Hello fellow interweb friends!
Long time no post?!?! Sorry, I've kind of been enjoying my summer and then got tossed into the grind of school again, so I've been lacking on here. But with that said, I thought this post is going up at the perfect time since it is back to school season. Some of you are possibly going back this coming week while others still have a few more weeks to go. As for me, well it feels like I'm never really out of school, but that's not the point!
So recently, I took my brother back-to-school shopping, and it wouldn't be likely of me to not get some supplies for myself, especially since we were in Target, home of all things beautiful and great! Back-to-school shopping is like one of my most favorite kinds of shopping because I think school supplies are just beautiful and wonderful and everything awesome. Here are some of the things I picked up that I feel like are major necessities that everyone should have for school!
If you guys haven't picked it up yet, I have quite the obsession for anything bright and colorful, the more vibrant the better. For as long as I can remember, I've always loved having a ton of colorful pens and highlighters. If I have to do something as boring as taking notes, then it better be looking real pretty and colorful to keep me awake! The colors, though can be distracting at first, once you have your system down with each color representing something different, your notes will not only look amazing, but it will making looking them over an easier thing to do! I'd rather have colorful notes to look over than dull black and white ones where everything just seem to blend in together!
As for notebooks and binders, I prefer having individual notebooks for each subject. Now, this is easy for me since I'm in college and I don't have to have the three-ring binders that are somehow a required object in schools now?!?! Like I remember taking my brother back-to-school shopping last year, he literally had a 3-ring binder for like every teacher he had. Anyways, for me though, I prefer the expanding file folders just because everything is already sectioned off, which means you can store handouts for specific classes/periods into their own section, keeping things nice and organized! As for the notebooks, just like the pens, I like to assign a certain color notebook to a specific subject and then just go from there! With notebooks, you are able to keep all your notes in one area and not have to fumble around various pieces of papers to find your notes. If you do have one of those teachers who require you to have separate folders, just toss a notebook in there for when you take notes and some extra pieces of paper for those occasional class activities that you have to turn in a piece of paper.
And of course, flashcards are the best, most basic supply that can make a huge difference in your study habits! You literally can make flashcards for everything and anything school related and it makes studying so much easier than just looking through notes! I love my flashcards, especially when I get to use pretty colorful pens to make them. The combination of flashcards and pretty notes will definitely make studying for tests a little more fun and vibrant, which means you'll get more stuff into your head and do better in school! Overall, it is a win-win situation, academically and aesthetically.
Now, the pens, highlighters, papers, notebooks, and flashcards are still not enough! The one thing that, to me, can make a huge difference in your study habits is the almighty planner. Now, if you have not seen my post in regards to how to use a planner, well, I will link it at the end so go look at it. Planners, a physical, paper-made one where you have to write something down is better than the next iPhone alert/calendar/planner application you can find. It is always better to have something important like a due date or appointment written down physically, in hard copy than just over some kind of iCloud/techy stuff. It is like taking notes for class, except it's more tangible things like due dates and tests, or even something called extra credit assignments! You don't want to be that person that didn't write down an extra credit opportunity and forget about it, especially when the teacher gives it like a month in advance and you may have missed a few class that caused you a few points on a test or something! Now, my planner is big because I prefer to scribble and write every little thing in my planner, but you don't have to get something that big. For me, I think the prettier the planner is the more likely you'd want to take it out and use it, so pick out something you find pretty and wonderful so you'll put it to good use!
And of course, the pretty planner can occasionally be accompanied by a pretty pencil and a little care kit, especially for us girls! For me, I keep all school supplies in one bag and then little trinkets like floss, chapstick, a little perfume roller ball, some medicine, etc. in a separate bag just so I won't be flustered when I need something and don't know where to look for it. I am one of those people who carries everything in their bag, so by having separate holders/bags/pouches for specific groups of products will really help me to stay organize!
Hopefully this will help you a little bit in this back-to-school season! I know everything here are like basics that everyone usually already have, but sometimes, they are just so basic that we overlook them like the colored pens and planners. I hope you all the best for this coming academic year, but of course, enjoy the last few days of summer that you have left!
UPDATE: here's the post about planners and managing your time/stress!
Until next time,
Uyen
