building my organization and productivity system part 1: school
hello interweb
this is a big project so we'll do this in parts.
first: school
I am finishing the last couple classes I need for my degree over the summer, therefore school is still an important part of my life.
Apps:
notion:
I am not a notion girlie, but I can't find an app that lets me build databases the way notion does. at least not one I like. I am a productivity app enthusiast so i've tried just about all of them and notion just works the best. Here is the template I use to keep track of my assignments. It is a mix of StudyWithAra's template and Notion's Assignment Tracker. The image above is the template I've made available for all of you! There are automations set up (the lightening icon), but I think everything is pretty self explanatory? if you have any questions don't hesitate to reach out.
edit: I have added a new section called "treats" to the database, to help motivate me to finish more of my work. I should add that this system is what I have developed while struggling to manage my chronic illnesses.
obsidian:
my one true love. i can wax poetic about why this is just a superior notetaking app, but that will be for a later post. for now, think of obsidian as a wikipedia database for all your notes. it allows for tags and backlinks and search and callouts... its amazing. love it there. uhm. a bit of a learning curve, but again a whole post on obsidian upcoming. here is a bit of an intro video for obsidian for students that I often return to. will reveal my obsidian notes in that post I'm working on.
timepage:
if you love stationery you might be familiar with Moleskine. they've built this wonder suite of productivity tools and timepage is the calendar app. I use this on my phone! its everything a calendar app should be and more. its super cute and functional and customizable. I use google calendar to create different calendars that i've color coded to correspond to different areas of my life. i use a couple different calendar apps but timepage is my school calendar. it tells me when to leave for class, how to get there, and how long i have to rest/study/eat between my classes. it shows the weather, alerts you of rain, and did i mention its cute?
things:
the adhd/depression/anxiety struggle is real. I have 101 different apps to tell me what to do and when. things is another one of those apps. one of my lovely friends purchased the mac app for me and it has been a game changer. i use things to organize my entire life, but in the screenshot above you'll see my school list. when notion is too overwhelming or i need to break down things a bit more, i use things.
youtube:
here are some youtube channels I recommend for motivation, for aesthetics, for background noise 1, 2, 3, for body doubling...
drafts:
cute little app. great for quick notes and also uses markdown so easy to copy and paste between drafts and obsidian. opens and closes quickly and syncs between your mac and phone for free! I write my speeches in here and also those last minute things your professor says after you've already put away your notebook.
anki:
just started using this because i am in desperate need for spaced repetition. i bought and set up a small remote using this video to help move through the flashcards faster. i am also terribly lazy so we definitely downloaded premade cards instead of making our own. still need to do a bit more research to be able to use this software properly, but it is good enough for now. I am supplementing this app with the flashcard app below.
brainscape:
i use this to learn whatever I am studying. recently it has been vocab and kanji, but I imagine I might add in grammar cards at some point too. if you are familiar with anki, brainscape has a similar system for "learning", meaning you rank the card after seeing the answer, deciding for yourself how well you know the material. I can also download the decks I make to use during my commute so that is super helpful. And it's free (with a subscription upgrade available)!
Supplies:
as for material supplies, you'll find some of my favorites below:
kokuyo campus semi B5 - 5 mm graph
kokuyo campus semi B5 - dotted 6 mm rule
zebra sarasa gel pen .07/.05
pentel energel .07/.05
pilot g2 .07/.05
zebra mildliners
bic mechanical pencils in .07
twsbi fountain pen medium/extra fine
platinum carbon black ink
hobonichi cousin
System:
okay so i'm not quite sure how to explain this in a way that makes sense, but i shall attempt it. the system as it stands has a few steps.
move weekly assignments and such from the syllabi to Notion
add due dates and deadlines into Calendars
move tasks to Things
plot study schedule onto Calendars
write essays using notes i wrote in Obsidian during class
study for Japanese using Brainscape and Anki for memorization
practice Kanji and writing in kokuyo campus notebooks
write scripts, quick notes, etc., using Drafts
migrate things from Drafts to Docs, Obsidian, Calendars, or Notion
commence studying using YouTube as background noise
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that's all for now. I'm still working on the next few posts in this series, but I hope this is helpful or at the very least somewhat entertaining.
hi! hello! it’s nice to meet you. im neith. @athenas-secret-daughter is my main blog. This is where I attempt to be a productive member of society. And @minerva-yearns is where I fangirl.
here are some "fun" facts abt me:
23 years old (yuck)
she/her/hers pronouns
recent grad !!
taurus sun, virgo moon, libra rising
intj, 5w6
asexual
currently reading: theft of swords
stuff im learning:
japanese
korean (here)
american sign language (here)
french (here)
mandarin (this textbook)
things i enjoy:
dragons (duh)
studio ghibli movies (kiki's delivery service is my favorite, but so is ponyo and totoro and...)
legos, buying books and forgetting to read them, self-studying, and japanese stationery
the sims and cities skylines
traveling (next trip: scotland)
hobbies:
reading (here's my goodreads and storygraph)
knitting, journaling, and crafting in general
i write poetry ?
recently bought a vintage camera so hopefully i'll be a proper photographer soon
yoga, walking aimlessly for hours, and making spotify playlists
tarot, crystal collecting, and thrifting
why am i here?
im not entirely sure. i think i've decided to stop lurking and actually create something? (but this is my 100th attempt so... praying for consistency y'all) i need this blog for motivation and to prove that 365 days from now, i'll be a different person. i would like to post daily. anything from to do lists to random musings and scraps of poetry. Maybe things I've learned and find interesting. Printables I'm using, Notion templates I've made or found, spreadsheets, and my overall organization system? Idk yet. But we'll see.
i call earth to ground
i call water to bind
i call air to release
i call fire to cleanse
this precious book i do bless
as the four elements will attest
this blessing shall protect this book
from negative energy and evil eyes
keeping it safe from things that harm
may air give me the wisdom to assemble these pages
fire the inspiration to write in honor of the Light
water the ability to do God justice
and earth the patience to complete this task
i dedicate this book to Mother Earth, Father Sun, the Great Spirit, and Light
in hopes that i may further my craft
may these pages be filled with
magic, love, light, and peace
I just realized that when I say I’m committed to building, maintaining, and facilitating community, I don’t include myself. I am doing this community building for others. I listen and research and connect people to each other. But I have yet to create a safe space for myself, to build a community I fit into. A willingness to help others, to hold the needs, wants, and desires of others above oneself is cute in theory. But here I am. Looking at the communities I participate in and realizing they aren’t safe for me, they aren’t helpful or nurturing, I am not benefiting from the communities I’m pouring into. And I’m not sure what to do about that.
To Shape a Dragon's Breath... so many thoughts. I get where the mix of reviews comes from. it is so interesting how certain cultures are being treated, namely Black people just being "Blackish from Africa" , while the Indigenous and "white" cultures have history and intricate names. not sure how I feel about that. the queer rep is also noteable but, also not? my biggest complaint is the lack of plot. i hesitate to say there is no plot, but... it is definitely not clear. I am 68% in and I can't chart the details of this book onto a plot map... anyways more later on my goodreads.
