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thepromisetoblank-blog · 5 years

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Some apps to help get your life together

All free and with minimal ads

Productivity

- HabitMinder

Let’s you set up to three habits, reminders for them and Siri-shortcuts(so you can be your own tech-savvy dream). Even though I’m the type that wants to change my life overnight, three habits are more than enough in establishing some health routines.

- Google calendar

Synchronizes app and website with appointments and you can even put in lots of habits (I just can’t stop myself from it at times, and who am I to decide what you do). You can potentially even let google put in the habits, and their sub-tasks, wherever there’s room in your schedule, if you’re the type schedule everything.

-Wunderlist

I use it as a brain dump for all my to-do’s so I can prioritize and delegate them when I get the time and plan my day.

Sleep

- Sleepcycle

I crashed into a two day coma as soon as summer vacation hit. I forget to prioritize sleep, even though I’m on vacation now and actually have time to do what I’ve been wanting to do the whole year: such as a proper sleep routine so I’ll be able to wake up at 6 and still be somewhat functional.

- RelaxMelodies

Helps me fall asleep with some neutral sounds available. I like melodies like Eternity or Orchestral, they help me get into the sleepy zone but not keep thinking. You can even get a pair of meditations to relax that I use when I’m stressed and just can’t leave the world outside my bedroom

For your study-sesh

- myHomework

A simple app that let’s you put in assignments, exams and classes. You can add due dates, its priority and reminders, so it’s pretty neat. It’s not that aesthetically pleasing, but I used it a lot last year.

- Forest

You know it, you love it, and if you don’t, you probably will. It’s sort of a cold turkey blocker, but for your phone. You plant small trees with each break from your phone and can build your own little garden. The timer is only up to two hours, which is a shame, and you need to save up quite a lot of coins to change to other types of trees, but it’s really aesthetic and does its job 10/10

Not really an app but hey

- OneNote

I discovered this a couple of days ago, but rather than using it as just a note-taking system I also use it as a diary. I write out every single little thing on my mind, maybe once in a blue moon, which usually takes the edge of my stress levels. I also use it for movie/book lists and also notes where there aren’t a lot of notes with pictures or graphs. So I use it for lingual classes, such as history, English and

#adulting #my apps #studyblr #self care #habits

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thepromisetoblank-blog · 5 years

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How to Brace Yourself for a New School Year

August is fast approaching once again! Though I’m all for “starting the year/ school year right”, I think it’s pretty much unavoidable for us to get off track. A lot. Because of that, I put together this infographic to help minimize those stressful moments in your brand new school years.

First of all, get your shit together. And I mean both physically and emotionally.

it’s a new start my friend!! detox your mind of all those negative thoughts (and people) and embrace the opportunity to start over.

gather all the supplies you need. if you’re moving into a dormitory, make sure it’s equipped with everything you need to feel at home.

her campus college packing list

do’s and don’ts

don’t go overboard with this step, but go get yourself some new stationery. choose wisely, and ensure that you’ll actually use it and it’s not just for purposes of aesthetic. we all want nice instagram feeds, but don’t let that be a reason for you to buy too much pretty stationery.

why not think of a note taking system before classes begin?

the cornell system

mind mapping

flashcards

not all may find the idea of going back to school exciting, but you gotta have the motivation to keep that positive mindset in your head throughout the year! go you.

Organize your study space. You may have to stay in it much longer than usual now.

lighting is important. it’s oversaid, but never untrue. opt for natural lighting when you can, but if you can’t or you’re a night owl, get a good study lamp to brighten up those long hours of work.

I did say you’re probably gonna be staying here for some long bouts of time, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. make your desk one of your favorite places to be in. if you want to, make it really pretty. hang up some motivational posters or quotes - perhaps you even want a color scheme with that.

desk inspiration

quote posters to get you going

quotes from writers

have an accessible stash of stationery on your desk at all times so that you don’t have to go looking for a pen and a sticky note when you need to write something down. keep pens, pencils and highlighters in a jar near you.

keep something green on your desk, like a succulent. plants are adorable and the sight of them can boost your productivity.

have a planner or a bullet journal, and make space for that too.

a bujo masterpost

if working with music helps you, have headphones with you as well. always have a study playlist on hand. go for instrumentals or wordless tracks.

study playlist masterpost

make it a habit to keep your space in check every night before you go to bed. it really could make a big difference in how much work you’re gonna be able to do. don’t forget to stay clear of distractions!

Create a stress management system.

okay. this is what i’m telling you to brace yourself for. there are gonna be those days or those moments when you’re gonna feel really depressed or panicked. you’re gonna be okay. feel free to message me or any other studyblr - we’re here to listen =)

take some time out to practice self care and put off work, even for a bit. school is not the most important thing in the world, keeping yourself alive and healthy is. you can sleep, be kind to yourself.

self-care reminders

soothe yourself

go get some food too. you can prep some of your own if you’d prefer.

food masterpost

mood boosting food

never ever ever underestimate the power of exercise. the feeling of finishing a workout is so so so satisfying and I can guarantee you will feel better in no time.

the seven minute workout

popsugar fitness

take out your mat and do some yoga. stretch out all those muscles you held in place for so long sitting at your desk.

I find it important to always have a mini-collection of unread books. if you don’t have any, one of my favorite places to be in is a bookstore or library - and I just read whatever I find. the results can be life changing.

take time to hone your skills in your hobbies. if you can, do it everyday - do that one thing that makes you really happy daily. maybe you like singing. or playing the guitar. or painting. whatever it is, go do it.

write it down! I keep an electronic journal and it really helps to just spill your thoughts out on a notebook or your phone.

honey, please talk to someone if you need to. it won’t hurt.

Get a headstart on academics.

especially on subjects that are easier with advanced reading. if you already know what books you’re going to be tackling for english or literature, go read them.

sparknotes

shmoop

try asking upper years who used to take your classes if they still have their course outlines, or any material they were given before. this can save lives.

gonna be taking a language class? why not start learning it already?

duolingo

memrise

find textbooks and start using them!!

don’t have any idea of what you’re going to study yet? that doesn’t mean you should stop learning something new. you can listen to a ted talk or join an online course.

ted

crash course

coursera

Finally, set SMART goals for the school year. And have a concrete plan for how you’ll reach them.

what average are you aiming for? what organizations do you want to join? make your goals realistic and specific.

motivation is very important, but honestly, you can’t count on it to be with you every single day, every single moment of your life while you’re working for your goals. what will push you forward then? discipline.

building discipline

surround yourself with a community people who support you. like I said in the first step, detox all those negative people from your life. find ways to work with your friends and help each other in attaining goals.

set rewards for yourself too, not just in the long run but for the little things like finishing a good study session or passing a paper early.

study reward ideas

that being said, don’t underestimate the power of setting your short-term goals. those will be your stepping stones to pursuing the bigger picture you envision for yourself.

Tumblr and Pinterest, provided you don’t go too far in using them, can serve your daily doses of inspiration. don’t just use them for the sake of looking at aesthetically pleasing shots, though.

on a final note, don’t let academics take over your life. I hope you have a fantastic year, and good luck!

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thepromisetoblank-blog · 5 years

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a list of my favorite study tips (and when to use them)

summer:

invest in a book of short stories for each language you’re studying, and keep the book(s) on your bedside table. take advantage of the free time while out of school to get in the habit of reading through the short stories whenever you can. just a few minutes of reading the short stories every day will immensely improve your foreign language skills and keep you from forgetting the vocab & grammar over summer break

acquire a list of the books you’ll be reading for school in the fall and start reading them. to get the list of books, try asking someone who’s already taken the class, your future teachers, or a school counselor. reading the books ahead of time will not only put you ahead of the rest of your class by giving you time to work through the material in advance; it will also significantly lessen your workload during the school year.

this applies to the school year as well, but especially when you’re reading books in advance, keep a journal and pen at hand every time you read. write down the major plot points of the section you’re reading, what you like/agree with, what you dislike/disagree with, and one or two quotes that summarize the main themes of the section (make sure you include page numbers!!!!). when school starts & you’re assigned an essay on that book, you’ll already have the main points of the book laid out, and lots of great quotes—with page references!—to use in your essay.

two weeks before school starts:

take a look at your syllabus and get started on your first assignments. if you start now, you can stay at least one week ahead on all of your assignments throughout the year. this is a HUGE lifesaver when something comes up unexpectedly during the school year—like getting sick or having to go out of town for a few days at the last minute—and you don’t have time to get homework done, because if you’ve done it in advance then you won’t have to worry about falling behind.

get a planner app for your phone. i like egenda, but you can use any app where you input homework assignments in advance and it alerts you at various intervals of time before they’re due. it’s impossible to get a good grade on an assignment if you forget to turn it in on time, so just alleviate that issue altogether.

throughout the school year:

take notes. have a notebook open in every class, and write down all important names, dates, quotes, formulas, and theorems. write the current date at the top of each page, and have a separate notebook for each subject. if a teacher repeats something more than once in a class, underline it, because those are the things that appear on midterms and finals.

help yourself memorize things by writing essays about them. even if you’re not assigned an essay about a topic, try to write/type two or three paragraphs every week to summarize what you’re learning in a class. writing things in your own words is one of the best ways to remember them, and it will also help you to improve your writing skills. additionally, this should be applied to all subjects, not just literature or history (because even if you’re studying a STEM field and writing isn’t a huge part of the curriculum, you should still have the ability to write about STEM concepts in a way that is understandable and engaging).

befriend the smartest person in the class. figure out who always has the right answers and make yourself their ally. be a good friend to them, and then when you’re struggling with a concept, they will either explain it to you or—if they don’t know what the explanation is yet—they’ll help you search for it.

take advantage of indexes. almost all books have one, and they can be lifesavers if you don’t know the answer to a question. especially in history class, when there are a bunch of names that are super difficult to memorize. i know this is a pretty basic tip (if you can even call it a tip), but i’ve had a lot of friends completely forget about indexes, so this is just a brief reminder. :)

participate in class. this might sound super obvious, but you cannot retain information without discussing it! if you’re like me and participating in class sucks because of social anxiety, try to force yourself out of your comfort zone & remember that you are your own worst critic, but it’s also okay just to discuss things with a close friend or family member instead. the important thing is that you’re repeating what you’ve learned out loud and practicing explaining it to someone else, which will really help you to grasp the concepts.

three weeks before midterms/finals:

now is when all of your notes come in handy. go back through the notes for each class and study them, particularly the parts you’ve underlined. you shouldn’t try to memorize the pages, but you should study them enough that—by finals week—you could summarize the contents if someone asked you pointed questions about them. this is also when it becomes extra helpful to be friends with the smartest person in the class, because they will be an excellent study buddy. just make sure that you reciprocate if you ask them to help you study.

fill in any gaps in your notes by talking to your teachers and attending all of the office hours that you can. many teachers will give you a study guide if you ask for one, and you can literally go through and fill it in with info from your notes. remember, most of your teachers really do want you to do well, and they’ll try their best to help you achieve the best scores possible.

if any of your quizzes are open book, ask your teacher if you can put completely blank sticky notes on pages. bookmark the pages that have important events, quotes, facts, etc., and then if you forget something on a test you can refer to the book & it will be much easier to find the information. personally, the only open book finals i’ve had are the kind where you just write three 1000 word essays in 3 hours, but we are required to have at least 5 quotes in each essay, so if that’s the case for any of you guys then this tip is super helpful for bookmarking those quotes as well.

while taking a final/midterm:

read through the whole test first. figure out how long it is, how much time you have, and how many points each question is worth. if you’re worried about running out of time, start by doing the problems that are worth more points, and then out of whatever’s left do the ones that look easiest first. this will guarantee that you make the best use of your time & get the highest grade possible

and that’s all i can think of right now! hope this can help at least a few people :)

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thepromisetoblank-blog · 5 years

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UPDATED ON JULY 2017

Here you can find videos with advice on different categories related to college and studying! Just click on whatever topic you’d like to learn about :)

10 Bullet Journal Hacks and Ideas

Tips on How to Start a Bullet Journal

New Bullet Journal // Leuchtturm1917 [Mid 2017]

Minimalistic Planning Routine

My Planner Setup for 2016

Bullet Journal Setup for 2016

Bullet Journal 101

How to Plan for Final Exams

Bullet Journal Doodles and Decor

Plan with Me: Monthly Spreads

My Planning Routine

Bullet Journal [Early 2017]

How to Color Code your Notes

New Note Taking Method // Cause and Effect

How to Chose between Typed and Handwritten Notes

How to Type Notes for College

How to Take Notes from Textbooks

The Best, Fastest, Note Taking Method

Binder Tour 2015

Binder Tour 2016

Study Guide 101

Note Taking Tips and Advice for Typed Notes

How to Improve Typing Speed

How to Take Comparison Notes

Minimalist Binder Organization

Taking Notes with Microsoft OneNote

My 4 Types of Handwriting

The Cornell Method with Typed Notes

How to Be More Productive

The Ultimate Study Guide - 40 Tips

2 Different Ways to Use Sticky Notes

How to get Inspired to Study

Lecture Organisation and Preparation

How to have Efficient Study Breaks

How to Balance College and Life

My Study Routine

How to Have a Productive Summer

The Pomodoro Technique

How to Review and Study for Exams

How to Improve Handwriting

Time Management Tips

5 Tips for Exam Revision

College Organization Setup

How I Study for Tests

Presentation/Public Speaking Tips

Things I Wish I Had Known Before College

A Day with Me at Starbucks

My Evening Study Routine

My Morning Study Routine

Study With me For Exams // Timelapse

Huge Stationery Haul [2017]

Top 5 Best Websites for Students

ANDROID Apps for Studying and Time Management

School Supplies for 2016

The BEST Highlighters for Studying

My Favorite Pens for Handwriting

Desk and Study Space Tour

Minimalist Notebooks // mishmash

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