Simple Ways To Declutter & Organize Your (digital) Life By Kkaitstudies

i love that the phrase is “in love” like love is a place. like somewhere you could live.

Productivity masterpost

Hi, this is a masterpost of the-diary-of-a-failure and its posts related to productivity!  The posts people loved the most are highlighted, but I recommend you check out the ones, which didn’t get much love, too. Enjoy:

🍁 Hustle

Stay productive through the day

Setting goals (2019 edition)

Personal 2019 goals

Breaking down goals to actions

Get the best out of your time

Have a productive school/Summer break

New personal goals (2020)

How to build a bucket list

How to stop procrastinating

Get your life together in 8 weeks

🍁 Productive lifestyle

Make your mornings easier

Wake up early

Tips for better sleep

Spend less time on your phone

Keep your space organised

Be more organised

Declutter tips

Scheduling and organsing time

Things I always carry around

Digital declutter

Strive for perfection or half-ass it?

Workout tips for beginners

You do you for you

🍁 Routines

Weekly reset routine

Creating a routine

Monthly routine

After-school routine

Weekly routine

Building your own self-care routine

Cleaning routine

🍁 Staying on top of your game 

Prioritise in times of stress

Bullet journal ideas

Getting back on track after being sick

Turn lazy into productive

Bullet journaling tips

Getting back to work

🍁 Rest is important

Break ideas

Don’t overwork yourself

Taking breaks in chaos

Do what you feel like doing

How I deal with anxious days

How to push the reset button

🍁 Other masterposts

Studies related masterpost

Lifestyle and health masterpost

Art masterpost

Miscellaneous posts masterpost

Proof by induction

Proof by contradiction

Proof by using a Renaissance painting as your header image

Proof by saying “QED” at the end

Proof by using that weird symbol which means “QED” at the end

Proof by dead thinker who predicted our current impasse with alarming clarity

Proof by reaction gif with unexamined racial undertones

Proof by procrastinating on replying to critics until a time when it would just be weird to bring that old debate up again

Proof by purposefully never replying to critics so as to build up an aura of unchallenged sagacity among your followers

Proof by accelerating the goalposts to .998 c

Proof by how the characters in a novel you read reacted to a situation that was kinda like this

Proof by referencing obscure EU legalese that’s been outdated since 2003 but no one will look up

Proof by referencing a single social science study

Hey, I’m back with another masterpost. I decided to include some of my tips.

Use the forest app to keep you off your phone, your phone is a distractions you face when studying

Try making a to-do list to plan out how much time you take to do each task so you keep track of time

Set rewards i.e. if I finish this task at 9am instead of 9.30am, I’ll watch my favourite tv show for 1 hour instead of 30mins.

How to be disciplined

I guess this is pretty much like a habit. So try to maybe start small, i.e. study 10 mins each day and gradually increase the time limit if you feel comfortable doing so. The reason I chose 10 mins is because it seems like a very short period of time so it’s easier for you to get to work.

How to manage studies with social media

Always set a time period for your school work. For example, after 30 minutes of browsing through your social media, force yourself to do a piece of school work. That way, you will still get work done instead of browsing through your social media all day long.

If you realise on tumblr, I don’t come up with an original post every day and I tend to reblog my old post or queue others posts so don’t stress too much on coming up with a post. For instagram, you could try to take pictures all during the weekend, so you don’t have to stress taking them after school, etc.  But it is important to always put studies first before your social media.

Consider switching off your phone or even deleting your social media apps or deactivating them during exams period if they are really getting in the way of your studies.

Plan

How to schedule your day when you’re unemployed by @businessinsider

How to stick your plans by @cafeinated

How to make and stick to your study plan by @sherlocks-study

Create long term study plan + how to stick to study routines by @studyforyourself

Start

How to start studying by @studylou

How to start working when you really don’t feel like it? by @studentstoolbox

What to do when you really don’t want to study by @yeon-studies

How to stop scrolling through tumblr for 3 hours when you have work by @effectivestudies

More productive

How to become more productive by @to-work-or-not-to-work

How I increased my productivity by 3 times by @brbimstudying

4 secrets to efficiency

The ivy lee method for peak productivity by @harcules

General

How to study as a busy student by @julstudies

Use studyblr to become productive by @determinationandcaffeine

Take a productive break by @thestudycoffee

5 things everyone should do on sunday night by @staedtlers-and-stabilos

Productivity 101 by @lets-study-together

The no bullshit guide to getting your shit together: for the lazy student by @knoweldge

Habits

8 morning habits for productivity by @eintsein

The 8 habits of highly productive people by @medicinasanguis

Habits of highly effective people by @onlinecounsellingcollege

6 habits for maximum productivity by @livingthatlibrarylifestyle

How to develop self discipline

How to wake up earlier by @gurl

Motivation

Focus and motivation by @katsdesk

Whenever you’re feeling unmotivated and sleepy by @evergreenstudies

How to stay awake while studying without caffeine by @getshitsdone

How to be productive + motivated on weekends by @studywithinspo

Procrastination

Types of procrastination and how to deal with them by @emmastudies

How to stop procrastination

How to stop procrastinating by @cutestudystuff

15 productivity hacks for procrastinators by @engincrd

Unconventional methods to beat procrastination by @hawkestudies

What type of procrastinator are you by @b-uwu-ng

Eliminating procrastination and distraction during a study session by @simply-study

Productive when travelling

productive commutes by @universi-tea

productivity on road trips by @intellectys

Tips

7 productivity tips by @simmonestudies

10 small tips to improve your productivity

The dutch student’s productivity tips by @thedutchstudent

My top 10 tips for productivity by @lovelybluepanda

21 tips to become the most productive person you know by @studying-towards-success

Tips and tricks for busy students by @roeum

Time management

Managing time

How to manage time by @solar-citrus

How i manage my time by @pensandmachines

Time management 

Tips

Time management tips by @365text

Time management tips for busy students

Time management tips

Tips for time management by @holocrams

26 time management hacks I’d wish I’d known at 20 by @geekvitamin

How to make the best use of your time by @tbhstudying

5 ways to manage your time efficiently by @quadrtics

Printables

Daily planner by @arystudies

Weekly planner by @studyblrbunny

Productivity printables by @thearialligraphyproject

Habit tracker by @candydsgn

Schedules by @kouiro

Bullet journal

My 2016 bullet journal setup

Sounds

Study sounds by @studyquill

Other masterposts by me

Printables

College

Apps for students

Note taking

Math

Bullet journal

icon credit to @nerdastically

i think we all know this feeling of being stuck inside your routine. you’re not really sad but it just feels like something is missing. so i’m here to give you ideas on how to spice things up™️ (or just make life more enjoyable).

paint your nails in an exciting color. paint them in several colors idc. now every time you see your hands (which is very often) you see your super cool nails

listen to a new music genre. like something completely different. if you like rap you will listen to country music now. jam your heart out i know u want to (here & here are some playlists if u need any ideas)

on that note revisit songs you liked when you were younger. we gettin nostalgic

sometimes you just need to watch a good old vine compilation 

food!!! this can be such a huge factor. something as simple as switching your breakfast from toast to cereals, just smth new, can make a huge difference. try new things out, have fun (recipes here, here, here and here)

same thing with the things you drink! add lemon to your water, drink some tea, try iced coffee out, buy water from a diff company, …

a cute cup for your morning drink can really lighten up your mood too

get some magazines and cut things out you like. now get an a3 (a4 is okay too) paper and make a big collage

ikea trip? ikea trip!! don’t forget to eat smth there too yum

after showering put on some good smelling lotion and just enjoy the feeling

now put on your favorite underwear and an oversized shirt. maybe take some cute pics just for yourself. trust me you will feel better

rip a paper into little pieces

cuddle with your stuffed animal idc if you feel stupid, you will feel better

maybe spice things up with the way you look? try out a new hairstyle or invest in a new accessory you like (jewelry, hair ties / clips, belts, scarfs, etc.). it doesn’t have to be expensive, there’re lots of cute things in second-hand stores for example!

start a challenge in whatever you’re interested in. maybe for a hobby you always wanted to try out or pick up again. there’re tons of challenges on pinterest. i think i will try this one out though

write a love letter to yourself. you deserve one. fold it into a very small piece and put it into your pocket. this is now your lucky charm because trusting in yourself is all you need sometimes

buy groceries but this time with a friend or family member. catch up, have fun, buy some cookie dough and eat some cookies

picnics!!!!!!!! i love picnics!!!!! they’re so cute and actually super easy to organize. you can go alone or with someone else. just grab the food you have at home and a blanket and go to the nearest spot you find. even your garden or balcony. you can easily incorporate this into your day if you don’t have much time. instead of eating your dinner at your kitchen table you will go on a picnic now

if you have more time, you can bring a book with you or some art supplies and enjoy time outside

taking a walk listening to your fav album can help so much

change your bedding. you don’t even need to buy a new one, just wash it and get that feeling of freshness

open one of these sites (1, 2, 3): and read an article that seems interesting

buy flowers for yourself and put them in your room

change the color your laptop highlights things in

declutter your phone and laptop in general. set up some new backgrounds that make you happy

vary your commute. take the bus instead of the subway, get off a station earlier, or if you can, take the bike 

change the places you do things. try studying in the library or a café, scroll through your phone not in your bed but at the kitchen table, read on the floor, every small change adds into spicing things up

take a bath when you shower normally or the other way around

light candles in the evening

search for your old nintendo and play some games

stretch in the morning. even for 2 mins is good

download some new apps

try a no social media day

instead of a black / blue pen write in a different color (for example your groceries lists, on post-its, in your journal, …)

i hope some of these ideas can help you! most of the are easy to incorporate into your daily life and take no to little money.  have a nice day!! <3

In light of me graduating tomorrow, I’ve decided to make a bit of a guide for those younger students who have not yet experienced college. Keep in mind, I am American and attended an American university while living on campus.

LAUNDRY/CLOTHING/FASHION

hand wash your intimates (panties and bras). they’ll last longer.

don’t get wrapped up in sticking to an aesthetic. just wear what’s clean

hang the next day’s outfit on your closet door

have one outfit for every occasion

invest in plain solid colored tops, a business formal and business casual outfit, and comfortable shoes

fold a plain t-shirt, roll it up tiny and stick it in a bag. keep this in your everyday bag if possible in the event a guy named Eric spills coffee on you in Bio

use scarves, plaid shirts, belts, ties, etc to spice up your wardrobe. but also, its fine to wear the sweatpants and hoodie to every class

THE LIBRARY

don’t get attached to just one singular spot. explore like you’re in a video game looking for hidden items.

sometimes you end up working in the library for their full operating hours. keep a travel bag with toothbrush/toothpaste/floss, mini bottle of face wash, pads/tampons, pain reliever, hair ties, and chapstick. just in case you stay until 2am at closing and you have an 8am and you know you won’t get much sleep.

have cash on you, have money on your student card, have your ID with you at all times and USE EVERY RESOURCE they offer.

minimize how much you bring. my library had desktop computers but also you can borrow macs and ipads for a period of time. also, they have chargers you can borrow.

photocopy, print, scan, etc is your friend. borrow a textbook from a friend for a day and have your own copy in minutes at the library.

follow the rules of the land. don’t be that guy/girl/person.

FOOD/DINING HALL

plan your meals

budget your meal plan so you don’t end up starving during finals week

KNOW EVERY SINGLE DEAL/SALE/SPECIAL OFFERED AT FAST FOOD JOINTS

eat with others, especially when you’re struggling to get food

if it isn’t essential, don’t buy it

never shop hungry

make lists before you grocery shop. shop more on the outer rings of the stores where the fresh, healthy food is

DRINK WATER

cook like you’re trying to survive a harsh winter. leftovers that last. carbs and protein heavy.

have family send you care packages with essentials you can’t get where you are.

GET THE RECIPES FOR YOUR FAVORITE HOMECOOKED MEALS

CLASSES

unless you invented mornings or are the god Apollo, please refrain from taking 8AM classes

never make big gaps in between your classes in one day. schedules should maximize efficiency. have enough time to eat and pee between classes and nothing more.

office hours. go to them. no matter what your status in the class is. you want those letter of recommendations, don’t you?

sit in the front

do the readings, write down questions you have, take good notes, make sure all your questions are answered before class is over

make friends with your classmates. emailing the whole class to get notes you missed is a huge nono

make money by being someone’s note-taker

go to tutoring sessions

make besties with your TA

STUDYING/HOMEWORK

never work on outside assignments in class

start the day you get an assignment even if it’s due next month

the minute you start a new unit, prepare for that inevitable test

you should spend hours studying for each subject. daily. for the best results

online homework is hard to remember. make phone alerts

download apps that won’t let you procrastinate on your computer when you need to study. i use writer’s block.

study before you go to bed, then pause and continue once you wake up

PUBLIC SPEAKING/PRESENTATIONS

record yourself while you practice

don’t stare at one person the whole time you’re speaking. pick three in different locations around the room

if you need to pause and look at your notes, do it naturally and comfortably. even announce that you’re taking a second to check your notes

take frequent short pauses to avoid saying uhhh and ummm while you’re trying to remember something

ask that your audience save questions for the end

practice (3x)

perform your script to a friend first. have them act as your audience, teacher, and the bad scenarios that can happen when you prepare but everything goes to shit

Because of coronavirus, a lot of recent grads are moving back home. After four years (or more) of freedom, being back home is a big adjustment and it’s easy to revert back to our teenage behaviors. Here are some of the things I’m doing to feel a little more like a grown up while I’m living at home!

i. make your space your own

Just cleaning out your room can make a huge difference. Donate your old clothes and take your old posters from high school down. If you’ve got the time and resources, a fresh coat of paint or new bedding can also do a lot to make your old room feel more adult. You can also rearrange furniture to make a workspace if you’ll be working from home or applying to jobs.

ii. set boundaries

Lovingly set some ground rules about how you can best support each other. This is especially important if you’ll be working or taking classes from home – let them know you’ll be unavailable during certain hours so they don’t barge into a Zoom meeting. 

iii. build a routine

Even if you’re not working or in class at the moment, it’s important to be intentional about your time. The biggest thing that contributed to me feeling like a kid when I first moved back was spending my days watching Netflix and napping. Which are totally valid! But add in other daily activities, like taking your dog for a walk and making yourself a nice breakfast.

iv. make time for friends

I normally hate virtual hangouts, but they’ve been so important for my mental health during quarantine. Schedule a weekly Zoom coffee date with your group of friends. FaceTime your old roommates. Meet your high school bestie in the park and have a distanced picnic (don’t forget masks!). Having a support system is so important right now!

v. find new hobbies

This is the perfect time to try out new hobbies. Plus, craft stores have been having great sales since they know everyone is cooped up all summer. I found some really fun craft kits that I never would have tried normally, and now I’m the proud owner of a woven frog wall hanging. A few ideas: painting, tie dying, embroidery, yoga, running, learning a new language, reading, etc.

Having a long-term project to work towards – like a larger art project or trying to master a difficult yoga pose – helps to keep the days from running together.

vi. find ways to feel “normal”

Everyone, no matter their living situation, is feeling really upended right now. Find the little ways to bring back pieces of your “normal” life. Learn how to make your favorite coffee shop drink at home. Cook for yourself. Wake up at your normal time even if you don’t have to. Keep up with your normal exercise and self care routines – they’re more important now than ever!

re: explaining algebraic topology to not-math people

Topology is the study of spaces. Topology basically just means geometry, and spaces basically just mean shapes. But this is (way, way, way, way, way) too hard.

Linear algebra is easy. It’s the easiest kind of math there is. It’s so easy that first-year undergrads can do it!

So, rather than study topological problems head-on, we try to find ways of converting them into linear algebra problems. There’s a trade-off between power and computability: we need to destroy enough topological information to end up with something that’s actually manageable, but retain enough that once we solve the algebraic problem, it still tells us something useful about the topological problem we started with.

Throughout math, the way we understand complicated objects is to build them out of/break them into/relate them to simpler objects. We analyze the simple objects first, then try to assemble that information into an understanding of the complicated thing we started with. For example, the factorization of integers into primes means we can usually understand things “one prime at a time” (where 0 is often counted as a prime), followed by a reconstruction procedure.

We’re interested in procedures for turning topology problems into linear algebra problems. Such a procedure is called a functor if, whenever things on the topology side are related in a certain way, the corresponding linear algebra objects are also related in a similar way. This allows us to reduce the problem of calculating the value of a functor on a crazy space to first calculating it on simple spaces (such as spheres), and then assembling the resulting algebraic data.

So functors from topology to linear algebra now become our main object of study. Once again, this is too hard: for example, the unstable homotopy functor remembers nearly everything about topology, and is essentially impossible to calculate (it technically doesn’t land in “linear” algebra, but that’s not important here, since we’re going to throw it away anyway).

The issue is that plain functoriality is actually a pathetically weak condition; we need our functors to establish a much closer tie between topological input and algebraic output. Sometimes people loosely use the term “extra functoriality” for this. In any case, we want to look at what are called excisive functors. These let you understand the result of gluing two spaces together in terms of the original spaces. For example, you can get the 2-sphere by bending two disks into hemispheres and gluing them together along the equator (a circle, or 1-sphere). The unstable homotopy of a disk is zero, and the unstable homotopy of a circle is easy, but the unstable homotopy of a 2-sphere is horrifyingly complicated and will probably never be fully known. On the other hand calculating the value of an excisive functor on a 1-sphere is equivalent to calculating it on a 2-sphere.

So now we restrict again to studying excisive functors from topology to linear algebra. A more common name for excisive functors is spectra. Remarkably, spectra themselves behave quite a lot like spaces! A partial explanation for this is that when we apply a spectrum to a space, what we’re actually doing is forcing that space to become a spectrum, and then having the two things play around with each other in spectra land.

So we can port over a lot of our geometric thinking to understand spectra. But, they also behave a lot like algebraic objects, which makes them a lot easier. There’s a totally crazy sense (which can be made precise) in which spectra are the linearization or “first derivative” of spaces.

(Strictly speaking what I’ve been calling excisive functors/spectra are actually what’s called “cohomology theories”. Every cohomology theory can be upgraded to a spectrum, although there’s a slight ambiguity in doing that. Cohomology theories do not behave like spaces: you can’t properly build fancy cohomology theories out of easier ones, which, as we have seen, is crucial to understanding anything.)

So now spectra become the main objects of study; this is the field of stable homotopy theory. Once again, this is too hard in general: stable homotopy, while more tractable than unstable homotopy, is still essentially impossible to calculate (it subsumes many extremely hard problems in other areas of mathematics, such as number theory). On the other hand there are lots of spectra which are easy to calculate:

The Eilenberg-Mac Lane spectrum H gives the singular (co)homology of a space, which essentially just counts how many holes a space has in each dimension. This is the easiest spectrum there is. It’s so easy that first-year graduate students can do it!

The complex K-theory spectrum KU and real K-theory spectrum KO tell you how many ways there are to slide a (real or complex) vector space around your topological space. KU is relatively computable, although KO is harder.

The various flavors of bordism spectra MO, MSO, MU, MSpin, MString measure how one space can fit inside another, up to an equivalence relation called (co?)bordism. Here, two ways X and Y of fitting one space inside another are called (co?)bordant if they fit together into a pair of pants, where X is the waist end and Y is the foot end. MO is very easy to calculate; the others are harder, but still doable (or at least MSO and MU are, not sure about the others). Bordism spectra come up a lot in physics/string theory; in particular MString is related to something called the “Witten genus”.

As mentioned before, when dealing with numbers it usually suffices to deal with just primes (and sometimes 0). The same strategy works with spectra: we can fix a prime p and focus only on the parts of stable homotopy theory which are “visible” to p. This is called localizing at the prime p, and is so ubiquitous that it’s often just done implicitly.

When we do this at the “prime” 0 (which is called rational homotopy theory), all the topology dies and we’re left with something completely algebraic. So this case is pretty easy, and we can focus our attention on the ordinary primes.

Thus far I’ve sort of heuristically said that some spectra are easy while others are hard; there is a a way of making this somewhat more precise. Once we localize at a prime p, stable homotopy theory splits into an onion (with infinitely many layers); these onions behave differently for each p, though, which is why we have to look at them one at a time. The outer (0th) layer is the rational Eilenberg-Mac Lane spectrum Hℚ, the first layer is more or less the complex K-theory spectrum KU, and in general things get “harder” the farther inwards you go. (The exception is that the “infinite” layer, which is the center of onion, is another Eilenberg-Mac Lane spectrum HF_p; while harder than the rational Eilenberg-Mac Lane spectrum Hℚ, this is still pretty easy to understand).

There are spectra K(n) which describe the n’th layer of the onion, as well as spectra E_n and E(n) which describe how the n’th layer fits together with the layers before/after it. (I don’t really understand this and might be lying here)

The second layer of the onion is related to elliptic curves, which are extremely important in number theory. For example, elliptic curves were central to the proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem. They’re also used extensively in cryptography (online banking, etc.). Studying the second layer led to the discovery of the spectra TMF, Tmf, and tmf, which respectively stand for TOPOLOGICAL MODULAR FORMS, Topological Modular Forms, and topological modular forms; these also show up in string theory. Mark Zuckerberg and Yuri Milner threw 3 million dollars at Jacob Lurie for (among other things) his work on understanding this.

The current consensus is that the layers after the second are too hard to understand in significant detail.

ways to end proofs

QED

which was what we wanted (abbreviated w⁵, or u¹⁰, or even v¹⁰)

■ (or □ for lemmas)

♥

So there.

The rest is obvious.

Writing a CV:

The perfect resume for someone with no experience (by businessinsider​)

Guide to writing a CV

Common grammar mistakes to avoid on your CV

How to explain a gap in your CV

How to overcome common CV issues

What not to do on your CV

Should I include hobbies and interests in my CV?

CV layout: dos and don'ts

Free CV template

School leaver CV template

CV templates and tips

More free CV templates

Example CVs

How to tailor your CV to different industry sectors

Writing a Cover Letter:

How to write a cover letter

How to overcome common cover letter problems

Graduate cover letter template

Career break cover letter template

School leaver cover letter template

Free cover letter template

Referencing:

How to get a reference

References: workers’ rights

How to deal with employment references

How to include references on a resume

Interviews:

How to answer common interview questions

How to prepare for an interview

The interview itself

Advice to help you ace the interview

Answer curveball interview questions

101 Interview Questions You’ll Never Fear Again

Second interview questions and answers

Telephone interview questions and answers

Questions you should not be asked

What to wear to an interview: bloggers’ top tips

Group interview tips: do’s and don'ts

Interview questions for employers: What you should be asking

What not to do at interview

What job can I do?

How to decide what job to look for

How to find a new job

How to search for jobs online

Jobs in the retail industry

Jobs in the engineering industry

Jobs in the fashion industry

Jobs in the IT industry

Jobs in the motoring industry

Jobs in sport

Jobs in the education industry

Jobs in the energy industry

Careers with animals

Jobs in the media industry

Jobs in the leisure & tourism industry

Jobs in the catering industry

Jobs for history lovers

Jobs for geography lovers

Jobs for English lovers

Jobs for maths lovers

Volunteering:

7 Simple ways to make the best of volunteering

Benefits of volunteering

Benefits of mentoring

Volunteer Abroad

Resignation:

Resignation letters: What you need to know

Resignation letter templates  

How to resign

How To Resign & Hand In Your Resignation Letter

Redundancy /Job Loss:

Deal with redundancy

Things to do if you lose your job

Claim Jobseeker’s Allowance

Jobseekers allowance (UK) overview

15 tips to survive a job loss

How to Cope With Job Loss and Move On

At work:

How to start a new job

How to have a good first day

How to hold onto your job

How to handle bullying in the workplace

Commuting: how far is too far?

How to get a promotion

Summer workwear advice

Office Style Trends 2015

What You Can (and Can’t) Wear to Work

Dealing with stress at work

How to deal with a brutal boss