#mytips

[cepheusgalaxy]

if you google a font the search results show up in that font did you know that

[365text]

{ 2020 quarantine challenge :: day 1 } how i plan my days + my “study” schedule

basically a wEek in the LiFe of a bErkEley (graduating) senior + deep dive into how i plan and remember each day i spend in quarantine while still attending ~*zoom university*~ !! yeet

• an introduction •

because i spend a lot of time online, i find that my google calendar is the quickest and easiest way for me to manage my time !! though i use my planner / bullet journal on a daily basis to manage my TODOs (+ to journal), i find that gcal gives me the best flexibility and efficiency when it comes to actually planning out and scheduling my day!

the fact that i can check it on my phone while i’m on the go (hurray @ integration across devices) also helped a lot when i was still on-campus and didn’t have the ability to take out my planner from my backpack. and even now in quarantine, when i don’t want to be on my laptop, i can just quickly glance at whatever mobile device to see what i need to do next!

but ya, here comes a (very long) breakdown of how i use this system to keep my days goin’ ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ 

(1) color coding + customizations

i am, as many of my friends have pointed out, an aggressive color-coder 👀 i just really like to be able to look at my calendar at the start of the day and have a good idea of what kind of things i need to take care of! to go through my separate calendars/categories in (reverse) order:

bright red (tests) || to remind me when my exams are, not that i’d forget 🤪

light gray (school) || all things school related! classes, student orgs, meetings, etc.

bright blue (teaching duties) || class i’m a TA for

dark blue (csm, aka more teaching) || student org i’m a part of

orange (exercise) || everything health + wellness related

yellow (events) || all my non-school related Events™ that i schedule (ie. socials, calls with friends, anything rly a step from a ~regular daily activity~)

maroon (chinese hw) || hw + projects assignment due dates

light green (daily) || my day-to-day activities

i like having separate categories correspond to colors that i associate with them too! bright red for alarm (exams lmao), light gray for school (muted, in the background hah), light green for daily (because it’s also more muted/in the background, but still prominent enough that i’ll notice it heh), and yellow for fun! events! (because it’s warm and cheerful). 

(2) separate calendars customization

most of my colors correspond to separate calendars, partially because it’s faster to create a color-coded event if you have it in a separate calendar! at least, it is on desktop heh. and also! i find that it’s easier to customize more things on an individual calendar basis:

notifications: each calendar/category has different notification settings. my “tests” calendar reminds me 1 week + 2 weeks in advance, "school” is just 10 min. in advance, whereas “daily” has no reminders at all! i customized these settings according to how often i felt like i needed help remember when certain things were.

colors (lol): in case it wasn’t obvious, colors matter a lot to me LOL. you can choose your own custom colors if it’s a separate calendar, and you can only use the google calendar default colors if you’re “recoloring” an existing calendar event.

display: it’s nice to also be able to toggle on/off various calendars!

but ya those are the main reasons why i use separate calendars instead of just recoloring the events in a single calendar!

(3) creating structure

because as a college student we usually have a good amount of free/flexible time, i find creating structure to be very important for me — and this is true for almost all students now during times in quarantine, when everything is kind of up in the air / go-at-your-own-pace. 

i feel like the nice thing about being a student is that we usually have repeating events, so i like to set recurring calendar events to help create a regular structure on a weekly basis. usually i sit down at the start of the semester with my schedule/syllabi and just add everything in one go. 

and now in quarantine, even if you aren’t given a schedule to follow and if working with a schedule is helpful for you, then creating that structure yourself is a nice way of adding consistency and stability back into your life :’)

the first calendar photo is how my gcal looks at the start of the week before any planning happens!

(4) time blocking

i once read that time blocking (re: setting aside chunks of time for a single task) is optimal for efficiency / mental energy. typically it’s easier for people to focus on one task for an extended period of time (with breaks) than it is to multitask or context-switch super often.

i also find that sometimes my schedule has weird gaps in it, due to the way my mandatory events are set up. so time blocking has helped me determine when i can get certain things done, or if i just wanna take a break in my awkward 30 min. gap between meetings!

the way that i time block is usually:

write in my planner all my (intended) TODOs + goals for the day

look at my calendar for the day + start planning when i’ll do which TODOs using my (default) calendar DAILY 

i only plan the day of in my google calendar, because things change and who knows how much i’ll actually get done ¯\ _(ツ)_/¯ also it’s a relaxing thing for me to sit there and journal/plan before i get started with my day hehe. a morning ritual, in a sense!

it also makes it a lot less stressful to look at my calendar, because i only ever look at the current day i’m on and what to do on that particular day. the interface of google calendar makes it really easy for me to drag events around and update time estimates as the day progresses too!

i also find it very useful for me to see what it’s actually possible to get done in my day, since sometimes my TODO list can be a lil’ too ambitious (oops 😋)

(5) daily logs + journaling

and lastly, i have some friends who have completely forgone their gcals since things moved online, but i have actually leaned on it even more —

one reason is all the stuff i listed above (structure, efficiency, also just habit at this point haha). but another really important reason to me is the logging that my gcal calendar creates! since i just spend every day at home, i feel like days were passing by a lot more quickly + in a blur, and by “writing down” everything i did/planned to do on gcal, i’m able to remember what i’ve been doing during these really interesting times o:

it helps me when i journal at the end of the day / the next morning, because i just look back at my gcal to reference what things i did, and then journal about how i felt about those activities.

• the ending •

aaaaand that’s it!

my super long documentation on how i’ve managed my time these past few years in college + in this 2020 quarantine era :’)

[chicagochica]

List of free IG Workouts

Hi! I’ve seen people asking questions about workouts on a couple blogs and since I have a lot of time atm I thought I would share my favs if anyone is wondering. 

Booty workouts:

Tammy Hembrow

@ squats

The Booty King

General Workout (all types)

Sami Clarke 

It’s Kim Glass

Meghan Grubb

Running/triathlon/swimming

Sarah Canney

Ellen Janssen

At Home Workouts I’ve purchased

Lauren Gliesberg (i LOVE her pelvic floor program even if youve never had a baby, great if you accidentally pee when you jump AND strengthens those kegels baby for sexxxx.)

BBG at home PDF 

Mental/ Emotional health

Rising women 

Create the love

young pueblo

Quotes by Christie 

[your-fit-bpd-princess]

Before you scroll down this blog, it’s important to me to explain some things…

This blog is not made to give you anxiety.

I know it can seem dumb, but fitspo and studyspo community can actually be really stressful. I know it because it gave me anxiety some time ago. I wanted to succeed so bad, I wanted to have a perfect university journey, a perfect health journey, and I went on tumblr everyday to motivate me. The problem is, at first it was motivating, but it then made me really anxious. I was constantly comparing…

Studying, working out and being motivated is not about aesthetics. It’s not about tumblr posts. It’s not about beautiful notebooks, fancy sportswear and colorful meals.

Improving is a very personal journey. It’s great to share it with the community, and I love doing that today. It’s great to share tips, to see how the others do, to find help when you have troubles with something.

But it shouldn’t give you anxiety. Never. Running or visiting fitblr or studyblr shouldn’t be more important than actually learning things and going forward.

One more thing about studying : succeeding in life is not all about school, college and studying. Believe me. Studying shouldn’t be all of your life. You have to fail, you have not to understand, you have to change path, you have to struggle, you have to learn the hard way, you have not to know, you have to live things outside of school.

Having good grades does not mean you’re happy. At all. Don’t hang on to that. If it makes your neighbour happy, it doesn’t mean it will work for you. Don’t get trapped by the pretty pictures and the always inspiring speeches : happiness is so much more than that.

Go out and live things !

Share them on social media, on tumblr if you want, get inspired on the internet, but don’t get stuck to it.

I post here because it keeps me motivated and because I think some of my tips can actually help you in your studies. When I’m not in the mood, I just don’t post. Some days I just feel more like going for a walk, going out with friends, reading a good book, going to a movie, to the theater… Those are real things you’re living. Don’t ever forget it.

Plus, it’s really important not to forget that studyspo is not the actual reflection of the reality of learning things… Some of us go to college, some of us are student in high schools, some of us don’t even study anymore but like to be a part of this community. But we have to remember that many many people are learning manual professions (for example) and don’t actually need to study the way we do. It doesn’t mean they’re less legitimate, but it means we have to stop thinking this way of learning is ideal : it is not. It’s great for some people and I’m glad if it’s great for you, but it’s completely ineffective for some others. Each and everyone of us have a different way to learn. If it goes by studying in books, great ! Welcome here, you’ll learn so much. If it doesn’t go by studying in books, great ! I hope you’re happy in your school or your job.

Also, in many countries, studying is a privilege. Please, never forget that.

Thanks for reading me. I’m happy I could share that point of view with you.

Don’t hesitate to message me !

Love

C.

[writeontheedge]

Things I’ve Discovered While Editing (And How They Can Save You!)

I’ve been editing my book for some time now, and it has been a learning experience. After personal edits, beta readers, and now copy edits, my book has been through a lot (and so have I).

The First Draft Will Never Be Perfect

The hardest part of editing, at least for me, is reading your first draft and realizing... it kind of sucks. Don’t panic. It’s okay. The first draft is never going to be as good as you thought it would be. Why? Because it’s a first draft!

None of your favorite writers have ever had a perfect first draft. There is always room for improvement, which is perfect. If there is room for improvement, the story is incomplete. You have a chance to go back in and explore the story again. Seize this opportunity and make the next draft amazing!

The Second Draft Won’t Be Either

Again: don’t panic! You’re not a bad writer. You shouldn’t delete the entire manuscript.

What you have to do is look at it again, but from a different perspective. Maybe what the story needs is a second opinion. Maybe you should print it out and edit by hand. Whatever it is, make sure it’s different than the last time. It’s all a learning experience, and it’s a very healthy process. Keep going!

You Have to Let Go Eventually

You can only edit so much before you have to say “enough is enough”. I stop at the third or fourth draft. Sometimes you need more, sometimes you need less. Either way, you eventually have to relinquish control of the story and put it where you want it to go.

If you want to just tuck it away for yourself, that’s fine. If you want to distribute it to some friends and family, go for it! If you want to publish it, keep working on that! Either way, it’s okay to stop editing and say goodbye to your power grip on the story. 

Constructive Criticism is Your Best Friend

If you’re planning on giving your story to beta readers, don’t feel discouraged by any of their critiques. Constructive criticism sounds a little harsh, but it’s meant to help your story be the best it possibly can be.

However, this doesn’t mean you have to treat their comments as law. It’s okay to pick and choose. If you strongly disagree if one of their edits, it’s perfectly fine to push it aside. Just don’t completely ignore any comments. Take all into consideration.

Never. Never, Never Give Up!

It’s okay to get frustrated during this time! Editing is hard. Every writer will tell you the same thing. It’s difficult to tear your work apart, but don’t get discouraged. In the end, this will make it five hundred times better.

Just keep going!

[5am-studies]

as an avid reader, I read a lot of books, but I do it in the middle of a nine to five schedule comprising of 4 two hours long after school classes, their homework, co-curricular and also 7 hours of school. so I came up with these tips to help you guys do the same.

ask me about anything literature or book related. I’ll be happy to answer

-x

[inkynothings]

Writing Tip #1

See that gorgeous notebook you keep on the shelf? You’ve had it there for months, afraid to write in it, afraid to ruin it.  Guess what? It fits perfectly into your pocket/bag/purse, so put it there along with a pen and take it with you everywhere. Watch people as they interact with each other; watch the leaves rustle on an outstretched branch while a squirrel skitters across it, and write about it. 

You’ll come up with pages upon pages of crap, trust me. But in amongst all that crap, there will be gold. You’d’ve learned intricate details of the world around you, and how to capture those details with words that decorate not only a page, but the minds of those that read them. 

Go ahead, ruin that notebook, and then go and pick out another. And another.  You won’t regret it. 

[yinyueify]

hewwoween henry is done! time to spook up ikkicon.