Now the endless ‘month’ of January is over, February brings a fresh start and a fresh term at Uni. I always find it so difficult to get back into the grind of going to campus every day, all the extra reading and not forgetting the dreaded coursework deadlines. Although they might seem an age away right now, if you’re anything like me, they will almost certainly creep up on you and seem to pop up out of nowhere. Everyone that knows me, would probably suggest I’m guilty of leaving everything until last minute and end up getting super stressed over something I could have been much better prepared for! As one of my new year’s resolutions was to take better care of myself and my mental health, I have decided to try and prevent the stress that comes along with coursework by being hyper-organised and ready to face the semester head-on.

One of the ways I have started to do this is by keeping a diary. Somewhere I know I have a diary that I bought last for last semester, but since I haven’t been able to find it since October it wasn’t much help! This term I’ve decided to use my creativity (or GCSE art skills) to create my own diary. I just got a really simple black notebook and wrote in my own dates, various lists and I have also saved space for anything else that might be handy to have written down. Because I’ve written it myself, it is totally tailored towards me and the time I put into creating the diary encourages me to use it. Although it’s not a bullet journal, I have taken some inspiration from that style of layout. If you want to do the same, there are hundreds of Youtube videos dedicated to journaling. Some of my favourites are: AmandaRachLee (https://www.youtube.com/user/amandarachlee) and Ashley Ann Laz (https://www.youtube.com/user/PaperPastels)

As well as having a layout for the whole month, I also find it handy to have an overview of the semester as a whole. This term I have created a really simple timeline from January until the end of term in June, along this I have written in when all my coursework is due. To make this easier to read I’ve colour coded the coursework in-line with my different modules. This makes it so easy to see when each piece is due, so I know where to prioritise my time. I made this in a similar style to my journal so they link up in my mind (and look pretty of course).

Another factor I think is essential to getting into the swing of things is new stationary! I know many people (myself included) find they are much more motivated to start work if they can use a brand new notepad and a fresh set of pens. This also reaffirms the clean slate idea of the new term, and it also makes sure you aren’t getting muddled with your notes from semester one. I am a firm believer in the power of a new set of felt tips. This always encourages me to re-write notes and make it look as pretty as possible. Of course as well as giving you a beautiful set of notes, this will help give you a head start when it comes to revision as you will have already re-visited your lectures.

Let me know if this helped you get ready for the new term (or if you aren’t at Uni, let me know if it’s helped to get you organised for the New Year!).

As always thank you to Soap and Glory for supporting this post, and a big thank you to you for reading! Don’t forget to leave a comment, like or share to support my little blog!

Love, Emma x