Lucia Amauri

10 THINGS TO DO THE WEEK BEFORE THE SEMESTER STARTS

The week before the semester starts for me is always a mixture of exciting and nerve wracking. Thinking to myself, can I do this again? Can I handle it all? But you can! It just takes 10 simple easy steps to follow before the semester starts, to really start on a good note.

I am sharing these 10 steps with you because they are honestly what have helped me start the semester strong and be able to maintain my sanity the first week that classes start and become very hectic.

  1.  PRINT OUT YOUR SYLLABUS

This step is so vital and crucial in being prepared for the semester ahead. Most courses syllabus can be lengthy, so understanding what your professor is expecting from you the week prior can help determine how you’ll plan to do the work throughout the semester. I also had some pretty strict professors who expected you to have the syllabus printed prior to attending the first day of classes. It’s always best practice to be prepared that way you start the semester on your professor’s good side.

  1.  BOOKS/SUPPLIES 

I labeled this as the second step because you don’t want to be thrown off your first week by all he extra added expenses you may have from your classes. Getting the books required in the syllabus will help you to get ahead when it comes to the first week of classes. Especially when it comes to summer semester and winter session, they both come and go quickly and you can easily get behind. Including, my business and math majors having the correct calculator and tools needed for your classes is vital in staying ahead and maintaining your grade point average. If you want to save money it would be best practice to go to your school library and ask if you can make copies of the book your class requires and copy/print at least the first two chapters before the semester starts. That way you can get ahead of other students who will be doing the same thing the first week the semester starts and you won’t be waiting in line forever for the printer.

  1.  LOCATE YOUR CLASSES

Locating your classes, the week before the semester starts will help you be less lost on the first day of classes. I remember my first semester back to school and I spent at least 30 minutes looking for the Mathematics building and then my class. It is not fun being the person late to class on the first day of classes. Even the local community colleges can be pretty big, so carving out time to locate your classes and understand how long it’s going to take for you to walk to each class every day will help keep you on track throughout your day.

  1.  PARKING PASS/PARKING

I especially listed this step because of students like me… The ones who used to wait till the first week of classes to buy a parking pass and then was stuck paying $10 a day for parking when the pass only costs $40 for the semester and end up paying double. SO YES, if you live off campus like myself, get the parking pass the week prior that way you aren’t spending all of your money on daily parking passes. Or being so late for class that you park without a pass and get a ticket. (YEP I’VE DONE THAT BEFORE, NOT FUN.)

And for my commuters, look at the campus map, and find the best places to park the week prior to classes starting otherwise you’ll be lost on where to park and which lot is closest to the buildings, you’re going to be in the day classes start. Save yourself the time and frustration because things get hectic week one.

  1.  GET A PLANNER OR DIGITIAL PLANNER

Having a planner or digital planner is super useful when it comes to already having your classes syllabi. You then the week prior to classes starting can start writing down all of your coursework, projects, and exams into your planner and visually see when things are due and if classes have similar due dates. The last thing you want to do is save this part for the first day and be overwhelmed with how much writing you’ll end up doing on your first day of classes.

I personally have gone from using a 365 planner to using a digital planner due to SO MANY THINGS being in my backpack and purse and I was carrying around way too much stuff everyday on campus. This helped reduce the number of things I needed to keep track of and made it versatile so that it could be shared to my laptop and phone as well.

  1.  PLAN YOUR SEMESTER

This step goes hand in hand with getting a planner or digital planner. Planning time to study, when to do errands, important tasks, make time for yourself, etc. When you are able to visualize everything, you need to do that month, or the months ahead you will have a better understanding of what you have time for and what you don’t. Always make sure to carve out time for yourself and time to practice self-care. Taking time for self-care is important to follow throughout college and beyond to allow yourself time to relax and get ready to take on your next task.

  1.  COLOR CODE YOUR COURSES

If you are a visual person like myself, color coding your notebooks, planner, and courses will help you easily navigate them when you need them. When you can visually see in your planner that your Math course is blue then once I see that in my planner my brain will then register that math homework is due that day. Or even knowing your math binder/notebook is blue and being able to readily grab it out of your bag or off your desk before class starts and not grabbing the wrong one.

  1.  CLEAN

Oh my, I certainly don’t know about you but the week of finals my LIFE and HOUSE is a M E S S. So, if you’re preparing for the next semester ahead, go ahead and spring clean and just declutter everything from the last semester. I promise you that having a clean and organized space will make you feel so much better when you start your classes. I know that it is easier for me to keep up with cleaning/laundry once everything is already organized. It also motivates me to keep my space clean because everything is in its place and has a place.

  1.  PRACTICE A MORINING ROUTINE

Practicing your morning routine, the week prior to classes starting will make the first week of classes not be so hard. Especially if you have early morning classes, or classes in the morning. I know some people have a hard time even getting up at 8 am so practicing your morning routine will help you build good habits. They can include something like this:

5:00 am- Wake up

5:30 am- Exercise for 30 minutes/ Do some cardio

6:00 am- Get ready/ Shower/ Do Make-Up

6:30 am- Eat Breakfast

7:00 am- Get to class

It can be as simple or as detailed as you want it to be, just do what is best for you. And, wake up on your first alarm. Don’t be the person who has 10 alarms to only wake up to the last alarm.

  1. PRACTICE A NIGHT-TIME ROUTINE

And lastly, practicing a bed time routine. Having both a good morning and bed time routine will help with the flow of your day. You can make your bed time routine whatever you want it to be, just try not to use electronics or anything that will prevent you from falling asleep. Here’s what mine looks like:

8:00 pm- Drink my magnesium

8:10 pm- Skin Care Routine/ Brush Teeth

8:20 pm- Go over planner to see what is going on tomorrow

8:30 pm- Lay in bed

Mine is as simple as that. Now everyone is going to be different but I like to keep mine simple and short. Especially because you’re supposed to lay down 30 minutes after taking magnesium as it helps to relax you and put you to sleep.

I have been taking magnesium now for two months and I entirely believe it has helped me sleep better and reduced a lot of the anxiety I was having prior to taking anxiety.

So, there it is 10 easy steps and tips of what to do the week before classes start. If you liked this post or have any questions about something I wrote about or want me to talk more about something, leave a comment below and let me know.

XO,

Lucia Amauri

5 Tips on How to Get a 4.0 G.P.A. in College while Working Full-time

Yes, it’s possible!

When I first started college, I didn’t think it was even possible to get a 4.0 G.P.A. let alone work full time while doing it. From the outside looking it, it looked nearly impossible. How can someone make time for work, school, and a personal life?

Here’s what I have to say, organization. Organization and motivation are key. If those are the only two things you take away from this post, the college and work-life balance is all about how well you stay organized when you are ALWAYS busy.

I am still a college student, who works full-time and I promise you can do it too. I have been able to keep up with studying, exams, homework, working 40 hours a week, and still making time for my fur babies. So really how did I learn to do all of this?

I worked on these 5 key tips in order to help me attain the G.P.A. I wanted:

  • Get all of your tasks for the upcoming week written down Sunday Night to prepare for the week ahead
  • Create a daily plan or a daily power list
  • Set aside time each week for important tasks
  • Make time to practice self-care
  • Understand your reasoning behind why you want to do well in school, and use that as your motivation

Those 5 tips are what I use every semester to make sure I complete all of my assignments and do well at my job and still maintain a personal life. Here is a breakdown of each tip:

Getting all your tasks for the upcoming week written down:

The reason I listed this first is because without a plan, there is no goal. Correct? So, where and how do you put all of your tasks? There are multiple different options that you can create and prepare for the week ahead. If you like planners you can order a planner online or walk into a Michaels and spend hours in their planner section (like myself) and pick out the perfect planner for you.

There are also options such as digital planning, with your tablet or smartphone. You can use the notes within your tablet or smartphone to create lists.

My favorite has now become digital planning. Digital planning has become much easier for me the busier I get and carrying around a large planner plus a laptop and whatever else in my bag gets tiring. When it comes to digital planning, I use apps like Notability, Good Notes, Procreate, and the good ole’ calendar within my iPhone. These apps make it easier to have across multiple devices, just in case we have moments like myself that we forget our planners at home and don’t remember what was on today’s Power List. Instead, it’s right there on my tablet and phone.

Each of those apps offer a handwritten or typed option for to-do lists, planning and so on. I personally like to hand write my to-do lists. I will go into my Notability app and then open up a notebook, write down what the class is, and then create bullet points below of what needs to be done that week. I repeat this with every class.

Writing down your to-do list where it is easily accessible will help serve as a reminder and reinforce that the task needs to be completed. Either way, make sure you use something that you know you will see daily, and can’t forget that it’s there. Hence, why it’s on my phone and tablet since those two things are always within arm’s reach. Even taking a screen shot of your to-do list and saving it as your wall paper each week/ each day can help keep you on task and almost guilt yourself into not procrastinating what needs to be done.

Creating A Plan:

This second tip is also just as important as the first and goes hand in hand. You don’t have to go so in depth that you overwhelm yourself, but having a plan that includes some of your major tasks for the week will help you plan for the week ahead.

Having and creating a plan will help your day and week go by a bit smoother when you can visually see what is needing to be done.

Here is an example of my plan I had during Spring semester (prior-COVID):

  • Have outfit planned/prepared for work every day the night before
  • Have gym bag packed every night
  • Meal prep for the week ahead and pack a weeks-worth of snacks divided up into equal portions in my car
  • Pack laptop and school supplies the night prior
  • Follow alarms (DON’T GET OFF TRACK)
  • Do 2 classes worth of reading/ homework during lunch break
  • Spend at least an hour a day at the gym before or after class to relieve stress

Now, you don’t have to be so strict on yourself to follow this list in a perfect manner. Actually, having a strict plan can become more stressful and you end up avoiding tasks because not dealing with it is easier that actually completing the task. Creating a plan will help you to visualize when the best times are to actually do what you have planned for yourself. It’s easier to change the timing of your plan and work around it rather than doing things sporadically.  

When it comes to Power Lists, I am more prone to use these for work and personal to-dos. Power Lists should usually be no more than 5 items per day. Anything more than that is too much and you won’t end up following it. My power list usually consists of:

  • Wake up on my first alarm
  • Walk dog before work/school for 30 minutes each time
  • Do dishes
  • Complete scan/fax work for the day
  • Go to bed at 9pm

These can be simple and to the point, and that’s exactly what you need when creating a power list. You need attainable and something you know you can complete every day. Each day your power list can change and that’s okay. Everyone has a different schedule, and different circumstances when it comes to their personal lives.

Set aside time each week for important tasks

Setting aside time each week in your planner, digital planner, or phone calendar is crucial when it comes to important tasks due that week. Setting aside time to do course work, studying is important when trying to maintain good grades. This is a mistake I made when I was younger and would always wait to do tasks last minute and became over-whelmed by them and ended up failing. When you set aside time to do the task prior to the due date/time you will feel less stressed when it comes to doing the homework or taking the exam.

Sometimes I even end up having extra time because I got through homework, or studying faster than I anticipated which allowed me to be more flexible with my schedule and my to-do list and maybe even getting other items done that weren’t on my to-do list for the next day.

Make time to practice self-care

This tip is important for anyone, any age, any circumstance. Setting aside time in your phone calendar, digital planner/planner will give you something to look forward to during your busy days. This past semester this was key for me to maintain a balance between staying sane and absolutely losing it on being so busy all the time. I made time every day for exercise, and practicing yoga.

Exercising for me was a relief from the outside world and the gym was the one place I could be in control. I also began yoga which for me allowed me to take some of those practices into my daily life and I started to carve out even 5-10 minutes a day to stretch and find peace within myself. If you’re someone who is extremely busy like myself, carving out 30 minutes a day can be exactly what you need to re-center and be able to carry on the next day. Here’s a list of examples you can set aside 30 minutes a day to practice self-care:

  • Bullet Journaling
  • Lifting
  • Yoga
  • Meditation
  • Singing
  • Drawing
  • Painting
  • Taking a relaxing bath
  • Listen to an audio book/podcast
  • Playing with your pets
  • Writing
  • Spending time with friends/family

There are so many things you can do 30 minutes a day to take care of yourself. Just decide which works best for you. Gaining time with yourself or loved ones is something you won’t regret and will help to motivate you to complete your tasks for the week.

Your Reason Why

I know I keep saying each tip is SUPER important but they all really are. Having a reason, clear and definite about why you are in college will help motivate you during tough times. For myself, I want to prove to myself that I am worthy and capable of attaining good grades while working full-time. As well as, I don’t want to waste money that I work so hard for by not giving it all that I have.

At the end of the day, your college degree is something you should be proud of because not everyone has the ability to acquire an education. Find the reason why you want to do so good and write that EVERYWHERE you can see. Your phone, your tablet, your bathroom mirror, your closet. Being reminded every day by yourself of the reason why you do what you do will help push you through the fastest four years you can imagine.

Those tips are exactly how I managed to get a 4.0 GPA while working 40+ hours a week. I stayed organized, always had a plan, practiced self-care, and knew my reasoning behind everything I was doing.

Even if you don’t receive a 4.0 GPA, and maybe receive a letter grade higher than the last semester is still an accomplishment. Consistency is key when it comes to any goal. As long as you are proud of the work you’ve accomplished then no other opinion matters.

I hope this post helped you learn different ways to manage your time and visualize how you can accomplish working full-time and maintain a 4.0 GPA. Be sure to leave a comment below, and let me know if you would like to see more posts on how I stay organized at work, or in college.

XO,

Lucia Amauri