A Hardworking Small Plant

September is Suicide Prevention Month, and we’ve created free resources to download and share.  Here’s our self-care guide, to help you during the back to school season with tips on how to practice self-care at home, at school, and in public. 

One supportive person can prevent suicide. Communicating and connecting about suicide can be the first step towards empowering LGBTQ youth to get the care they need. We can all show LGBTQ youth that they are welcome, they are loved, and they deserve support.

Working at my university’s writing center, I did a lot of résumé building with students fresh out of high school with little or no job experience or skills. They were usually looking for summer jobs, internships, or part time jobs for the school year. Together, we’d take a look at their experiences and put together a compelling résumé based on what they’d need to show to get hired. But before we get to building a résumé, let’s talk about getting there first.

The Job Search

Chances are, if you’re applying for a summer job or part time job for the school year, you’re not necessarily going to find work in your dream field. This is common, and you might as well assume it as you begin your search. What you can look for in your search is a job that will let you build skills that can be transferrable to other jobs in the future. Customer service experience comes in handy in so many fields, and there are so, so many customer service jobs available at grocery stores, coffee shops, and other retailers for workers with no skills. I recommend applying to stores because you will most likely learn customer service skills, teamwork, and time management at the very least. These can be major assets later on in life.

Writing a Résumé

It’s not as scary as you think. In fact, Purdue Owl provides a great example résumé here. Canva also has wonderful templates. Of course, what you choose to put on your résumé is more important than its appearance. And this is where you can compensate from your lack of job experience. Begin with volunteer work. What have you done that can be transferrable to a job? Have you worked at something like a bake sale, handling money and selling to customers? That would be perfect experience for a sales job. Perhaps the nature of your volunteer work has taught you particular values that will make you a good employee, like hard work and independence. You may also want to consider including your hobbies on your résumé if they demonstrate a great deal of discipline, like sports or playing an instrument.

Writing a Cover Letter

When you have the opportunity to write a cover letter, always write a cover letter! It’s definitely your chance to stand out and explain why you are the right person for the job. This is the only opportunity you have to explain how the experience you listed in your résumé is relevant. Once you have an understanding of the job you’re applying to and what it requires, you can show how your values and experience align with the available position. Make a strong case for yourself, really give the hard sell. For more information about writing cover letters, visiting Purdue Owl here.

I used to have a lot of trouble still do with procrastination and I realized that, in my new studyblr days, I didn’t know how to utilize my studyblr to help me and it was just another way for me to procrastinate and feel productive. If you can relate to this, you could probably benefit from this little dose of studyblr realness.

Don’t use your studyblr just for aesthetics: studyspo is great for inspiration and motivation, and it’s probably what drew you to the studyblr community, but it shouldn’t be what makes you stay. You won’t be able to take anything worthwhile from your blog if all you reblog is photos of beautiful notes. Mix it up with masterposts and printables and photos of “non-aesthetic” notes.

Don’t use methods that don’t work for you: if you absolutely cannot understand mindmaps but absolutely love the way they look, resist the urge to make them. You’ll only end up confusing yourself and wasting time. Only use note taking and studying methods that make sense to you. 90 percent of the time they’ll be things that you used before you made a studyblr. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t experiment with different styles and methods, but only stick to what works for you.

Discipline over motivation: imho, the study community  overstates the importance and effectiveness of motivation. Don’t get me wrong, motivation makes studying more enjoyable when you have it, but more often than not you don’t. In the end, motivation isn’t what makes you study every night, or stick with self studying a language. You have to discipline yourself to study when you don’t want to, or work when you’re tired. My old French teacher used to say “Don’t fall into the trap of waiting motiviation, and just do it” and I feel like that’s super important with this. (1, 2, 3)

Talking about studying isn’t studying: sort of related to number 3, don’t let your studyblr be another way to put off work. It’s all to easy to think “I’m blogging about studying; in being productive,” but it’s a dangerous thing to do. Studyspo is great, but don’t let scrolling through your feed become another method of procrastination.

Take photos after you study: or during, but not before. I used to spend so long taking pictures of my notes, that I wouldn’t have time to study them. I still take too long photographing my notes to take picture, so I’ve started using a pomorodo timer. After 25 minutes, I’ll use my five minute break to take photos. It’s increases my productivity so much, and I’m not sure how I ever functioned without that system.

Just get it done (and prioritize): honestly, sometime you just have to forget about trying to make your notes look pretty and just go for functionality over looks. Just let go of any studyblr ideals and do what you need to do. If you don’t have time to bullet journal and get your work finished, use an electronic calendar or don’t spend so long on your journal. Most importantly, be real with yourself. At the end of the day, you know yourself best, and you know what you need to do.

Good luck on your studyblr journeys lovelies, hope this helped!

DIY INSPIRED BY… | TILLANDSIA PLANTER