Back to College // Planner Review : The Collegiate Day Book

Y'all I love a good planner and I take shopping for one very seriously. One night in April while I was watching television with my roommate I saw on Twitter that one of my favorite bloggers Rachel Berzins  had designed her own planner for college students. The Collegiate Daybook  seemed perfect, and we decided to back the kickstarted campaign.

We got them about three weeks ago, and noticed a problem, there had been a double print! I emailed Rachel, and she sent us two new ones! Honestly some of the best customer service I've ever experienced.

Cover// So to start, I love the cover. It's not as colorful as Lilly P, but it's classic and a little more professional to carry around with you.

I added a pink monogram to add a little "Ashley" to the cover! I'm also using my favorite Le Pens to write in them!

Schedule at a Glance// This is something that Lilly P doesn't have, and I wish they did! My entire schedule is right here for me to look at, I don't have to print a new one to tape to the inside of my cover every semester. 

Packing List// I travel a lot, and this is perfect! I almost always forget something! I love that my planner has a list of things for me to pack on almost every trip!

My School Year Bucket List// College isn't just about school and activities, but about taking advantage of our lives! This is a great list to remind yourself to have a little fun. 

Yearly Calendar// I always like having a calendar that shows you the whole year, and this is pretty common place for agendas and planners. 

Monthly Page// Your typical monthly page, with an inspirational quote to remind you to keep doing you. I like that it's clean, and doesn't have big wording in the boxes. I take my monthly calendar very seriously. It's where I put sorority activities, due dates and other important dates. It helps me organize my week. With Lilly P, they have words that take up most of your ability to write in a box.

Weekend Page// Your weekend pages are great. It lets you break up your day, and gives you a to-do list each day. It gives you a lot more space than Lilly P does for the weekend. I also like that it gives you a question for the weekend. On Saturday it gives you a box to write down errands or items you don't want to forget. On Sunday, it has a checklist for a typical college student. Finish homework, do laundry, check email and then take a break. The perfect way to end your weekend! 

Week Day Page// I love that each day has its own page. My Lilly P planner always had post its all over the weekly view because I never had enough space to write everything down. It gives me a motivational quotes everyday to keep me going. I also like that it gives me the ability to break up my day so that I can schedule things like my work out and blogging time. The "Due Today"box is great because I can see immediately what needs to be finished, reviewed and turned in without burying it in my to-do. I also like the "Study For" because it allows me to break up my studying easier! The "Meetings" box lets me write down a meeting I need to remember, and the "Don't Forget" lets me write down people's birthdays, and things to remember to grab from my house! Just in case none of the other boxes cover something, there is an extra section for notes! 

Improvements//

-Tabs for the months 

-Lack of color

-I'll probably miss the pockets that Lilly P had

-More durable covers

Overall I'm really excited for the school year because I know I'm going to love my planner! I would highly suggest purchasing The Collegiate Daybook  today! 

What planner/agenda do you use? Have you bought yours yet?

xoxo

Back to College Series:

School Supplies

What to Snack On
What to Buy Once You're There
How to Budget
What to do Your First Week
Important College Resources
How to Manage Your Time
Best College Advice

 

Surviving the End of the Semester

Yes. I said it. We are almost to the end of the semester. While this may surprise many of you, it may also send others into panic mode. Here are some tips to get you and your agenda through the next couple of weeks.

Know Your Deadlines// Write every due date down, soft or hard. Know your deadlines and prepare accordingly. More preparation = less stress.

Plan Out Your Days// Instead of trying to squeeze everything in, make a flexible schedule of your day and when you want to get things done. Don't try to squeeze productivity out of every last moment, make sure to schedule down time which includes time with friends!

Prioritize// Yes everything is important, but what absolutely has to be done before you get your 7-8 hours of sleep? Get that done first then move on to other tasks.

Know Your Goals// Write down your goals and post them in your workspace. That could be on your desk, in your agenda or even in your kitchen.

Back To School: Setting Up Your Agenda

I just gave one of my closest friends a Lilly Pulitzer Agenda for her birthday! My inner organizational freak decided she could also use the Lilly Pulitzer Greek sticker set.  Since I pride myself on a well-kept agenda, I thought I would share some pointers on setting up your agenda!


The great thing about this lists is that you can mix and match tips that fit your lifestyle.

1.Color coding is your friend. At the beginning of each semester assign different activities colors and make a key in the front of your agenda. An example is below. I don't color code my classes but rather use black ink to write down my assignments for the day and then highlight the most important tasks each day.
*If you want to color code even more, assign colors for each of your classes!

2. Write down all important due dates. At the beginning of each semester go through my syllabi and write down every paper, test and project date. I suggest using red so that it stands out from other commitments and I know how to schedule my weeks to add in increased homework time.

3. Write down everything you have to do each week for each class. Each Sunday  go through all my syllabi and write down every assignment due, test to study for and project step to complete. If you have a position in an organization write that down too. Don't forget internship application steps and other important application to-dos.

4. Assign each task a day. Once you have a list,write each homework item or to-do item on a day. If you have a consistent weekly schedule take that into account when you will have the time to do each assignment. You can always move things around later on.

5.Use post-it notes for extra to-do's or changes. During the week use post-it notes to add daily to-dos or to note changes in your schedule! This works great because you can add or remove as many post-its as you need.

6.Add stickers for fun. This may not be an organization tip, but I love that Lilly gives you the ability to use stickers to mark things on your calendar! I use it to mark special events and birthdays of loved ones. It makes my agenda a little more cheery.

7. Re-evaluate your week Thursday or Friday nights. Every Thursday or Friday night (afternoon) go through and make a to-do list of everything you have to do that weekend. It's easier than forgetting something Sunday night right before you fall asleep.

My agenda isn't nearly as busy as it is during the school year, so if you want more detailed photos just let me know in the comments


What other tips do you have for setting up your agenda?

Finals Panic Help

I'm not sure how many of you have finals coming up, but I know that the last two weeks of classes for Communication majors at UW-Green Bay is basically an extended finals week. Projects, presentations and papers happen in every class. While finals week is a breeze, my life is more stressful than usual leading up to it
I have to get through the next two weeks and after a small meltdown Tuesday night I thought I would share for you my tips on how to calm some of your finals nerves

{one} Take a Deep Breath and Visualize Success
You've been through hard tests before, and by this point finals before. You always get through it. Take a couple of deep breaths and visualize yourself doing well. Visualize yourself studying, finishing those papers, and presenting like a orator.

{two} Look at your Calendar
Do not attempt if you are still going to panic when you look at your calendar.

Now that you're able to look at it, start making a list of everything you have to do. Don't panic again until the end of the steps!

Calendar view 

{three} Plan Out Each Day
This is really what helped me. I went through my list and wrote down everything that is supposed to happen every day. That includes birthdays, social events, regularly scheduled meetings and to-do lists for the day.
I did this because each day I don't have to freak out about my to-do list. I can just sit down and structure my day around it.

Close look

Week view

This is what works for me, but some people have to take it day by day. I do better having a long-term plan and then taking it day by day until I get there. I would recommend this plan for large projects at work also!

What are your tools for dealing with finals panic?
Have a great week!

xoxo

PS I apologize for my absence, I have been pretty sick, and because of a sick day I had to catch up on my school to-do lists. I hope to be back regularly this week!

New Year, New Agendas

I love agenda shopping. I know it's nerdy but I still love it. 

Here are some new agendas if you're looking for a clean slate for your new year!

Lilly Pulitzer/  Kate Spade / Vera Bradley /  Maybooks

Here are some seriously cute agendas to motivate you in the new year! I always do different agenda posts, and I've listed a bunch of different ones below to help if you're looking for a new system or inspiration for your own. 

Agenda Tips 1

Agenda Tips 2

I'll have more up once my semester starts!

What planner do you use?

xoxo

the Smart Girls Group October Articles!

I have been writing for the past month for the Smart Girls Group Loop! It's a lot of fun, but it also challenges me to be creative! Here are the four articles I wrote in November!

Denis Rodman in North Korea 

President Obama, Syria, & Congress

Changes Coming to a Facebook Near You

Feminism Today

Have you checked out the Smart Girls Group Loop? You really should, they have great articles. Make it part of your daily reads!

xoxo

Help! I need to make a decision!

Happy Tuesday everybody! I hope your Memorial Day weekends were just as fun as mine!

This weekend Lily Pulitzer released a look at their new 2014 planners! I have a Vera Bradley planner now, but I love the look of the Lily Pulitzer planner also!

Here are the two I am trying to decide on!

This bright elephant planner from Lily

Or this fun purple one from Vera

Any suggestions on other planners I should look at? What do you use? 

xoxo

AV

Confidence

Confidence. As young women we are told to be confident in ourselves. But there are always people telling us we should be like this, or act like that. Be good at this, and not at that.

I'm not going to lie, I've had confidence issues especially with my body image and even my personality sometimes. With my family, I am extremely outgoing but with new groups I can be a bit awkward and shy because I don't know how much "Ashley" I should let out. But as I slowly started to try new activities, such as debate, Model United Nations and choir I learned where my strengths were. My parents were great and as a child they had me try every sport open to me even ice skating. However I found that I was not the most athletic girl, and my parents still  supported me in everything I did. I have tried just about everything, and I found my niche. This made college easier for me then for others. But I have to tell you that there were a lot of speed bumps on my road to confidence.

Then one day while talking with a friend what I would trade about my personality to be "thin", I realized that there wasn't one part about me I would. Knowing that I am confident in myself not to change anything for the perfect body, made me realize that I can work hard enough to get a body that is strong and healthy. A body that I would be proud of.  I believed in myself enough to start training for a 5k even though I'm not athletic, and to join a sorority where I knew no one.

 I have luckily found confidence because I tried everything and I had a great support system.

I know my strengths and I know my weaknesses. By working on my weaknesses, I realize more of my strengths and become a better person.

Example?

I am a horrible procrastinator, I mean horrible. My goal in college was to have a better GPA then I did in high school, so I needed to start working on planning out my homework more. What did I do? I started to plan out each day what I was going to do. I promised myself that I wouldn't go to sleep until everything was done. For me, sleep is a reward. ( I know it's weird, but I can fall asleep literally anywhere, at anytime. I really love to sleep) It paid off, because I made the dean's list my first semester of college. I'm not saying this to brag, but more to show you that you can do something. Make a list of your goals, and then make a reward for yourself. If I make my GPA goal this semester, I might by myself this Longchamp tote that I've wanted for a year now!

I wish you good luck on your goals, and I hope that you gain confidence from setting realistic goals and reaching them!

If you want any tips, or more examples feel free to comment (I'm not even close to an expert, but I can tell you what I've done!)

Have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo

AV

Sunday Six

Oh my goodness! It's Sunday already? I can't believe how fast the weeks fly!

Here are my Sunday Six for the week!

1.Vera Bradley Planner: I just love this planner so much, that I had to feature it again! Here is my first post about it! Take a look, I don't think I will be able to survive this semester without it!

2. Think Spring: I have spring fever! I can't wait for it to warm up, and there was a little taste of it this weekend. This outfit is perfect for spring! And those Steve Madden flats are perfect. Really? How many days left until spring is here? 

3. Traveling here and there: 20 days until Germany! Woo! This would be a perfect sight seeing outfit to wear! I hope to have something similar to wear in Germany.

4: Homemade Girl Scout Samoa (Caramel delights) cookies: So I spent the afternoon baking, and I guess these turned out pretty well. They don't look anything like the pictures, but the taste is what counts right? These are my dad's favorite cookies, and apparently he approved! Here is the recipe, I would look at the steps before attempting though. I didn't, and it took longer then it should. (And yes, I do not frequently look at all the directions before attempting a recipe)

5:Homemade Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs:I love Reese's, and I love all of the fun shapes that they make for the holidays, but most of  all the eggs! They were really easy to make, and even looked like the picture! (It looks mostly like the pictures, mostly) The recipe can be found here!

6:University of Wisconsin Green Bay: Last, but not least here is a huge shout out to the UWGB Women's basketball team! They are doing a great job, and I couldn't be more proud to be a Phoenix! 

Good luck to those attempting the recipes I shared, and I hope that everyone has a great week!
Stay tuned for posts such as Pinterest Picks of the Week!
xoxo,

AV

Organizational Tips! Planner Edition

Happy Thursday everybody!

 As a freshman in college, I have worked really hard to find an organizational system that works well for me.  After 3 different planners, I finally found one that I love to use!

Vera Bradley Student Planner 2013 

I may have started using it a semester late, but it is really really useful! 

First, every Sunday I go through all my syllabi and  write down what is due for each day, and what I need to get done in terms of other projects each week

Then I write down each day what I should do for the next day.

Here is an example, this week wasn't too bad, but my other weeks will most likely get a lot more crazy!

Next I go through and list any exams/papers/projects and any special events! ZOT probably has the most space on my calender right now!
Also, I love the stickers they give you! I have already used like 1/2 of them

 

I take a little more time then others do for college agendas, and I make myself do more than the assigned homework such as rereading notes, and making flashcards because I take my schoolwork very seriously! 

Needless to say, I don't always have time for fun, but I do love to enjoy myself with movie nights, coffee house dates and random adventures!

How do you organize? Is there anything you want me to explain about my own study habits?

xoxo

AV