queen-strawberry

Latest Posts by queen-strawberry

Productivity Printables

Hey everyone! The semester has kicked off for many of us already, myself included, and I just gotta say, it’s been pretty crazy. I wanted to share some tools that have helped me and hopefully can help you too in having at least some semblance of organization this semester.

A couple notes: The first preview will show both high and low contrast versions. Remaining previews will show high contrast only but there are low contrast versions available. I have no idea why but the reviews may look different on different browsers/screens. They should print out fine, though. Click images for better quality, or go straight to the download link.

Anyway, here are the printables!

Daily Printables

Daily View (High Contrast (left) | Low Contrast (right))

Attention Management (High Contrast | Low Contrast)

Energy Management (High Contrast | Low Contrast)

Weekly Printables

Weekly Overview - Monday Start

Blank (High Contrast | Low Contrast)

Task-based  (High Contrast | Low Contrast)  

Time-based  (High Contrast | Low Contrast)  

Weekly Overview - Sunday Start

Blank (High Contrast | Low Contrast)

Task-based (High Contrast | Low Contrast)  

Time-based (High Contrast | Low Contrast)

Monthly Printables

Undated Monthly Overview - Monday Start (High Contrast | Low Contrast)

Undated Monthly Overview - Sunday Start (High Contrast | Low Contrast)  

Misc

Einstein Matrix (High Contrast | Low Contrast)

–

Hope you enjoy them, and if you’re looking for any of my printables, they all can be found in my Study Drive. Have an awesome semester!

“If there is any good in me, it’s from God.”

difference between a report & a research paper

sources used: my history teacher & “Tips for Writing Analytic Research Papers.” (1998): n. pag. Harvard Kennedy School Shorenstein Center, 19 May 2009. Web. 29 May 2015.

• report

- organized regurgitation of facts gathered from research

- thesis statement is a general statement summarizing what your whole report is about

- thesis statement is NOT opinion or argument to be proven

- topic sentences of body paragraphs summarize what facts you’ll describe in that paragraph

- research + writing facts = report

• research paper

- organized analysis of facts gathered from research

- thesis statement identifies the overall argument or academic opinion that you will prove in your paper

- thesis statement must be (academic) opinion and argumentation

- research + writing facts + analysis = research paper

• so what is analysis? how do i do it?

analysis is basically breaking apart the facts you have found in your research and demonstrating critical thinking about those facts. make your analysis explicit - your reader should not have to infer or guess what your analysis is. it looks like:

• dissecting or breaking down larger events or concepts to explore the smaller parts [“dr. king’s plan comprised of three specific political and social actions” - then the author explains the parts]

• cause/effect [author describes situation that outrages dr. king - “this outrage motivated dr. king to deliver his speech”]

• identification or explanation of significance [“this speech is iconic in american history because…”]

• comparison of ideas from different sources, or differing opinions; examination of counterarguments [“critics of dr. king said…” “historians disagree…” “others have said…”]

• connection to broader ideas and themes in the relevant discipline [“king’s actions exemplify the overall trend in social activism towards nonviolent action to achieve change”]

• connection to experiences, examples in other geographic areas, time periods or disciplines [“this behavior is explained by psychologists as…” “the american civil rights movement was inspired by actions in…” “another leader who inspired people in similar ways was nelson mandela in south africa”]

good emotional skills to know 4 college but also in general

this is stuff that i’ve found helpful and am in the process of working on. they may not be achievable for you without help and may not work for your specific circumstance, but this is a list of suggestions that you might be able to think about. i am also not a mental health professional so please do feel free to contradict me!!

self soothing.  having a toolbox to take care of yourself by yourself. bc sometimes nobody else is available and you just gotta put some lotion on, listen to a tune, and go to bed early. 

checking in. checking in with yourself to see if you’re okay. knowing how to alter your strategies when your strategies aren’t working. knowing when your strategies aren’t working. this is just taking some time every day to reflect on what goals you didn’t meet and why and what you can do to fix that.

there’s nothing you “should” be doing. if you get caught up thinking “i should be doing x” that’s false! stop that! “should” be doing better implies that you have some obligation to do whatever it is that you “should” be doing. you don’t owe anybody except yourself. analyze why you think you should be doing that thing and change that into…. “i want to be doing x because…” or “doing x will make me happier, because…”. overall, more productive and less self-shamey. 

disconnecting from the crowd. eating in a crowded dining hall can be stressful! knowing how to be alone in a crowd and stay calm is helpful

being okay with being alone.  tbh college is kind of… being alone a lot, in my experience. even though you’re surrounded by people, a lot of time is spent alone. making friends is hard. your friends have different schedules. you’re busy. shit sucks. we make the best of it.

knowing yourself. this relates to a lot of what i’ve already said but like. knowing your emotional state and knowing what helps trick the monkey brain is helpful. stop repressing your feelings, friends.

talking to strangers. ordering from a menu! paying library fines. going to office hours. asking for a cashier at the register if there isn’t one. ya this is hard. ya you gotta expose yourself. sometimes i just try playing a persona. like this isn’t me ordering a sandwich. this is a cool me who knows how to talk to people who is ordering a sandwich.

you don’t have to be friends with your roommates. you just have to live together in a way that doesn’t make you two hate each other. ideally, you two will coexist in a way that doesn’t interfere with the other’s daily life.

give and taking. on the topic of roommates, sometimes your roommate can be a shitty person, but sometimes you are the shitty person! give a little but if they’re negatively impacting your life, communicate.

communicating during disagreements. explain what your emotions are instead of blaming them. “i feel hurt when you…” or “i feel frustrated when” or “i feel unappreciated when.” if things get heated, ask if you both can take a ten minute break and then come back. and don’t bring up disagreements when the other party is preoccupied or going somewhere. you can legitimately schedule a discussion.

it’s okay to apologize. learning to swallow your pride gets easier each time.

knowing that people work differently than you. some people are not gonna click with you and it’s gonna seem like they have this whole brain process up there that is totally unlike yours. and yeah! that’s how it is. and that’s chill if they aren’t hurting anyone else. work with them and be flexible!! 

comforting people. you will probably/definitely see someone cry! hell if i know how to comfort people. someone please help. but some things i’ve learned are: 1) different people need different things. different people need different things! 2) people need different things at different times. 3) you can ask them what they want and it won’t be weird. 4) apparently a lot of people like hugs? but ask. and it’s okay to not want a hug. 5) just show that you care in some way if you don’t know what they need. i used to think that if somebody needed to tell me what they needed it was a sign that i just didn’t know them well enough and we weren’t compatible or i wasn’t being a good friend. that’s fake! friendship isn’t based off of fitting naturally in every way and making an effort to be good for them is important.

knowing it’s okay to not be liked by everyone. it’s okay if strangers think you’re dumb because you said something dumb in public. you know you’re not dumb. it’s okay if not everybody you meet likes you. it’s okay if you do something cringey. everybody has their own shit to deal with and you will not shatter their world.  grow and move on!

forgiving yourself. i’m trying this new thing where when i feel embarrassed about something i say. out loud. “i forgive myself.” and then i just try to grow from that and move on without getting caught in a spiral of shame.

knowing what you need vs what you want and what is better at the time. what you need: a shower. what you want: to not do that. solution: take a shower! or maybe what you actually need is to go to sleep? but guess what. you probably know what is good for you. the hard part is actually doing it.

realize that building habits is less work than discipline. emotional effort is expended every time you have to make yourself do something. just make it part of your routine and you’ll just think it’s normal to do all the good things! like, for example, i’m trying to make it a habit to eat structured meals instead of a “eat when i’m hungry” thing because i know that makes me skip meals, which is bad!

you won’t be able to do everything. forgive yourself for that. write down  things that are top priority and focus on them. everything else is not important right now and you shouldn’t beat yourself up for not being able to do them.

your health is important. i’m not saying health will solve all your problems. it won’t! but health will cause a lot of your problems to go away. because let’s face it. not sleeping causes a lot of problems. 

it’s okay to ask for help. we say this a lot but it’s hard to internalize it. here’s a thought: there’s so much shame and hesitation about asking for help so by doing that you’re actually being proactive (which is respectable) and mature, and therefore… not weak or stupid. ask for help even before you need it! most people love to help others. and especially take advantage of people who are OFFERING help. for example: counselors at school or TAs. it’s literally their job. they want to do it. and if you don’t want to talk to anybody in real life, my inbox is always open.

im calling myself out on this one

how to deal with mental fatigue

Hi, it’s werelivingarts! Exam season is coming so soon, and some of us might deal with a lot of stress and mental fatigue while preparing for the exams. 

Here are some tips on how to prevent and deal with mental fatigue (before it becomes too serious and leads to burnout). Exams are just ways to test your knowledge and understanding, so please do not expect too high and take care of your health! 🌿

Hope that we would all do well! 😊

studying while dealing with depression

Hi everyone! It’s werelivingarts!

Depression is a very common mental disorder that can affect negatively on the way you feel, think and act. I think that giving some tips and strategies on dealing with depression while studying would be essential to some of you who might struggle out there to get started on assignments. 🙂 Hope that this can help you to fight against depression and embrace your positivity while studying! Remember that you are loved and you are enough ❤️💙💜

And if today all you did was hold yourself together and survive, I’m still very proud of you. 🍀💐

cottage-y badger friend, illustrated by me. 🌿

If anything, admitting when you don’t fully understand something displays curiosity for learning. So keep asking those questions!

Edinburgh, Scotland

Tropea (Calabria, Italy)

Photos by @acriativelife on Instagram

every minute spent on planning saves you ten minutes spent on execution. short essays probably don't require that much preparation beforehand, but if you're writing something longer you should probably spend some time planning first. this is the process i go through when planning my essays, and i find it works really well!

overcome self-doubt

Self-doubt is one of factors that prevents your from chasing your passion. When you overthink about setbacks of your idea, you immediate decrease your chance of success. Don’t let self-doubt takes over your goals and instead, love yourself. 

“In a society that profits from your self-doubt, liking yourself is a rebellious act.” — Anonymous

self-discovery journal prompts

I’m really struggling with finding my real life and identity. Journaling not only helps me to discover myself and reflect on my personal beliefs and values, but also teaches me to embrace my flaws and improve my esteem. So hop on to one-month journaling prompt to explore and find your true self.

What am I most proud of?

How would I describe myself to someone I have never met before?

What would I look like in 10 years?

What are you are really good at?

What are my weaknesses?

Describe yourself positively in 10 words.

What is my background? How can it affect my beliefs?

What do I love about myself?

What am I passionate about?

What are my hobbies? What roles do they play in my identity?

Who or what motivates and inspires me?

What are my 3 biggest goals?

Describe your ideal version of your dream life.

What do I need to let go?

What are flaws that you accept and how can you looks at these flaws in a positive way?

What do I feel like my life is missing and how can I get more of what I need?

What areas that I can improve on?

What are 5 simple things that make you smile? Describe them.

When am I the happiest version of me?

If I could be anything in the world, what would I be?

If you could make 1 wish come true, what would it be?

If I already know that everything I want is coming, how would I show up differently?

If I could travel anywhere in the world, where would I go?  

How did someone change my day for the better?

How can I change someone else’s day for the better?

What doubts do I currently have? How can I ease them?

What can I do to nurture and mind, body, and soul more?

What are things that no one can understand about you? How can you express them?  

What is your life motto? Describe.

Write yourself a thank you letter.

time blocking method

Hi all, this is werelivingarts, a new post about time management method: TIME BLOCKING! Time blocking allows you to divide your day into big blocks and helps you to complete similar tasks in one-go without any interruptions! 

You can do your time blocking on:

Google Calendar (simple and easy to use)

Plan (drag your to-do list and organize them in blocks)

TickTick Premium (offer pomodoro timer)

Hope you find this helpful! ⭐️

hey everyone! with the start of the new school year right around the corner, i thought i’d make my first ~studyblr masterpost~ in an attempt to consolidate some tips & goals that i’ve found helpful or that i plan to use for online classes. honestly, these might be useful even for in-person classes!

1. DEVELOP YOUR STUDY SYSTEM

it’s very easy for me to download files into multiple different folders, take notes in whatever notebook’s closest to me, or jot down dates on the back of envelopes. then, when i need to study or double check a syllabus or instructions, i have no idea where to look.  

instead: choose one or two methods of storing information. you can go all-online (notion, google drive, microsoft word, etc), all physical (notebooks, printing out worksheets and assignment info, etc), or a blend (storing readings online, but handwriting notes, for example). consider making a list of your classes and noting where to find your work for each class, so if you store your work for architecture class online but your history class in 2 separate notebooks, you don’t waste time looking in the wrong place. 

2. PLAN YOUR SCHEDULE

no, you don’t have to make a timetable for every minute of every day. but creating a general study schedule will allow you to mentally prepare for busy days and quickly see when you’re free. 

use an online calendar or planner to block off class and study time. then, add other categories, such as: sleep, mealtimes, pet care, exercise, naps, writing, reading, clubs, or other regular obligations. i’m guilty of making mine too detailed and usually up completely blowing off my minute-by-minute schedule, so making a vague timetable and then adding categories as time goes on is probably your best bet. life happens, and you can’t account for everything. i also like to use post-its on my door or mirror to remind me what i absolutely need to get done at certain times!

3. DON’T IGNORE ‘OPTIONAL’ WORK

your professor records weekly lectures and assigns reading to go along with it. you’re tempted to do just one or the other - maybe you’re tempted to watch the lecture and skip the reading or take notes from the reading and skip the lecture. don’t do it!!! make it a goal to do both!!!

find ways to make undesirable work more bearable. can you listen to lectures while making dinner or going for a walk? how about taking notes while listening to your favorite movie soundtrack? for me, even getting cozy with some blankets, comfy clothes, and tea helps. anything that makes you dread schoolwork is a win!!

4. GET OFF THE INTERNET

i am SO guilty of spending most my time on either tumblr, instagram, or tiktok (endless fyp? no clock? yeahhh my screen time isn’t great). going on instagram when i wake up somehow turns into an hour of…doing what? i have no idea. 

set reminders to do something without your phone. by this i mean: do not bring your phone with you. leave it at home when you go for a walk, don’t multitask watching a movie and answering emails, don’t browse social media while you eat. pick one or more ways to practice completely disconnecting for a while every day!. whether all of your classes are online or just a few (or none!), your brain really does need a break from screens. at the very least, try to avoid blue light before bed (yeah, i know you’ve heard this one before). for me, the tide app is a lifesaver, and i know a lot of you love forest. otherwise, set reminders using a calendar app or your alarm clock!

5. MONITOR AND CARE FOR YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

obviously miss rona has thrown a wrench in many of our plans for school, work, and life in general. if not, there’s no way it hasn’t impacted you in some way or another. pay attention to your thoughts, energy levels, and how you’re coping with recent changes. now’s a really good time to reach out for help if you’re able to; if not, there are various online resources and communities that might help you until you can. mental health support is for everyone. 

some masterposts and resources that may be helpful:

 mental health masterpost by @adelinestudiess

self-help masterpost by @self-care-club

being a student with mental illness by @celeztialstudies

and these mental health resources and hotlines

6. STAY CONNECTED ONLINE IF YOU CAN’T IN PERSON

the first month of my freshman year of college will be online, the rest of the semester will likely be online (though i will be on-campus), and i’m not allowed to see most of my friends. i’m guessing i’m not the only one! regardless of your personal situation, it can be really hard but so helpful to stay in touch with friends, family, and faculty. the first few months were full of zoom calls and virtual hangouts, but they might be dying down by now. 

send letters, set up virtual calls with far-away friends, go to office hours, or video call family members. this might be the hardest one on this list, seeing as most of us are suffering from zoom burnout already. to avoid the potential stress of spontaneous socializing, try scheduling a call once a week at a regular time, asking your friends to facetime later, creating a weekly study group for your classes, watching netflix with someone using an extension like netflix party, texting acquaintances to check in, sending letters/emails to older family members, getting involved in an online community (this is studyblr promo :D) or making a goal to go to office hours once a week/twice a month, etc. 

hopefully these gave you a few ideas on how you might get organized and tackle online classes this year! 

some other studyblr masterposts to get inspired: 

school cheat sheet by @jwstudying 

school tips masterpost by @crimstudies

a few people have asked for a post on how i use onenote, so here’s a quick guide! also obviously not sponsored lol

THE GARDEN

a small guide on how i battle my essays! (click on an image to view it clearer) 

(keep in mind: i’m an english major so a majority of my essays are literature-focused!)

these are just some of the methods i want to share that work for me when i write my innumerable amount of essays! i’m definitely a huge planner so it’s no secret that i spend a lot of time on an essay. if you’re a deadline fighter, these tips might not necessarily be helpful (especially the handwriting one). but i hope this gives you an insight on how i write my essays! 🌈

Flexible Time Blocking: A More Breathable Way to Get Things Done

I’ve met a lot of people who struggle with sticking to a schedule - myself included - so here’s one way you can get things done without restricting your spontaneity.

Linked: The ABCDE Method: Accomplish Tasks More Efficiently

Hope this helps!

I LOVE Excel! I took an Excel class during University and I’ve never stopped using or learning about it since. During my summer internship, I would literally use Excel functions and macros for hours every single day. Even if you don’t want to be an Excel fanatic, learning a few basic functions will make your life easier (and even impress a few managers along the way!).

I’ve outlined below some of the most useful Excel functions to learn. Some of these functions are very basic but can make a huge difference. These functions save time, automate procedures, and make your life easier! And if you need some help on how to learn them, I’ve listed some helpful resources to get you started. With all of us social distancing at home, now is as good of a time as any to add a skill to your resume. 

Excel Functions to Know:

SUM: returns sum of cells selected

SUMPRODUCT: multiplies ranges or arrays together and returns the sum of product

IF: return one value for a TRUE result and another for a FALSE result

SUMIF: returns the sum of cells if the cell meets a single condition

AVERAGEIF: computes the average of the numbers in a range that meets a certain criteria

VLOOKUP: lookup and retrieve data from a specific column in a table can be exact or approximate match

LEFT: returns a given number of characters from the left side of text string

RIGHT: returns a given number of characters from the right side of text string

CONCATENATE: joins the text of cells together and returns the joined text in one cell

LENGTH: returns the given number of characters in a text

Resources:

Excel Jet: Very useful as a type of Excel dictionary to look up syntax and specific formulas you don’t know

Excel Easy: almost like on online textbook for Excel (great resource for those who have no knowledge of Excel at all!)

Udemy: paid excel course with lots of videos, assignments, and downloadable resources

Coursera: self-paced learning option, quizzes and assignments, and a course certificate

Excel Youtube Course by Technology for Teachers and Students

Prologue to my Excel series

I’ll also be posting Excel tips, tricks, function explanations, and some basic Excel tutorials so if you’d like to see more appear on your dash in the future, follow my blog and look for my Excel series.

Here is a list of some YouTube ASMR ambiences/soundscapes (they’re all hyperlinked, so click away!) Unlike traditional ASMR, these videos do not feature any people. Talented YouTubers have used software to create rendered environments with layered sounds, with many of these ambiences inspired from fantasy to others based in reality. I find music with lyrics to be distracting sometimes, but these are great background noises for focusing, studying, doing homework, and even for relaxing. Enjoy and good luck ♡

LIBRARY SOUNDSCAPES

1. Royal Library | Rain and Thunderstorm Sounds on Study Ambience with Crackling Fireplace 

By New Bliss 

2. LIBRARY AMBIENCE: Writing Sounds, Whispering, Pages Turning, Rain, Fireplace 

by Autumn Cozy 

3. Ambience/ASMR: Writer’s Library from the 1930s, 4 Hours

by Ambience of Yesteryear

4. Study Ambience / Library Sounds / 3 Hours #241

By Winter Whale ASMR

5. Harry Potter inspired ASMR - Hogwarts Library REMAKE - Animated ambient soundscape cinemagraph

By ASMR rooms 

CAFE SOUNDSCAPES

1. Rainy Day at Coffee Shop & Jazz Music | ASMR Ambience 4K

By Cozy Corner 

2. [ASMR/Ambience]cafe after closing on a rainy urban night

By Sound Forest 

3. Coffeehouse ASMR Ambience

By Miracle Forest 

4. 1 Hour of Tea Shop Ambience | Background Noise | Cafe Ambient Sounds

By Nocturnal House 

5. ASMR Increase Concentration Tokyo Cafe Study Ambience for Homework & School

By asmr soupe 

COZY SOUNDSCAPES

1. 🎧 Cozy Ambience Bedroom - Rain on the Windows of the Rainy Night View of the City 10 Hours | Sleep

By The Relaxing Town 

2. Cozy Cabin Ambience - Writer’s Room with 8 Hours of Rain, Thunder and Fire Sounds

By Calmed by Nature 

3. Bed Breakfast ☕ Snowy Morning [ASMR] Cozy Cabin Ambience ❄️️ Winter Day with Little Bunny friend 🐰

By ASMR Weekly 

4. Rain sounds | cozy cabin | Sleep, Study, Meditation 10 hours

By White Noise Tranquility 

5. Cozy Winter Cottage | Snowstorm and Fireplace Sounds | blizzard | 10hours

By dreamy sound 

INSPIRED BY SOUNDSCAPES

1. ASMR Mystical and Noble Atmosphere of Slytherin Common Room●Harry Potter 3D Ambient Sound

By asmr soupe 

2. Lord of the Rings Inspired ASMR - the Green Dragon Inn - Medieval Tavern Ambience and Animations

By ASMR rooms 

3. ⛩ Spirited Away’s Dormitory - 1 Hour - Ghibli ASMR Soundscape

By Vibrating Art 

4. Twin Peaks Double R Diner Ambience - 8 Hours of Smooth Jazz Music, Rain Sounds, & Cozy Cafe Ambience

By Calmed by Nature 

5. A Moving Castle Type ASMR Ambience

By Miracle Forest 

Attention Management: How to Take Control and Live Intentionally

We live in an age of information, and it’s becoming even more difficult to be in control of our attention. Every second, it seems like there’s something new to be consumed, something new to pay attention to. Because of this, it’s important to take control of our attention and more intentional about how we spend our time, and we can do so by practicing attention management.

Keep reading below for a transcription + some other posts you might be interested in:

Energy Management

Flexible Time Blocking

The Mandatory Midday Break

A Small Guide to Journaling

Staying Focused while Studying

Hope this helps!

Keep reading

An Overview of Note-Taking Styles

Note-taking is one of the most essential skills a student should master. It allows you to record and review information to be used in the future. But what’s the best way to do so? Here’s an overview of note-taking styles that can help you maximize your learning!

happy 69th birthday Robin Williams. you’re missed so dearly :)

— dead poets society (1989)

“All it takes is a beautiful fake smile to hide an injured soul and they will never notice how broken you really are."

- Robin Williams

Energy Management

A human-based organization method

click on images for better resolution; images also available here (link to google drive)

Other posts that may be of interest:

Getting stuff done: How to deal with a lack of motivation

Flexible time-blocking: A more breathable way to get things done

The ABCDE Method

The relief 😂