This is my first ever masterpost and I’m making it for Day 2 of @studyquill ‘s 30 Day Summer Study Challenge.
I’ve always been fascinated by bullet journals because I love making lists and sorting the different areas of my life into different sections with tick boxes and little symbols. I actually have an entire Pinterest board with photos of different layouts and ideas for spreads but I never got as far as creating my own. Instead, I have a group of apps that perform many of the same functions as a bullet journal but for free and in a more portable form.
To-Do Lists:
This is undoubtedly a big part of bujo. Whether they appear in daily, weekly or monthly spreads, to-do lists are an important organisational tool that we probably all use in some form or another. There are dozens of apps that perform this function, the most popular of which are Evernote, Wunderlist and Todoist. My personal favourite is Todoist because I like the clean layout and the ability to group by category (e.g. school or errands) and priority.
Diary:
This is another important part of a bullet journal. Having a space to record your dreams, memories or random invention ideas is a necessity, and again, the app stores are not short of solutions. The app that I use is called Diaro and it has a few features that I am very grateful for. Firstly, you can set a password, so even if an annoying sibling manages to guess your phone password, the contents of the app will remain hidden. Also, you can back up your diary entries to Dropbox which really helps when your phone stops working and you have to do a factory reset... Finally, you can put your entries in folders to make stuff easier to find. All the stuff I’ve written about mental health is in the folder ‘Mental Health’, and all the wacky dreams I’ve had are in the folder ‘Dreams’. Nice and simple.
School Planner:
Moving my planner from a physical planner to an app is one of the best things I did this year. I spent the first few weeks of Year 12 scrambling for my diary when the teacher announced the homework as the bell for the end of class rang and I ended up simply not writing things down and forgetting all about them. Now I use an app called Egenda which means I can write my homework down while walking to the next class and it sends you reminders so you can’t just pretend it’s not there... I also have an app called Timetable which (funnily enough) I use for my school timetable. You can put a widget on your homescreen which saves time messing around with a piece of paper.
Calendar:
This one is pretty self-explanatory. I have an Android phone so I use Google Calendar which is pretty decent. If I have a person’s birthday in their contact info then it automatically shows up on the calendar. You can use lots of pretty colours and it does lots of other cool stuff too like sending you reminders and can be viewed as a schedule, day, 3-day, week or month spread.
Miscellaneous:
Bullet journals have several other functions too but the digital world manages to keep up. There are apps for habit tracking, period tracking (download Clue), learning language vocabulary (Quizlet is amazing), keeping track of your finances (Money Lover is pretty good). You can personalise your digital bujo as much as you like, whether you’re into travel, cooking or fitness. Finding apps that fit you is fun and when they genuinely make your life a bit easier then that’s even better.
Well, that’s it for the masterpost. I hope it helps or gives someone some inspiration. Feel free to reblog and add on apps that you couldn’t live without and I hope you guys all have a lovely summer :) x
2017 was the first year that I passed all my classes without having to retake tests or write an essay to get a better grade. I’m proud of myself for this, but I wish it would happen next year as well.
I would also love to get a 10/A+ in at least one exam. Since freshman year, I’ve learned a lot about myself and what’s best for me when studying and so I think getting the best grade possible would be a great step for me, since it would also mean I can reach my goals if I work hard for them.
I have social anxiety and it’s extremely hard for me to raise my hand during classes. In my school, participation consists of 60% of some grades and I hope next year I can get more confident to ask whenever I have any questions or to feel free to state my opinion about a subject.
10/30 of @studyquill‘s 30 Day Summer Study Challenge! Here are a couple ideas on what to keep in your backpack.
1) wallet - Always carry a wallet with you! It should hold your student id, extra money for emergencies, any school passwords, and your house keys (if you need them). Your id will also be helpful to have when you go to stores that offer student discounts!
2) hair ties & other necessities - If you ever get annoyed with having your hair in you face, keep some hair ties. Better safe than sorry! And chances are, if you don’t need them, one of your friends will. Also carry any things that you might need in a pinch, like pads or tampons.
3) agenda/planner/bujo - Deadlines and assignments always come up in school, so having an agenda on hand will make them all easier to remember.
4) water!!! - For your overall health and wellbeing, a water bottle is a necessity. Not only will it keep you hydrated, but it will also help keep you awake during class.
5) your notebooks & textbooks - Make sure you have all your materials for class when you use your backpack at school!
6) pencil case - Having a couple pens, pencils, and highlighters is great if you ever need to write anything in class or make a quick note. Also, the case will keep your materials organized, rather than having them strewn around your bag.
7) headphones and charger - Headphones are so helpful if you need to listen to any audio without disturbing the class. Or if you want to listen to a couple songs before class to pump up your mood, they’ll come in handy! Having a charger isn’t extremely necessary, but if you need your phone to contact your parents or if you use it throughout the day, you might need it.
8) snacks - When you forget your lunch/lunch money, having a couple snacks will really get you through the day. I always have little things to eat during my breaks and after school.
