Southbound Belle Playlist #3: Study Songs

With finals in less than two weeks, I've been spending a fair share of my last half of break getting started on some studying. I'm a person who absolutely cannot study in silence...I always have some music going! Here are the songs that have been getting me through my study seshes. Enjoy!!

XO

Friday Five

My first post of 2013! As part of my resolution to be a better blogger, I figured that doing a Friday Five would be a good way to keep myself posting more consistently.

1. Last week I said RIP to my trusty riding boots from freshman year. Sad, I know, but it was about time for them to go. This morning, I ordered these beauties from Frye!!

I've been wanting these for so long and I can't wait for them to come in!

2. Lifeguard Press is having a huge sale on all their Lilly items through midnight tonight. If I wasn't all stocked up, I'd be taking full advantage of this one. 

3. Today marks the start of my final weekend of winter break, aka time to start doing all the work my lovely AP teachers assigned us over break and to start studying for my final exams in two weeks. Wonderful, no? I'm heading over to the library today to work on an essay and some notecards due the Tuesday I get back.

4. After dropping my phone so many times, my favorite case is chipped and breaking. I'm in the market for a new case, but I'm having such a hard time deciding! Vineyard Vines vs. Southern Proper vs. Kate Spade....oh my.

5. It's exactly four weeks until I'm headed down to DisneyWorld for the UDA National Dance Team Championship!! I had such a great time last year, and am so so so excited to make some more fabulous memories with my team.

My Study Essentials

Raise your hand if you can't stand studying. Me either! It's dull and uninteresting and so monotonous sometimes, even when you like the subject you're studying. However, there are definitely a few things that are foolproof ways to help me through a long study session.

leggings | sweatshirt | hair ties | tumbler

It's so much easier to study when you're comfy! I'm always wearing leggings or Norts and a sweatshirt when I study because I can concentrate so much better when I'm not preoccupied with how my clothes feel. I also always have my hair up when I study. It helps me so much to have it all out of the way and keep the distraction of it out of the way. And so I don't have to keep going down to the kitchen all the time, I keep a big glass of water on my desk at all times to stay hydrated and alert!

Another study must-have for me is music. I always, always, always have music playing when I study. Lately, I've had Garth Brooks, Michael Bublé, Jimmy Buffett, and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers in my daily rotation. Don't y'all worry, a study playlist is definitely in the works!!

What are your study essentials?

XO

Back to School: Study Habits

This is the third post in my Back to School series! Make sure you check out the first and second posts too!

A week or two ago I got a question on Tumblr requesting a post with study and organization tips (Organization will be the topic of my next post!!). That question inspired my whole back to school series, and really got me to take a look at my own study habits. I realized that at the beginning of each semester, it always takes a little bit of time for me to get back into the swing of things. Especially after a long summer, it's challenging to get back into a routine, especially a routine that includes studying. Ew. Here are some study habits that I've found to work for me. I hope this helps y'all!

Make a schedule. I know we all have our planners with things like meetings, clubs, parties, practices, and football games written in right next to homework and to do lists. That's only the beginning of your schedule. Make sure you also block out specific time for studying, dinner, and study breaks, as well as putting all of your other obligations there. A table or spreadsheet works great for this. If you're getting really specific, you can block out your time to study for specific classes in order of importance, or you can leave it more general and just give yourself study hours.

Take breaks. One of the biggest mistakes I see my friends–and myself!–make while studying is forgetting to take breaks. I have a tendency to sit down and study for long periods of time without breaks, and sooner or later I realize that I'm not really focused or taking in what I'm working on. Give yourself a break every hour. It doesn't have to be long, just five or ten minutes to decompress so you can finish your task with a clear head. And be sure to get up from your desk during your break to stretch your legs. Personally, I use my breaks as short periods of cardio!

Be realistic. That huge Calculus test? The massive research paper? A group presentation? All of these require careful planning and lots of preparation time. My biggest downfall in my high school career thus far has been my tendency to underestimate the amount of time I'll need to complete a task while overestimating my ability to complete it quickly but thoroughly. Being realistic when it comes to studying and doing assignments is my biggest goal this year. I definitely think that my past experiences, including a few all nighters, will serve as a good reminder when I'm making plans and study schedules that I need to work on being a bit more realistic. 

I really hoped this helped y'all and I would love to hear all of y'all's study habits and tips!

XO

De-Stressing

Ahh, Finals Week. How I've missed you. I actually do like Finals Week at my school. It's super laid back (go to school, take a test, leave!), I have no homework, and I get to catch up on my sleep. Yay!

For many people, Finals Week is super stressful. People at my school who are perfectly normal the rest of the year now freak out about failing their finals and failing their classes. It's ridiculous, and I was lucky enough to realize this before I took my finals the first semester of my freshman year. I use Finals Week as a time to clear my head and get my life back in order. Because let's face it, late in the semester, things get a little crazy.

The first thing I do to get rid of stress is to create time for myself. Whatever I want to do, for an hour each day, I do it. Whether it means reading a book, watching TV, or as is often in my case, going to an extra dance class, I take time for myself. It's so important to step back and look at the bigger picture. If you study yourself into oblivion, you won't perform well on your exam. Simple really. We all know that maintaining our mental health is crucial, especially in a potentially stressful time like this one.

I also make sure to exercise every day. For me, this is easy throughout the year, because I have Poms and dance classes almost every day, but during Finals Week, I take all my extra time to do more. During my study breaks, I'll do thirty minutes on the elliptical and come back feeling recharged and reenergized. Exercise clears your head and makes you happy. It's a scientifically proven fact. And who doesn't love science when it benefits you?

Lastly, I study, but I don't go overboard! I take an hour and a half for each subject with an exam–which is the time of each final exam at my school–and break that up over the days preceding my test. I use that hour and a half wisely, to skim over things I know and to deeply and thoroughly review the things I need extra help with. And when my ninety minutes is up, I'm done. I move on. I've realized that, after a certain point, all the studying in the world isn't going to help you pass if you don't know everything well enough deep down. Instead of learning everything the week of finals, I make sure I study hard throughout the semester so that I can take my exams with confidence.

Good luck to all of you who have exams this week!!

XO

North Shore Prep