I’ll be honest, I was excited for the semester to start so I could have a set schedule again. I’m still super excited about this semester as I am taking a class on the Ottoman Empire (hey, it’s fun for a history nerd!), American Colonial History (I have to take to classes on US history, but it should still be interesting), Western Civilization (that’s right folks, a senior taking HIST 101), film based Photography (I’m a photographer at heart, so that should be easy to explain) and a language (I have a whole post dedicated to this, so I’m not going to disclose the language now, but if you do some digging, I’m sure you can figure it out).
Don’t Fall Behind:
This one should seriously go without saying, but every semester, I find myself scriblling those three words at the top of my syallabi with every intent not to fall behind only to discover that I’ve given up by the third week.
Today is the start of the third week and I’m still keeping up with all the reading… 60+ pages a night.
Find Order:
So this one may be a little bit on the OCD side, but I find that my day just doesn’t feel right if my bed is a disaster. I have to make my bed. I usually don’t do it right away because I’m rolling out of the covers when it’s time to leave, but I do it as soon as I come back from my off campus class in the morning.
I challenge you to try it for a week! See how much more put together your life feels?
Another big thing is keep your bedroom clean. The rest of the apartment can look like a tornado went through, but so long as the bedroom is clean, I can relax and let the stress of the day melt away into nothingness.
Use A Planner AND Your Phone:
We’ve probably all heard it since the begininng of our education. Schools would actually provide planner for us to use. I got my first one in fifth grade in prepartion for middle school. I can honestly say that through out my “free” education career I tossed it aside without so much as a passing glance.
Ain’t nobody got time for that.
Now in university with a set sylabus schedule, unless there is a snow day (ya’ll be jealous – I still get snow days!), I find utilizing a planner far more practical to keep track of homework, exams, and quizzes.
Also don’t use a pen! Well, you can use a pen, but make sure that it erases really well in case something does get changed. Even thought university syllabai are more set than high school, it isn’t the Ten Commandments and it was most certainly not written in stone.
Now, what does your phone have to do with it?
A wise and wonderful advisor of mine once told me that my phone needs to be going off about a half hour before I need to be to class – or anywhere. You will not believe how helpful this is! I give myself ten minutes to get ready and leave (put my socks back on – I HATE wearing socks at home).
When you put the two together you have a winning combination!
Use Color:
I love color!
It can be fun and helpful for knowing what is what just by glancing at a page. My favorite highlighters are ones that erase! Because just like with pens, you can mess up and need to erase. Okay, I may be a little OCD….
I use red for the stuff that equals a grade. Quizzes, exams, homework, and papers.
Find AND Use a Study Space:
Since the beginning of my university career, advisors and adults have been stressing a clean, distraction free study space. Well, this semester, I am going to give it a go and see how it works.
I’ll let you know during my mid-term update.
Forget Pinterest Exists:
Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. Reddit. Sumble Upon. Tumblr. If you can name another social media site, forget it.
I’m not sure this one needs much more than that.
I love Pinterest to death and you can find me on there about 80% of the time looking up recipies or exotic new places to add to my list of someday.
Find A Hobby:
You need to take breaks from studying. It’s a proven fact.
Weeks prior I had ordered a string of gorgeous pearls from an Etsy store based in Australia. They finally came last week. You know what I did? I took a break from studying, went to the store to buy the silk thread and a silver clasp and I made a pearl necklace.
In the past I have knitted scarves, crocheted blankets, went out and took photos.
You can even watch some Netflix, but the key is knowing when to stop. So watch a show for an hour, make some food or get a snack, knit a scarf and just chillax.
