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[chloestudiess]

Obviously this situation is very stressful and, if you have the privilege of social distancing in a safe home, the days can slide into one another in joyless monotony. Here are my tips for spicing up your days and finding out a way to protect your mental health during this quarantine.

Basic Day Structure

Experiment with how your days will work for you. Without the need to get up and go out into the world, there’s also no need to subscribe to conventional wisdom about time. It’s made up anyway! I tend to get in a groove with my work really late at night, so I stay up until around 3 am and sleep until my first zoom class at 9am or 11am and just take as many naps as possible. Point is: don’t force yourself to follow your normal sleep schedule if it’s just making you miserable. If you can still go to bed at 10 and be up by 8, good for you.

Keeping Busy

There’s a lot of free time now and if you’re the type of person that needs to stay busy to cope, here’s a list of things to do.

Write letters to your friends and/or family

Research a topic you’ve always been interested in (I’ve been using Academia.edu. but you can always use google or see if your local library has online resources to use)

Try to get better at a task (mine is eyeshadow)

Read

Watch Netflix and write reviews for the films or shows

Learn dances (whether they be TikTok or K-Pop, learning these dances could be great exercise)

Learn a new language or better your skills in one (Duolingo, Memrise, watch movies in your target language)

Make your notes pretty (I find making my studyblr content very therapeutic because it’s busy work that is actually helping me academically)

Apply to scholarships (this is for current students: don’t let the pandemic make you forget about that real need for money. If you have the resources to still apply, make sure you try to get that money especially if social distancing is making you or your family miss paychecks)

Pick a random YouTube tutorial to try

Get a fun subscription box (my girlfriend and I do Hunt a Killer, which is this really fun subscription box that gives you monthly clues to solve a murder)

Make a body journal (you can take this time to really get in tune with your body. really examine it and try to understand what it needs to feel good and what you should avoid to prevent feeling bad)

Interview your family members (odds are, everyone is feeling lonely in their house and they’d be delighted to answer any and all questions. plus you can learn some family tea!

Read manga or webcomics

Marie Kondo your house

Write! Poetry, personal essays, books, anything!

Self-Care

Maybe productivity and business makes you feel overwhelmed, here are some things you can do to check in.

Just lay down. Don’t be afraid to just be prone for a while and not respond to anyone but your breathing. Resting is just as productive as working. 

Get a water tracking app (I have Drink Water). Being hydrated will make you feel better, so having a cute little app to remind you just gives you incentive to take care of yourself.

Wash your face. You don’t have to get all glam for the living room, but being clean will make you feel better

Journal. Process your feelings.

If you feel sad, let yourself feel it. Usually, we say that we don’t have the luxury for sadness and brush it off for a later date that never comes. Let your feelings come and be present. 

Be active. I don’t care if you do one jumping jack or just walk from your bed to your fridge. Make sure you let your body move.

Get dressed up. Sometimes it feels good to wear cute clothes and make up. Wear an outfit that makes you feel good and take pictures. Do a fashion show in your living room. Feel your quarantine fantasy, sis.

Above all, I want to say that my biggest tip is to do whatever will cause the least harm to yourself. This situation is very strange and upsetting, so find coping mechanisms that aren’t harmful to yourself or others and do that. Let me know if there was anything I missed! Stay safe and find peace. 

[chloestudiess]

pick a system that syncs over all your devices 

things like icloud, google calendars, and more have the capability to sync across your phone, tablet, and computer thus ensuring you never forget a thing. this is incredibly useful because your schedule becomes ingrained in your system. it becomes a part of you! 

know the specifics of your system!

familiarize yourself with it, how it notifies you, notes functionality, letting you know when you have to leave and things of that nature. you want to pick an electronic organizational system that is doing the thinking for you in regard to when you have to leave the house, providing the link you have to go to for that zoom class, etc. the whole point of an electronic system is that it works more than you have to  -- make sure yours does that! and beyond this, USE THE SPECIFICS OF THE SYSTEM to your advantage!!!

utilize the repeat function! 

if there is a weekly event, utilize the repeat function so that when you look at your electronic schedule you know, on a weekly basis, when you are not available. in doing this, you are comfortable with your availability and it becomes, as aforementioned, a part of you

set reminders

reminders ensure you are using the electronic system effectively. the whole point, after all, of an electronic system is not having to open up your calendar every time you are thinking about the day. rather, you can open up the phone you are already always on or better yet, just check out your notifications page to see what you missed!

establish categories that mirror your life

the whole point of an electronic system, among other highlights, is that it permits you to establish categories. make the categories fit your lifestyle. for example, as a student, i have a classes subsection, a work subsection, an extracurriculars subsection, a meetings subsection, a family subsection, a personal subsection for appointments, dr stuff, etc, and more. these categories will make sure your calendar mirrors the way our brains work -- sectioned and separated. make the different parts of your life distinct, whether in calendar color or in physical manifestation. 

have another system 

electronics, like humans and robots and everything, are flawed in nature. have a backup, whether it is a print out of your electronic calendar or a physical calendar you copy things down on. if you do not want to have another system, backup your devices consistently so that you know your calendar is already updated and good! 

color code as per your other organizational methods

if you already have due dates in blue in your physical planner, then highlight things that are due in blue digitally. no matter the way you do it, establish a medium for your organizational life and stay with it. for example, work related obligations are always in yellow for me, whether they are highlight in yellow in my physical calendar or cited in yellow on my digital calendar

put things into your calendar as you learn about them & ensure all your obligations are marked down 

never ever ever rely on your memory alone. you are human (assumably) and thus, it could fail you. as you learn about obligations, appointments, or anything you have to do in your life, mark it down IMMEDIATELY. then, double check it. triple check it! review your calendar so that it is stuck in your head as you go through your life. 

don’t overdo it! 

using an electronic calendar to schedule your life minute by minute by minute is simply not feasible. it will overwhelm you and you will start ignoring the notifications because they are overwhelming and annoying. make sure your electronic calendar cites all your NECESSARY obligations, no more, no less because in overdoing it you’ll never use your calendar properly

[chloestudiess]

in a bullet journaling rut? unsure of what to bujo? try some of these spread ideas, both conventional and unconventional, to include in your 2020 bullet journal and beyond!! 

these are categorized based on different traditional bullet journal categories.

the basics 

year in pixels 

yearly overview 

habit tracker 

sleep tracker 

food and drink tracker 

[insert year here] schedule 

quarterly goals 

water tracker 

bucket list 

resolutions/goals 

best of the last year/last decade

learning about yourself / covering your person

about me 

words for this year 

birthday wish list 

[amount of years you are old this upcoming birthday] i learned before [upcoming age] 

example: 21 things i learned before 21 

favorite quotes 

a decade in review 

caring for yourself 

self care ideas

mindfulness ideas 

living in quarantine practices 

positive affirmations

date ideas 

dates with myself 

i.e. things you’d like to do with yourself that you’d enjoy. or self dates 

things to improve on 

workout plan 

gratitude log for this year 

gratitude log for previous year 

life organization

master grocery list 

ideal morning routine 

ideal evening routine 

yearly achievements 

brain dump 

weekly to do 

monthly to do 

things to sell 

wardrobe capsule 

cleaning routine 

daily to do 

surveying your life 

podcasts to listen to  

movies to watch 

tv shows to watch 

book reviews

places to go 

things i want to buy 

books i want to read 

playlists in the works 

academic 

assignments due 

dining dollars or meal exchange budget (if you guys have those are your schools) 

grade calculator 

grade tracker 

attendance tracker

courses left to take/courses you want to take 

financial 

needs vs wants 

income tracker 

no spend challenge 

30 days or more

budgeting goals 

no spend ideas

[chloestudiess]

— 19th september 2019

i started studying the great gatsby in english this week, i quite like it so far! have a lovely evening/day <3

[chloestudiess]

waiting for zoom university to start like 🙄🧐

[chloestudiess]

2020 quarantine challenge

by @myhoneststudyblr

week 2 - pictures!

day 1 - take a picture of your desk/study space

loving the views i’ve had the opportunity to study from in the past week! still getting acquainted w this whole virtual learning thing; however, hopefully the aesthetic nature of my environment will motivate me!!

stay energized y’all! & pro tip: break onto golf courses to study if you’re able 🦋🌿

[chloestudiess]

04.03.2020 // HOLY MOLY this library is BEAUTIFUL! those windows! that contrast of concrete and wood!! i’m obsessed with this place now ✨

i took one midterm yesterday, i have two tomorrow, and my last one is friday morning... i’m tired and mentally fried but i have to keep pressing on. one day at a time, right? i hope you are all having fantastic weeks!

[chloestudiess]

03.05.2020

• WELCOME TO MIDTERMS SEASON•

hi friends! idk if it is midterm season for y’all but it certainly is at spelman! @mypencilshavings and i are doing a little all nighter to prepare for our upcoming midterms and made a study to do list in the library before we got started.

y’all simply won’t believe how rudeeee people are in the motherfuckin librsry. we are on ehat is supposed to be the silent floor but the weekend by sza is blasting and the room right next to my study room is literally screaming. disrefuckinspectful!!!

what do y’all have to do this week. lemme know! love y’all!

[chloestudiess]

rare feelings

being completely immersed into a book as if you’re watching a movie

being able to study for a long time without being distracted

wandering upon a scent that reminds you of a distant memory from your childhood that you haven’t smelled for years and years

the freedom of letting yourself do something badly (like art or learning) and knowing you’re progressing every day

being completely happy despite the bad things because you remember every little good thing and kind person in your life

stargazing in a remote landscape and feeling existentially precious and insignificant at the same time

waking up early enough to see the darkness turn to sunrise 

finding someone who is radiant in every way

being consistent with a goal you’ve been working on for the longest time and seeing the finished result

knowing that one chapter of your life has ended and a better one is beginning

[chloestudiess]

books?? amazing. paperbacks?? soft, cozy, may fit in your pocket, cheap so you don’t feel bad for taking notes in them. hardcovers??? beautiful, pristine, ground you into the world they hold by making you grip them tighter, the stars of every bookshelf. ebooks?? convenient, cheap, always with you, a vast library that you can hold in your palm. new books?? crisp, the smell of wood, ideas waiting to imprint themselves upon the world. old books?? objects transcending history, sweet smelling, enriched by the hands that stroked their pages. books.

[chloestudiess]

i love when ur writing an essay and u all of a sudden get a burst of inspiration or find the perfect source to back up ur point and it’s like the clouds have parted and everything’s clear and ur not gonna have to drop out

[chloestudiess]

It’s long overdue but I finally made a bullet journal I’ll be using for a whole year! I’ve been wanting to make one for a long time now but I never got to it, but this year I pushed myself to do it and I’m really happy I did. It’s been really useful so far with helping me stick to my habits (even though some need work lol) and list down my expenses and goals. Since I’m back to school, it’s been harder to find time to journal but I have apps to help me with backlogs whenever I’m able to journal. Hope I’ll be able to maintain this for the whole year!

[chloestudiess]

foggy essay writing vibes 

[chloestudiess]

i dropped off my resume at this place at 1:15 and got called for an interview at 1:45 holy dang

[chloestudiess]

[chloestudiess]

jan 21st 2020, 14:35

studying with a cat seems like a great idea until he lies down and claims 90% of your desk space (worry not, he’s sleeping on my carpet now). sorry for not posting in a while, the start of the sem’s been a bit busy and good lighting is quite hard to come by in january 😬

[chloestudiess]