School Study and Organization Tips

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Here's too my second semester in college! I thought I'd share with you some tips on studying and being organized for school. High School and College is much easier when you are organized and if you study the material you need too. I love finding new ways to study and organize so hopefully you'll find the tips I've acquired over the years helpful.
Here we go!

1. Find A Quiet Work Space
• Bedroom/Dorm Room
• Kitchen
• Library
• Living Room

I find my bedroom to be the perfect place to study and do homework. I have a big desk that is nice and organized. I also don't have a TV in my room so I wont be tempted to watch and distract myself from my work. It is also best to not do homework/study on a bed or couch because they could possibly make you too comfy and you'll end up wanting to take a nap instead.

     2.   Have Everything You Need Right By You

• Textbooks            
• Pens/Pencils
• Sharpener
• Paper
• Notebook
• Binders

Since you have everything by your side you wont need to take time out to find something. I have all my stuff at my desk. I keep my bag for school near my desk. I also have a designated book shelve for my textbooks which is near my desk.

     3.  No Distractions!

• No phone
• No TV
• No lyrical music
• No social media

While doing your work shut everything off so you wont be distracted. Getting distracted will make it harder to grasp what you are learning.

     4. Take Breaks
Taking breaks is much better for your brain than cramming a lot information for a long period of time. Our minds tend to wander when it needs a break. So when you notice yourself not focusing as well...take a break! Go get a healthy snack, take a minute to text, go for a walk, go online, play a quick game. Make sure you set a timer so you don't go overboard with your breaks. I usually study a subject for a half hour (30 mins) then take a 5 to 10 minute break then go study a different subject so that your more interested in doing your work and you also get more done.

     5. Keep An Agenda

• Test
• Assignments
• Final Exams
• Social
• Appointments
• Work
• To do lists

I can't stress enough on how important an agenda is! Knowing when everything is makes life SO much easier. You also are less likely to miss an assignment/test. I have this huge problem with agendas...I can't find one that makes me happy. I've had only small ones so I'm going to pick up a bigger one within the next couple of days to see if that works. There's just always something I dislike. To small, no lines, bad set up, to chunky. I guess I am a very picky agenda person...anyone else? If you have an agenda spice it up a bit. On the month at a glace color code different categories such as:

• Purple-School
• Green-Assignments
• Pink-Social
• Blue-Work 
• Orange-Appointments

This way you are able to distinguish what is coming up. Sticky notes are useful as well. They can be used for reminders, to do lists, and shopping lists which I usually use them for. You could also do the day by day section of your agenda for To Do lists, scheduling, or homework. When I am in school I use the day by day section for homework and when I'm not I switch to To Do lists.
 

       6. Organization System

• Color Coded: Pick a different solid color folder for each subject along with matching notebooks.
• Binder System 1: Put a different solid color folder or tab dividers for each subject in a binder and some paper between each folder.
• Binder System 2: Use different binders for each subject.
• 5 Subject Notebook: Find a 5 subject notebook that you like and designate a section to each subject.

If you don't have a system choose one! I find following a system helps a lot. These few are very easy to follow. I tend to color code and use folders for my classes. It is much easier to carry around especially on a campus. I also have a note book specifically for math class then one notebook for paper for class notes for my other courses.

       7.  Type Notes From Class

Once you take notes in class take time to type them up. They are much easier to read, neat, and you can add nice pictures. Add and clarify anything while you type them up. Save the notes from class and file them away. Once they are typed put them in a folder or where ever you choose to put them. I'd suggest to put the most recent notes on top of other notes so they are ready when you need to study. Make sure you keep all notes for once subject together so they are ready for you when finals come! Make sure to not mix notes with other subjects it becomes harder to study because you can't find them.

        8.  File Notes For Final Exams

Get into the habit of not throwing any work away until the end of the semester. Keep all the notes, papers, assignments, tests in a safe place. I have a binder with tab dividers for each class and I hold all the papers I don't need in it. When we finish a section in class I put all of the assignment associated to that section into the binder. When final exams come I pull out the binder and look through all the papers I have. You could also use an accordion file, a file box, or folders.

        9.  Highlighters, Sticky Notes, Tabs, and Colored Pens

I'm a sucker for all of these! They help with studying and organizing. While reading papers that were handed out and textbooks highlight things you find important. I'd suggest making sure the highlighter doesn't bleed through the page first. If it does opt for underlining with a pen/pencil. I use sticky notes to mark pages, write down questions, and words I don't know. Tabs are great for marking the page your on or something you want to put attention towards such as a graph or picture. Last but not least colored pens are great for color coding as well as making your notes look nice to look at and easier to read.

        10. Cut Your Index Cards In Half!

In school we go through so much index cards. I like to cut my card in half so I have twice as much and I still have plenty of room to write down what I need to but this may depend on how big your handwriting is. Also cut a piece of paper the same size as the index card to label what the cards are for such as: Science Section 1.

         11. Create A Study Binder
I have a small binder that I put useful school papers in such as:

• Multiplication Chart
• Roman Numeral Chart
• Formula Sheet
• Punctuation Chart
• Periodic Table
• Conversion Chart
• Maps
• and more!

I've acquired these papers over the years. I find this helpful to have at your desk so if you need to know something you can just flip open the binder.

Disclaimer:
All opinions are my own.

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What I Got For Christmas? (Nail Polish Rack)

Before Christmas my grandmother let me purchase a couple things on amazon. One of those things was a nail polish rack! I had to much nail polish an it was no longer fitting in what I used to have it in. So I found this nail polish rack which was $29.50 that holds 90 bottles of nail polish. It came with a little sign that said "Polish Station" in red but I chose not to use it because it didn't go with the theme of my bedroom. I love having the rack because it gives your room more of a salon feel as well as making it easier to find a nail polish. In the pictures the nail polish is spread out so I still have room to grow! I think this rack is well worth the money and highly recommend it.

 

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What I got for Christmas? (Vanity Organizer)

My family celebrates Christmas so since its over now and most of my stuff came in the mail I would like to share what I got. Now that I'm older holidays became more of a family time for me. The past few holidays weren't the best due to family issues but this year thankfully went very well. This Christmas I got a couple gifts to open along with gift cards and money to spend. The first gift I got was from my grandmother. I was so surprised when I opened the box because it was such a perfect gift! I've been wanting one and I never even mentioned to her that I wanted to get one (or to anyone).

Here it is!

Since it is a gift I can't tell you where she got it from. I'm sure you can find a similar one if you dig around online. PBteen sells very nice ones but they cost a bit of money. The one I have has many compartments for all your beauty supplies or you could use it for your desk which would be just as nice! I happen to have some new makeup brushes arriving in the mail soon that is why I still have some open spots on the left. There a three drawer on the bottom. From left to right I have some tweezers in the first drawer, in the second I have my small earrings, the third is empty at the moment. I really enjoy that it has a big open compartment in the middle so I can put my moisturizers and foundations. It's very easy to grab what you need. I'm very satisfied with this organizer and I still have empty compartments to use!

Here are some more photos!

This is how my "vanity" is set up. It is actually a desk I bought from Walmart for only $49. Yes very affordable but you have to be very careful setting them up because the wood can split. But it does the job and I love the way it looks and works for me. I'd highly recommend just looking for an affordable desk to use as a vanity.
The mirror I got from a family friend.
The thing I have my necklaces on was my grandmothers that she let me have. It used to be brown so I just painted it over with some black paint.


Disclaimer: I am not trying to brag about what I have or got for Christmas. All opinions are my own honest opinions. I'm not affiliated with the mentioned companies.

Goodbye Holidays

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Now that the holidays are over we can relax and get back to normal days. I still have a bit of vacation left; the spring semester starts January 14th. I've been doing a lot of photo taking of the past things I got over the holiday so stay tuned! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years or whatever you personally celebrate. May this New Year be good to you all!