One month has already gone by in the new year! So hopefully if you've made it a personal goal to be more organized (I have!) you are still keeping up with your planner and/or bullet journal. However, if you are new to planning game you might be wondering, "should I be using a planner or a bullet journal?" If you want to learn more about bullet journaling, you can check out a post that I wrote about it here. While in my opinion, I think both planners and bullet journals are great options (using them together or separately) it can be difficult to determine which is better and this is ultimately up to you and your organizational needs. All that being said, in this post, I am going to talk about planners versus bullet journals mainly the pros and cons of each. Let's get started and you can decide which one you like the most!
PLANNERS PROS
CONS
BULLET JOURNALS PROS
CONS
There you have it! A simple comparison between a bullet journal and a traditional planner. What do you think? Would you use just one or both? Let me know in the comments below! BTW check out my socials for more updates on bullet journals and planning! ~Stephanie
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New year means new bullet journal! If you are new to bullet journaling or not quite sure what it is, I have come up with a simple guide to help you get started. It is never too late to start a bullet journal, so grab a pen and a notebook and let's get started! (For a more detailed look on the basics of Bullet Journaling, check out the tutorial from the creator Ryder Carroll!) *If you don't feel like reading this post, see my handy little infographic that I made which is on my Pinterest board, under 'Bullet Journaling'* These are just templates, if you would like to see some spreads that are filled out, check out my Instagram! Key The key is first and is very simple, it consists of a list of symbols that helps you distinguish between the different types of things that you decided to put in your journal. Index The index is a spread where you can log all of pages in your bullet journal so that you can find everything you need quickly and easily. After the index is where you would begin to number your pages or if you already have a notebook with the pages already numbered, that works too. Future Log The future log is a six month overview where you can input any of the big events that are happening in that month like trips you are going on, anniversaries. The future log is for really important items/events that you need to remember for that month that you want to see at a glance. Monthly Log The monthly log is goes at the beginning of each month and this is where you would log all of the important dates of that specific month. Weekly/Daily Log The weekly/daily log is almost like a running to do list for that day or the week. This is where the real planning happens. You can make pre-made spreads like I did here, for the week, or you can make the daily logs as you go throughout your week. Collections Collections are probably the most fun thing about bullet journaling! Collections are just running lists of specific categories like movies to watch, books to read, recipes to make, etc. The possibilities are endless! For these types of spreads in particular, for the Movies to Watch collection I would just write every movie that I wanted to watch in each of the popcorn kernels. And the books to read collection would work the same way as well. Let me know what you think! Have you tried bullet journaling? Are you ready to start? Let me know in the comments below.
~Steph Well it is midterm season around my campus, which means the stress is at an all time high. And if you're anything like me, you might have been procrastinating here and there, maybe because of stress or just sheer exhaustion. Despite these feelings, I have come up with some ways to beat the procrastination game that I am willing to share with you. And If that sounds interesting to you, then I present to you my tips on how to beat procrastination.
1. Let go of Perfection The more you focus on the little details that will take up most of your time, just start on the project or paper that you need to be working on! You will feel a lot better if you have something done rather than nothing. 2. Create a Routine Routines are great. And whether or not you may think so, we have routines every single day. We may not see them as such because they are habitual, but a great way to beat procrastination is to have a routine in which you will always have to work on a task at a specific time. 3. Beat the Clock This is probably my favorite tip. Usually when there is a task that I don't feel like doing, I set a timer for myself for about five minutes, and I work as fast as I can within that time frame. If I'm on a roll and I am getting a lot done, then I'll keep going but if I'm feeling kind of stuck and overwhelmed then I'll move on to the next thing. But the point is that I started doing something. 4. Make a Plan The second biggest problem that I have when it comes to procrastinating is not having a plan. Having a plan in place prevents you from wasting time by doing other things that are unimportant and are preventing you from getting your work done. 5. Take a Break Lastly, but probably the most important, is to take a break! We aren't robots, we are built to rest and take a break especially after a marathon of hard work. Whether it be five minutes scrolling through social media or reading a chapter of your favorite book, make sure that your break re-charges you so that you feel ready to go back into the next work session. *BONUS TIP* Remember how far you've come! Even a little progress is better than no progress. So don't beat yourself up if you're not 100% productive all of the time the point is to have a balance. :) There you have it! Five super easy tips to break the procrastination rut that you may be in during this midterm season. What tips do you have to beat procrastination? Leave a comment, and let me know! ~Stephanie Countless nights I have tossed and turned in my bed, with my mind completely wired with things I need to get done, thinking about the next day, and wondering if I forgot to do anything. Which, of course, is something that I think that all of us has done. Getting a good night's sleep is hard, especially with school, work, and family obligations, sleep is probably the last thing on your list. BUT sleep is so important. Not getting enough sleep can effect our weight, memory, and our overall well being. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that young adults get about 7 to 9 hours of sleep. And tbh we get a lot less sleep than that (I know I do anyway). But I have made some progress in the matter. And now I would like to share my knowledge with you on how to get a good night's sleep.
1. Have a sleep schedule This is probably the most important tip. Wake up at the same time everyday and go to bed at the same time every day. This will regulate your internal clock, so that even when your schedule does get a little messed up (because it will!) your body will get right back into the swing of things. One way to do this is to create a sleep journal to log in the times you wake up, go to sleep, and take naps just to keep track of your sleep habits. Then you can plan out where you need to get more sleep to pay back your sleep debt (i.e. naps). Waking up at the same time can really give you a good routine to stick with. (which is very helpful if you read my post on 5 ways to manage your time ;) 2. Learn the art of napping Naps are amazing. And they are also very helpful as well. A 10-30 min nap is a power nap which increases your productivity and memory. A 60 min nap is a power nap that increases your alertness and performance. A 90-120 min nap is a full sleep cycle which puts you into a REM sleep which helps you pay back your sleep debt and makes you feel more rested. Ways to optimize your napping:
Remember, naps don't replace sleeping, they just complement them. 3.Create a bed time routine If I haven't already mentioned this enough, routines are great. A bed time routine really gets your body and mind into the "I am about to go to sleep mindset". About an hour before you go to sleep, do a couple of things to wind down; take a warm shower to relax your muscles, read a fun book, do some meditation, or write in a journal if you're feeling stressed out to get all of those thoughts out of your head. Now that you know all the good things to do in order to have a good nights sleep, I should probably mention somethings not to do. The big DON'TS if you want a good nights sleep:
~Steph Its happened to all of us. You come home from school or work, and all you want to do is relax, which is perfectly fine. BUT you know that you have a ton of homework to get done. So you turn on your computer telling yourself that you'll only check your email, and that it will take five minutes. Then you get a notification on your computer letting you know that the latest season of New Girl just came on Netflix, and after the day you had, you need a good laugh. Next thing you know four hours went by just like that, and you haven't even touch your backpack.... *Sigh* been there done that. I have gotten a little better about it now, but it took me a long time to get a handle on my time management skills, Don't get me wrong, I slip up (a lot), but I find that when I use these tips I get a lot more done which lessens my stress levels. So, for all of my fellow procrastinators out there that need a little more guidance, I'm here to help. With out further ado, here are 5 EASY ways to manage your time. 1. Write everything down In this day and age everything is digital, although I'm not as tech savvy as most millennials are I prefer to use pen and paper. I always keep a little notepad and pen with me just in case I need to remember something so that I don't forget. When I have to write something out, it helps me remember, but if you're not a dinosaur like me any smart phone has a notepad that does the same thing. So go ahead, write down anything and everything that comes in your mind so that you can stay on track. 2. Keep a calendar/daily planner If you are in college right now, this is the ultimate life saver. Take your syllabi, and record all the dates for your assignments, exams, group projects etc. Once you have all of these things in one place, it will be much harder to miss an assignment that is coming up. Keeping a calendar keeps you on track with what you need to do, and it gives you time to plan for all of your assignments and when you need to get things done. you:1 procrastination:0 Even if you are not in school this is super helpful as well. If you are super forgetful (see #1) write down any plans with friends, doctors appointments, or any events coming up that are important to you in a small daily calendar that you can keep in your purse or backpack. This saves you from that head slapping moment when you accidentally scheduled more than one event on the same day with overlapping times. 3. Make a To-Do list everyday I know this may sound pointless, but making a to-do list everyday will show you what you need to get done instead of trying to put it off. What a satisfying feeling it is to physically cross off miscellaneous things on your to do list. This doesn't mean you need to do all of it in one day, that can be discouraging if you can't get it all done. The method that I use when making to-do list is called the: Good, Better, Best method which basically ranks the things on your to do list from the lowest to the highest priority. This is just to show you the things that need to get done right away, and what can wait till tomorrow. 4. Make routines & stick to them! This is probably one of the best tips, especially if your trying to set a certain time to wake up and go to sleep. Making a set routine is so helpful because it's really hard to waste time when you have a schedule for something. And it may be hard at first, but when you do it enough times it will become a habit and then it will feel normal. So try to start with a simple routine that you can do everyday. For starters, like what you need to do when you get home from school or work. 5. Make time limits for tasks This has been the most helpful for me so far. I set up time limits for everything. Like taking a nap (a must!), studying, taking breaks, and yes even blogging! Setting time limits helps you to not overwork yourself so that you're not spending all your time on one thing. And (bonus!) you will feel like you're getting a lot more done when you do at least a little bit of everything instead of focusing all your time on one thing. I hope these tips helped you manage your time better. Or gave you a push in the right direction to start! It won't be easy at first, but it will be worth it. ~Steph This is my favorite part of going back to school, getting new school supplies! Just getting new notebooks, pens, and planners makes me more excited about going to school. So here are some of the school supplies that I am going to use during my Spring 2016 semester. *Any prices listed may vary, and any product(s) may be discontinued* This is just an overview of everything that I use. This semester I'm taking five classes, (I know it sounds crazy, but I manage) and I know it would be a lot simpler to use a five subject notebook. But I feel like five subject notebooks are kind of bulky. So I am actually reusing these notebooks from my previous semester because I didn't use all of the paper from those notebooks.
This is an over view of what I keep in my pencil pouch. I like to keep what I call essentials in my pencil pouch which are:
These items are just my planner (left) and my binder (right).
Last but not least
Blue: Study Green: To Do Well that's all! That is generally the supplies that I use for the semester. Hope you liked this one! Happy reading :) ~Steph |
Hi, I'm StephanieI am an undergraduate psych major who enjoys creative writing, collecting stationery, and watching The Walking Dead. Connect with me on social media!
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