Ong Vienna Lee

A/N: Okay, so here it is! I’m pretty excited about this and if all goes well I’ll try to update it at least every week or so. I really hope you enjoy and feedback is welcomed! 

Rating: Explicit (there will be a good amount of sexy time scenes, especially this chapter! But I will add in warnings for chapters that will just in case that doesn’t interest you.)

Summary: Six months ago Aelin got the worst news of her life. She would never be able to get pregnant, to give birth to a baby that she so desperately wanted. Deciding that Aelin needs some fun in her life, Lysandra takes her out to a club where she meets the silver haired man of her dreams. A one-night stand takes a turn when 6 weeks later Aelin finds out she’s pregnant! Her world is turned upside down when she runs into him again at a coffee shop. Aelin tells him the truth and this handsome stranger tells her he wants to raise their baby together and she agrees.

Masterlist

Chapter 1: (This chapter contains explicit material)

The music at the club was so loud Aelin could feel it vibrating through the floor.

She hadn’t wanted to come out tonight. All she wanted to do was stay at home and eat ice cream in her pajamas. But Lysandra had insisted she needed to get out. Actually, she had insisted that Aelin needed to get laid. It had been six months since her and Choal’s ugly breakup and she had yet to get back out there. 

It’s not that she was hung up on Chaol. No, their nine month relationship had ended long before they called it quits. Aelin wasn’t really feeling like going out for a different reason. A reason she didn’t feel like thinking about right now.

“Come on, cheer up!” Lysandra said as they made their way through the club. “At least give it a shot before you give up entirely.”

Aelin sighed and linked her arm through Lysandra’s. “Then I suggest we go to the bar and get some drinks in me.”

A wicked smile spread across Lysandra’s face as she began pushing through the crowd in earnest. Once they were seated at the bar and had ordered a couple shots, Aelin turned to Lysandra.

Chapter 6 - The Attack

Chapter 5 // Chapter 7

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rowan’s heart was racing. He had scarcely managed to undo more than a few buttons on his shirt before a body pressed up against his back. A surprised gasp escaped his lips a second before the sharp, cool edge of a knife came to rest against the front of his throat. 

“Quiet,” a male voice whispered, paper soft and hoarse, as if it had not been used in a very long while. 

For a several heartbeats they stood there, Rowan hardly daring to breath or move, not even to drop the night shirt still clutched in his hand. He could hear Aelin’s angry footsteps as she walked across the room, coming closer.

This is me forcing myself to write something besides ACOTAR. (It’s still SJM but leave me alone). Lemme just preface this by saying I don’t know jack about poker, so everything in here is either from Wikihow or pulled out of my ass. 

IK I said this was coming out yesterday, but I have a good excuse: I was reading From Blood and Ash (8.9/10 recommend… ending is super obvious but still so good)

I DIDN’T EDIT THIS AND I’M NOT SORRY (maybe a lil)

Masterlist

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Aelin Galathynius, professional criminal and longtime plotter of idiotic, amazing schemes that threatened the sanity of her closest friends, sat down at the poker table and smiled. 

“Ready to lose some more money, Whitehorn?”

The man across from her scowled, making her smile grow. Irritating him was perhaps the only feeling better than kicking his ass at cards.

“It was only pocket change, don’t get cocky.” He tilted his head and smirked. “Plus, it sure as hell won’t be happening again. I think I’ve finally figured you out, Galathynius.”

Aelin rolled her eyes, trying to look unbothered. 

His version of “pocket change” was twenty grand. And if she won that much tonight, she’d finally have enough cash to pay back Arobyn and get the hell out of his reach. 

But that wasn’t what had her shaken. 

It was the fact that in all her time playing cards and hustling men who couldn’t look past her cleavage, she’d never faced an opponent like Rowan Whitehorn. He watched her every move, made a note of all her expressions, and generally caused her to have to work ten times harder.

He was a pain in her ass, basically. 

Had been ever since he’d shown up a month ago, looking like a dangerous, sexy villain in a gangster movie. Aelin would admit that at first, his looks had distracted her. 

Until he swiped two thousand dollars worth of chips away from her. 

Bastard.

Enjoy this cute little oneshot I wrote for @highqueenofelfhame - HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EM!! Also, @tacmc had requested some domestic Rowaelin a little while ago - I hope this works!

Summary: Just a fluffy little Rowaelin oneshot.

Warnings: None.

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Rowan took a step back from the wall, dropping the paintbrush in his hand onto one of the various towels scattered across the table holding all the paint cans. Satisfied that everything looked like it was meant to (and that it was indeed painted the color his oh so even-tempered girlfriend had chosen for the “accent wall” in their bedroom), he wiped his hands on his jeans, leaving a small streak of Terrasen Green behind. 

Humming the only song he knew in the Old Language, he wandered through the halls of their newly purchased house slowly, enjoying the feeling of being in a home that belonged entirely to himself and Aelin, his girlfriend of four and a half years. They both knew they wanted to spend their lives together, and buying this house was just the logical first step for the two of them. Though it was more space than the two of them really needed, it gave them ample space for when their family began to grow. 

Shaking his head when he realized he was probably jinxing himself by thinking about having kids with the love of his life before he’d even asked her to marry him, Rowan rounded the corner into their living room, stopping in his tracks as his eyes landed on Aelin. She was staring at the far wall, apparently deep in thought as she tried to decide between the two shades of blue she’d painted in small squares on the wall. Her head was tilted to one side, strands of golden-blonde hair that had escaped her messy bun falling across her eyes. 

He walked up behind her, slipping one arm around her waist and squeezing her side gently. “Tough decision, Fireheart?”

A/N: We’ve been writing some aaangsty shit lately, and we needed a break to get some fluff out. Enjoy!

As always, written along side the loml, @tacmc​.

Attention, all passengers. All flights departing from Adarlan have been delayed, due to inclement weather. Please see the nearest information screen for more details.

Aelin dropped her head in her hands and groaned. She knew she should have taken the direct flight from Wendlyn to Terrasen, rather than booking the one with a layover in Adarlan. She knew she should have, but instead she decided to save a few bucks, and booked the cheaper flight, with the longer travel time.

And now Adarlan was experiencing some of the worst weather she’d ever seen.

As she looked around for an information board at her gate, a brilliant flash of lightning raced across the sky. The accompanying rumble of thunder shook the airport and Aelin begrudgingly accepted that grounding the flights may have been the right thing to do.

She sighed and pulled her phone out, noticing a text from Lysandra. She opened it, finding a picture of her feet shoved in the sand and a drink in her hands, with a text that read, Got my beach, got my beer. All I’m missing is you, bitch. What time do you get in?

She sighed and replied, Flights out of Adarlan we’re just grounded. No clue.

Her best friend’s response was short, sweet, and to the point:

Fuuuuuuuuck

Aelin laughed to herself, but closed out of her messages and began to peruse her social media apps, eventually opening Tinder.

She made a face, looking around the airport and thinking about how stupid it would be to thumb through her possible matches while in a another country. Especially one she wasn’t staying in for very long.

And then decided, why the hell not.

A blonde man who looked far too much like her cousin was the first that popped up.

No, definitely not.

Then a young man with striking blue eyes, raven black hair and a mischievous grin graced her screen. Mmm, maybe…, she thought to herself, scrolling down to read through his bio. Loves dogs, an avid reader, and-.

Nope, to the left he goes. A doctor. 

Aelin wasn’t sure she could handle dating another doctor.

On and on she went, finding a flaw in nearly every profile she looked at.

Muscle head. Swipe.

Drinks too much. Swipe.

Doesn’t drink enough. Swipe.

Too old. Swipe.

Too young, she thought, swiping left at the photo of a teen in his high school basketball uniform. He’d definitely lied about his age to get on here.

And then she was pinned in place by the most striking pair of green eyes she’d ever seen.

And those cheek bones, by the wyrd, she was jealous.

She scrolled through his pictures, wondering if the silver hair was natural or if he had to dye it to keep it that shimmering hue.

Gods, he was gorgeous. She looked through his pictures again, every single one of them a candid, but couldn’t help but hear that little voice in the back of her head.

What’s the catch?

He’s definitely too good to be true.

Scrolling down, she decided to read through his bio.

Rowan, 28

11th grade history teacher by day.

Whiskey aficionado and trivia extraordinaire by night.

Aelin blinked at the short and sweet description the man had written for himself and after swiping through his pictures one more time, decided there was no way this guy was real.

She was sure that whoever this Rowan guy was, he may have been an eleventh grade history teacher, and he may have been kickass at trivia, but there was no way in hell he looked like that. No, she was sure that was just some poor, unsuspecting model, with the most kissable, gorgeous face she’d ever seen, who’d had pictures lifted from his personal Instagram. She even thought about trying to reverse image search the model to see if she could figure out who he was. If she did, it would only be fair of her to let him know.

But until then, she wasn’t exactly in the mood to be catfished…again.

She swiped left, sending him to the pile of men she’d rejected.

“Ouch, so that’s a hard no, then?”

The voice came from behind her and Aelin whirled, so fast that her blonde hair fanned out around her.

That hair. Those eyes. That damn bone structure.

Aelin blinked. “I’m sorry, what?”

The man - Rowan, she realized - chuckled. “Can’t say it wasn’t entertaining watching you swipe left on the entire male population of Adarlan.” He smirked. “But after spending so long on mine, I thought you’d at least swipe right.”

Aelin was still stunned. “Fuck, you’re not a catfish?”

A silver brow arched and he chuckled again as he said, “No, definitely not a cat or a fish. All male.”

“So you teach teenagers?” She asked, gesturing to him. “So that’s your real job, even with a face like that?”

He asked, “A face like what?”

“You’re gorgeous,” Aelin said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, then she realized what she’d said. She covered her face with her hands, feeling her cheeks and the tips of her ears reddening.

But his grin only widened as his eyes narrowed, the most ridiculously handsome, smug look crossing over his face. “Do you judge everyone so harshly? What? I can’t be pretty and smart?”

Aelin’s hands slid off her face as she met his gaze, once again. “I never called you pretty.”

“But you called me gorgeous,” he countered, and at her scowl he breathed a laugh. “I’m Rowan.”

“I know,” she said, and held up her phone. “I cyber stalked you, remember?”

“Ah,” he said, leaning forward. “I can’t deny I did the same to you, Aelin.”

Oh, she liked the way her name sounded on his lips. His voice alone, that accent, had her toes curling.

“Did you swipe right?” She asked, slipping her phone in her back pocket.

Rowan smirked. “Guess you’ll never know, since you decided to swipe left.”

He adjusted the laptop case on his shoulder and winked, before walking over and sitting down at the closest plug, leaving Aelin staring.

————

How to unswipe left on tinder.

The question she typed in her browser mocked her and she sighed.

She picked at her unappetizing chicken - she thought it was chicken, at least - she’d picked up in the airport food court and looked around. The place was packed, travelers from everywhere stuck here until the storm passed. Almost every table was occupied, though she had gotten lucky and found one of the small ones by the wall. She was inclined to stay here until her flight finally departed, but she figured she could at least go to the bar until her flight and give someone else her table.

She was putting her trash on the tray, getting ready to get up when a head of silver hair sat down at the table across from her.

She blinked, watching his every movement as he plopped his tray down on the tabletop. He, unlike Aelin, went with burrito. After consuming her chicken…ish lunch, the burrito looked wonderful. She eyed it with envy.

“May I join you?” he asked, not bothering to wait for her to reply as he unwrapped the burrito from the foil and taking a bite.

Aelin opened her mouth to reply, but her lips snatched shut. She had already finished eating, was ready to go waste her time elsewhere. “I was headed to the bar.”

Rowan nodded, slowly, as he took another bite. He waited to swallow before asking, “So, first you swipe left, then you don’t want to eat with me? Apparently I need to take a hint. Then again…you did say I was gorgeous…so.” 

Aelin was caught somewhere between wanting to run and hide, and wanting to jump his bones. The latter was more appealing, but the former felt easier, all things considering. 

She pursed her lips. “Did you swipe, right?”

The gleam in his eye was wicked. “Have lunch with me.”

She exhaled through her nose. “Fine.”

Rowan raised an eyebrow. “Don’t act so excited about it.”

Aelin closed her eyes and sighed. She was being a bitch.

Well, she was a bitch, but she was letting her bitch show.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “You kind of…caught me on an off day.”

He looked around while he chewed,at their surroundings, at the people around them. “Yeah, I think we’re all having an off day.”

Aelin let Rowan eat, not asking him questions every few minutes, despite wanting to, though she did respond to his while he quietly ate.

He asked what she did for a living, she said she didn’t know because she was on the way home from graduating college. He asked what her degree was in, she said literature and English education.

He was balling up the aluminum foil and standing when he asked, “So you have a degree in education but you don’t know what you want to do for a living?”

They grabbed their various bags and carry-ons and she shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so.”

He said, obviously, “Have you thought about teaching?”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course, I have, but I have more passion for literature and English than I do for standing up in front of a classroom full of kids only to be disrespected and unappreciated.” 

Rowan looked at her, thoughtfully. “I had the same fear when I began, once I got my degree. But, I fucking love history, and my kids, for the most part, are great. If you choose to become an educator…well, the vibe of your classroom is in your hands.”

Aelin’s eyes narrowed but she didn’t protest. “Come get a drink with me.”

Rowan arched a brow. “Is this a date?”

Aelin put a hand on her hip. “Did you swipe right?”

He tilted his head. “Let me buy you a drink.”

“You said you’d tell me if I had lunch with you,” she laughed.

“I didn’t, actually.” He was smirking and Aelin wanted to wipe it off his handsome face, in whatever way she could. “I just mentioned that you should eat with me after I asked and you chose to.”

Aelin opened her mouth to disagree but then snapped it closed. He was right. “You tricked me.” He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

She stopped walking and he stopped and turned. She narrowed her eyes at him and said, “Tell me if you swiped right and I’ll have a drink with you.”

He smirked. “Deal.”

She crossed her arms, waiting.

Rowan just arched a brow. “Come on. I’ll tell you after the first drink.”

Aelin’s mouth fell open, but Rowan was walking away, down the terminal. Aelin wanted so desperately to grab him by the shoulders and shake him until he confessed, but she didn’t. Unable to control herself, she only walked after him, intrigued.

“What gate are you flying out of?” Rowan asked as she caught up to him. 

She knew exactly which gate it was, but she wanted to see if she could make him squirm. “C.”

She kept her head straight, didn’t glance over at him as he looked at her. She just asked, “You?”

That half smile returned and she knew that he knew she was trying to mess with him. “C, as well.”

They got to the bar and sat down, being waited in quickly, despite the larger than normal crowd. Aelin ordered a jack and coke and Rowan a 7&7.

The bartender gave them their ID’s back and said, “Thank you, and happy birthday, Miss Galathynius.”

She cringed as Rowan turned to look at her. “It’s your birthday?”

She lifted her hands and gave a half-assed attempt at spirit fingers. “Surprise.”

He stared at her for a moment before he said, “You should’ve said something.”

“What’s the point?” she muttered.

Rowan blinked, still watching her through his side-eye. “What do you mean?”

Aelin snorted as their drinks were slid in front of them. “I was supposed to be celebrating my birthday at home, with my best friend on the beach; but, instead, I’m here, stuck at the airport. I don’t even remember the last time I’ve had an interesting birthday.”

Rowan nodded. “If it makes you feel any better, I spent my last birthday in the hospital.”

“What?” Aelin asked, sipping her drink. “How?”

“Horrible food poisoning,” he laughed. “I’ve never been that sick in my life.”

Aelin shook her head. “Maybe we can celebrate our birthdays together.”

Rowan chuckled. “My birthday was five months ago.”

Aelin took another drink and set her glass down. “And?” She shrugged. “It’s someone’s birthday everyday. Why not make it yours?”

Rowan eyed her for a moment, his lips teasing the edge of his glass. Then, he said, “Alright. Fine. Today is both of our birthdays, what should we do?”

“Raise hell, obviously,” Aelin answered, shrugging, as she took a sip from her glass.

Rowan only grinned. “And what does raising hell look like to Aelin Galathynius?”

She smirked, but a thunder clap drew her attention to the windows they sat across from, to the storm raging outside. A crease formed between her brows. “Definitely doesn’t look like an extended layover in Adarlan.”

Rowan watched her, wanting to brush back the hair that slipped from behind her ear. He turned to the bartender and said, “Two shots of Gentleman’s.”

Aelin’s eyebrows raised. “Well, that’s one way to wake hell up.”

The small glasses were set in front of them and Rowan said, “To raising hell, Miss Galathynius.”

Aelin rolled her eyes and threw the shot back.

The bourbon warmed her entire body and she shook her head, blowing out a sharp breath. Rowan was watching her, a small smile on his face. He paid up their tab and they made their way over to the information board by the bar entrance.

“Has yours been updated?” Rowan asked, scanning the flights.

Aelin found hers instantly. “No, still just delayed.”

He nodded. “Mine too.”

“So,” she began. “What’s next on the birthday agenda?”

An easy smile spread across his face as he said, “Presents.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Presents?”

They walked over to one of the small convenience stores tucked in between the Starbucks and the restrooms. “Since today isn’t actually my birthday, I don’t get anything. But you do.”

She looked at the glorified gas station snacks lined up in the fancy shelving. “Oh goodie, a Snickers bar and the latest issue of Erilea Weekly.”

“Is that what you want?” He asked.

She laughed. “Not really. I don’t need anything though.”

“Everyone needs something on their birthday.” Aelin glanced up at him and he was looking down at her.

You could kiss me, she thought. That would be a pretty good gift.

Instead she said, “Okay, then surprise me.”

Rowan’s smile grew. “Gladly.”

Rowan took a step and Aelin followed, but then he froze, and blinked. “What are you doing?”

“What do you mean what am I doing?” Aelin asked, taking a step back, confused.

But Rowan only arched a brow and grinned. “If I’m going to surprise you, you can’t see what I pick out. Go away.”

Aelin snorted but sighed. “Fine. My gate is C-17. I’ll be there when you’re done.”

Rowan’s smile was triumphant. “See you there.”

Aelin headed back to the gate, sitting by the window and watching the storms swirl around them. She felt her phone buzz in her pocket. It was Lysandra, but no picture accompanied her text this time.

How goes the long, boring wait?

She sighed. Long and boring. I have company though.

The text immediately showed “Read” and the grey typing bubbles reappeared.

Company? How?

Where? The airport?

Is he hot?

How did you meet?

Aelin smirked and typed back. I swiped left on him.

The bubbles reappeared and left and reappeared. I’m not following.

He’s gorgeous, so after hardcore staring at this face, I decided I didn’t want to get catfished.

So I swiped left.

And then I turned around and found him standing there, looking just as pretty as his pictures.

She hit send and waited, anticipating Lysandra’s next question.

What’s his name??

She laughed, knowing that Lysandra was probably driving Aedion insane with her commentary.

She replied, Rowan. And no, I don’t have a last name, but I think he’s flying into Orynth and he’s a history teacher.

The message sent and Aelin waited for her reply. The message was read, but nothing came in.

Twenty minutes later, when Lysandra hadn’t texted back and Rowan hadn’t shown, Aelin began to chew on the inside of her cheek.

She suddenly felt ridiculous. Most likely, Rowan had used it as an excuse to get rid of her. They were strangers, and nothing more. He wanted to get her a gift? Bullshit. He probably thought it was pathetic that she was spending her birthday alone in an airport and was getting a laugh out of the whole scenario. 

Aelin rose to her feet with the intention of grabbing her bag and going to the ladies room just for something to do, but then she saw him coming toward her, a shopping bag in hand.

“Going somewhere?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

She dropped her purse back into the seat she’d been occupying. “Just to the ladies room.” She smiled sweetly, hoping he didn’t realize she’d been about to bail.

Granted, she thought he’d bailed on her.

He nodded. “Well, then, I’ll be here.”

He sat down in the spot next to the one she vacated and smiled at her.

Aelin began to walk away, but she turned and looked back at him. “By the way, you’re not, like, a serial killer that’s going to sell my organs on the black market, right?”

Rowan laughed, the sound rich and full and reminded Aelin of a bonfire on a crisp Autumn evening. “No, I’m not a serial killer and no, I won’t sell your organs on the black market.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Or the white market?”

He shook his head, chuckling, “How about this? I have no intention of causing you any bodily harm or removing your organs from where they already are.”

Aelin smiled and nodded, and continued into the bathroom. When she was washing her hands, her phone vibrated again and upon she pulling it from her pocket, she discovered why Lysandra had gone dark.

His name is Rowan Whitethorn. He’s twenty-eight, fit as fuck and looks like he could fuck you into a fit. He’s a teacher at Orynth Prep, where he’s also the coach of the varsity baseball team. His birthday is January seventh and he has a kitten named Snowball.

Aelin sighed and shook her head, laughing at her best friend.

You’re terrifying sometimes, you know that, right?

Her phone buzzed again.

Enjoy, bitch.

Then about twenty pictures flooded her inbox.

She had done a thorough job, Aelin had to admit. The few pictures she sent of Rowan shirtless certainly proved her “fit” comment. She didn’t feel the least bit shamed as she zoomed in on his washboard abs.

Aelin couldn’t help but stare, and gape, before she shoved her phone back into her pocket and went back out toward the gate, where Rowan was still sitting, scrolling through his phone. The second he sat her coming, his phone was put away.

“I was beginning to think you got lost,” he said, cocking his head to the side. 

Aelin cleared her throat. “I- yes, I did.”

His eyes flicked to the bathroom, which was a direct line to where he was sitting.

She sat and tucked the loose hairs behind her ears. “So what’s my present?”

She smiled and he couldn’t fight the tugging on the corners of his own lips. He handed her the shopping bag. “Happy birthday, Aelin.”

She opened it up, first pulling out a stuffed teddy bear, that was red and gold, the colors of Adarlan’s flag. In the center of its stomach was a big gold heart. She laughed. “Cute.”

He shrugged as if to say, I know.

She reached in and pulled out a t-shirt that read I’d rather be spending my birthday on the beach, but I’m stuck with a hot piece of ass at the airport.

Aelin threw her head back and laughed. “Where did you find this?”

He was chuckling himself. “You can convince people to make anything for the right price.”

She shook her head and pulled the last item out of the bag. It was a glass shot glass. Aelin didn’t even read the text printed, because Rowan said, “I was hoping you’d take a shot on me and let me take you to dinner.”

Aelin stared at him, blinked, then howled. Rowan watched her as she laughed, heartily, his slow grin spreading.

Once she calmed down, she wiped at her eyes and said, “Well, I can’t say no to that, can I?”

Rowan’s eyes were soft as he said, “I was hoping not.”

Aelin put her gifts back in the bag and said, “Thank you, really. This was sweet.”

“You’re welcome,” he said, softly. “Is that a yes to dinner, then?”

1. Delegate Tasks: It is common for all of us to take more tasks than our desired potential. This can often result in stress and burnout. Delegation is not running away from your responsibilities but is an important function of management. Learn the art of delegating work to your subordinates as per their skills and abilities.

2. Prioritize Work: Before the start of the day, make a list of tasks that need your immediate attention as unimportant tasks can consume much of your precious time. Some tasks need to be completed on that day only while other unimportant tasks could be carried forward to next day.  In short, prioritize your tasks to focus on those that are more important.

3. Avoid Procrastination: Procrastination is one of the things that badly affect the productivity. It can result is wasting essential time and energy. It should be avoided at all costs. It could be a major problem in both your career and your personal life.

4. Schedule Tasks: Carry a planner or notebook with you and list all the tasks that come to your mind. Make a simple ‘To Do’ list before the start of the day, prioritize the tasks, and make sure that they are attainable. To better manage your time management skills, you may think of making 3 lists: work, home, and personal.

5. Avoid Stress: Stress often occurs when we accept more work than our ability. The result is that our body starts feeling tired which can affect our productivity. Instead, delegate tasks to your juniors and make sure to leave some time for relaxation.

6. Set up Deadlines: When you have a task at hand, set a realistic deadline and stick to it. Try to set a deadline few days before the task so that you can complete all those tasks that may get in the way. Challenge yourself and meet the deadline. Reward yourself for meeting a difficult challenge.

7. Avoid Multitasking: Most of us feel that multitasking is an efficient way of getting things done but the truth is that we do better when we focus and concentrate on one thing. Multitasking hampers productivity and should be avoided to improve time management skills.

8. Start Early: Most of the successful men and women have one thing in common. They start their day early as it gives them time to sit, think, and plan their day. When you get up early, you are more calm, creative, and clear-headed. As the day progresses, your energy levels start going down which affects your productivity and you don’t perform as well.

9. Take Some Breaks: Whenever you find yourself for 10-15 minutes, take a break. Too much stress can take the toll on your body and affect your productivity. Take a walk, listen to some music or do some quick stretches. The best idea is to take off from work and spend time with your friends and family.

Or at least that’s always how it’s been phrased for me, by others. Now I realize that my interest for the old thing didn’t fade so much as my interest for something new outshined it, and that’s vastly different. 

I was always made to feel bad about it, with every abandoned endeavour I was told I needed to stop starting things if I wasn’t going to stick with them. I was told I was wasting time and money picking up these random interests and abandoning them after a year. 

So eventually, I stopped picking things up. I told myself “what’s the point, I’m going to give up in a year anyway”. Even worse, I started dismissing every new interest, because I had no way of knowing if my interest was “real” enough or just another passing phase. I stopped trying new things, I stopped looking up stuff that piqued my curiosity, and having chronic depression made it really easy to leave everything on the dirty floor of neglected ideas. The more they piled up, the more depressing it was. All these things that could be nice, but I just can’t take care of them. 

I realize now how bullshit that kind of thinking is. So what if I stopped doing karate after a year? That’s one more year of karate than most people I know. And in that year I learned discipline, I learned to listen to a teacher, something I had never done before in all my years of private education. I learned the true meaning of respect, that it’s something you do out of faith at first and maintain as it’s reciprocated, not something you do blindly and regardless of how you’re treated. 

It gave me the foundation for the determination and grounding I needed to practice yoga. Another year. Not enough to be good at it maybe, but again a year more than most people I know and a year that is not lost, but gained. I learned balance, I learned to listen to my body, I learned how to let go of emotional tightness through physical stretching. 

And then iaido, only a few weeks because I couldn’t afford to keep going. The year of yoga I had done a couple years previous had given me a better starting point than the other newcomers to the class. I already had balance, I had strength in my legs and I had better posture. In those months I learned the importance of precision, the true definition of efficacy, the zen state that is incessant repetition. 

Did I practice long enough to get good at iaido, and yoga, and karate? No. Of course not. It takes years to become proficient and decades to master any of those things, but I learned other skills and those skills were an invaluable part of my growth both spiritually and emotionally. Likewise for my forays into painting, sewing, graphic design, film. I’m a photography student now heading into my second year of school, and every single second of practice I have in those other disciplines has given me more experience in those areas and made learning easier. 

1. See the good in your past. There will always be things that we wish had never happened; there will always be bad memories and things that we regret. But they are part of who you are – so accept that they have happened and celebrate the person they’ve allowed you to become.

2. Invest time in the things that bring you happiness. It’s important to identify the things that you enjoy, and that make you come alive, and are all a part of “you”. Spending time on those things will help to raise your self-esteem, as you’re valuing yourself when you pursue happiness.

3. Forgive yourself for your mistakes. We all make mistakes - and when we think of them we cringe. But that doesn’t make you any worse than other people. Just try and learn what you can, and then move on with your life.

4. Stop criticising yourself. So often we’re really our own worst enemy. We look for our flaws, and we put ourselves down – instead of being understanding of our own limitations. It’s time to change that behaviour – so start loving yourself.

5. Listen to your instincts and intuitions. If you want to love yourself, you must listen to yourself. Pay attention to those instincts and your instant gut reaction – and trust that you are right when you hear that inner voice.

based on this post, with my own additions. these tips can be used both for school tasks and for everyday tasks like cooking or cleaning, but they are mostly focussed on school!

not working because you feel tired?

eat and drink something! often I don’t notice that I’m hungry or thirsty and just feel really fatigued and don’t know why. then I eat/drink and feel better really quickly!

have something with a bit of caffeine.

try to expose yourself to natural (or at least bright) light.

do a mini workout to get your heart pumping. skipping is fun?

keep yourself stimulated. play upbeat music, use bright colours in your notes, etc.

not working because you’re struggling to think straight or or organise your thoughts?

talk through what you need to get done with a friend, your teacher/professor, etc. they can help you organise your thoughts around the task and come up with a plan!

break the task up into small, easy to approach chunks. write them down.

use a visual planning method like a mindmap to organise your thoughts - putting them down like this can help you sort out the confusing tangled mess of thoughts in your brain.

not working because you feel bored or frustrated with the task and are struggling to push through it?

reward yourself for completing parts of the task (keep the reward non-distracting though, or it can lead to the next problem!). you could set up an accountability system with a friend - they could, for example, promise to bake you something if you manage to get a task done on time.

list the reasons why you should finish the task. use these as motivation.

relieve your restless energy by doing something active during your breaks (like working out), and by keeping yourself stimulated while working on the task (for example by using a fidget toy).

if it’s frustrating because it’s difficult, get help!

modify the task to make it a bit more fun. relate it back to your interests, use fun stationery, etc. this might involve asking your teacher/professor if you can complete an alternate task. they’re usually pretty accommodating.

not working because you’re distracted by other activities?

use an app like ‘Forest’ to encourage you to work solidly on your task for a period of time without getting distracted.

block distracting websites.

write down thoughts and activities that you want to come back to later after finishing your task, rather than getting caught up in them.

related to above - use the Chrome extension ‘Tab Snooze’ to put distracting browser tabs away for later.

if you don’t need internet for your task, go work somewhere where you can’t access the internet.

not working because you feel stressed about the task and trying to do it makes you feel worse?

try the two-minute rule - work on the task for just two minutes. you might find that after this time the initial anxiety around starting the task has faded and you can continue to work on it.

similarly, break your task up into small, manageable chunks and approach them one-by-one. remember that something is better than nothing, even if that something is just writing out the subheadings in your report.

try to make your work environment calm and comfy to soothe you while you work on the task - turn a heater on if you like it to be warm, keep the space minimal and organised, play calm music, etc.

This masterpost is requested by @piiess

As we continue to commemorate World Mental Health Day, let us continue to remember that “It’s okay not to be okay.”

Dealing with mental health while studying

Saving your grades from a mental health crisis by @smartstudy

Chronic illness + studying by @studysenior

Coping with mental health by @overstudies

A few bad feelings and how to beat them

Tips for surviving college (with a mental illness) by @annafreuds

Healthy body, healthy mind staying fit while exercising the brain by @scolae

Stop glorifying unhealthy study habits by @thestudyingnightowl

Studying with mental illness by @linamstudies

Studying with mental illness by @harlostudies

Studying with a mental illness by @student-succulent

Helping your mentally ill friends through exam periods: masterpost by @celeztialstudies

Managing mental illness as a student by @medkip

Mental health and university how to deal with a bad week a masterpost

How to (realistically) study when your mental illness doesn’t want you to by @midiluc

Autism

How to cope with loud fireworks if you’re autistic

Burnout

How to deal with study burnout by @eintsein

How to avoid education burnout by @neuroticmedblr

Tips for avoiding burnout and staying motivated by @coffeesforstudiers

Burnout 101 by @polcry

Overcoming burnout while continuing to study by @rewritign

Avoiding burnout by @acdemic

Eating disorder

Recovery record

Dyslexia

Dyslexia masterpost by @izzystudies

ADHD

Apps for disorganised +/or ADHD students by @studiix

ADHD resources by @psychlu

Depression

Study tips whilst dealing with depression by @sdklfhdsdkfjhg

Studying with depression by @rannedomblr

Studying with depression by @notquitenightingale

Struggling with depression while in school by @inactivegardenum

Depression/executive dysfunction cleaning tips by @dormouse11

Depression tips by @lesbiananabray

Advice for severe depression and anxiety and executive dysfunction by @urie

Advice for dealing with long term depression and anxiety by @13chancess

Things I never knew about depression until I finally had a doctor explain the disease to me

Tips for someone who also battles with depression by @bloggerforstudentprogress-blog

Bullet journaling with depression by @littleninjastudies

Anxiety

Coping with anxiety by @hufflepuffwannabe

Coping with anxiety by @sheisrecovering

Coping statements for anxiety by @onlinecounsellingcollege

Anxiety attacks aren’t always hyperventilating and rocking back and forth by @ugly-bread

Anxiety distraction games by @peachou

Anxiety masterpost by @dotgrids

Why doing something relaxing does not help with your anxiety by @merrybitchmas91

Living and studying with anxiety by @hayley-studies

Dealing with test anxiety

Study sounds by @studyquill

Mood disorder

What is a “mood disorder” anyway? by @battle-with-bipolar

Meditation

Meditation and focus

Selfcare

A very brief guide to self-care by @ejlandsman

Some self-care/mental health tips for the upcoming school year by @badvogues

Ways to practice selfcare by @librarystudies

Resources

Apps for your mental health by @highlightcrs

Mental illness apps by @recoverywarriorx

Some reminders

Mental health is just as important as physical health by @cwote

Don’t let your mind bully your body

There’s a difference between: pushing yourself and pushing yourself pass your limit by @chibird

Your life can look so different, so much better, in just a few months. keep going by @studyblr

Reminder: you can’t change the past and worrying makes you suffer twice. we all forget that once in a while.

Remember that time you thought you wouldn’t survive? Well you did and you can do it again

You aren’t a problem that needs to be solved

You are not unloveable

Mental health first, everything will follow

I may not be there yet but i’m closer than i was yesterday

Everything you feel is real

Allow yourself to recover

You matter

It’s a disorder, not a decision

Its okay if the only thing you did today was survive

Focus on the good

Stop beating yourself up. You didn’t do anything wrong

Hey, it’s not your fault

You don’t have to justify your emotions to anyone

Never apologise for how you feel

Other masterposts by me 

Selfcare

Apps for students

Literature

Ace your essays

Chinese

Being a student is hard. Being a busy student is harder. So, how do you deal with being a busy student? By being proactive. Here are some tips I picked up by being super busy all of the time:

Plan ahead. Most people will wait until it’s almost time to register for classes to start planning their semester, but look ahead for the next two semesters at the start of the school year. That way you’ll know if there’s a class you want to take that’s only offered during one semester or the other when to take it. Or if it’s offered at one time in the Fall versus the Winter.

Have back up plans. Whether that’s for classes, places to work, transportation, whatever. Don’t think that just because you have everything planned out that something won’t go wrong.

Know yourself. I hate mornings, and I’m always more energized and ready to do things in the fall than I am in the winter. This means I would always make sure to schedule my classes at 10 AM onward and take my hardest classes during the Fall semester when I had the most motivation. This may not always be possible, but it made my life easier going to my nice easy classes when I wasn’t motivated.

Know your limits. Say no to that fourth club, second show, extra sport, study group you’re just trying to squeeze in, whatever it is, if you know that you can’t handle it. No one is going to think bad about you because you decided to put yourself first.

Have a calendar/planner/agenda/bullet journal/whatever to keep track of your stuff. Whether your stuff is club meetings, office hours, assignments, work… Make sure that you’re writing down EVERYTHING. Because there’s nothing worse than getting a “where are you????” text because you forgot to pick your friend up from the airport.

Get as much sleep as possible. Let me repeat that: GET AS MUCH SLEEP AS POSSIBLE. GET AS MUCH SLEEP AS POSSIBLE. Okay, we good? Good. 

Don’t try to pack everything into one day. Yeah, it would be nice to go to class, study for six hours, write three papers, see your friends, climb Mount Everest, visit every country in the world, and still sleep all by Monday night at 9, but let’s be real, you can’t do all of that in one day. 

Go easy on the caffeine. Your body, heart, and anxiety will thank you later. 

All of the freebies are linked below :-)

2018:

2018 free student printables (2018 overview + calendar, daily + weekly + monthly planner, 30 habit tracker, class overview and timed worklog)

2018 monthly printables

2019:

2019 student printables (2018-19 overview, 2019 overview, 2019 key dates, year in pixels, monthly portrait planner)

monthly printables to be added soon

Timed schedules/planners:

study schedule printables

week at a glance printables

weekly planner (monday and sunday start)

weekend planner

daily planner

Studying:

languages study pack (two options - 16 pages of premade tables or 8 pages of customisable/blank tables)

study planner pack (daily + weekly + monthly study planner, 10 minute planner, study plan, study tracker, subject and chapter summary, and priority breakdown)

DIY flashcard printables (2 covers, dotted, lined, grid, Q&A versions)

assessment planner (two options)

subject to do list planner

study session planner

back to school printable set (includes 2017-18 academic year calendar (monday + sunday start), semester overview, assessment + grade tracker, revision checklist, untimed weekly organiser, study session tracker)

exam printable pack (includes topic revision checklist, definitions + formula sheet, essay + project planner, weekly schedule)

binder / subject covers / topic pages (16 colours)

Misc:

to-do list printables

100 days of productivity tracker printable (explanation of 100 days challenge here)

literary techniques and devices sheet (goes with this post)

note taking printables (includes dotted, grid, lined, Cornell paper)

organic chemistry printable

Motivational quotes/art printables:

motivational monday quote printables

Handwriting:

cursive handwriting cheatsheet (goes with this post)

normal handwriting cheatsheet

If you’re using Safari and it is saying ‘too many redirects’, try the following:

open a private safari browser, and try from there

use an alternative browser such as google chrome

or go directly here

Hey! I have just a few!

diary: log your day, write what you did, just a record of your day-to-day happenings

stories: write down all the stories or ideas for them you have. Perhaps if you read on you like, do a summary or review!

bullet journal: note down all your daily to-do and focus on getting them done!

gratitude journal: write down things you’re grateful for each day and why

365 journal: write down a sentence a day. Could be a quote you like, an event that happened, a funny moment or something!

dream log: write down your dreams and maybe research their meaning!

review journal: if you see a movie or read a book write down your thoughts!

photo a day journal: make a daily scrapbook/photo album

expense tracker: note each thing you spend your money (you could track everything or just the things you treat yourself on)

goals journal: set yourself a goal and try to map out how you will achieve over a certain amount of time! Record how well you’re doing!

recipe book: write down ingredients and an easy step-by-step guide so you can always make something to eat

dashboard notebook: a little book that is kind of a hub of your life such as important emergency contacts, accounts names/passwords/emails, etc

tv show tracker: note down each season and cross of episodes as you go. You could also write down important parts of each episode so you can be reminded of what you’ve seen.

inspiration/mood-book: print off photos, quotes, random bits and bobs that you find inspiration

gift log: write down the birthdays, anniversaries, holidays of your friends and note down any ideas you might think they’d like as a gift. If they ever say “I love that!” then make a note of what it is and where to get it so you can get later!

wishlist journal: take note of things you’d like to buy over the year!

happiness journal: make a scrapbook of things that make you happy - could be photos, quotes, events, people, etc

monthly overview, goals and reflection: each month write down things that happened and how you felt

project/assessment book: plan out all your school or university assignments such as due dates, word count, to-dos, questions, citations, etc

‘fuck that’ book: when you’re angry or annoyed by something, write it down, rant about until your hearts content!

your own wreck this journal - you can Google to see what I mean but make your own version. Either you come up with ideas or maybe get a friend to write down cool things to do.

magazine clipping journal - if you see anything you like, cut it and stick it in. For me, I’d maybe do street style or runway fashion!

swatch book: whenever you get some new pens, make a swatch board of them!

friendship journal: you and your friend(s) could make a book where you write down things you like about each other, places you go to together, photos you take, etc. Maybe pass it around each week and you can all review what you’re doing!

travel log: even if you aren’t travelling far or overseas write down where you go and what it was like. Write down places you’d like to visit or things you’d like to see!

doodle book: just a book full of random drawings, sketches, etc

writing prompts: find some writing prompts that you’d like to continue and get writing! reddit has a page specifically for this so a great way to get started :-)

receipts book: stick in all the things you spend your money on either to track or just out of curiosity!

flower press log: a cool way to save any pretty plants you find!

scrapbook: put in some of your favourite things in there! You could maybe do them for your friends for cute, personalised gifts!

handwriting practice: take time to practice your lettering, caligraphy or just normal handwriting!

habit tracker: do a ‘don’t break the chain’ kind of thing to either create or break your habits!

diyself help book: on studyblr, in life, online, etc there are so many people and places giving advice on how to do something. Sometimes there are the few ideas that resonate and you want to implement. Perhaps use the book to write these key ones down. They can become a reference point for later!