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goodnight 💫

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01/15/2018 • I’m baaaack!!! Took a little break for the holidays and now I’m getting into the grind again for semester 2!

Also, thank you for over 2k!! I’m so incredibly humbled this many people care to follow me blog. I’m definitely going to try to post more often this year ~

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uh oh it's been a minute since I've been active again! I swear one day I'll remember to use this blog consistently. since I've last been active I've passed my exams with a 10.3 GPA and started a new term! my new term is a lot more independent work which means I really need to build my time management skills but I'm really enjoying it! I hope everyone is well 🥰

(also I reached 100 followers on this blog! thank you for enjoying my posts mwah!)

02.02.2020

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bullet journal • 2019 december monthly spread // coldbujo @ ig

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Things to forgive yourself for

procrastinating

repeating habits you’ve wanted to change

relapsing

going back to square one

not thinking before acting or speaking

doing negative things when you didn’t know better

waking up later than you planned

not doing everything you scheduled

anything you did in the past

You’re only human. You made mistakes, but you’re a different person now. The endless cycle of feeling guilty can make things worse. It’s unfair to be so hard on yourself. Do your best to be a better person from it, and give yourself a chance to start again. 

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by lowkeystudies.

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Great news guys, I finished my bachelor thesis! This means I am going to graduate 1,5 months from now!

I posted about starting a thesis journal to see the progress I made. Well, I sort of did, but it did not go as well as I had planned. I was thinking about tracking how much time I spent daily and how much time I used on studying the papers versus writing about them, and which time of the day was the most productive for me. In reality, all I did was write down for weekly notes what I had done and it was on a very general level. For the final four days I planned more thoroughly what I needed to do to in order to finish my thesis.

I have learnt a lot about myself and how I study, and realized things I need to change about the way I work on things. Hopefully the process of writing a thesis will not be as much of a struggle. 

Happy holidays, people! I wish well-rested time for everyone, to recover enough for the spring semester.

Because this has been a very accurate song from me @ myself during the thesis process, I am going to drop it here: Lost Kings - Phone Down 

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I keep repeating, “Self-control is just empathy with your future self” and it’s honestly saving my life right now.

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june 22nd // thanks to this astrophysics revision session i’ve now had NASA by ariana grande stuck in my head for the past four hours ☄️🌟

studygram

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based on this post, with my own additions. these tips can be used both for school tasks and for everyday tasks like cooking or cleaning, but they are mostly focussed on school!

not working because you feel tired?

eat and drink something! often I don’t notice that I’m hungry or thirsty and just feel really fatigued and don’t know why. then I eat/drink and feel better really quickly!

have something with a bit of caffeine.

try to expose yourself to natural (or at least bright) light.

do a mini workout to get your heart pumping. skipping is fun?

keep yourself stimulated. play upbeat music, use bright colours in your notes, etc.

not working because you’re struggling to think straight or or organise your thoughts?

talk through what you need to get done with a friend, your teacher/professor, etc. they can help you organise your thoughts around the task and come up with a plan!

break the task up into small, easy to approach chunks. write them down.

use a visual planning method like a mindmap to organise your thoughts - putting them down like this can help you sort out the confusing tangled mess of thoughts in your brain.

not working because you feel bored or frustrated with the task and are struggling to push through it?

reward yourself for completing parts of the task (keep the reward non-distracting though, or it can lead to the next problem!). you could set up an accountability system with a friend - they could, for example, promise to bake you something if you manage to get a task done on time.

list the reasons why you should finish the task. use these as motivation.

relieve your restless energy by doing something active during your breaks (like working out), and by keeping yourself stimulated while working on the task (for example by using a fidget toy).

if it’s frustrating because it’s difficult, get help!

modify the task to make it a bit more fun. relate it back to your interests, use fun stationery, etc. this might involve asking your teacher/professor if you can complete an alternate task. they’re usually pretty accommodating.

not working because you’re distracted by other activities?

use an app like ‘Forest’ to encourage you to work solidly on your task for a period of time without getting distracted.

block distracting websites.

write down thoughts and activities that you want to come back to later after finishing your task, rather than getting caught up in them.

related to above - use the Chrome extension ‘Tab Snooze’ to put distracting browser tabs away for later.

if you don’t need internet for your task, go work somewhere where you can’t access the internet.

not working because you feel stressed about the task and trying to do it makes you feel worse?

try the two-minute rule - work on the task for just two minutes. you might find that after this time the initial anxiety around starting the task has faded and you can continue to work on it.

similarly, break your task up into small, manageable chunks and approach them one-by-one. remember that something is better than nothing, even if that something is just writing out the subheadings in your report.

try to make your work environment calm and comfy to soothe you while you work on the task - turn a heater on if you like it to be warm, keep the space minimal and organised, play calm music, etc.

get help from others! a chat with a friend or teacher/professor about the task can help reassure you and they will probably also have helpful advice about how to approach it.

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How to make your mornings easier

So remember how I vowed to never take an 8AM again and then I did? Well I swore to myself never again. So I have a 9AM now haha. Living an hour away from campus idk why I do this to myself but hey gotta get that edumacation somehow.

Anyways, I have a lot of experience with this early morning thing, especially with depression and icy weather and rainy weather (all 3 make you wanna sleep in so much more) so here are some tips to make your mornings smoother, less chaotic, and maybe even more enjoyable!

Give yourself at least an hour in the mornings. Trust me. The more time you have the better it is. You won't feel stressed or rushed and you'll have time to wake up before driving

M U S I C. Seriously. This like makes mornings 1000x better. Put in some earbuds or blast that shit and have fun. Dance and jump and head bang while getting ready

Make or buy coffee the day before and put it in the fridge or something. Having coffee already made speeds up the routine and it's a nice little treat

Lay out your outfit the night before or at least plan it and know where everything is. Saves so much time even if you are the kind to just grab and go. I am like that. Just grab a shirt and pants and go. But laying it out the night before makes me feel accomplished and in the morning I'm like oh!

"I'll just get gas in the morning" is the worst lie. You'll hate yourself in the morning as that morning will be the one where you are running late and it is super chaotic. Get gas on your way home

Pack your bag for the next day WHEN YOU GET HOME. Don't wait. Mornings are groggy and not the best and you are bound to forget SOMETHING. So pack as soon as you can

Use an alarm you like. "But Lauren, if I like it I won't wake up!" It doesn't have to be peaceful. It can be straight bag pipes and screamo with a hurricane in the background. But if you like it, you'll be happier when waking up

If you know it's going to be cold in the morning, leave the fans off

Two words for you: overnight oats. Cheap, easy, and delicious. "But I don't like yogurt. I am lactose intolerant. I don't like Chia seeds. But..." thousands of recipes my dudes. Thousands. I hate yogurt and am lactose intolerant and hate most fruits. So I use oats, almond milk (vanilla flavored), vanilla extract, cinnamon, coco powder with some sugar mixed in, honey, and if I'm feeling really frisky, some flax seeds. Mix that baby up and stick it in the fridge and voila! A tasty and fast breakfast! You can even eat it on the go or blend it to make a smoothie!

If there's dew or ice, turn your car on like 10 minutes before you leave

Make a routine that keeps things steady and flowing towards the door. Dress, bathroom, breakfast, go

Coffee does not make a great breakfast

Put water next to your bed and drink it first thing in the morning

Hair and makeup can be done before class

Try to get to class half an hour early or more. This gives you time to review and prepare for class

If you have time, try some excercise! A jog, pushups, yoga, etc. It's a great way to get early morning serotonin and energy as well as feel better through the day

Take care of your animals before you eat to make sure you don't forget

If you bring lunch, pack it the night before

Set an alarm for bedtime and listen to it. When your bedtime alarm rings, put the phone or book down and sleep

If you wake up before your alarm, stay up if you have less than 30 minutes before it goes off

You can try burning incense in the mornings. Orange, lemon, and basically any citrus scent is known to improve your mood and help with energy

Consider buying a second phone charger that stays in your car so you don't have to worry about that

Simplify your skin care routine or modify it for the PM

Night showers are now your new beat friend

No you won't wake up extra early to finish that assignment. Just do it now

If you like hot coffee, prep the coffee maker the night before and set it to start when your alarm goes off especially if you sleep near the kitchen. You'll smell it

If you need to help calm your anxiety over your mornings, make a check list with everything to make sure you don't miss anything

Keep your keys in the same spot

If you have a dog, walk them before leaving or feed them when you get up. They catch onto patterns fast and will wake you up if you don't want to get up

Wake up at the same time during the week. Consistency allows you to fall into the patterns and allows you to get used to it faster and easier. And on days you don't have to leave until like 10, you get extra time

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MONDAY 01 MAY 2017 - some one-page summaries that i do for every little topic per module, and a matching spread from last month!! feeling good n productive ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

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Trying to catch up a little today on my study schedule... it’s not going great but it’s going

Day 11/100

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it’s okay if you’re learning more slowly than everyone else. it’s okay if you stayed in bed all day yesterday instead of being productive. it’s okay that you don’t like every class or teacher you have. it’s okay if you didn’t do as well as you wanted to on that last exam. it’s okay if you forgot to hand in that last assignment. it’s okay if you make mistakes and fail sometimes. 

as long as you get back up and continue to try your best, things will eventually work out. with progress, you will achieve your goals. it might seem scary and overwhelming to start, but trying is never a bad thing at all! sometimes things are going to be hard, but do them because you might surprise yourself. it’s not about perfection, but rather consistency. if you get back up and put in your best effort, you will be so much better off. other people may seem more “successful” than you, but that honestly does not matter. if you take tiny steps, at first it might not seem like you’re getting anywhere, but don’t give up. what other people think is so irrelevant. be patient, and over time, you will realize how far you’ve come. you can do this, and i believe in you! 

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some little things to do more often💫

read more books

get up early

dance to your favorite music

turn off your phone

go on little adventures in your local town or city

take photos of your adventures to remember

study in cute coffee shops

drink more water

bake some delicious cookies

journal your thoughts

smile more often

appreciate the little things around you

keep up with your skincare routine

learn something new

clean your room/closet

make plans with your friends

declutter your digital space (emails, photos, apps, etc)

make some art

paint your nails a pretty color

listen to interesting podcasts

dress in a way that makes you feel confident

give others compliments

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Tips for Getting more out of Life

1. Stop resisting change and see it as a constant in life.

2. Learn to enjoy, and value, solitude.

3. Never forget that friendship is a gift, not a possession.

4. Things are rarely as bad as they seem at first.

5. Do your most important tasks first thing in the morning.

6. Smiling seems to help with most things!

7. Schedule margin into your life – as something unexpected will often change your plans.

8. QTIP: quit taking it personally.

9. Define what’s necessary; say no to the rest.

10. Take a deep breath and wait before responding. Don’t react, and say something you’ll regret.