Back to school tips

It’s almost time to go back to school. It’s kind of a weird mix of sadness and excitement. It is always sad when the holidays are over, but I’m also kind of excited to start some of my new classes, especially the ones I have chosen that I haven’t been able to do in previous years. Today I wanted to share some back to school tips.


1.Buy your books and stationary early.

If you get in before the summer holidays, or as early as you can, books and stationary it usually cheaper, and there is a lot more to choose from.


2.Get organised before term starts

If you need to do any cleaning out, the best time to do it is before school starts. It is always easier to start the term organised and ready, instead of having to rush around and be lost before you’ve even been at school for a week.


3.get rid of all your old school things that you don’t need anymore.

There is no need to keep your sheets from four years ago, go through and throw them out before you collect any new ones for the year. Sometimes it could be useful to reuse books, but if you don’t need them don’t keep them.


4.try on your uniform and buy new clothes early.

Don’t pull out your uniform the day before school starts and suddenly realise that you need a new one. It’s possible the shops will be sold out before then.


5.don’t take all your books on the first day.

I have 8 subjects, that means at least 8 books. Nothing is worse than having a heavy school bag and sore back. If you don’t have 8 subjects on each day, don’t take all your books. I would take my maths one, and five others. But I don’t label them first, because that way you can label the books that you need, and save your back.


Let me know in the comments below, if you have any back to school tips.

Read More

Unknown

Share Tweet Pin It +1

0 Comments

Having an Creative Outlet

Hello,
Did you enjoy my bullet journal post? I loved writing it! Writing blog posts gives me a chance to have a break from school, and all the other things I have to do, it lets me be myself and have a chance to share my ideas. Today I wanted to share some thoughts about having a creative outlet, such as this one, and what it does for me...enjoy!

Before you go 'oh, I'm not creative', consider this: creativity doesn't have to be painting drawing (which is lucky for me, I cannot do either), it, by definition, is use of imagination or original ideas to create something. Creativity simply means using your imagination to create something. And that something can be anything...from a photo, to a story, or even a blog. Don't tell yourself creative outlets are never going to work for you because you aren't creative. Everyone has an imagination- it's the thing that keeps you up at night worrying about what's going to happen tomorrow, and the thing stopping you from climbing a tree- because you are imagining falling. Don't let your imagination be wasted- use it for good!

Our world has become so obsessed with doing everything 'right' that we are losing our creativity. At school, I am constantly told exactly how to do something- and that there is no alternative. We almost never do something just to 'get it out', everything is about meeting deadlines, being good and getting it done well, quickly. Having some way to keep a hold of your creativity is really important, and it can make a whole lot of difference in later life. Expressing yourself and taking some time to do what you want is vital to staying mentally-healthy.

For me, having a creative outlet is really important, everything is always so serious and fact-based that I need some time to just do whatever I want and not let it be right or wrong. A creative outlet allows me to be free to express myself, without worrying about how it will affect me later. Even art classes at school cannot really be counted as a creative outlet because there is a lot of pressure to do something, and that can take the fun away from it.

One of the ways I use my creativity is through blogging. Whilst blogging is not necessarily entirely creative- it does give me the freedom to say whatever I want, without having to worry about what other people will think. It lets me get my opinions heard, when they may not be heard otherwise...

I find that blogging, and the other creative things I do, helps me de-stress and re-focus. When I have a huge day with lots of studying and/or homework, taking a small break to blog, take a few photos or just write helps me concentrate and be much more focused on what I need to do. Having a break to do something I love, and use some of the other parts of my brain really is one of the most effective ways for me to get a lot done.

Hopefully, from reading that, you understand why I believe a creative outlet is important. I assume, that you are now considering taking up some form of creative outlet yourself (if you don't already have one). Remember, when you are choosing \what you want to use to express yourself make sure it is

• Fun and enjoyable- having something that just stresses you out is not going to achieve anything.
• Not too time-consuming- make sure that you can fit whatever you choose into your schedule i.e. don't take up blogging if you will never be able to find the time to post.
• Not based on what other people think- it's their loss if they don't like something you do, and choosing something just because that's what everyone else is doing is not a great way to find a way to express yourself. Different things work for different people.
• Not full of pressure- doing something creative with pressure to do well, or succeed is sometimes great. But never forget that it is important to have some no-pressure time to just express yourself too.

I'd love to know what you do to express yourself, maybe I can find a new creative outlet, let me your thoughts in the comments below. Don't forget to take some me time once in a while.

Read More

Unknown

Share Tweet Pin It +1

0 Comments

Being more productive.

Hi there,
Once again, it's Poppy. I've got a pretty lengthy post for you today, so strap yourselves in. Today I wanted to share with you my thoughts on being more productive and some things that help me make the most of my time. (which I am really not the best at, so please leave some more tips in the comments below)

Everyone has the same number of hours in their day. It is what you choose to do with these 24 hours that makes the difference. You can choose to make the most of your hours and get heaps done and out of the way or you can sit around and do nothing. You still used 24 hours in that day, the same amount someone who went to school and finished 3 assignments. Being productive isn't easy and sometimes it isn't fun but it is rewarding. It saves you time and energy in the long run and can help reduce your stress levels.

After reading that paragraph I hope you have decided the being productive could be slightly useful and you want to give it a go, now I'm assuming that you would like to see some step by step instructions or 5 ways to be more productive. But unfortunately it isn't that simple. There are thousands of ways out there that claim to make you more productive and I haven't got any proof of how well they work. Instead I want to share a few things that help me be more productive. Understand that this might work for you, if you are similar to me, and may not if you aren't. If you want to find more ways, simply search ways to be more productive (I just did it and there were a lot of results).

1.Creating aims and deadlines.
I used to and still do really dislike setting goals at the beginning of each semester and generally mine are the same 'do better in PE' 'contribute to class discussions' as always. I know that goal setting is good but I can't seem to see the benefits for me. However, setting out aims of what I want to achieve in each day, or by a certain day is one super useful way I find to make me more productive. It gives me a clear list of what I need to do, and I can then sit down and work out how much time I'm going to give each thing and create a checklist of stuff to do for that day. Deadlines are also useful, telling myself I need to have my draft essay written by the 7th of September can help me break stuff down and not spend hours doing not-much.

2.Take breaks
This one has been scientifically proven. Taking a 5-minute break every half an hour can help make you more productive. As much as I like to think so I know I cannot stay focused on one task for an hour and a half. Usually I will give myself half an hour to work on something, take a five-minute break, then move on to something else and come back to that first task another time.


3.Don't put it off.
My final tip is to not put things off. It makes it 100x harder to get other stuff done and you will be distracted all day. If you do it straight away, you can be more focused and get more done.

Wow, that was a lot of typing. If you've read all the way down to here I really hope you have gotten something out of this post and it will help you to get more out of your 24 hours. Please let me know in the comments ways you find help make you more productive, also take a look at this video.

See you on Sunday

Read More

Unknown

Share Tweet Pin It +1

2 Comments