Here's something I never thought I'd say: I'm really into audiobooks at the moment. After multiple tries at enjoying and utilising audiobooks, something has finally stuck and I'm in a routine of using Audible to enrich my day-to-day life. For years people have been telling me that audiobooks are the best way to fit more books into your life but I struggled to pay attention to them if I was listening to a story whilst doing anything else, and struggled to stay awake if I was listening to a story before bed. I didn't think to fit audiobooks into any part of my day other than the end when I was laying in bed. It was a great way to drift off but I'd go to continue the book only to realise that I had missed parts of the story whilst falling asleep. Annoying. Finding parts of my day which allow my mind to wander was a good way of figuring out when to fit in my Audible time since I could focus on the book with little else on my mind. This is where I've managed to fit it in:

When & Where

I hate commuting. Getting the bus to work, walking all the way to university, it's all very boring and pretty much unbearable without my earphones. I hate having nothing to do to occupy my mind whilst I'm getting from A to B since my mind always tends to wander where I would rather it didn't. This is where Audible comes in. Music does an okay job at making my commute more bearable, but once you know a song well you don't really need to focus on the lyrics at all and your mind is free to wander. Listening to Audible means that I have something to focus my mind on which is engaging, new and interesting. I find myself on autopilot, getting myself to where I need to be, while completely engaged in what I'm listening to. Often I reach my location marvelling at how quickly the journey has passed.


What

In my unsuccessful stints of using Audible, I was listening to mostly fiction. Don't get me wrong, I love a good fantasy novel, but I was getting lost in complex plots and found that unless I was completely focused on the audio, I would soon get frustrated and give up on the book. I have found that listening to self-help books, personal development books and autobiographies has worked so much better for me. I feel like I'm learning something every time I commute and I find I can dip in and out of these books much easier than high-concept fantasy novels. I love that it brings an element of learning to my day no matter whether it's a university day or not, and after listening to a personal development book I often reach my destination feeling motivated and ready to work towards my goals.

Faves on Audible: Atomic Habits by James Clear & Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig.

Why

So why was I so hell-bent on finding a way to use Audible that works super well for me? Well, I have always been an avid reader but I have been finding it harder and harder to find the time or the energy to just pick up a book and start reading. I have so many unfinished books and even several books on my shelf that I have failed to pick up since purchasing them. I've missed getting stuck into a book, progressing through the chapters and hanging onto every word and I wanted a way to get all of this and fit it easily into my everyday routine. The time I was spending getting from A to B every day felt like time that could be better spent or optimised and realising this made it click in my head that this could be my new reading time. Using Audible means that I can get my reading in every single day whether I have time to sit down with a book or not.Do you listen to audiobooks? When do you fit in time to read?



Photo by Konstantin Dyadyun on Unsplash

Before I started this blog (over a year ago, wow), I was taking part in blogging of a different kind. I was running a Studyblr, that is, a study blog based on Tumblr. I did this all through college and the first year of my degree and it really was a great way to stay productive! The Studyblr community was the most positive and supportive places on the internet which I have ever experienced, full of people lifting each other up, encouraging one another and sharing their advice. It has been a while since I was a part of that community of people but I want to dive back into it and to show you what you're missing if you're a student who has never heard of it before. I also want to share the other online study communities which I have either found or have been a part of in the hopes that you can find as much joy in this internet space as I have.

Tumblr

Let's start with Studyblr! This is a popular tag on Tumblr and the easiest way to find Studyblr content on the platform. You will immediately stumble upon images of workspaces accompanied by captions logging a day's productivity. I found that a lot of these images gave me ideas for how to lay out my notes, showed me the techniques that other people use to revise, and generally reminded me to set my desk out and get to work! There are also lots of useful how-to guides on topics such as planning, bullet journaling, note-taking, and balancing studies. I could scroll through this tag for hours and hours, although that would defeat the purpose of the tag really!


100 Days of Productivity

One popular challenge that Studyblrs take part in is the 100 Days of Productivity challenge. This is where you take at least one productive action per day and log it on your blog, often as a photo post. I found taking part in this really useful as it held me accountable! I felt that I needed something to post every day, no matter how big or small, and encouraged me to do my best to be productive every single day. It's also really encouraging to see the blogs you follow managing to crush the challenge!

Masterposts

Masterposts are my favourite thing ever! They are a collection of posts or links made into a themed list which you can use to get all the information, advice or templates you could ever need. My favourites are always masterposts which show you all the free printables you can get to plan your study sessions! I love a good printable! Here are a few examples of masterposts:

• Study Music Masterpost by uk-studying
• Important TED Talks by marias-studyblr
• Fundamental Apps by suitestudy
• Study Advice Masterpost by studywithmariana

Friendliness and a full inbox

When I was running my Studyblr account, my inbox was always full of questions, encouragement and generally people open to chat about what we both study. I never experienced a negative message or comment in all the time I was posting! It was refreshing, to say the least! I even got talking to a few people who were deciding which universities to apply for and they were asking me about the university I attend, and it felt good to answer their questions and help them to make their minds up since I remember being in their place and how stressful it was!

Things I picked up from Studyblr

I picked up a lot of tips and tricks from using Studyblr. I refined my notetaking techniques and now I keep everything on Google Drive so that I have my notes to hand anywhere I go. I began using the Pomodoro technique to study and found lots of apps which aid me in my revision sessions. It also got me in the habit of enjoying everyday photography, which definitely transferred to blogging and my social media. I got into bullet journalling, which really helped me to organise my life in the hectic transfer from college to university. Now, I make a to-do list for absolutely every task I approach and it ensures that I never forget to do something.

Tags to use

• Studyblr
• Studyspo
• Bujo - bullet journalling
• Study motivation
• Studying
• Study notes
• 100 days of productivity / 100DOP

(Side note - while writing this I realised that I miss Studyblr so much and should probably set up a new Studyblr, so here it is: jessistrying.tumblr.com)

Instagram

The Instagram study community can be found through the Studygram tag. It is similar to the community on Tumblr as they tend to post images of workspaces in order to log study sessions. There are lots and lots of images of notes with beautiful calligraphy titles. This community is just as positive and encouraging as Studyblr! During my time running a Studygram, I would message with people all over the world talking about how and what we study, as well as just how we were that day! It feels so open and inviting!


Videos

One thing that you can see a lot of on Studygram is timelapses of people studying or note taking. I find these videos strangely relaxing, as well as motivating. I love seeing the notes fill the page and it makes me want to push on and make my own notes. In fact, one trick I used to use to study was taking timelapses so that I couldn't touch my phone as it was recording. I would be left with a time lapse of my study session to look back on and I would get much more done since I couldn't touch my phone!

Tags to use

• Studygram
• Studygramcommunity
• Studycommunity
• Studymotivation
• Studywithme
• Notetaking
• Studytime
• Studying

YouTube

I am less well-versed on the YouTube study community, but I have been looking into it for this post and there is definitely one there! I know of a lot of Studyblrs who have moved across to the platform in order to create more content, and there seems to be a thriving group of 'Studytubers' who are sharing their tips and tricks on YouTube. From bullet journalling videos to university experience videos and study advice videos, there is definitely a lot to explore on this platform!

Study With Me videos

These are the greatest to put on in the background when you are taking notes from a textbook. They are long videos of people studying in real-time, often using the Pomodoro technique and showing when they take their breaks. It's a nice way to time your Pomodoro sessions and it's encouraging to look up from your work and see someone working hard. Not as effective as revising in the university library and looking around at other people stressing as much as you, but it's a good alternative for when you can't make it to the library or just want to revise at your own desk!

Study music

Less of a community, more of a great tool. Study music, especially lo-fi study music, has become somewhat famous on YouTube with thousands tuning into music live streams at any one time. Lofi hip hop radio by Chillhop is such good background noise for your study sessions as it just fades into the background while still sounding great.

Searches to use

• Studytube
• Study with me
• Study tips
• Study music
• Study inspiration

Pinterest

Simply by typing the word 'study' into the Pinterest search bar, you can find lots and lots of helpful posts! As with other platforms, there is a clear theme of note images, calligraphy titles and workspaces, but there is also a treasure trove of advice posts, printables and checklists! The content on Pinterest is less based on a consistent image theme (for most) and more about infographics, advice sharing and offering free printables and tools. I feel like Pinterest is more about practical advice than it is about inspiration.

Searches to use

• Study
• Study tips
• Study notes
• Note taking
• Study habits

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

Another toolkit?? Yep, here I am to tell you literally all I know about a certain subject. This time it's one of my favourite things on this earth, blogging! I am not the wisest and most experienced blogger, but I do know how to start a blog and to begin to create and promote posts! I'm going to cover four main topics in this post; creation, promotion, inspiration and monetisation.


If you want to get into blogging, I think it's safe to assume that you have an interest in content creation. These are the first steps to take when starting a blog and creating your content.

Blog templates

Whatever site you are using to start your blog (eg. Blogger, Wordpress, Wix) you will need to choose the template or design of your blog. This can be super easy or fairly difficult to set up and you need to go with a theme that suits your skillset! If you are just starting out with blogging or web design for the first time, for example, it may be a better decision to use the templates on offer on your blogging platform. I started out with a super simple Blogger template and it really helped me to just get started and get creating!

If you're not a fan of the templates on offer on your platform, there is plenty of choice out there for templates. If you're willing to invest in a template then PipDig have some gorgeous ones on offer and they're super customisable! I will definitely be investing in one of these when I have the money! I used Way2themes to get my current template for free and I loved how simple it was to switch everything about and customise my blog!

Graphics and Photos

For all of my graphics, I use Canva. This goes for all my post headers, social media graphics and printables! They have templates for just about anything you may need, and a vast many of them are free to use! It's also a lot of fun to create your own templates and the site is super easy to use! Snappa is similar to Canva, but Canva seems to have more free templates and I tend to stick with it! I have also used Piktochart in the past and it is super easy to use with some great template options; especially for infographics!

Some of us are not the best photographers, or may not have the time or ability to take the photos they want for a post. This is where stock photos come in! Since being bombarded with assignments and exams and general life, stock photos have been cropping up on my blog more often. I use Unsplash to find my free stock photos, but there are sites all over the place with loads of stock images. Other great sites for free stock photos include Pexels, Canva Photos and StockSnap.

Writing

You have probably seen the Grammarly adverts all over the internet, but if you haven't downloaded it yet I strongly advise you do. It has proved to be such a useful tool when writing and it picks up more written errors than my usual spell-checker. It makes proofreading extremely quick and simple and is perfect for any written content creators out there!

Sometimes, all you really need is the basics. I always keep a Thesaurus tab open when I'm writing, just in case I'm not loving my word choices.

• #lbloggers - lifestyle blog
• #bbloggers - beauty blog
• #fbloggers - fashion blog
• #mhbloggers - mental health blog

The other foundations are arguably Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. On Instagram, you can connect with other content creators in a way that lets them immediately see a grid of content. If you have great photo skills, show it off. If you have a knack for creating art or graphics, show it off. Displaying blog-relevant content on Instagram is a great way to attract an audience. Making a Facebook page for your blog is a great way to collect your audience and easily notify them when you release new content. It's a quick and easy way to connect with your audience and drive your blog traffic. It took me a while to get into Pinterest, but it really is a great hub of fellow content creators. You can drive people to your blog with 'rich pins' and you can collect inspiration on your boards.

Google Plus can also really help to drive traffic to your posts! Setting time aside each day to share your posts on Google Plus can really boost your views!

Scheduling Tools

One thing that can really boost your use of social media to the next level is the use of scheduling tools. I tend to use these exclusively for Twitter, as this is the site I tend to focus on most. I have yet to find a scheduling tool I use more than Buffer. It's just so easy! You type your tweet up and add the hashtags you want to use to promote your post. Once you add your blog link, the link is automatically shortened and Buffer picks up the images used in the post so that you can quickly select an image to go with your post before you schedule it! It's really simple to use and I definitely need to use it more!

Other Twitter scheduling tools include:

• Twittimer
• Twuffer
• Postfity
• SproutSocial (paid)

Photo by Marvin Meyer on Unsplash

I've been a student for a good amount of years now and I've constantly searched for new ways to get productive throughout my time as a student, be that at high school, college or university! I have gathered a lot of tips, tricks and techniques over this period of time and I am so excited to share these with you! Before I set up this blog, I used to run a study blog over on Tumblr and I really learned a lot about productivity from this experience, as well as from studying and trying different things for myself!

There are so many great productivity apps on the market and so much choice that it can be hard to see which ones actually work and help you to get productive! I have tried and tested so many apps and I have finally settled on my handful of staple productivity apps, which I keep in a folder on my phone for those study/work days!

Forest

If you haven't heard of Forest, it is an incredibly popular app on the app store and possibly the cutest productivity app out there! It asks you to choose an amount of time that you want to focus for (I always go for 25 minutes as per the Pomodoro technique) and it plants a lil tree for you. As long as you do not go on your phone and exit the app for this length of time, the tree will grow. If you go on your phone and procrastinate, the tree dies and you are left with a dead little tree in your forest. It's a fun and cute way to get productive!

You can download Forest on the App Store HERE and the Google Play store HERE. There is also a Chrome browser button that you can download if the app isn't your cup of tea!

• Quizlet - a great app for students who are trying to revise!
• Canva - for making great graphics on the go!
• Google Calendar - gotta have a good calendar!
• To-Do - simpler than Priority Matrix!
• Dictionary - you never know when you'll need it!

• My Passion Projects
• Career Contessa
• Career Girl Daily

Supposedly, everyone has hobbies and things they love to do! I love to read. It has always been a passion of mine and I used to find myself lost in other worlds and other times. However, recently I have neglected this hobby, always telling myself that I don't have the time or that I have 1000 other things I need to get done before I can chill with a book. I have now come to realise that this is utter bullsh*t. I don't have the time because I don't make the time. I don't have the time because I spend hours scrolling aimlessly through social media feeds and watching YouTube videos that I'm not particularly interested in or learning anything from.

I don't mean to be the one who is blaming social media and the internet for all the ills in the world. I do learn a lot from social media and online media, and I do love to use them to connect with others and learn something new. I watch a lot of different YouTube channels and read a lot of blogs and feeds that do bring me joy and teach me a lot of new things about the world around me. However, this is a case of getting stuck down the rabbit hole and forgetting how to stop.

This isn't about spending a bit too much time on the internet, this is about spending entire days or weeks stuck on my laptop, taking breaks only to walk to and from uni. I don't even cook that much and tell myself that it's because I don't have the time. In reality, I have plenty of time.  Psychom have written an article on Internet Addiction Disorder and, although I know that I have not reached this level at all, I find it incredibly interesting (maybe even interesting enough for my dissertation, who knows?) and I definitely see how this could develop! We gain a lot of instant gratification from internet use, so much so that it becomes a massive part of a lot of our daily routines!

I love education. Learning is a great passion of mine and I love to branch out far from my actual degree and to read about all sorts of topics! There are a wide variety of free learning resources out there and I figured I would compile a list of all the ones I have found so far! However, the list is endless and if you know any good ones which I have missed out, please let me know!

I am a big fan of meditation and mindfulness. I used to attempt to meditate when stressed in high school and college but fell out of the habit fairly soon because I was of the mindset that if I was doing something other than studying, I was wasting my time. Nowadays, I know that this mindset is damaging and wrong and so I try to set aside a good amount of time for self-care. One of my favourite methods of self-care is mindfulness. I fell back in love with mindfulness when I was attending a low-mood therapy group, run by my university counselling service. My counsellor/therapist recommended me to the group when I first started attending counselling with her and I turned up, reluctant that group therapy would help me, but hopeful nevertheless. At the end of each of the group sessions, our group therapist would tell us all to get comfortable and close our eyes before she ran us through that session's mindfulness practice.

The feeling that comes from mindfulness is hard to explain and I imagine it is different for each of us. For me, mindfulness makes me feel rested and very calm. I feel carefree and almost as though I am suspended in the space around me, and that nothing else is happening in that moment other than the practice. This feeling mostly comes when I am attending a mindfulness class with the person leading the practice in the same room as me and surrounded by others practising mindfulness with me. However, I have found apps to also be incredibly useful to get in the practice at home!

The way in which mindfulness helps me in my recovery and control of my depression is how it treats thoughts and feelings. You have a negative thought or feeling, such as self-doubt, you acknowledge that it is there and that it is okay to think or feel like that in the moment, but you do not have to accept it. It is about noticing the thought or feeling without automatically accepting it. By practising mindfulness more, I hope to apply this ability to notice and acknowledge my negative self-beliefs without accepting them and taking them as truth.

My favourite mindfulness apps

Headspace
This is possibly the most well-known mindfulness app out there! It has some free features but it's really really good on the full subscription. My friend paid for a full year and gave me a code for a free month of the full package and I'm so gutted that it's about to run out because all the programs that I find really helpful are in the paid version and I can't afford it at the moment! I love the range of programs available on the paid version of the app and I love that you can set a reminder for the app to get you to meditate each day!

Calm
The free version of this app is wonderful. There is a good range of programs and the app is super easy to use. However, as with Headspace, you need to pay to get the full potential of the app. One feature of this app which is not found on Headspace is its music section, which features a collection of instrumental tracks lasting about an hour each. They are categorised with purposes such as 'sleep', 'focus' and 'relax' and there are a handful from each section which are available on the free version of the app. Another feature is its Sleep Stories feature, which is a section full of bedtime stories "to help you fall into a deep and natural sleep". I usually fall asleep to podcasts but this is a lovely idea with a similar approach! They are all narrated with soothing voices, especially the one narrated by Stephen Fry!

Oak
This app has a lovely layout! It has three main sections; 'meditate', 'breathe', and 'wisdom'. In the meditate section you can choose your discipline, instructor voice, and the duration of the meditation. This allows you to meditate flexibly, making your session as short or long as you have time for. The breathe section features three breathing exercises to calm, awaken, or heighten concentration. It features live instructions along with a visual representation of the breaths to keep you on track with the exercise. I have found this feature to be very useful! Finally, the wisdom section contains videos and audios with advice and lessons on meditation, excessive thinking, and the world around us. The most individual feature of the app, however, is the home screen. It features, at first, a sapling. The more you meditate, the more the plant grows until you have grown a tree.

Breathe
This app is a gem! The first thing you do when you enter this app is check in with yourself. The screen dims for 10 seconds while you close your eyes and think about how your mind and body feel. You let the app know how you feel physically, mentally and emotionally. They then recommend exercises for you based on your results. This includes meditation, breathing exercises, soundscapes, walks, and more. This is super easy to use and is currently my favourite app for mindfulness and self-care! I think it's super useful to check in with my emotions before diving into a mindfulness activity and it gives you a wide range of recommendations based on your check-in, so you have plenty of options!

To Be Continued

I am about to attend an 8-week intensive mindfulness course (combined with CBT) through my university counselling service. I will update you all with my progress through my weekly Pull Yourself Together posts and I will definitely do a follow-up to this post after I have completed the course and have an even more in-depth knowledge of mindfulness!

Let me know if you have any app recommendations or if you try out one of these! I hope that you are all well and that you enjoyed this post!

I have become such a sucker for podcasts! I never used to listen to them but since I started listening to them back in October/November I have fallen in love with them! I never realised how many podcasts are really out there and since starting to listen to them, I have found a small collection of podcasts which I could listen to over and over again! I am so open to any podcast recommendations too as I would love to find more podcasts similar to these!

When/Where/How?

When i'm at home, I mostly listen to podcasts in my room while i'm browsing and just sat around not doing much. I listen to them while i'm around the house doing my housework, it's just a really good way to pass the time and fill the silence. Most of the time, I download an episode before I leave the house because I walk everywhere and I just put my headphones on and it makes my walks to the bus or uni go so much quicker!

I mostly listen to these podcasts on the iPhone podcasts app, but I know that there are other podcast apps, such as Acast which I'm trying out today, and you can listen to some of these on Spotify too! After I've listed my faves, I'll check back in with my first impressions of Acast!
The Heart of It // Estee Lalonde

The Heart of It was the podcast which introduced me to this newfound obsession! I love the use of effects and music in this podcast, the range of topics covered, and Estee's passion for what she is talking about! I need more episodes, honestly! She is such a good speaker and I have already listened to this series twice over!

You can find this podcast on iTunes HERE

In Good Company // Otegha Uwagba

Otegha is the author of Little Black Book and the founder of Women Who and I have mentioned her already on this blog when I reviewed the book! She is such a hardworking and inspirational woman and her podcast is so so good! It is a monthly podcast aimed at working women and it is full of inspiration, motivation and great advice for women trying to make it in the working world! It features great interviews with hard-working women and a q&a section with Otegha. I cannot wait for the next episode!

You can find this podcast on iTunes HERE

Crime & Dine

This podcast is very new and is incredibly interesting! The podcast is a true crime series with a fantastic twist because it focuses on crimes with links to food. I have really enjoyed the first episode and I am so looking forward to the next! It is so interesting and dark! I have a big interest in true crime and I would love to find more true crime podcasts!

You can find this podcast on iTunes HERE

The Butterfly Effect // Jon Ronson

This podcast drew my attention immediately because I am a big fan of Jon Ronson! It's about the porn industry and the effects of Pornhub and the availability of free porn. Such an interesting podcast about a topic I hadn't really considered!

You can find this podcast on iTunes HERE

Make It Work // Phoebe Lovatt

This podcast is full of career inspo for aspiring working women and is hosted by the author of The Working Woman's Handbook, my current read which I am enjoying loads! You can tell that i'm aiming to draw inspiration from successful working women at the moment. I'm just setting out into the world as an almost-adult and so I'm trying to bring as many inspirational women onto my radar as possible to push myself to do better. This podcast is full of interviews and advice and is a great source of inspiration!

You can find the podcast on iTunes HERE

First impressions of Acast

This app is free on the app store (Apple, Google and Microsoft) and also available online! It's super easy to navigate and i'm actually finding it easier to find new podcasts that peak my interest on this app than the iPhone podcasts app! Maybe i'll do another one of these podcasts posts after finding so many that I want to start listening to on Acast! I've found that with the podcasts app, I find it to irritating to navigate. Just the little things just irritate me when using the app, but all the little issues I have found using that app are not present in the Acast app!

Have you got any podcast recommendations? I would love to hear from you!