Beat the Study Slump

I am in the middle of a second round of midterms. Which is no fun. Studying all day. Trying to memorize (and understand) as much information as possible. It becomes tiring and I cannot wait for tonight at 9pm when I will officially be done midterms for this year (then I will just have finals to worry about but those aren't for a couple of months. Yay!)

After a couple of hours of hard studying (or sooner depending on how many days its been and how often I have gone through the material) I find I need to refocus. Here is what I find helps me to stay on track and get energized again for another couple of hours of studying. 

1/ Eating Healthy 

During exams it is so easy to reach for comfort foods, order a pizza or some other form of takeout. While this can sustain me for the short term I find that I don't study as well when I am not eating healthy. I try to include at least a salad or a green smoothie in my day. I also don't like to eat while I study. 

2/ Sleep

There never seems to be enough hours in the day but one thing I don't skimp on during midterm season is sleep. Its important to staying healthy and not catching any of the bugs that are going around during this time of year and I know that I can study more effectively when I am well rested. When I start to get tired I know its going to take twice as long to get through material. 

3/ Tea

I drink a ton of tea. But I like to switch up what kinds that I am drinking throughout the day. In the morning I usually drink a caffeinated tea to wake me up and get me through the first couple of hours of studying. Once the afternoon hits I switch to green tea and by evening I am drinking only caffeine free tea so that I can make sure I get a good nights sleep.  Tea especially caffeine free tea helps to keep me hydrated as well. 

4/ Taking Breaks 

I like to take breaks every 45 minutes to an hour to stretch my legs or give my brain a break. Usually, I have a goal in mind how far I want to get in the material before I take a break. Depending on what I am studying its 1-3 lectures. 

5/ Treats

Sometimes I need some external motivation for getting through. I like to reward myself for finishing a unit or getting through a section. Usually this is in the form of food, a small piece of chocolate etc that gives me a sugar rush. Other times I like to use longer breaks (an hour or so) as a reward and watch a tv show.  

6/ Change of Scenery 

I usually study in the same place (at my kitchen table). Which I like because I can usually get a lot of work done here uninterrupted and I am pretty productive. However, sometimes changing scenery and going to the library or even just a different room to study is enough to get me back on track and feeling refreshed. 

Valentine's Inspiration

Top: Necklace. Scarf. Print.
Bottom: Water Bottle. iPhone Case. Sleep Shirt. Wristlet.

Mondays

Mondays. Everyone hates them. They are even worse coming off a great weekend. I managed to escape home this weekend for a quick one night visit which was very much needed. I was felling incredibly homesick since coming back from the holidays. I always seem to get very homesick after the holidays. It always feels too soon to go back to school. This year with the ice storm I really felt like I had been robbed time at home since we were without power for four days.  My short trip home was the perfect mini vacation from the stress of school. 

These past couple of weeks have been really stressful for me. It seemed like everything was happening all at once. I had major conference to plan, midterms to study for, internship applications due. I felt like I was being pulled in about 100 different directions and being a perfectionist I wanted to give everything 100% which I soon learned was just not possible.  

Usually, I can prioritize. I know what needs to get done first. What is most important and what can fall to the back burner until I can catch my breath for a minute. These last few weeks it seemed like everything was important and would impact my life in different various ways. With the conference date nearing that took precedence which meant that when midterms starting rolling around I had less time to cram in more information. Then a job application would be due and those deadlines are hard and fast. You cannot miss it. Writing cover letters already is a bit of chore plus the pressure of getting a good internship was looming overhead. One decision would affect right now, the next could affect the future. Some (like getting good grades) affect both. Unfortunately, it seemed like the thing to fall to the back burner was my relationships and my me time. Both I have learnt are extremely important. I felt that I was too busy to call my mom, take a minute to stop and actually eat or grab that extra hour of sleep. Which only lead to me getting sick and being forced to slow down.

Everyone always tells me to enjoy being a student while I can. Savor these last few semesters. Enjoy it. But part of me cannot wait to graduate. To hopefully reclaim some of my evenings and weekends (is this wishful thinking?). I am tired of studying seemingly useless facts and regurgitating information in multiple choice format. Clearly, I am tired of studying. Luckily it seems like there is a light at the end of the tunnel. My last midterm is this Friday, the conference is over and hopefully I will hear back about some internships shortly. Today, I just need to get through Monday.

I meant to post this earlier today but Monday just seemed to get away from me. Being on campus for 13 hours didn't help. 

Snapshots

Woke up the other morning to these beautiful colours

Girls night at Martini Bar. Mine was called the Cinderella. 

My favourite days involve Starbucks and Chapters. 

Stuffing a serious number of swag bags for a business conference. 

Horrible awkward selfie attempts. But glitter elbow pads make everything better. 

My study view for the next couple of weeks as I finish up midterms.

Saying Thank You

These past couple of weeks have been super busy and full of stress and anxiety with events, studying for midterms and applying for summer internships. I am so grateful to all of my friends and family who have been there for me during these past few weeks.

I wanted to say Thank You to those who put up with me while I was sleep deprived and stressed and starting thinking about the best way to do that.

Thank You Notes - a simple thank you note can go a long way. It shows that you really appreciate the the person and the time that they took to help you.  I think hand written thank you notes are more sincere then an email because you actually have to take the time to put pen to paper.

Starbucks Gift Card - Show your appreciation for someones time by buying their coffee that day. Even a small amount can go a long way to brightening someones day and showing that you truly appreciate them.

Cookies/Baked Goods - If you are talented in the kitchen (or even if you aren't they have mixes now) its always nice to give homemade goods.  My friend recently lost her phone and had it returned to her by someone in their building. She brought them a plate a cookies as thanks and they were thrilled to receive them.  I find guys especially love receiving homemade baked goods.

Flowers - Flowers are a great way to say thanks. Its always nice to have a fresh bouquet and they are a great thank you to send to someone who might live further away.

What is your favourite way to say Thank You?

Jaclyn

The Perfect Sunday

I am dreaming of my perfect sunday this week knowing that I am going to be crazy busy for most of January with school. My perfect sunday would look a little something like this:

Wake up naturally and enjoy a cup of tea in bed probably paired with a good book

Brunch with friends at my favourite little diner 

Do some window shopping. Maybe come home with a new gem. 

I'd like to end my perfect sunday, snuggled up on the couch with some mac and cheese, watching copious amounts of Netflix in fuzzy socks. 

What would your perfect sunday look like? 

Jaclyn

Beach Dreaming

 These cold winter days have me dreaming of sun, sand and surf. I am counting down the days until summer or at least until I can escape back to some beach paradise. 

I really want to go to the Exuma Island in the Bahamas after watching this video: 

There is nothing like walking bare foot through the sand. 

Some of my picks for a beach vacation: 

Sun Hat. Beach Tunic. Bathing Suit. Sun Glasses. Shorts. Sandals. 

cookbooks

Recently, I have been on the hunt for cookbooks. I want to grow my current non existent collection. I love looking through the photos of delicious food and reading the stories that go along with the recopies. There are so many cookbooks out there that I feel overwhelmed at which ones to get. I mean there are cookbooks that focus completely on one ingredient, others just on cupcakes, some on health and others on regions. How am I supposed to choose? My local Indigo has shelves upon shelves of cookbooks but I can never decide on which ones I want to take home. Do I go for the celebrity chef, the trusted food blogger or someone completely unknown? Decisions. Decisions. I recently got a Winner's gift card for Christmas so I decided to use part of it to towards my cookbook collection and purchased this book yesterday on a whim:

The beautiful cake on the front and the scalloped pages drew me in. I spent all of last night reading the stories behind the different recipes and deciding on which I want to attempt first and what fun new equipment I want to buy.

Any cookbooks you can suggest? I want a broad collection of different foods and flavours. I think these 3 are next on my list: 

Tessa and Scott

I am getting really excited for the Winter Olympics. I have even been sporting my Canadian Olympic Mitts everyday thanks to the freezing cold weather we have been having.  My favourite event at the Olympics is the Figure Skating which should become even more interesting this year with the introduction of the team event. It has always been a sport that I love and having grown up around and trained at the same rink as some of Canada's current Olympic hopefuls it makes watching the olympics even more fun. I am looking forward to watching the Canadian Nationals this weekend. 

There has been so much buzz around Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir lately (the 2010 gold medalists for ice dance). They have their own show on the W Network which I have really been enjoying watching. Its an interesting look into the lives of Canada's sweethearts. They make such a great pair on the ice and watching them skate is magical.  

While watching P&G's current video about moms I came across this one on Tessa and Scott which I thought I would share with you:

What event are you most looking forward to at the 2014 Winter Olympics? 

Jaclyn

Winter Essentials

We are experiencing some extremely cold weather here! Like -40 C with the wind chill kind of cold. The university actually canceled classes yesterday because of the extreme cold weather, which is something they rarely do. The cold temperatures and the lack of class made for a good excuse to stay inside all day, drink tea and watch copious amounts of netflix. Here are some of my cold weather favourites:

David's Tea Timolino - I don't know how this thing does it. But it keeps tea hot for hours. I was walking around with it in the cold weather and my tea was still nice and hot when I came back inside.

Netflix - On cold winter nights all I want to do is curl up on the couch or in bed and watch some netflix. Lately I have been watching Dance Academy and Suits.  Any suggestions for movies?

Vaseline Lip Care - I use this before I go out, before bed and when I get home from being outside. It saves my lips from the harsh winter cold. You can see my other winter beauty favourites here.

Cozy Sweater - Aritiza has a version of this sweater every winter (its on sale right now!) and I love it. It is so warm and cozy!

Crochet Slipper Boots - My grandmother made me a pair similar to these for Christmas. If I am home then they are on my feet. They are so soft and warm.

Lululemon Wonder Unders - I wear these as leggings or if its really cold I wear them under my clothes.  I basically lived in them when we had no power because of the ice storm and just threw jeans or other sweatpants on top when I left the house.

What are your winter essentials? 

Jaclyn

New Year's Snapshots

During the day on New Year's Eve a few of us went skating. It was the perfect way to end the year, doing something I love. 

Showing off my new Canada mitts - getting excited for the winter olympics 

The restaurant where we had dinner had such pretty lighting. I couldn't resist taking photos. 

Our desert was a delicious molten chocolate lava cake (my favourite) and they lit sparklers to make it extra special. 

14 Things for 2014

Its that time of year again! Time to make a list of things I want to accomplish this year.

You can see how I did on my 2013 list here. 

What's on your list for 2014? 

Jaclyn 

Cheers

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Here's to a new year filled with Joy, Love and Laughter. 

I wish everyone the very best in 2014. This year is OUR year!