How To Make Studying More Bearable

Sometimes studying is the last thing you want to do, sometimes studying really sucks. Whilst it’s not something that’s necessarily enjoyable, there are some easy things you can do to make it slightly more bearable.

Have a nice space, I mention this a lot but that’s because it’s so important that your study space makes you happy and is somewhere you can work well in. Click here for some tips on creating the perfect study space.

Light a candle or use a diffuser, this can help to make your space nice and a little more relaxing.

Listen to instrumental music or white noise, I personally love to switch between the Instrumental Studying playlist on Spotify, rainymood.com and nosili.com. I find having something playing in the background when I study helps me focus and I get less bored.

Find fun study methods, merely reading is boring, whereas doing something like flashcards or if you’re like me, creating pretty notes and mindmaps is more entertaining. Find study methods that are both effective and that you enjoy, or at least don’t hate.

Study with friends, definitely don’t do this all the time because it can be distracting, if you’re like me you’ll probably talk more than actually work but studying with friends can be a fun way of getting things done. When studying with friends try to do something where you talk to each other like quizzing each other on the content, if you have loads of snacks and good friends you might actually have a fun time studying.

Hopefully some of these tips help, I hope everyone has an amazing week and hopefully I’ll have another post up next Saturday!

Wingardium Leviosa xx

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Managing a Busy Schedule

Wow, it’s been a while and I’m sorry for that. I’ve been super busy lately, busy as in having one free afternoon a week and three hours free every weekend, yeah that kind of busy. I finally have some free time again now so hopefully I’ll be more active on here from now on! As I said, I’ve been busy busy and had to learn some techniques to keep up with everything.

Something has to give. You can’t do everything, I learnt this the hard way. If you already have a billion things on you have to say no to something or you’ll eventually reach a burn-out.

Plan ahead, if you know you have a test coming up but you’re busy the next week study when you have the chance. I find it especially useful to set specific small goals to get done every day so I don’t have to do everything at once.

Look after yourself, don’t put self-care on the back burner, set time aside to watch your favourite show, read a book, take a bath or do something you enjoy. Taking care of yourself in busy periods is so important, for more self-care and de-stressing tips check out this post.

Overall being busy can be tough but you’ve got this!

Wingardium Leviosa xx

“Oh, I’m Just Too Busy”

“Hey, are you free to catch up with me on the weekend?”

“Oh, sorry. I’m just too busy.”

We’ve all had that conversation, or something extremely similar. The frank reality is that it’s generally very far from the truth. Yes, maybe you have a lot on but most of us spend more time telling people we’re ‘too busy’ than actually, you know, doing the things we’re ‘busy doing’. Whilst it’s definitely vital to not overwork yourself, you shouldn’t work up a mindset that you’re always ‘too busy to do anything’ because you’ll miss out on opportunities that you’ll very likely regret missing later. We all have the same amount of hours in the day, it’s how we choose to use them that actually matters. I’m a firm believer in having wind down time, so definitely let yourself have an hour of Netflix each day, however, don’t tell somebody you’re ‘too busy’ and then proceed to watch Netflix for five hours. I myself am definitely an over-committer, I reached this conclusion when I realised I’d double booked myself for the about the tenth time, I’m not suggesting my approach, it suits me as I like being busy, however probably isn’t the healthiest approach to time management. What I am suggesting is saying yes to a few things every once in a while, go on that jog with a friend, sign up for that school club or say yes to the volunteer opportunity you’ve been wondering about. This is an approach I’ve adopted within the last year and it’s meant I’ve had some amazing opportunities to do some things I wouldn’t have generally experienced. You’re very unlikely to regret giving things a go but you will regret not taking the opportunity, and on that corny note, have a great week!

 

The Benefits of Being Organised

Organisation. It brings me joy. Yes, I think I’m funny, yes, I know I’m not. Anyway, being organised is so important in achieving a productive lifestyle. If you’re living in a mess of a bedroom where you can’t even see the floor, you definitely won’t be prodcutive. It’s so important to keep your spaces tidy so that you don’t waste time searching for things.

There’s a few simple ways you can keep your spaces organised but it all starts with organisng your things in the first place, I love to use the bed method, which means I get everything out and put it on my bed, ready to sort through it. I go through and declutter, then place everything back in an organised way. After you’ve actually organised your space it’s very important to then keep it that way. This requires getting into the habit of putting things back were they were, do I sound like your Mum yet?

When you’re organised, everything goes smoother, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment and it will be one hundred times easier to get things done. When you’re sitting at your desk doing your math homework, it’s so much easier to quickly grab your calculator that’s sitting neatly in your drawer than search through the pile of clothes sitting on your floor, plus you’ll save so much time, which means you’ll get your work done much quicker and have more time to relax. Being organised is just so important for living an easy and productive life.

Morning Routine Habits

Majority of us can’t wake up at five am, go for a jog, do yoga and cook a whole stir fry before we head out for the day. However, there are a few simple habits that you should do every morning in order to have the best day possible!

Make your bed. It’s my opinion that a made, or rather unmade bed can make or break the overall neatness of a room, so making your bed will give your room a neater vibe. Not only does this just keep your room neat, but I believe it also gets your day off to a great start, simple things like just making your bed are so important in establishing a productive day.

Eat a good breakfast. The amount of times you’ve heard this is probably ridiculous but it’s true. Eating a healthy and sustaining breakfast will make sure you have enough energy to get everything done!

Don’t start with the phone. Don’t grab your phone the minute you wake up, wait until you’re eating your breakfast. I personally don’t have my phone in my bedroom at night but if you do, resist the temptation to grab it the second you open your eyes. Rather get up and do a few things before you check your social media feeds, this will help you feel more productive.

Drink Water! A great habit to get into is drinking a glass of water as soon as you get up, this will keep you hydrated throughout the day.

As I said before, we can’t all have the Instagram worthy ideal morning routine we’d love but these habits will certainly get your day off to a great start!

“When in doubt go to the library,”-Hermione Granger

 

 

2019’s School Organisation System

Near the end of last year, I published a post outlining how I organised my school notes. However, my system has since changed…

This year, my system includes five 30-ring binders, five lever arch files and one sectioned folder. Yes, I realise just how excessive this sounds but I promise it’s justifiable.

For each subject I have that requires note-taking, I have a 3-ring binder from Muji that is filled with Muji paper. These are essentially my notebooks for each class and I take these to school each day, based on what subjects I have that day.

Another thing I take to school is a folder with six separate compartments. In this folder I keep worksheets and handouts that I receive for all my classes, this also comes to school with me everyday.

I also have a lever arch file for each subject. When I finish a topic at school, I take all my notes out of my binder and place them into my lever arch file, I also hole-punch my worksheets and clip them in as well. If I ever need my past notes to revise at school, I can just place them back in my binder.

This system is currently working well for me, despite my bag looking pregnant but apart from that, I’m pretty happy with it!

“When in doubt go to the library,”-Hermione Granger

De-stressing

After a long week, you know the kind I mean; three tests, an essay and two extra sports trainings, collapsing on the couch and basically lying there for the whole weekend is often what we tend to do, however, there are certainly better ways to de-stress.

Take care of yourself: Wash your hair, moisturise, put on a face mask. Doing these things will make you feel clean which will help you feel less stressed. I personally have one night a week where I do my full on shower, I wash my hair, shave my legs, have a Disney singalong using my hairbrush as a microphone (we’ve all done it!) It’s good to take care of yourself and your hygiene plus you’ll feel amazing afterwards!

Treat yourself!: Have a little ‘you time’ binge-watch Brooklyn nine-nine and all the Harry Potter movies, or any other movie or show you like they’re just my personal favourites! Read a book. Eat your favourite food, even if it is a little unhealthy. After a week of self-restraint from Netflix and chocolate, we surely deserve to be a little indulgent!

Do something creative: Forget all those math equations for a couple of hours, don’t forget them altogether or else that math test you have next week might not go all that well! Instead, put your brain power towards something creative you enjoy doing; bullet journal, do some calligraphy, write a song (if you’re musically gifted, unlike me) or even scrapbook! Doing something artsy will get your mind off everything going on for a little while.

Exercise: Look, I’m a pretty honest person so I’m not going to pretend I do this as much as I should but exercise is proven to have positive benefits on your mood and is definitely a good way to get out the stress. Head out for a jog, swim a few laps, invite your friends over for a game of volleyball or kick a football with your brother or sister. Exercising will help you feel less stressed.

“When in doubt go to the library,”-Hermione Granger

 

 

My current favourite pens

Let’s be honest, pens can make me happy or make me sad, depending on their quality. I would label myself as a bit of a pen snob if I’m being truthful. I have collected a lot of pens over the years and have a few that are my go to favourites, I’ll also provide links to all these products on Amazon in case anyone is looking for new pens to try, keep in mind some of these might be only available in Australia but majority of them should be able to be purchased worldwide.

Zebra Mildliners

My number one go to. I love these so much, they’re dual end highlighters that come in a range of beautiful colours that set a beautiful palette for note taking. These are quite pricey but definitely worth the money! Link to purchase.

Tombow brush pens

I can’t stress the quality of these enough, if you’re into brush lettering these are a must have. They have two tips, one brush tip and one thin marker tip, they’re great for headers and calligraphy. The only downside is they are quite pricey so I wouldn’t try to collect every colour, only the ones you like. Link to purchase.

Staedleter Triplus Fineliners

These are great for subheadings when taking notes, the colour range of them matches that of the mildliners which makes it easy to colour code notes, they are super smooth to write with and come in packs with lots of different colours. Link to purchase

Muji Gel Ink Pens

I only recently tested the muji pens but I’d definitely recommend them, they’re not ridiculously expensive and write very smoothly. A bonus is that their ink dries quickly so they’re great to highlight over the top of. Link to purchase

Zebra Sarasa Gel Ink Pens

These are quite similar to the muji pens but they’re also amazing for note taking, they flow very well and overall are of a great quality. The ink does take a while to dry so if you’re highlighting over them make sure to wait a few minutes. Link to purchase

I definitely have a pen problem but it’s okay hey? Whatever makes me happy 🙂

“When in doubt go to the library,”-Hermione Granger

My desk organisation

As much as this is an extremely dorky thing to say, my desk is one of my favourite places. The layout works for me and I have a colour theme that is very ‘me’, it makes me happy to sit down at my desk and this motivates me to do my work. My system may not work for everyone but here’s a simple outline of how it’s laid out.

Let me start with my desk. I have the Ikea Micke Workstation, it has so much storage space and I’d highly recommend it.

Above my desk

Above my desk is purely for aesthetic, up here I keep little decorations and knick knacks that add to the overall feel and vibe of my desk, my desk theme colour is teal so these objects go with that.

Top shelf

On the top shelf I have all my pens in acrylic organisers from MUJI, I’ve organised my pens by type of pens, for example I have all my mildliners together in one section. This system really works for me as it’s very easy to grab whatever pen you need. I also have my bullet journal down the side of the organiser because that was the best place to fit it.

Middle shelf:

The middle shelf is where I store a few things I need easy access to when at my desk. Here I store my pencil case for school, a box for my flashcards, my sprocket printer, a checklist pad, a pen pot filled with washi tapes along with a cup that contains a ruler, scissors, erasers etc.

Bottom shelf:

This shelf contains my hole punch, stapler, tape and sticky notes which are in a box.

Main desk:

My main desk is very minimal so that I have optimal room for workspace. It consists of only my alarm clock and a magnet board with a few things pinned up on it.

Drawers:

I really believe I’m not using my drawers that well for storage as I prefer to have everything I’ll need within reach but I do like to use my drawers to store extra stationery I’m not currently using such as paper and pens.

Cupboards:

My cupboards contain old school work from the previous year.

Shelves on bookshelf:

Two shelves on my bookshelf contain my binders I take to school, display files for other paper and my lever arch files I store old work in.

Hopefully this post has successfully outlined my desk organisation and has helped you in some way. I could definitely improve on how to use my cupboard and drawers for optimal storage space but oh well. Anyway, thanks for reading my blog!

“When in doubt go to the library,”-Hermione Granger

Study Sustenance

We all love food, or at least I do, whereas we don’t all love study but we could love it a little more when combining it with food. It’s important to keep yourself sustained when studying and healthy snacks are the way to do this.

My favourite snacks for studying are:

• A piece of wholemeal toast with a healthier spread such as peanut butter or vegemite
• Dried fruit; cranberries, sultanas etc.
• Nuts; my favourite are almonds but any type are fine.
• Fruit; cut up apple slices, grapes, berries etc.
• Cut up vegetable sticks; carrots, celery, cucumber. You can also pair these with a dip such as hummus.

It’s also important to keep hydrated when studying so drinking lots of water is definitely a must but a few more drink options are:

• Coffee in moderation.
• Tea, herbal teas designed for focus are good. I really like the Bright Spark Tea by Tea Tonic. Click here for a link
• Healthy smoothies full of fruit and vegetables.

When studying, it’s vital to fuel yourself with healthy foods, make sure to have everything ready to avoid breaking your focus to go get food multiple times.

“When in doubt go to the library,”-Hermione Granger