#studstudies

[08.01.2017]

It has been already almost 6 months+ since my last update on my bujo omg 😱 I’m sorry for being inactive all these months, 2016 was a busy and stressful year for me. 2017 would be my last year of Form 6 life and I believe that things are getting difficult, but I’ll face it bravely and strive for the best!! 😇

hey guys! it’s currently spring break for many, although most people’s spring breaks have already passed. i scheduled this post, so right now i’m on vacation in washington dc! 

i travel quite a lot so here are my tips for how to study while you are traveling. keep in mind that these are for your average vacation trip, not heavy duty travel like backpacking. 

this is legitimately the hardest thing in the world. if you’re not a stationery addict, you can skip this part. (although i hope you keep reading!)

condense your giant pen collection into a small bag and include only these things:

1 mechanical pencil & graphite for it

an eraser

1 black pen for writing 

2-3 colored pens and 2 highlighters (in one color scheme)

if you need other supplies for a specific subject (like i would need a protractor because i have geometry) bring that too.

this probably seems self explanatory but it’s really really really important. make sure you have chunks of time set aside to do schoolwork, most likely in the evenings after you return from whatever fun activity you did that day. if you’re a morning person, try working in the early morning! i find myself to be more focused and alert right after breakfast.

if you need a planning system, perhaps bullet journaling? [my bullet journal tag] you can also use printable daily planners which can be found in my printables tag.

if you have online versions of your textbook, use those instead of lugging around a ten pound deadweight. chances are, you’re not going to use that whole thing. scan in the pages you think you’ll need, or even the whole book if you want to be extra prepared.

make sure you also have what you need on your phone.

a white noise app [ noisli | relax melodies ]

download study music [ my study playlist on spotify ]

bring earbuds or headphones !!!

bring earplugs if you need them

make sure you’ve brought your phone charger

you can easily find a general packing list on google, so i’m not going to include one. here are some specific things you may need for studying:

book light - you don’t want to drain your cell phone battery because you need its flashlight on to work in the dark

clipboard - if you’re outside or somewhere else without a flat surface to write on, this will save your work

loose leaf paper - not a notebook! too much unnecessary poundage

i would consider myself a seasoned traveler (not really, but i’ve traveled more than the average person), and here are some tips for traveling.

wear a cross body bag and keep it in front of you to prevent being pickpocketed. if you must, bring a high quality backpack. (i have a vendetta against jansports and their zippers so i don’t recommend those.)

drink lots and lots of water - overstated but so incredibly important in keeping you healthy and preventing severe jet lag

have fun at your destination! you’re out there to do what there is to do, not study all day! you can study at home.

hi guys! here’s some advice on how to take photos of your notes and other things for your studyblrs. i’m not an authority on this or anything, this is just how i personally take and edit my pictures. i hope this helps for any new studyblrs out there, or helps out more experienced studyblrs!

try to take pictures in natural lighting.

i have a nice big window in my room, although this isn’t the best day for photography as it’s cloudy. 

things always look better in the sunlight than in the harsh artificial light of your desk lamp.

this may be harder if you study when it’s dark out, i recommend studying during the daytime - not only for easier photo ops. working with the sun streaming in will keep you awake and make you feel invigorated.

choose a background that works.

i have a variety of backgrounds in my photos, but it’s not because i have thirteen thousand desks. 

i use my 14x17 sketchbook for a white background, but no worries if you don’t have one! white paper can work if you’re taking a picture of a small thing. 

you don’t need a white background either! i often use my wooden desk as a background because it looks pretty nice. i prefer the white paper though, because my desk has paint stains everywhere. (whoops)

make sure you choose a background that will complement the thing you’re photographing! if it’s mostly white, use a dark background. if it’s colorful and bright, use white. if there’s barely any color on it, you could even use patterned scrapbook paper as a background to add a pop of color to your photo. place your item on a variety of backgrounds to see how it looks.

put stuff around it.

try framing your notes with different things - pens, pencils, even potted plants. see what looks nice.

try some different angles too.

maybe a closeup? straight-on? or a diagonal like this one? play around with your options and see what you think looks good.

once you’re satisfied with a photo, it’s time to edit it!

i use polarr, a desktop app you can get for free on the chrome web store. any photo editing application works though, whatever you prefer!

i usually increase the exposure and contrast, and a bit of the saturation. don’t saturate your photos too much, they’ll look too bright and unnatural.

just fiddle around until you’re satisfied!

tada!

now it’s time to post it! if you want your post to be noticed, tag it with #studyblr and #studyspo, and if your favorite blogs track tags, tag them too! if you tag a post with #tbwstudies, i’ll see it and probably reblog it! :)

a short, important psa

you can be a wonderful studyblr without jumping through so many hoops to take photos. in fact, i encourage you not to do this often. if you spend more time embellishing and photographing your notes than actually studying them, you have a problem. that’s not the purpose of the studyblr community.

i personally love taking pictures of my notes and sharing them because it encourages me to write them neatly and keep organized, and seeing them come up on my dash reminds me to get off tumblr and actually study.