New Year's Resolutions

These are my 2015 resolutions

• Walk outside every day


• Exercise for 30 minutes daily


• Journal daily


• Draw daily


• Intervene in negative spirals


• Vote! Volunteer! Be politically active!


• Study smarter and more regularly


• Ask for help


• Take photos


• Local or organic food

I feel like every year the resolutions are the same. But as I said in May 2014: "These habits are about long term wisdom rather than short term results." So it's okay that the goals keep showing up; some of these are about life long habits and goals.

Get out of the apartment everyday

Meditation

Listen to my body

Walk or exercise for 30 minutes daily

Eat something when hungry

Eat at least 1 healthy meal each day

Journal daily

Wake up and sleep at a regular time

I mean, you can even go back to 2013 and find some of the same resolutions!



Progress is happening. It's amazing to think how much has improved in my life over the course of a few years. I feel so much more in control of my life; I feel like I'm finally in a place to start giving back and helping others. I know myself as a person much better - I feel comfortable expressing who I am and who I want to be. I have the space and security to do so as well.

As far as concrete improvement:

I've definitely improved a regular sleep cycle. Like, a drastic improvement. I am up most days at 7 or 8am. In bed by midnight or earlier. This really helps to balance my moods. I've found that it's best to keep the same schedule no matter what the external needs are. Also, I need my morning tea. I'm absolutely useless until noon without it. My push goal is to track my productivity over the course of a day to find my best hours. 

I've been cooking for myself and eating healthy for almost a year now. I've tried the organic local delivery thing. I did and am still doing the bring your lunch to work thing. I've cut back significantly on delivery food. At this point, almost all of my food is either local or organic. It's great for my mood, health, and budget. My goal is to lock in on ALL of it either local or organic. 

I blog twice weekly most of the year with occasional breaks. I'm really proud of the changes and improvements I've made in my blog, slow and steady. I think the quality of my writing has improved; I've started focusing on political and topical subjects. I want this blog to be useful to me and others too. I'd like to really launch the blog in 2015. I think the one thing I really want to focus on is adding images to my blog. 

I'm living on my own and supporting myself. I think I'd need pages to describe what a difference this has made in my quality and control of life. I feel so proud of being and knowing me at last. I'd like to stretch myself to improve on the things I love to do.

I'm dressing and looking how I want. Over on facebook, I have a post about the 4 years of hair changes: blue hair, long hair, short hair, curly hair, keratin hair! I've embraced my natural curly hair and my current color. I'd still like to try being a red head! I'm also wearing more bright colors and jewelry. I've also been trying different make up looks and totally fallen in love with gold and blue eye liner.  I've written that I feel better when I look better. I love the surprised exclamations from my friends, Are your eyes really lined with gold!?! There have of course been mistakes and strange things, but I love that too. It's fun to learn and explore what does and doesn't work for an outfit or style. But most of all, I love that I am expressing myself. I'd like to start exercising so that I can express my self - my own body - more. 

Best Fit Opportunity

What's funny about being a student at MIT is that there are so many opportunities. Do you want to be pre-med? We have an event for that! Do you want to learn how to use end note? The library is running a seminar on that! Do you want to learn about thesis presentation? These are the names, subjects and room numbers of the thesis defenses in your major!

A lot of these 'easy' opportunities are no longer beneficial to me. Often this is because I have already tried something similar. Somehow, I think I've come to a saturation point for CPW; I no longer enjoy the rush of students and events in the same way. I learned how to plan, register, advertise, and execute an event for both small and large groups of people. I don't need more practice at that skill. Other times, the opportunity simply isn't relevant to me anymore. It can be simple: I can't apply to scholarships for rising sophomores but I still get the emails! Or it can be complicated: there is an upper limit to how helpful career and major information fairs can be. To be clear, as a freshman and sophomore, these events were critical to me narrowing my interests. These events helped me in a process of elimination. I learned that I do better in one on one interviews rather than the rush of a career fair. I now focus my energy setting up meet ups and interviews rather than diluting it on prearranged opportunities where I do poorly. The easy opportunity doesn't fit me because I already used it to my best advantage.

Now, I'm searching for opportunities that are a good fit for me. I don't need generic opportunities that show up in email blasts. These well publicized events are often low effort and low impact. I've gone to dozens of seminars and talks due to publicizing emails; I don't remember any benefit from most of them aside from the free food. What I need are carefully tailored opportunities that fill in the gaps of my experience. These niche opportunities aren't well publicized or low effort, but often they offer a big impact.

The carefully selected (or created) opportunities are the ones that you both have the best shot at and will garner the most reward for. For example, my Smithsonian internship was intended for students who didn't have much experience working at a museum. That was exactly the opportunity I needed; I was exactly the candidate they wanted. Now that internship is the foundation for my resume, displaying my interest in the field and interpersonal skills.

No opportunity is going to be perfect. If you find an opportunity that inspires you but has a problem, pursue the opportunity and get creative in improving it. At the Smithsonian, I was disappointed I wasn't working directly with their conservation studio but I ended up befriending one of the interns and also going to the Museum Conservation Institute symposium. That experience was a stepping stone to the opportunity I have now at the MFA. The internship I have now was a perfect fit for my interest - working directly with research conservators - but I was worried that it didn't pay. So, I got creative and pursued funding from other sources. The extra work you put into tailoring a self-made opportunity will pay off! I can now write about my successful pursuit of funding in addition to my hands on experience.

You have to find an opportunity that is the best fit for you. In that moment, look towards where you want to be in the future. Identify the experience, skills, or qualifications you need to get there. Then find opportunities that fill those gaps. Clearly demonstrating your dedication and excitement for the field, you'll make important career connections. If you create opportunities, no one else applying for a job will have that same unique experience and resulting skill. Focus on the best fit opportunities once you know what you want!

Moving Forward From Failure: Get Started!

I find failure to be the most difficult thing to overcome. Maybe it's the fact that failure had such a high cost in my youth. Maybe it's just that failure represents the effort put into the attempt not being quite enough.

via: Left handed toons People don't actually laugh at our failures

But here's what I do to get over my fear of failure and get started on a project.

Mentally Approaching Failure 

During our youth, it seems that many of us were told that talent or intelligence meant never failing, having things come to us easily. Therefore, when we face difficulty or worse yet failure, we question one of the fundamentals of our identity: our talent. The ideology behind this comes from the concept of a Romantic genius, a person with natural talent whose work far exceeds what practice and route learning can achieve in the untalented.

But this is a silly notion. Even the Romantic geniuses had failures!
Friedrich did studies for his paintings; even The Wanderer had its precursor. Chalk Cliffs is nowhere near the statement as the The Wanderer. It's not a shame to the artist that he went through a process of refinement for his ideas. That's what failure is: the process of improvement.Van Gogh did not immediately paint a perfect canvas: often he painted over his failures, adapting them to the improvement of his next work.

Fear of Mockery

Our greatest fear seems to be that we will be laughed at or mocked for our failures.

Let's remember van Gogh. Most art historians lament that he painted over his "failures." They wish that they could see the process that he went through, much as they pour over the sketches of those painters trained by the French Academy.

And okay, somebody laughed at your failure? So what? What are they doing? Instead of taking that time to be improving themselves, they're paying attention to you. If anything, that means that you're already succeeding. You're gaining attention for your new work. You've got an audience for your future success. You're making someone else feel happy, maybe a vindictive happy that reflects on their inner demons, but still happy. So don't worry about it.

The Cost of Failure

"I spent so much time working on it but it didn't turn out right."
"Look at all the money that went into that ugly thing! What a waste."
"My reputation's ruined by that fiasco. No one will let me try again!"

We've all heard or said these things about our own efforts that ended in failure.

But what have we said about the profits of success?

Consider failures investments. Don't jump into large ones; slowly build. Develop a skill. It only takes a single success to put you on the market, but all success requires skill.

In the case of drawing: Start out on cheap newsprint as you learn to draw or paint. Invest in a few nice sketchbooks. When those are filled, you'll see improvement. You'll have the wisdom to choose the style and medium that best suits you. A few quality finished works on canvas will yield more and more knowledge, based on the sketches you continue to do on cheap paper. Finally, you'll have a piece that satisfies you. You can send this succes to a gallery where it may or may not be accepted. But you will always have the skill of drawing, a skill that can continue to grow.

Moving Forward From Failure: Get Started!

I find failure to be the most difficult thing to overcome. Maybe it's the fact that failure had such a high cost in my youth. Maybe it's just that failure represents the effort put into the attempt not being quite enough.

via: Left handed toons People don't actually laugh at our failures

But here's what I do to get over my fear of failure and get started on a project.

Rousseau: Life to the Fullest

Understanding the education is preparation for life, we can now figure out how to embrace that life. Sometimes it can be very difficult to create an approach to life that allows you to embrace the moment. Hearing peers anxiously talk about grad school in their freshman years or professors drone on about the impenetrability of academia can make it seem like life takes place in stretches of decades rather than days. But your life is made of days!

Fortunately, there are great minds who have already written about the focus on the day to day life, and the benefits to embracing daily joy. Let's look at a quote from Rousseau, on of the great thinkers from the 18th century. His writings on education will help us to better understand what an effect positivity can have on us, as we approach our life and our education. 

Read more for wisdom on embracing your day!

You can read the first part at Rousseau: Education to the Fullest.

Let's continue with the Rousseau quote and finding a way to embrace the day to day.

The Quote

"We think only of preserving his life and limb. It is not enough; he ought to be taught how to preserve them himself when he is grown up; to endure the shocks of fortune, to bear riches or poverty, and to live, if occasion required, amid the snows of Iceland or on the burning rocks of the Malta. [...] It is of less moment to preserve him from death than to teach him how to live. To live is not merely to breather; it is to act, to make proper use of our organs, our senses, our faculties, and all parts of our being which contribute to our consciousness of life. he has not had most life who has lived most years, but he who has felt life the most. A man may be buried a hundred years old and have died in his cradle. Such a one would have gained by dying in youth if had lived till then." (Rousseau on Education, Introductory Passages from the "Emilie," Part 2. Education and the state)

Education as a Lifestyle

Education is about the here and now. Put in your very best into every aspect of what you're learning. Reach out to professors and jump at opportunities. Education isn't about sitting back in a lecture hall and letting it happen to you. Education is an action, one that requires persistent effort from all of our faculties. Sometimes it's tiring; you may feel like you're putting yourself out there, asking "stupid" questions or sending out applications that others wouldn't dare to try for. But that's an education!

Reaching out for knowledge and passion from your education is your education. Even when your hand falls short, you've gone farther and learned more than the people who didn't dare to reach.

Embracing the Moment

It's very important to focus on living life in the moment. I think that what makes each day valuable is appreciating the small moments. Enjoy every day and take advantage of the opportunities that the small times present. Even if it's just having dinner with a friend or finishing a book that seemed to take forever to get through, these are valuable achievements and memories. Your life isn't just major events or waiting for the next "big thing." Instead of putting off adventure, embrace it. Heck, go out there and create it! Certainly there will be failures, not everything is an exciting success the first time. Those failures are opportunities to laugh and learn, a skill which will serve you well as life changes constantly.


Don't wait for a perfect moment to start living; that moment doesn't exist before you put effort into creating it. 

Rousseau: Life to the Fullest

Understanding the education is preparation for life, we can now figure out how to embrace that life. Sometimes it can be very difficult to create an approach to life that allows you to embrace the moment. Hearing peers anxiously talk about grad school in their freshman years or professors drone on about the impenetrability of academia can make it seem like life takes place in stretches of decades rather than days. But your life is made of days!

Fortunately, there are great minds who have already written about the focus on the day to day life, and the benefits to embracing daily joy. Let's look at a quote from Rousseau, on of the great thinkers from the 18th century. His writings on education will help us to better understand what an effect positivity can have on us, as we approach our life and our education. 

Read more for wisdom on embracing your day!

End of Term

It's absolutely amazing to think that it's the end of the semester. Next year I will be a junior! There are so many exciting things to talk about: an exciting summer job, studying for exams, packing for a return to Virginia.

Due to finals there won't be any more posts until after May 24th, when I return to Virginia. After that, I will return to schedule.

Read more for my thoughts on the end of term and summer plans.

Semester Wrap Up: Academics

To think that I'm half-way through my college career is crazy. I just can't believe it; it feels like the time is flying past me. Truth: college takes a lot of sustained work and concentrated dedication. I've felt the wear down of the year when winter was in its coldest, but as the weather warmed up so did I. Not to mention the lift that my floor mates and friends provided. I'm intensely grateful for the friends that I've made. For them and myself, I want to keep up the effort and the energy for the next two years, staying focused on making myself happy and learning rather than weakly stumbling through.

Finals are something that I start prepping for at the start of May, so I'm not drowning in cramming. However there was a major surprise from MIT about Random Hall going through construction and Bexley being closed for the next couple of years. This threw me off schedule for studying. I have a take home exam, a final, and two papers to write. Most of my things are organized to be packed up. Taking the time to pack up also means taking the time to purge my room of things I don't adore. For the summer, I'm going to be storing my things at a paid storage facility; thankfully, MIT should be covering this cost.

Gratitude: The Year as a Gift

There's so much that I'm grateful for, even as I struggle through finals and packing and all the things that come with the wrap up of the year. The winding down of the year puts so many things into perspective. My low points this year are also a way to get back down to my foundation.

So many opportunities and knowledge have come to me, but through this year my goal has been to acknowledge these opportunities as a gift. No one is owed anything so to be gifted kindness, knowledge, and kinship is something really valuable. Easy to overlook, but difficult to find. I've been focusing on improving myself, reading and breathing to appreciate what I have.

This year, every day of it, has been a gift. Low points and high points are part of the process of living; I want to appreciate them as an opportunity for growth and self-possesion.

Upcoming Summer: Work and Play

My summer job is an internship with the Smithsonian American Art. Link through to read about the summer program internship for SI American Art. I'm so excited for this amazing opportunity. There's no way for me to express how much it means to me to be stepping forward toward my dream of working in a museum, to be working with art and towards the purpose of preservation, outreach, and education. I adore the Smithsonian and can basically guarantee that I'll spend my summer gushing about it. If you're also interested in this type of work: Check out the Smithsonian's page for summer internships. 

I'm thinking of getting a part time work-from-home job since the Smithsonian internship isn't paid. I'd like to have something to give me a little bit of spending money and some savings to start off my junior year.

For play, I'm going to be having some of my college friends over. I've already got the full plans for a friend coming over for Otakon! Link to read about Otakon, an amazing anime convention in Baltimore, Maryland. This summer will be my third year attending. Another friend may be dropping by sometime during the summer since she fell a bit in love with Virginia after visiting for Thanksgiving.Also, I'm considering going to see Motion City Soundtrack for their concert July 9th at Virginia Beach.

Summer Blogging

With an increased amount of free time, I want to work on my blog. I really want to step it up to the next level. My goals are to create a banner, signature, line break, and maybe even  an extra feature for each week. I'd really like to work on my graphic design and art; utilizing that toward the blog would give me a good schedule and motivation.

I would also like to get back into Youtube and creating videos. It's something that I've always enjoyed but don't seem to block out time for.

If there's anything you want to see in the blog or from me in general, please let me know!

End of Term

It's absolutely amazing to think that it's the end of the semester. Next year I will be a junior! There are so many exciting things to talk about: an exciting summer job, studying for exams, packing for a return to Virginia.

Due to finals there won't be any more posts until after May 24th, when I return to Virginia. After that, I will return to schedule.

Read more for my thoughts on the end of term and summer plans.

Positivity: Spring Refresh

I want to see how my new year's resolutions have been going, possibly recommitting on the ones that aren't doing as well on.

Read more for the break down on how I've been doing!

• Draw Every Day

I haven't been doing so well on this. But I have been drawing more often than last semester. I'm even nearly through with my sketch book. Overall, I think that this goal might need to be broken down a little bit more so that I can measure my progress on it.

• Blog Post Weekly

I have been doing this. In fact, I've been blogging twice weekly. I think that I may step it up to three times a week in a month or so. Blogging is really rewarding and works well with my self reflection. While I may not have a lot of readers now, I feel accountable writing down what I have and haven't done.

• Work Out

This semester I'll be taking a yoga and pilates class this term. I'm a little worried about the pilates, but I'll have a friend with me. I'm going to be trying to attend the Friday Concourse Yoga. I tried to have a work out buddy for working out in my dorm, but we were stymied by conflicting schedules, so I may just work out on my own in the Z-center.

• Cook and Pack Lunches

I've actually been been staying in the dorm for lunch, so I haven't been having to pack up. I do think that I should be cooking more. It'll be easier to do this as the weather warms up and grocery shopping becomes less of a chore.

• Confidence Increase

Maybe my confidence has increased. Seems like I am more content with myself, most likely due to the self reflection I've been focusing on. I feel much happier with the choices that I've been making, especially since it seems like I'm moving closer to my goal.

• Morning Yoga

Not too well on this resolution. I'm going to re-commit to this for the spring. I think this will also help with the difficulty I have getting out of bed. This links back to the working out resolution, so hopefully they'll rise together. 

• Talk to Ivanna x2 weekly

I have been doing very well on this. I write a letter every week and usually make a phone call or text throughout the week. To step up the commitment, I want to start taking a photo once a week to text to her which would also work well for blogging.

• Drink 8 cups of water / day

While I may not be all the way up to 8 cups a day, I have consistently been drinking water before going the sleep and right after waking up. I think I'm averaging 6 cups a day, focused in the evening. To be quite honest, I feel like I need to drink far more than 8 cups a day. 

• Keep My Room Clean

Victory! My room has actually been getting cleaner and neater. I emptied and condensed a number of things, leading to less clutter overall. If I can keep this up for the spring, I may reward myself by buying another small dresser for my beauty supplies and pajamas.

Overall, I feel that I've been doing well on my new year's resolutions. I am adding a few more resolutions, stepping it up a little bit.

Positivity: Spring Refresh

I want to see how my new year's resolutions have been going, possibly recommitting on the ones that aren't doing as well on.

Read more for the break down on how I've been doing!

Over-committing: Classes, Clubs, Career

There's a big shift transitioning from high school to college. You have a lot more independence to pursue what you want when you want but more responsibility follows. Classes in high school were really easy for me; I could skate through lectures and rely on the repetitive style of teaching if I wanted to zone out for a day.

College is not like this.
At all.

The work load is more intense, especially since professors aren't holding your hand through the material. It's up to you to keep up with work and ask for help when you need it. Despite this, a lot of students coming into college try to replicate high school, signing up for tons of clubs and activities. While it's good to have things outside of lecture, the priority of a college student is their classes, in my honest opinion. Well, it's not just my opinion: it's the opinion of the faculty and advisors.

Here's some advice for the times when you've overcommitted in your classes, clubs, and career.

Classes

Coming into college, it's easy to think that classes will be like high school. A lot of high school advisors don't know what you can handle so you may be used to ignoring warnings of too much course work. Working as an Associate Advisor with freshman advising, I see lots of students think that they can handle five challenging technical classes while doing a varsity sport and who knows what else. Most of these students come back, a little bit humbled, hoping to drop their fifth class and transfer into a slower paced class.

My first suggestion would be to listen to your freshman advisor. Challenge yourself but don't overload on your first semester. If certain classes are pre requisites, it's for good reason; don't try to skip around. If the advisor suggests your course load is too much, consider them seriously. Weight what your advisors says with the advice of upperclassmen who have taken the class.

If you've signed up for too many classes, speak to each professor. Ask how you're doing in their class and ask what you can do to keep up with the work from now on. Make sure to email the TA, asking about what tutoring is available and their office hours. Your school may have a Writing Center or Tutoring Office that you can go to for extra help.

Finally, meet with your advisor, reporting back what each professor has said and how you feel about your work load.

If you need to, drop a class. There's no shame in letting go of something that you aren't enjoying or doing well in. Make sure you keep track of drop date and the necessary paperwork.

Extra Curricular and Clubs

If you've signed up for too many extra curricular responsibilities, there's no shame in stepping back. Speak honestly with your club about why you need to re-focus on your school work. Make clear that you want to stay involved with the club, but will be less active until your work is better in hand.

Don't just disappear! Talk to the club, even if it's just an email or a stop by at the next meeting. Having been on both sides of this, I can say that it hurts to worry about a club member who hasn't been seen in a long time and to scramble to take over their responsibility.  It also hurts to feel that you can't come back to the club because there was no clean break or explanation for leaving in the first place.

If you can't drop the commitment, ask another club member to split the work with you. Work something out to share the work, delegating parts of the project to others.

Plan out when things need to get done, organizing your time.

Career

If you're paying your way through college, you may not be able to cut down your work hours. I totally understand that; I'm paying my own way with the generous help of scholarships. But what you can do is make sure that your work is either applicable to your major or allows you to do course work.

For example, I am a desk worker at my dorm. I can do a lot of my school work while sitting at desk, letting people in and out of the building. The pay is decent for the amount of double tasking I can do.

If you are just working for experience or extra spending money, remember that your course work is the priority. Plan out the number of hours you can do in the week. Some labs will let you come in on the weekends so if that works well with your class schedule take advantage of it.

Look at your syllabus at the start of the year and make sure to get time off for your exams. This might sound silly but you may have an evening shift that conflicts with a late evening exam time.

Wrap Up

The moral of the story is that coursework if the main priority of a student. Everyone's heard the story of a wise professor filling a jar with golf balls and then pouring in the small bits of sand to completely fill in the jar.

Block in the class work and let classes, clubs, and career work follow in to fill in your free time. Organize your time and don't sign up for things you can't follow through on.

I hope that this advice helps you. If you  have any suggestions that you want to share comment below!

Over-committing: Classes, Clubs, Career

There's a big shift transitioning from high school to college. You have a lot more independence to pursue what you want when you want but more responsibility follows. Classes in high school were really easy for me; I could skate through lectures and rely on the repetitive style of teaching if I wanted to zone out for a day.

College is not like this.
At all.

The work load is more intense, especially since professors aren't holding your hand through the material. It's up to you to keep up with work and ask for help when you need it. Despite this, a lot of students coming into college try to replicate high school, signing up for tons of clubs and activities. While it's good to have things outside of lecture, the priority of a college student is their classes, in my honest opinion. Well, it's not just my opinion: it's the opinion of the faculty and advisors.

Here's some advice for the times when you've overcommitted in your classes, clubs, and career.

Staying positive: Lookin' Good

I've realized that a major part of me feeling good about myself is based on feeling that I look good. This spring and summer, my goal is work a routine of healthy self care and trying out a new more outgoing personal style.



Read more to hear about my rationale for this new commitment and the steps that I've broken this major goal down into.




I was raised on the belief that "cleanliness is close to godliness" and that "your body is a temple," so I associate taking care of my body with taking care of my soul. I may not be as spiritual, but the feeling of being clean is still linked with a sense of personal peace and reflection for me. I often spend my shower planning out my day or revving myself up for class.

Looking back on my low points, I see that personal care is one of the first things that I cut out. The sad thing is that removing self care makes it difficult for me to go out and leads to debilitating self criticism. While the first thing to go, self care certainly isn't the last. Cutting down on self care is a rather common thing for people suffering from depression or even just general stress. If you struggle with this, there's a lot of support out there. Even if it's not part of a serious difficulty, it's easy to rationalize exchanging showering time for cramming for a test. Maybe we can challenge ourselves to take better care together!

This year, I made a commitment to improving myself and I catalogued those resolutions in my day planner.
( Read my improvement commitments here.)

I want to commit to looking nice, taking care of my appearance, so that I can tackle the world with a more outgoing personality.

• My goal is to shower daily, taking the time to shampoo, condition, exfoliate, and just enjoy the process of getting clean.
• I will try to do my hair well, so that I feel confident with it. 
• I want to wear make up on a regular basis rather than "giving up" on my appearance. 
• My outfits will be things I confidently enjoy rather than things that let me feel slouchy-comfortable. 
• I will take advantage of my clothes and jewelry that I own. 
• I should try to feel brave and adventurous trying out new clothes, rather than cautious. 

Staying positive: Lookin' Good

I've realized that a major part of me feeling good about myself is based on feeling that I look good. This spring and summer, my goal is work a routine of healthy self care and trying out a new more outgoing personal style.



Read more to hear about my rationale for this new commitment and the steps that I've broken this major goal down into.

Inspired positivity

I read a blog post here, at Stuck with Pins. I love seeing Corinne's photography and graphic design, especially since she applies her talent to every day things. She also shares artists' work, to help them gain attention and to share the gorgeous work they're doing. I'm always a big fan of seeing people beautify the everyday.

Reading this particular post about the positive change that Corinne's creating for 2013, I thought that she had some great points. Please read her post on staying positive. Read more for my additional suggestions.





I do have some additional advice.

1. Don't underestimate the effect of small kindnesses.

It can be very difficult to find the strength to be kind when it's not an established habit. It's hard be kind to strangers, much less the people that you don't like. But starting small with your kindness is still valuable. 

Something as small as a smile to someone on the street or giving directions to a tourist can make a big difference in that person's day, even if it only seems like a tiny thing to you. 

Work your way up to being kind to your friends on a bad day. Maybe bring them lunch if they seem too busy to eat or give them your full attention for an hour of complaining. 

     2. Add a positive to the negative; Make a fresh start

With the skills of kindness to strangers and friends, you can try to be kind to people you dislike. First, give them the benefit of the doubt. It may be impossible to see where they're coming from, but for a week assume that they mean well. This is something I do to keep my irritation at bay.  

Once this is within your grasp, forget about all the previous irritations. Just clear the slate! Don't forget what they did. If they messed up a report or hurt you, remember to be cautious. But let go of the negative emotions that go with that. Try to stop complaining about it. When you want to complain about that one time they did that one thing, talk about what you learned from the experience. 

     3.  Complain: Compliment

If you can't stop complaining, make a deal with yourself: for every complaint, you have to compliment someone or something. 

I rely on my tumblr for getting out my anger and frustration. I couldn't stand to give it up. So when I write something negative or complain about something, I also spend as much time working on a blog post here, to give appreciation. 

     4. Appreciate self-love

Often, people think of self love as selfish. But it's a part of self-care, right there with eating right and showering. It's something that you need! You will shrivel up without caring for yourself. 

Plan in your self care. As I mentioned in my post on my day planner, at the start of the year  I sprinkle moments of self love through out the year. What works for you may be different. I have religious friends who can't do work on Sunday and so dedicate that day to relaxing and the self-care that can be overlooked in the week. 

And let me just emphasize: Drink water! It makes such a difference!

     5. Appreciation and Thankfulness

Write down what you like. Say thank you. It's a matter of slowing changing your perspective that will make the difference.

Look at what you have rather than what you're missing. Your feeling will change quickly.

Inspired positivity

I read a blog post here, at Stuck with Pins. I love seeing Corinne's photography and graphic design, especially since she applies her talent to every day things. She also shares artists' work, to help them gain attention and to share the gorgeous work they're doing. I'm always a big fan of seeing people beautify the everyday.

Reading this particular post about the positive change that Corinne's creating for 2013, I thought that she had some great points. Please read her post on staying positive. Read more for my additional suggestions.

desk organization: drawers

Organizing the drawers is, I think, the hardest thing to do. My drawer organization shifts as the semester goes on, as my study habits change. As always, the most important thing is finding something that works for you and your habits.

Step One: Clean

Carefully clean the surfaces and all the drawers of your cabinet. At the start of the year, give your desk a good treat of bleach, including the drawers. Trust me it's worth it. No one knows where the last resident stored their half used tissues.

Personally I use Pledge Multi Surface ($11). I also try to clean off the surface of my desk once a week because germs. If you want to go all out get a nice wood polisher, if you have a nice wooden desk. But do make sure to get something with anti bacterial properties.

Step Two: Drawer Check

Make sure that all of your drawers are properly aligned. If problems with the drawers sliding persist, the drawer hinges are probably a bit rusty.

Your dorm manager may be able to hook you up with some grease or WD40 for your desk drawers if they are too creaky or jam a lot. If not, you can buy WD40 from most hardware shops.

If you are super concerned about germs, you can get anti bacterial removable desk liners from most Bed, Bath and Beyond and similar style of stores. You can get some on Amazon ($3; pictured above).

Step Three: Personalized Handles

 

If you want to go the extra mile to personalize your desk, you can get change out for new drawer handles. Anthropology ($8 - $15; pictured above) has a ton of different styles of handles as do many hardware stores. Make sure to keep the dorm ones; you'll have to put them back at the end of the school year.

Step Four: Plan, Concentrate, Shop

A desk is a place that you should be able to calmly concentrate, with all of your supplies in easy reach from your seat. Think about what things you use most often: pens, pencils, highlighters, post it notes, paper clips, binders, whatever office supplies you tend to use. Don't take for granted that the "typical" office supplies need to be in ready reach tho. For example, I don't use paper clips or post its very often but I use a lot of binder clips and sticky flags.

Get a desk organizer or silverware organizer for your drawers. I'd strongly suggest getting bamboo desk organizers because they're easier on the environment and your wallet. There are a ton of different styles and sizes for these desk organizers.


Tips to get the right size: 

• Be very careful measuring out the interior of your desk when ordering online. Leave a little bit of space if you can, as not all measurements are precise. These small spaces can be filled with thin paper products; don't worry about them.

• If you're going into the store, you can cut a bit of newspaper or poster to fit inside of your drawer. Place things you're considering on top of the paper to make sure they would perfectly fit you actual drawer.

Step Five: Preserve

Now that everything has a proper place, create the habit of putting things back where they belong.
Plan to clean your desk and drawers regularly. Don't let dust or grime build up; clean more often during the winter flu months.

I'd suggest getting cedar scent blocks for your drawers. They keep away moths. Plus, they smell good.

desk organization: drawers

Organizing the drawers is, I think, the hardest thing to do. My drawer organization shifts as the semester goes on, as my study habits change. As always, the most important thing is finding something that works for you and your habits.

Step One: Clean

Carefully clean the surfaces and all the drawers of your cabinet. At the start of the year, give your desk a good treat of bleach, including the drawers. Trust me it's worth it. No one knows where the last resident stored their half used tissues.

Personally I use Pledge Multi Surface ($11). I also try to clean off the surface of my desk once a week because germs. If you want to go all out get a nice wood polisher, if you have a nice wooden desk. But do make sure to get something with anti bacterial properties.

Step Two: Drawer Check

Make sure that all of your drawers are properly aligned. If problems with the drawers sliding persist, the drawer hinges are probably a bit rusty.

Your dorm manager may be able to hook you up with some grease or WD40 for your desk drawers if they are too creaky or jam a lot. If not, you can buy WD40 from most hardware shops.

If you are super concerned about germs, you can get anti bacterial removable desk liners from most Bed, Bath and Beyond and similar style of stores. You can get some on Amazon ($3; pictured above).

Step Three: Personalized Handles

 

If you want to go the extra mile to personalize your desk, you can get change out for new drawer handles. Anthropology ($8 - $15; pictured above) has a ton of different styles of handles as do many hardware stores. Make sure to keep the dorm ones; you'll have to put them back at the end of the school year.

Step Four: Plan, Concentrate, Shop

A desk is a place that you should be able to calmly concentrate, with all of your supplies in easy reach from your seat. Think about what things you use most often: pens, pencils, highlighters, post it notes, paper clips, binders, whatever office supplies you tend to use. Don't take for granted that the "typical" office supplies need to be in ready reach tho. For example, I don't use paper clips or post its very often but I use a lot of binder clips and sticky flags.

Get a desk organizer or silverware organizer for your drawers. I'd strongly suggest getting bamboo desk organizers because they're easier on the environment and your wallet. There are a ton of different styles and sizes for these desk organizers.


Tips to get the right size: 

• Be very careful measuring out the interior of your desk when ordering online. Leave a little bit of space if you can, as not all measurements are precise. These small spaces can be filled with thin paper products; don't worry about them.

• If you're going into the store, you can cut a bit of newspaper or poster to fit inside of your drawer. Place things you're considering on top of the paper to make sure they would perfectly fit you actual drawer.

Step Five: Preserve

Now that everything has a proper place, create the habit of putting things back where they belong.
Plan to clean your desk and drawers regularly. Don't let dust or grime build up; clean more often during the winter flu months.

I'd suggest getting cedar scent blocks for your drawers. They keep away moths. Plus, they smell good.

Day Planner

After going to the comic book shop with a friend, we wandered around a bit. And being the person that I am, I couldn't resist a little stationary kitsch shop.

It had so many cute things to pick up and explore. I was thinking of getting myself a nice soap but then realized I have enough soap for a small eternity, all of it lavender scented too.

Isn't the planner just lovely? I love that the cover is of vintage Boston. It has a bit of elastic to hold the cover closed along with ribbon to keep the page.

The front page has personal information; the next spread is monthly views and holidays.
I got myself a planner for new year of 2013 so to fully dedicate it in the back are my new year's resolutions. It has a great pocket in the back. I use it to store the letters that I'm about to post.

Set up with with a view of the week on one page and a note sheet for lists, this little planner has been helping me get organized. I use stickers to spark up the pages for my routine events and even for reminders of small inspirations. I put in my plans for IAP. I also put in some surprise plans throughout the year, complete with stickers. I think it's very important to have little things sprinkled throughout the year to keep oneself from losing sight of the small joys.

My one warning would be that it doesn't have a full spread monthly view.  For each week, there is a mini month view. That's alright for me since I have a monthly wall calendar along with a cell phone app calendar.

Hope that this little book can keep me organized throughout the year! I do really hope it does; as you can see I'm trying to improve myself a bit in 2013.
How do you keep organized? I enjoyed reading the Dainty Squid's post about planning blog posts.

Day Planner

After going to the comic book shop with a friend, we wandered around a bit. And being the person that I am, I couldn't resist a little stationary kitsch shop.

It had so many cute things to pick up and explore. I was thinking of getting myself a nice soap but then realized I have enough soap for a small eternity, all of it lavender scented too.

Isn't the planner just lovely? I love that the cover is of vintage Boston. It has a bit of elastic to hold the cover closed along with ribbon to keep the page.

The front page has personal information; the next spread is monthly views and holidays.
I got myself a planner for new year of 2013 so to fully dedicate it in the back are my new year's resolutions. It has a great pocket in the back. I use it to store the letters that I'm about to post.

Set up with with a view of the week on one page and a note sheet for lists, this little planner has been helping me get organized. I use stickers to spark up the pages for my routine events and even for reminders of small inspirations. I put in my plans for IAP. I also put in some surprise plans throughout the year, complete with stickers. I think it's very important to have little things sprinkled throughout the year to keep oneself from losing sight of the small joys.

My one warning would be that it doesn't have a full spread monthly view.  For each week, there is a mini month view. That's alright for me since I have a monthly wall calendar along with a cell phone app calendar.

Hope that this little book can keep me organized throughout the year! I do really hope it does; as you can see I'm trying to improve myself a bit in 2013.
How do you keep organized? I enjoyed reading the Dainty Squid's post about planning blog posts.