Stick To What You Say You Will Do

Hello everyone! We are back for Motivation Monday ♥

Today, we'll be tackling sticking to whatever you plan to do. This is a problem that I have myself. This problem is also one very closely related to consistency.

The solution is quite simple: JUST GET STARTED.

Now, you may be thinking, "But it's too hard," or, "I have no time." Fine then; let's dismember those excuses, since they are the most common.

The level of difficulty something has just requires you to modify the way that you tackle the problem or task at hand. For example, something along the lines of a project will require you to break the major task down into several smaller parts. In the case of a task being to clean your room, you could break that down into sections of the room or mini tasks like "put away clothing" or "place shoes back in boxes" or "file mail". This will make your major tasks much less daunting and much more satisfying as you check off each individual task. A smaller task that would require you to break it down further would be something like "go to the gym" or "check email".

Having or not having time is a matter of organizing your day in a way that lets you have a time for everything that needs to get done. The key words there are organizing and needs. This calls on our skill of prioritizing. I've said it before in some posts, but it only helps to be repetitive: taking up a time management method is the most efficient way to organize your time according to priorities. I have a preference for the Spiraldex method but there are tons of others out there (Tumblr has helped me see that) and they are all just a google search away. You could also develop one that works best for you.

However, these two excuses have the same starting point. JUST GET STARTED. That may mean siting at your desk or at the place where you study. Maybe it means picking up your pen and just beginning to write that article or novel you've been meaning to get to. Perhaps it means opening your textbook and beginning to read. Or, in the case of the room in need of cleaning or tidying up, it may mean that you start by picking up the pair of shoes that have been lying around your bedroom floor. 

I like to write down the tasks I have to do as they come or at the end of the day, when I can write a note to do with each task, if need be. The perfect system for me then is the Bullet Journal.

Here is what my current week looks like:

Finding the tools to make sure you keep track of your progress is probably the most arduous part. However, you don't need a Bullet Journal to get your tasks started. A Bullet Journal can come up later, once you've gotten your practice moving through your tasks at hand. A Bullet Journal is just something to look forward to.

For now, JUST GET STARTED ♥

Don't Let Yourself Mentally Block Yourself

I know some of you will probably read the title and ask, "What the heck?"

To those of us who know exactly what that means, we know it also happens more often than we care to admit; starting with me.

That's why I had to share an amazing experience I had just yesterday, Monday. Which will lead into a big announcement... but first thing's first.

I’m taking a class called Logic & Philosophy and it’s proving to be a major challenge for me especially since it has nothing to do with my career path. Abnormal Psychology has also been a challenge, but I've been able to justify losing nights of sleep over that class because it's within my field of study. However, that is not the case with Logic & Philosophy. 

I have felt myself mentally blocking myself when it comes to this class. I was unable to attend our only two hour session last week (the other hour of the class is composed of online assignments which I have been ACTIVELY and PURPOSEFULLY neglecting). I’m admitting that because it forces me to take any responsibility for any consequence that can come thereafter. So, I walked in to class a little early, I began to settle down... I also began to freak out and panic. I was well aware I was rapidly falling behind and I knew that, to some extent, I was going to be lost. I just felt it.

Truth be told, lost didn’t even begin to encompass the depth of the complete disorientation I was feeling in the first hour of the class. It felt as if the professor was just blabbing a string of words that had absolutely no meaning to me, whatsoever. It was almost as if he was speaking a different language. I could feel the walls closing in on me. I could feel myself willing the walls to block incoming information.

He's speaking too fast. You're recording the class, you may as well check out now and figure it out later. You can't understand him, might as well stop trying to because you're not going to get it now. Don't bother approaching him about your struggles, you're gonna make yourself look like an idiot.

That is the kind of string of thought that was going through my mind throughout the first third of the class. The mind can be your biggest bully as well as your saving grace. I was compelled to follow the rationale of my bully of a mind and just not even try. However, I saw that I had NOTHING TO LOSE in trying. That's important. You can only gain understanding if you feel yourself stuck at zero for whatever reason. You, literally, have nothing to lose. 

Therefore...

I FOUGHT FOR THOSE WALLS TO STAY THE HECK OPEN!

I was not about to check out, especially since the professor kept repeating that the truth tables we were working through were going to be essential to everything else we will be doing in the course.

I willed myself to not block all the negativity out and, instead, try to understand the material; and what-d-ya-know, I got it in the end. The second hour, I could grasp a hell-of-a-lot better what he was saying in the first half of the class. I was even giving him answers. I felt so proud of myself.

This goes to show that you can do it, too, if you really set your mind to success mode and fight back when your mind wants to check out. 

DON’T CHECK OUT BECAUSE THE SATISFACTION YOU FEEL IS LIKE NONE OTHER.

And now on to the huge announcement...

The first Monday of every month, like yesterday, I will be posting a blog post intended to motivate you to get done what you thought you could not. Sometimes, they'll include personal tie-ins and sometimes they won't. Either way, they are assured to give you the extra umph you may have been looking forward to.

So, join me every first Monday of the month to see what's in store :)

My Summer of 2015

Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you all well.

I missed blogging! I haven't been able to do so in the past month because... well, for several reasons. It's kind of what I wanted to share with you all.

On to the main event...

From August 7th to the 16th, I was upstate in Camp Berkshire, camp grounds owned by the church conference I belong to. Every year, Hispanic Camp Meeting is a week-long event many youth and adults look forward to. I've now been staff for two Hispanic Camp Meetings and this year was better than the last! My father was excited for me to leave too because he said that so far, I'd just been in and out of school, work, and church. I hadn't really enjoyed my summer yet. I got the beginning of my summer enjoyment at Berkshire. I left to Berkshire Friday afternoon and got there roughly two and a half hours later. I saw friends I hadn't seen in a long time, caught up with them, laughed with them...

I also connected with new people. The very first night, I was paired with 2 extraordinary girls, Kim and Em. I jokingly told them a forewarning of my liking to sleep in the cold (inwardly, I was desperately hoping they felt the same way!) and, to my joyful surprise, Kim backed me up! 

Unfortunately, I didn't have a blanket that first night to keep me warm. I was freezing! I couldn't fall asleep completely. I checked the time on my phone... 1 AM... 2:47 AM... 3:26 AM... and then at 5:36 AM I looked out of the window and saw this:

After waking up (for the umpteenth time that night) to this, I felt a calm wash over me. I was ready to listen to my surroundings, to feel in touch with everything around me: the trees, the air, the people. It was refreshing to get out of the chaos and hectic lifestyle in the city. One of the days at camp, I was in charge of the boating activity, I had to kayak out to tell our boaters they had gone too far for us to see them. I decided to just stay out at the limit so they knew what point to return to the shore at. Sitting in that kayak with the sun beaming, the smell of fresh water and trees at its intoxicating peak, I decided I'd have a talk with God. I felt an overwhelming need to thank him for everything, the good and the bad. I wanted to be able to be in that same spot, physically and spiritually, every day from there on out. However, He helped me understand something at that moment: I didn't have to be in total isolation to feel that He was with me... He would always be with me and remain there for whenever I wanted to talk, no matter where I found myself. That was such an amazing experience and one that I am unwilling to ever forget.

Sometimes, we need to stop our rush and just contemplate on where we are and be thankful that we've come that far, appreciate and enjoy those moments and all the moments in between. We often forget how blessed we truly are to just get up in the morning and we spend so much time making the most of every day and we don't stop to truly enjoy it. That's my challenge to you. The next time you are in a tight spot or you find yourself having been successful in a task, stop and thank the powers that be :) pat yourself on the back, reflect on where you once were and where you are at that moment, relish in the feeling because you worked your butt off to get there, and thank those that helped you on the way.

The rest of the week was full of blessings and horrible food (haha), but that's part of the deal, right? It was bittersweet when the moment came that we all had to part ways. I miss them all but we'll be seeing each other real soon.

Then, I spent 3 days over at one of my dearest friend's house because she was leaving for college later on that week. It was relaxing, and I got to catch up on my sleep! When I got home (FINALLY!) on Wednesday, I checked my summer semester grades online. I knew I had aced all my classes because I sent my professors a "thank you" email and they replied with their own "thank you"s and my grade for their class. I was just worried about my GPA.

You see, I had ended my first college semester with a 1.166 GPA. Yes, that's right, a 1.166 GPA. I was (obviously) placed on probation for my Spring semester (which includes the summer semester). I was prepared for it to have gotten better because I knew how hard I worked but I was still worried. Bouncing back from a 1.166 is not an easy task. Then I saw it...

I have not seen that many A's and B's in a REALLY long time; Especially, in the same marking period. I went from a 1.166 GPA to a 2.936 GPA from one semester to the next. That's about a 250% increase! It was right there before my eyes and I could not believe it. I knew then that the experience I had undergone in camp was preparing me for realizing all that went into pulling this off. Philippians 4:13 (NKJV) says "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,"** and I now stand testament to that fact.

I cannot even begin to express the happiness I feel and new-found confidence.

The week after I came back from my best friend's house, I went on another camping trip to Lake George with some friends from church. That was the icing on the cake that was my summer. 

There was absolutely no service at the camp site and that went for about a 5-10 mile radius. It was so relaxing. I let my phone die on Thursday, August the 27th, when I got there, and did not charge it again until Sunday, the 30th, before we started taking the tents down. I didn't take very many pictures but that doesn't bother me. The memories are ingrained. Everything was breathtakingly beautiful and relaxing. 

Here are two of the three pictures I did manage to take:

These were taken in the nearest town. It was also the first place we could get service haha.

I will forever cherish this year thus far. Every experience I've had, every late night, early morning, serene moment, and chaotic moment, too. I am so thankful for every single one of those memories and for having the opportunity to share them with you all!

I hope that you feel the same way, too.

With love,

xoxo

#30DayStudyChallenge : Day 7

I tried, I really did. This is why I admire those that were able to do this. I have been out of a math class for all of 9.5 months and already my mind turns to mush when I encounter it! This just goes to show that it's okay if you get things wrong or you don't master everything you encounter. We are only human after-all.

I'm super excited to be taking up this challenge again. I may not post them on consecutive days because schools comes first, but I will try my best to do so.


Love you all,

xoxo

#JulyBulletJournalChallenge: Day 6

My Advice on How To Start A 

Bullet Journal

For those of you that have been following me for a while, you know that my first series of posts consisted of The Bullet Journal Series.

My advice to you? Go check out my Bullet Journal Series Page!

In it, I walk you through setting each individual section up. There is also a section where I point you to helpful resources for you to check out in your new Bullet Journal Journey.

So, go go go!

And join me again mañana (tomorrow) for Day 7!

#JulyBulletJournalChallenge: Day 5

Future Planning

Hello everyone! Welcome back to this wonderful challenge. Today I will be discussing future planning in my Bullet Journal. How that occurs, how I keep track, and how I organize it are all questions I will answer. So, without furthermore, let’s get started!

I have it understood that Future Planning is now a section in the new Bullet Journal layout, which you can check out here. However, I’m considered old school with my Bullet Journal because the old format did not have a section for future planning but I adjusted the way I did so.

When it’s an event within the month that is in progress, I add the event and it’s info to my daily block:

On Friday, the 3rd of July, I was informed I would be having practice with the praise team at my house (which explains the lack of location info in the bullet). The bullet gets made and, as is customary, the event gets added on to the month’s calendar, like so:

It’s the last event on that string of events on the 4th. However, what happens when it’s an event in the coming months or even years?

I did not have a “Future Planning” section, so I had to find a way to do so. I decided it best to add the bullet to my daily block, same as with the event that falls within the month.

Three bullets for events get added on to my daily block. But this wasn’t enough for me. I needed to have these events somewhere else where I would remember to look. And then it hit me. The “Monthly Reminders” section is the perfect place for this because I would always check it when I moved on to the next month.

And there you have it!

If this method seems to much for your needs, which is absolutely normal and okay, on the Bullet Journal Website, they have the future planning section and explain how it works and how to set it up :)

Come back tomorrow for Day 6 of the #bulletjournalchallenge! 😊

#JulyBulletJournalChallenge: Day 4

Index or Alternative Index?

I use the Index that was given with the original bullet journal. However, I’ve made a few modifications. I do color-code here, too. and I place the symbol of each respective important entry (like ~ [list] and • [note]) while the months stay straightforward. And that’s it :) I make sure to update as I go.

Join me again for Day 5, mañana!

See the rest of the days here.

#JulyBulletJournalChallenge: Day 3

Do You Use the Old or the New Bullets?

I use the old bullets. It's what I was introduced to the bullet journal with and have been using for nearly a year now. I know my symbols and what they mean. Maybe eventually I'll try to take up the new ones.

However, I have recently (and by recently I mean since the first of July) taken up one element of the new bullets. The ">" for migrating tasks instead of wasting ink by drawing out the whole line and arrow.

I just draw the ">" and move the task to the next day, like so:

Other than that, I follow the old system as is. You can check out all my symbols and their color-coding in this post.

Join me again tomorrow for Day 4 of the #bulletjournalchallenge!

#JulyBulletJournalChallenge: Day 2

Weekly/Monthly Sections

The monthly and weekly sections are what's next in setting up your bullet journal. These sections are super useful because you can use them to track habits, goals, and reminders. 

Here are what mine look like:

In the Weekly Routines section, I like to place things that I'm trying to make a habit of. Monthly Reminders encompass recurring payments of any sort, or future events that I need to remember to carry over the next month. Monthly Goals are tasks that aren't going to take a day or a week to complete. 

I added Monthly Goals to my Bullet Journal because it fit my needs. That's what's best about the Bullet Journal is the ability to customize :)

#JulyBulletJournalChallenge: Day 1

Month Calendar

To kick off the challenge, the first thing that we set up when a new month comes rolling around in our bullet journals: the month's calendar. This is probably one of the most exciting parts of having a bullet journal. Your creative juices can flow here as much as you want. I choose a pretty straight forward layout.

I like to leave a lot of space between days because sometimes I have 5 or 6 events happening the same day and I need to be ready for that. Everything else stays pretty standard.

If you would like to know more about my bullet journal and how to set yours up, you can check it out here and here.

#30DayStudyChallenge: Day 6

Nice Cuppa Whatever

Normally, in the morning, I would fill this cup with some good homemade iced coffee, but today I felt like drinking iced tea :)

This is my favorite mug for two reasons:

1. It's jumbo size! I I can eat cereal in it and be comfortable, or serve myself a cup full of ice cream after a bad date and be satisfied with the amount.
2. The phrase on the mug is something I would totally say. The profanity is not overbearing and I can already see the smirk on my face while saying it, because s*** really does get real up in that mug.

**For those that would like to know, I got this mug at Urban Outfitters about a year and a half ago.

#JulyBulletJournalChallenge

I am super excited to be a part of this movement. There has been a lot I've learned from all the amazing people that have tagged their bullet journal pages on Instagram. If you would like to see all of them, click here or you can search the hashtag "#bulletjournalchallenge" on Instagram. You can see mine on my Instagram, too.

Kim, the founder of Tiny Ray of Sunshine, is also the creator of this wonderful challenge. As you all know, I am a HUGE fan of the bullet journal and it was to my complete and utter delight for a Bullet Journal Challenge to immerse. I tried to keep up with it last month (see it here), but I only got as far as Day 7 (woops!) and that was because I post Day 5 through Day 7 on the 29th of June and yesterday, the 30th (double woops!). It was finals month for me, so there was that.

However, July is a new month! And I am ready to take on the challenge! Join me as I embark on this mini adventure. I'm sure we're in for loads of fun!

Lastly, I would like to give a special shout-out and thanks to Kim for having featured me on her blog post, summarizing the amazing month of challenge we had this past June. I was totally honored and humbled. You can see her blog post here.

Without any further ado, here is July's Bullet Journal Challenge printout which Tiny Ray of Sunshine made in collaboration with decadethirty.com:

#JuneBulletJournalChallenge: Day 7

#MealPlanning

I don’t normally meal plan in my bullet journal but I did it just for you all! Although, this is a really nifty idea... I might just take it up!

#JuneBulletJournalChallenge: Day 6

Hacks

A hack I have been incorporating into my bullet journal is the spiraldex.

This allows me to be able to plan out my day and see it whenever I need to in my bullet journal. All of it becomes very accessible. For more information on how to get your hands on a spiraldex and getting to know how to use it, you can visit my post all about it here.

#JuneBulletJournalChallenge: Day 5

Almost Done

There is nothing like the feeling you get when you're nearly at the finish line of anything you're doing; be it a marathon or a task list. The Bullet Journal allows me to get that sensation every day. And the best part is, it never gets old. Above is shown my day on June 5th, 2015. 

#JuneBulletJournalChallenge: Day 4

Routine to Keep Your Bullet Journal Updated

I make sure to move over the tasks that I did not finish the day before to the current day. I want to be sure to cover all my bases to I break down the tasks down to separate parts. I like to mark things off after I'm done with them or have gone as far as I could for the time being (that's an incomplete). At the end of the day or the beginning of the next, I start the following day's block. I haven't done it yet for the month of June, but under normal circumstances, I would also prepare and tape a spiraldex into my bullet journal for that day. But that is for another time :)

#30DayStudyChallenge: Day 05

Write A Page of Notes With At Least One Diagram Or Flow Chart

When I make charts like this, it is so that I am able to see the whole spread of information. I can ask the different block of information questions, and those questions are what I bring to class ready to ask the next day. In this case, the two sides are the two definitions of the the large title at the top center of the page. The middle column contains the information pertaining to the common fast of the two side columns. So, this is kind of like a venn diagram. All the orange of questions and the information below it are answers.

I've seen very complicated study notes in this style, but this is the first one that has worked for me.

I am way behind on this challenge but I’m happy to be getting back on track with it. Here are my Sabbath School notes from today’s lesson. I will be using this as a lesson plan on Saturday for my class :) So excited!

#JuneBulletJournalChallenge: Day 3

How Did You Overcome Bullet Journal Cons?

The only real con I found in bullet journals was you can’t really add in calendar dates further than the month you’re in. Google Calendar definitely fixed that con for me, though. Other than that, the bullet journal was all pro for me. 

I could make the notebook part anything I want. Like perhaps this gorgeous MUJI binder.

I can color code as I please and make new symbols for important things that go into my bullet journal.  And I filled mine with graph ruled paper which makes for neater presentation.

The index is an “as you write” set-up which is fantastic for making sure I have enough space for everything! Same goes for the monthly layout. The creator’s video assigns one line per day but that’s just not enough for me so I put three. It also allows for Monthly Goals/Reminders. I’ve added in Weekly Goals, as well.

It’s exactly these kinds of modifications that make the bullet journal so wonderful!

And then my days can get set up as needed, with however much space I may need.

And everything looks fantastic and neat!

So, you see. No cons here!

#JuneBulletJournalChallenge: Day 2

Useful Lists

Here is a list of useful lists that you can add to your bullet journal along the way and can always come back to. Just remember to add it to your index!

#JuneBulletJournalChallenge: Day 1

How Long Does It Take You to Set Up Your Bullet Journal?

I love the flexibility of the Bullet Journal. I've seen some pretty elaborate set-ups for bullet journals and it's great that all of those are possibilities in a planner. However, for me, it was its simplicity and straightforwardness that totally reeled me in.

My daily set up practically just involves the day and date at the top of the the Day's Block. After that, it's just a matter of listing the day's tasks, further explorations, quotes, inspirations, and events that may come at me (happens more often then I'll ever admit). This is just the beginning of the day. More gets added on during the day. It's fun to look at what my daily block contains at the end of the day.

June Bullet Journal Challenge

I am so excited to be starting this challenge for the month of June. Tiny Ray of Sunshine created one for the month of May and decided to take up the task once again for the month of June. I cannot thank her enough.

This Challenge has been a long time coming. For a while, I have felt that my Bullet Journal needed a little sprucing. On my IG account, I follow many planner blogs. I see all kinds of planners on there; everything from Eric Condren to Kate Spade, kikkik.k, Louis Vuitton, and filofax. Washi tape and custom planner inserts fill my mind with possibilities that my Bullet Journal needs to catch up to. It'll be interesting going on this little adventure this month. 

Let's see where the road leads! Follow me on it :)

All About Spiraldex

Finally, the long requested walk-through for how to set up a Spiraldex.

I love this method of time management. I've already spoken some about the purpose and setting it up in this post, but now I will go more in depth and walk you through how I set mine up for tomorrow, May 20, 2015.

Step 1

You're going to want to print out your template. I'm using the 24 hour template found here. But if you would like one that had the times set from 6 to 12 (for a total of 18 hours), you can find that one here.

As you can see I have already filled in the starting and ending times. I like to put the hours as if it were a clock. The one that is nearest the date is 3 a.m. The one in the middle is 3 p.m. and the one on the outer rim is 3 a.m. (technically of the following day but that's around the time my actual day ends). I also put in the date in the middle but you don't have to do it this way. You could place it on the top, the side, the bottom, wherever. It is totally and completely up to you.

Step 2

Fill in the rest of the quarters of the day.

Do you see how much it resembles a clock now? Now you can go ahead and fill in the rest of the hours. Remember that the times are moving ahead in a spiral. In mine, the inner most spiral is the morning, the middle spiral is the afternoon and the outermost spiral is the night/dawn.

Step 3

Gather your materials! 

I will be using my MUJI .38mm pens and a silver ruler from MUJI, as well.

Step 4

We are ready to begin filling out the Spiraldex. From 3 a.m. on Monday, the 20th of May, 2015, I will be sleeping (at least, that's the plan) and I will not be waking up until 7 in the morning. I will be using a light blue as the designated color for sleep time on my Spiraldex. From 7 to 9 in the morning, I will be getting myself and everything I need ready. I've decided that orange will be the designated color of getting ready on my Spiraldex. So, it'll all look something like this:

The next bit of my day is dedicated to travel. I commute from my casa (house) to my school. It takes me about 45 minutes to an hour on a really good day but delays often happen on the MTA, so I plan for an hour and 15 minutes. This is where my ruler comes in handy. My commute should start from 9 in the morning until 10:15 in the morning. The first dot in the space that has the 10 hour, is 10:15. I line up the 10:15 on the outer spiral with the 10:15 of the inner spiral so that I make a straight line. It'll look like this:

And then I draw the line and it'll look something like this:

Now, I'm ready to fill in the space. I've chosen a teal/turquoise color as the color to designate travel.

I did the same for the 10:30 to 12:45 section for my class. I lined up the 12:45 of the outer spiral with the 12:45 of the inner spiral and drew the line in the section I wanted. Then, I was ready to finish filling that section of my class in.

The segment after class is travel. I will be traveling to work. An hour and 15 minutes is more than enough for me to get to work. In other words, I'll be getting to work at 2 p.m. The rest of the sections up until 9 p.m. will be work. I will use red to designate work time. It ends up looking like this:

Are you getting the hang of this? Great! If you notice, I've also been listing the different activities I'm designating on the bottom right corner of my Spiraldex. I use this as a key. Each activity is written in its respective color.

Let's keep it moving. The next section I need to allot time for is travel. From 9 p.m.to 10:15 p.m. (an hour and 15 minutes) I will be travelling home. From 10:15 p.m. to 10:45 p.m. I will be eating and relaxing. A nice cool blue should be good for designating that momentous occasion in my day. From 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., I will be studying. The rest of the time (1 a.m. to 2 a.m.), I will sleeping until the following morning.

The end result:

Yay! We did it! See? It wasn't so bad. If yours is not perfect, it is more than alright. If at first you don't succeed, try try again. I would not want you to miss out on a perfectly amazing method of time management because you simply gave up. 

Feel accomplished! Bash in the glory of your accomplishment! If you need extra help, this post will be here for you whenever you need it. You can also contact me through any of the methods listed in the Contact Me section of my blog, or simply leave a comment.