials.

If you’re looking for lighter binder alternatives: consider 2-pocket folders, accordion folders, or binder/notebook hybrids.

Keep your papers in good shape. If you’re using binders, consider splurging on either reinforced loose-leaf paper or adhesive reinforcements so you don’t end up with a bunch of papers dangling halfway out of your binder. If you have a tendency to accidentally tear your papers or spill coffee on them, you may want to scan everything into your computer as soon as you get it so you can always print out a second copy if the first one gets destroyed.

Keep a “general” folder. Get a pocket folder and fill it with extra lined, graph, and blank paper. You can also keep other general things like your schedule, a map of your school, your report card, and/or school announcements in here. Take this folder with you to every class.

Organize weekly. No matter how well-oiled your system is, you’re inevitably going to end up shoving some papers into a random pocket. Once a week, take some time to rearrange things, put papers back where they belong, and hole-punch anything your teacher didn’t.

Transfer regularly. After we finish the first unit, I always ask my teacher if I can take out my old papers and keep them at home. The vast majority of the time, the answer is yes. I transfer all my papers from completed units from my 1-inch binder to large 3-inch binders that I keep on my bookshelf. I label each topic within them with page flags for quick reference. This way I have all the resources to study for midterms/finals, but I don’t have to carry them to school every day.

Purge yearly. At the end of the school year, I recycle all of my papers. The exception is papers for subjects I’m continuing with the next year. For example, if I’m taking US History II next year, I’ll save my US History I papers because there’s a good chance I’ll need to refer to them later. If you’re not sure whether you’ll take a subject again, I’d recommend keeping the papers in the big binder just in case.

COMPUTER

Create a folder for each class. All of your files for one class should go into the same folder. If you have a big project that involves several files, you can make a project folder within a class. At the end of the school year, you may want to combine all of your class folders into a giant grade-level folder so your old files don’t clutter up your desktop.

Save your files properly. When you’re in a rush, it’s tempting to save your essay as “asdjksdfj” to the desktop, but your future self will thank you if you take ten extra seconds to give it a sensible name and save it into a class folder.

Use separate desktops for separate contexts. I have three different desktops on my laptop: school (for academic work), extracurriculars (for managing this blog and the other clubs/activities I’m involved in), and fun (for Netflix and online shopping). Keeping these three aspects of my life on separate desktops allows me to draw the line between work and play. I won’t get distracted by having Tumblr open next to my history project, and I can focus better on the task at hand when I “switch off” from one desktop and go to another. Learn how to set up separate desktops on your computer here: {Windows//Mac}.

Tag your documents. Create a tagging system to make your files easier to search for. Your tags can be by type (“essay”, “notes”) or section (“chapter 1″, “unit 8″).

Backup your devices weekly. Accidents happen, so always be prepared. Make sure to backup your computer, phone, tablet, etc. to cloud storage or an external hard drive every week. Or at the very least, get Google Photos, which will automatically backup your photos from your phone.

Thanks for reading! If you have questions, feedback, or post requests, feel free to drop me an ask.

+Click here for the rest of my original reference posts!

—Sophia :)

the line “you smell like a french whore’s 90 year old vajuju” alone deserved best original screenplay

→ i get asked very often about bullet journals, so i put together a masterpost; happy journalling..!! —tia ♪ [+++] more masterposts | all | studygram

i. PURPOSE

official website

official set up video

official bullet journal store

bullet journals vs. planners | what is a bullet journal

five reasons why you should keep a planner

ii. STARTING A BULLET JOURNAL

how to start keeping a journal

keeping up with your journal

how to start your bujo (photos)

intro to bullet journalling | + getting started

two planner system for journalling

bullet journals for beginners | how to bullet journal

contents of a bullet journal

complete illustrated guide to bullet journalling

comprehensive guide to bullet journals

set ups: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 

inspiration tags:

simple + useful layout

beautifully illustrated!!

cute fonts & use of pictures

v creative n artsy journal

cute & colourful !

pretty + practical spreads

so artistic and innovative

washi tape & calligraphy

soft n pastel layouts

organized and neat layouts

beautifully arranged + stylish !!

clean and adorable style

tasteful and cutesy

pictures + highlighters

v innovative spreads & layouts

simplistic + muted colours !

iii. SUPPLIES

notebooks:

consider your needs:

squared | lined | dotted | blank?

bound | disk | coil | midori style | reporter?

hardcover | softcover? + colours?

popular choice: official ‘bullet journal’ | moleskine | leuchtturm 1917

more journals: cheaper moleskine alternative | grid essentials journal | piccadilly notebook | rhodia notepads | traveler’s journal

pens:

popular choice: zebra mildliners | staedtler triplus fineliners | stabilo point 88 fineliners | muji gel ink pens | pilot frixion

+ alternatives: pilot g-2 | monami aqua plus | pilot hi-tecpoint v5 | star diamond gel | candy colour ballpoint

more studyblr stationery | best school supplies

favourites + alternatives to popular stationery | even more

highlighters: koyuko 3-way highlighter | uni propus window | dong-A twinliner | stabilo boss | staedtler textsurfer highlighters

brush pens: pilot fude-makase | faber-castell | tombow

+ places to purchase stationery

a quick stationery crash course

iv. PAGES

types: daily | weekly | monthly | yearly * denotes i use it myself

front: key | table of contents | year at a glance | goals for this year

monthly: calendar* | goals / deadlines | expenses

weekly: weekly view* | food + habits | exercise | upcoming dates+events

daily: quote / song of the day | the weather | was this a productive day?*

back + other: tv show tracker | books to read* | inspirations page

+ masterpost of more page ideas | another | seasonal spreads

miscellaneous page ideas | more page & journal tips | spread ideas

“how-to” → types of pages

daily:

setting up daily spreads

daily spread layout ideas

+ more layout ideas

spread headers [daily]

5 daily logs + their uses

daily spread inspiration

weekly:

weekly spread layout ideas

+ more weekly layout formats

25 spreads and their uses

cute spread tutorial

inspiration for weeklys!! | + more insp

how to draw out a weekly spread

bullet journal weekly spread video

monthly:

visual monthly bullet journal guide

layout examples

more monthly layouts + uses

5 creative monthly spreads

bullet journal monthly spread video

monthly goals + spreads tut

spread examples:

daily: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11

weekly: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

monthly: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

cute yearly spread

movie watchlist !

monthly memories

year at a glance

another one 

ideas + to dos

work/acad/life layout

financial planning

artsy weekview

goals + wishes

v. STYLING YOUR JOURNAL

handwriting & calligraphy:

cursive handwriting | 2 | 3 | 4 | tutorial

tips to neaten writing: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | + for adults | video

fonts to try | the ‘outline’ font | shadow font | + tag

highlighter + pen headers | mildliner headers

formatting headers | title ideas

quotes:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

from: composers | artists (2) | writers | scientists | philosophers | psychologists | + extensive tag

people: leonardo da vinci | shakespeare | slyvia path

who said it? quotes

quotes that will make you shudder (2)

find more: goodreads | brainyquote |  quotationspage | quoteland

get a daily quote & image in your email | +5 more websites

doodles:

reference: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | + tag

types: plants | floral + more flowers | clouds | seasonal | coffee

illustrate your notes: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

drawing ribbons | 2 | 3 | 4 | gif tutorial

visual notetaking tutorial + fundamentals

tips on visual journal/diary spreads

+ more ways to be creative with your spreads

sketchnotes:

first time guide to sketchnotes | video

about + how to add them

basic sketchnotes reference + another

reference: 1 | 2 | 3

sketchnotearmy.com

other:

journalling cards

printing on sticky notes

page flag planning

add a chronodex?

study schedules

+35 things to add

vi. ALTERNATIVES

filofax

hobonichi planner

visual journals

fragment journalling

10 types of planners

3 minute journal

gratitude journal

reading journal

apps: 24me | wunderlist | any.Do | 30/30 | iStudiez

websites & extensions: getplan.co | evernote | timetune.center

There are so many study methods and techniques to try out that it can be a bit overwhelming sometimes. Luckily, there are many expalantions online about these methods. Here are some resources to find your perfect study method(s).

Types of learners + methods

Types of learners + methods

4 types of learners

Learning styles

Learning styles quiz

Types of learners info sheet

Study methods for auditory learners

Study technique - multiple intelligences

Some study methods masterposts

study methods @letsget-downtobusiness

study methods @etudiance

study methods @prettylittlestudies

study methods @studiyng

study methods @moleskinestudies

study methods @thegrangersapprentice

revision methods @studydiaryofamedstudent

13 study methods

five study methods

study methods + purposes

study methods infographic

Top 40 study methods

different ways to study

Some well known study methods to try out

mindmaps

note taking

teaching others

flashcards

discussing the topic

mnemomics

watching videos on the topic

highlighting

sticky notes

practice questions

recite out loud

Some less known methods to try out

Sqr3

ADEPT

QDASC

Snowball method

Journey method

Dominic system

Flip tips

Alternative to flashcards

Creating a memory palace

Feynman technique

Imply your study methods

study sessions

study guide

pre-studying

active studying

study moods

resources + methods

3 days study plan

3 - 2 - 1 hour system

My other masterposts

study skills

scheduling studying

study problems

acing vocabulary lists