The Benefits Of Reading

Reading... one of my favorite things... EVER. But people who hate reading may be asking,''What's the point of reading?'' That's what I'm here to show you:

Diy: Emergency Kit

Hey guys, I thought that it would be fun to tell you guys what I keep in my ''emergency kit''. This post will be mostly geared towards girls; but guys can change these up too!

I kind of adapted it for a bigger demographic, so if you look into my kit, not everyone of these items are in them. 

Ex: I don't personally wear makeup on a day to day basis but I know a lot of girls do!

This is a great idea to keep in your locker, car, at school, or anywhere else you might have emergencies. I usually leave it in my backpack.

First: Get a makeup bag or any bag of your choice. You could even use a pencilcase! It doesn't have to be super big. Here are a couple cuties!

Kipling

Forever 21

Here is what I would put in the bag!

Beauty:
•Chapstick (whenever I don't have them; I need them!)
•A small mirror
•Tweezers (you never know!)
•Nail Clippers
•Makeup Remover Wipes
•Matte Powder + Small Brush
•Mascara

                                               •Headband
 •Bobby Pins
 •Lotion
 •Perfume

Etsy

•Hair Ties (these especially come in handy on hot days)

Hygiene:
•Deodorant
•Hand Sanitizer
•Breath Spray (tic tacs and gum work too)

Random:

•Portable Phone Charger

•Snacks ( a Hershey bar wouldn't hurt ;) )

What else would you put in your kit?

Ebay

Life Hacks

Sorry for the different type of post. I just found a really cool list of life hacks that I wanted to show you guys!

Do Your Homework!

Having trouble with homework?

A lot of people have a hard time with doing homework, so don’t get mad at yourself for this! I can get into a funk where I don't care about homework for days.

How To Stay Stress FREE (with links!)

Hey guys! I think stress is inevitable; but we can still try right?!?

                                           

Behind On School? How To Catch Up!

This post is for those times when you feel completely overwhelmed & incapacitated by all of the school work and life responsibilities you have to do but just don’t know where to start! This might happen after procrastinating and avoiding studying for a week, maybe after you’ve been sick and unable to do anything except cough and sleep or you decide to spend sometime with your family in Brazil *coughs* what happened to me *coughs*. This is what works for me, and I hope it can help you!

1. Clean Up Your Study Space

• Take 30 minutes to an hour tidying up your work area. My desk is in my room, so I not only clean up my desk, but also tidy my room and put away anything out of place.
• Set a timer so you don’t get distracted or carried away. The goal is to take care of a lot in one day, which can’t happen if you start to reorganize your closet ;)

2. List Assignments by Due Date

• Make a list of any assignments which are overdue. Or use a planner like I do.
• If you have a medical reason for missing these assignments, print off or get the paperwork needed for late submissions (or contact professors/ teachers via email) so you won’t receive late marks.
• Now, make a list of all assignments coming up in the next two weeks in order of due date. 

3. Create Assignment Folders

• Count the number of assignments you have, and take out that number of folders. If you don’t have folders, that’s okay- you can use a binder or paper clips.
• For each folder, label it (if using a paper clip, you can use a post it to label them) and then put the assignment instructions, research, notes, and anything else you have that is relevant to the assignment. 
• If you think it will take 15 minutes or less, do a bit of research for the assignments, print the research off, then:
• Store or stack these assignment folders by due date.

CHECK IN: If you have any overdue assignments which you don’t have a medical note for, stop here and complete them now. Start with the shortest ones and continue to the more time consuming assignments. You might be staying up very late today, but you can do it!

4. List Tests and Exams by Date

• Make a list of all midterms, quizzes, and exams coming up in the next two weeks.
• On this list, include all you know about the content of the quiz. For example, write down the lectures and textbook chapters you will be studied on, as well as any key concepts or questions you think will be covered.

5. Create Course/Subject Priorities for Studying

• Start with the tests & assignments that are coming up first!
• Then, look at how you are doing in each course/subject. For example, I would start with my science class since that's currently my lowest grade.

Now you have a clean room, know what you have coming up in the next two weeks, have all assignments organized, and have a prioritized list for studying! Feel better? Hope you do!

How To Start Studying

Motivation

Know what your motivation is and use that knowledge. This can be everything like placing motivational quotes around your study area or rewarding yourself with watching your favorite tv show when you’re done studying. My main motivation is this blog and the ones I follow.

Discipline

Motivation is what keeps you started but discipline keeps you going. Make studying a part of your daily routine and stick to it.

Procrastinating

Don’t procrastinate. Procrastination is a problem everybody has to face. Sure, you could still study tomorrow or the day before your test. But just think of how good it will feel to be able to relax while your friends are worrying about not starting early enough.

Organization

For organization I recently heard of bullet journal system. The idea is to keep track of tasks, events and notes in one planner. The system is very flexible and I highly recommend it.

Take notes in class. Maybe try the Cornell method?

Keep your desk tidy. Not only will you be able to find something much easier but you will also be less distracted.

Studying

When you’re organized and motivated, you can start studying. Remember to start early enough (like a week before) and not to pull an all nighter. 

Pomodoro Technique (I've talked about this before) : You study for 25 minutes and then take a 5 minute break. After completing that cycle 4 times you take an extra 15 minute break. Simple as that.

Studying for a certain subject. (scroll a bit down and you’ll see it) 

I hope I helped :)

Tips To Start Fresh

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✽ let go of things that remind you of negative memories. like things you got from your ex, fake friends etc.

✽ write like a contract or letter to yourself where you tell yourself what you forgive. don't hold onto anger, forgive the people that hurt you, but don't let them do it again!

✽ change how you look, get a hair cut, spice up your makeup, or get a new wardrobe!

✽ if you have a hard time being positive, simply smile. that's what makes the bigger difference both inside and out.

✽ hang out with people that haven't hurt you, make sure that they support you. and try to stay busy to keep your thoughts from the negative in life.

✽ make goals for yourself, maybe start exercising, focus more on school or build a better friendship. whatever it is it'll help you start fresh since it'll constantly make you improve and change.

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Guys, what's your favorite sport?
For me it would be soccer.

Study Tips

Want to study but you're too lazy? I know I am! Want to study but don't know where to start? Here are some tips!

Disclaimer: this will not guarantee an A on your test, what WILL guarantee an A is your attitude :))

1. Eat Superfoods

Superfoods is a gimmicky word for foods that help you think. Some good foods to incorporate in to your diet are:

• Almonds
• Bananas (I know... EWWW)
• Berries
• Some Dark Chocolates
• Chia Seeds
• Spinach

These foods may be disgusting but they're really good for you!

A decent list of superfoods is here.

2. Stay Focused

Block yourself from Social Media or you legit will get nothing done. Get an app to keep you off certain websites, like Stay Focused or Nanny. My ultimate favorite for Android is AppDetox, you give yourself limits (time, hours, etc.) and appdetox won't let you open up that app!

3. Use the Pomodoro Technique

Frequent breaks keep your mind active, use the pomodoro technique by working for 25 minutes and taking a 5 minute break. After four study sessions (pomodoros) - take a 15 - 20 minute break. There’s a really good article on the technique here. Plus I heard that you usually remember the stuff that you studied for the first 20 minutes, and the last 20 minutes.

4. Flashcards
Seriously, use flashcards. They’ve been proven to be one of the most effective tools for studying.

5. Quiz Yourself

The second best study technique is to make up a mock quiz. Use questions from the textbook - teachers like to reuse these with different scenarios in tests. Here’s a guide on quizzing yourself. Or sometimes what I do is give my mom my notes and ask her to ask me questions.

6.  Teach Others

'The best way to learn is to teach' - true though. If you teach others (or your stuffed animals, haha) you can find out exactly where you’re at, and explaining it aloud refreshes it in your head.

7. Background Noise!

Use Background Noise if that works for you. There’s a big master post on Tumblr reblogged here of background noises.

8. Space out your study

There’s super legitimate stuff behind spacing out study sessions, so if you can, do it. More on spacing study here.

My Packing List

DOCUMENTS
All the necessary documents such as passports, visas, plane tickets, and extra copies of all these documents just in case. 
A cute passport case: 
Passport Cover For Travelers   

CLOTHING
Depends on the season and for how long you’re traveling, but whatever you get the most wear out of in your usual life is a safe bet to bring with you when traveling. Don’t overpack, there is a chance you will not wear half of the clothes you brought, and you'll have have to carry it around.
For winter I like to bring: undies, bras, one pair of leggings, one pair of jeans, about 3-4 sweaters, a cardigan, pairs of socks, and 2 scarves. Everything else I will wear on myself.
Undies, bras, and socks depend on how long you're staying.

ELECTRONICS
Chargers (+plug adapter if needed), camera, phone (duh) and tablet.

WHAT’S IN MY CARRY-ON
Laptop, planner+notebook+pen, lip balm (my lips ALWAYS get dry), passport and airplane tickets, phone and an extra shirt (accidents happen).

Hope this helps!!!!!