- Lessons Learned is a new series of chatty blog posts where I talk about all the lessons I have learned in adulthood so far which I wish I had learned earlier -

I was at an event where I was mixing with a bunch of A Level students and telling them all about uni life and what to expect when a girl approached me looking like she had a pretty serious question to ask me. We sat to the side and I told her to ask me anything, and she told me that she was worried that everyone else around her seemed to know what they wanted to do post-graduation, even though they hadn't even begun their degrees. "Is it bad that I don't know what to do after education? When will I absolutely need to know?" She's not even in uni yet and she's already worried and anxious about finishing her degree. Here's the response I gave her and the advice I want to share on here with you.

It's okay to go into something not knowing the outcome

Taking risks or stepping out of your comfort zone will help you to figure out what you can and can't do well and what you do or don't enjoy. This even applies to choosing a degree subject or a job. It isn't a case of 'choose this and stick with it forever' and you won't know you enjoy it unless you give it a go. Some people around me have switched degrees and others have stuck with theirs. Some people have gone into a job thinking they would hate it and ended up loving it, others have had the opposite happen to them. A lot of what we do is trial and error, and you won't know whether something works for you unless you give it a try.

We all change our minds 

The chances are that a lot of the people around you who are completely certain of what they want to do will end up changing their minds. As a psychology student, I started out wanting to work as a forensic psychologist and now i'm going into marketing as my career of choice. I have a friend who started out wanting to be a clinical psychologist and now she's set to become a teacher. Some people change their minds later in life and leave their long-time career to pursue something new. Nothing is set and nobody's plans are set. The fact that you don't have a plan will change before you know it, and then your new plan can change too.

University will introduce you to new avenues you hadn't even considered before

Don't have a plan now? You probably will have one after some time in university. Try out all sorts of new things in university. It's the best place to do this! Join societies, get involved and take up opportunities even if you're unsure of whether they are for you. I decided to volunteer as a Welcome Hero at the start of my second year, which basically meant that throughout freshers' week I accompanied new students on trips around the area, I volunteered at the freshers' fair, and I spent a lot of time standing outside the Students' Union with a big arrow pointing people to events. I loved the buzz of Welcome Week so much that when the opportunity for a summer internship involving preparations for Welcome Week came up, I applied straight away and ended up getting a paid internship for the whole summer working in marketing for Welcome Week, as well as marketing for other aspects of the uni. I loved it so much that i'm now pursuing marketing as a career, something I hadn't even considered before! To cut a long story short, your 'plan' can come at the most unexpected of times, so just take up opportunities where you see them and you never know what might happen!

Sidenote - taking up these opportunities will also look fab on your CV, whatever you decide to do!

Do you have a plan? How has your plan changed?x

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 Danielle Cerullo on Unsplash

I never thought I would love fitness this much, but here we are! I joined the gym a month ago and I am honestly so proud of myself for pushing myself to go. I have been wanting to join a gym for a couple years now but the idea of working out in front of other people terrified me. I have experienced a lot of anxiety surrounding the way I view my body and my fitness, and I have felt a lot of shame. However, I knew that could only be beaten if I just joined and started working out and working though the fears!

Pushing myself to join

It's kind of like the 'fuck it' philosophy. I had been thinking about joining the gym for forever, but it took one 'fuck it' moment for me to ask a friend where they go and then sign up for my induction. I think that's the best way to do things. There wasn't a massive lead up on the day of me waking up and saying "I'm going to join the gym today", I just did it without thinking too much about it. It worked, I booked my induction for the next morning and told myself that I had to get up and do it.

I was super nervous going into my induction. I had spent too long thinking about going to the gym and then overthinking about all the things that could go wrong. What if people see how unfit I am? What if I fall on the treadmill? What if I break a machine? What if someone finds it funny how little I can lift? But I went to my induction, at 8:30 on a Saturday morning, because I had it booked in so I had to go! The trainer was lovely and informative and I was actually the only one who had turned up to the induction so I got to have a go on almost everything with the guidance of the trainer. By the end of the induction, I felt so much more confident about my choice to join the gym! I felt like I knew the basics and I knew how to use most of the machines with proper form. That was all it took for me to feel fine about going to the gym and working out around others.

Why am I going to the gym?

I've been fine with my appearance lately, and I have worked on my confidence a great deal, so why have I finally decided to join the gym? Surprisingly, it isn't because I want to lose weight and slim down. I just want to feel healthier and stronger! I start every workout with a session of cardio because I have been so sluggish and I have felt so fed up about feeling tired and out of energy all the time. It feels good to get the blood pumping and work up a bit of a sweat! I then move on to weight machines, my favourite part of the gym! I have already seen such a difference in my ability to lift and I am always building up the weight and trying to lift heavier!

How I feel after a month

I am already stronger and fitter! I still hate cardio (like, a lot) but I have surprised myself with how I still push myself to do it! I can be very inconsistent and unmotivated with these things so I'm pretty proud of myself for keeping it up! I have begun to vary my weight workouts a lot more and I have been trying different machines and weight levels. I can see muscle tone in my legs that wasn't there before and my arms are looking a lot more firm and fit!

How I want to progress

Cardio is something I really want to focus on going forward. I want to learn to love cardio, or just to like it even a little. I think I'm going to mix it up rather than getting on the treadmill and then switching to stair-master. I may incorporate rowing machines or even bikes into the mix and see if I find that more enjoyable! I do want to have a session with a personal trainer to check my form and see if I can do anything differently, and I would also like to maybe try out a few classes. Since weight machines are something I enjoy, I may move on to free weights. That part of the gym isn't somewhere I have explored much (since it's always packed and everyone seems to know what they are doing), but I do think it is something I would enjoy!

Do you have any recommendations of apps or workouts which could help me to enjoy cardio? I am all ears! x

Photo by Melanie Pongratz on Unsplash

It's been a hot minute since I last spoke about music on this blog so I figured I would share some of my favourite playlists at the moment! These are the songs which I've had on loop for the past few weeks and which I tend to listen to at this time of year. I hope that you can pick out some new faves and I would love it if you shared what music you have been listening to lately! I am always on the lookout for a new favourite song!

Hydref

My main autumn playlist! This one is full of all those songs that make me feel good as the nights draw in early and the mornings are dark. I tend to sing along to these songs in the shower first thing in the morning and keep them playing as I get ready to start my day off.

• You're Right by Morning Bear
• Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac
• Edge of Seventeen by Stevie Nicks
• Witchy Woman by Eagles
• House of the Rising Sun by Lauren O'Connell
• Spellbound by Siouxie and the Banshees
• Lavender Moon by Haroula Rose
• Born To Die by Lana Del Rey
• Ruins by First Aid Kit
• Kind of Woman by Stevie Nicks
• Gypsy by Fleetwood Mac
• Which Witch by Florence + The Machine
• Me And The Devil by Soap&Skin
• We're Alive! by Keith Johns
• 1000 by Brother
• Sisters of the Moon by Fleetwood Mac
• Dark Secret by Matthew Sweet
• People Are Strange by The Doors
• Lullaby by The Cure
• I See Fire by Ed Sheeran
• Cedar Lane by First Aid Kit
• Marz by John Grant

Orange Coloured Sky

I'm on an old-timey jazzy kick at the moment! It gives me calm and almost-Christmas vibes. Plus, all these songs are so fun to sing along to and I am sure I have been irritating my flatmate with my wailing along to this playlist! This is, in fact, probably the playlist I have been listening to the most this month!

• Orange Coloured Sky by Nat King Cole
• We'll Meet Again by The Ink Spots
• Someone To Watch Over Me by Ella Fitzgerald
• Dream A Little Dream of Me by Doris Day
• Way Back Home by Bob Crosby & The Bob Cats
• Maybe by The Ink Spots
• Blue Moon by Frank Sinatra
• Love Me As Though There Were No Tomorrow by Nat King Cole
• Come Fly With Me by Frank Sinatra
• A Kiss To Build A Dream On by Louis Armstrong
• Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall by Ella Fitzgerald & The Ink Spots
• La vie en rose by Louis Armstrong
• I've Got You Under My Skin by Frank Sinatra
• Unforgettable by Nat King Cole
• Cheek To Cheek by Ella Fitzgerald
• Crazy He Calls Me by Billie Holiday
• Bidin' My Time by Julie London

Spook

This is the Halloween playlist I listen to every October! It's full of songs from films I watch every October and generally songs with a spooky theme! I dig this playlist out all year round but it just feels right listening to it in October!

• People Are Strange by The Doors
• Lullaby by The Cure
• Bang Bang - My Baby Shot Me Down by Nancy Sinatra
• Red Right Hand by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
• Cry Little Sister by G Tom Mac
• It Will Come Back by Hozier
• Sympathy For The Devil by The Rolling Stones
• Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival
• I Put A Spell On You by Screamin' Jay Hawkins
• The Boogie Monster by Gnarls Barkley
• (Don't Fear) The Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult
• Over At The Frankenstein Place from The Rocky Horror Picture Show
• Black Magic Woman by Fleetwood Mac
• Superstition by Stevie Wonder
• (Ghost) Riders In The Sky by Johnny Cash
• I Never Told You What I Do For A Living by My Chemical Romance
• Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne
• The Killing Moon by Echo & the Bunnymen
• Thriller by Michael Jackson
• This Is Halloween from The Nightmare Before Christmas
• Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) by Marilyn Manson

One thing that sucks about being an introvert is that I don't particularly enjoy nights out. One of the times this sucks most is Halloween, because I love celebrating Halloween but it always seems like most of the events around the celebration are nights out. I'm a massive lover of a good night in, all cosy and comfy. Just being at a crowded club or party makes me very anxious and it prevents me from properly enjoying my time. Here are a few ideas for a fun night in, either alone or with friends, to celebrate Halloween in all its glory!

Cosy Film Night

I've already made a post about this, which you can read HERE, but I'll recap it now. Cosy film nights are amazing and a great way to wind down after a long day. Put on your comfiest clothes, get a hot drink, maybe order some food and pick a film! The aforementioned blog post has loads of spooky film recommendations for your cosy film night. I'm planning on watching A Nightmare on Elm Street and all the Scream movies in the leadup to Halloween whenever I have the time.

Spooky Board Games

Film nights are pretty standard so why not mix things up a bit? If you have a handful of friends who aren't planning a big night out for Halloween, you could always get together for a bit of tabletop gaming! HERE is a list of some spooky board game suggestions I found on tabletopgaming.com (I especially want to try Eldritch Horror and Mysterium. If storytelling is more your game, Hollow Woods is a great storytelling card game which I picked up from Waterstones a few months ago. Each card has an image that connects to all the other cards to form a long woodland path, and you have to make up a story as you move from card to card.


Dress Up With Pets

If you have a pet, I envy you! My lovely dog lady Tilly is back home in Wales with my family and I miss her so much all the time. One great way to spend Halloween is to dress your pet up in a Halloween costume and have a good old photo shoot with them. You'll be awwing and laughing the whole evening away and it's a great way to spend some quality time with your best pal! For bonus fun, dress up in a matching costume and join in on the photoshoot fun!

Group Costume With Theme-Fitting Film

If you have a group of like-minded friends who you want to spend the evening in with for a movie night, how about setting up a costume theme with an accompanying theme. It adds an extra level of fun to the whole film night idea! For example, you could all get glammed up in some Rocky Horror Picture Show outfits and have a singalong, or dress up as your fave movie vampire and have a good vampire film marathon!

Baking/Cooking Night

Arguably the most chilled out night in you could have, either alone or with friends, is a good baking or cooking session! You could pick a recipe from my veggie autumn cooking post HERE and have a good hearty meal, or you could check out THESE Halloween themed bakes for a fun themed baking night! The best part, you get to eat the treats you make!

A Good Old Magical Bath

Honestly, this may be the idea I'm most drawn to since I've been so tired and achey lately! Baths are always magical but a Halloween bath? Even better! Get out the candles, throw in a themed bath bomb, set up a movie and just sink into the warm waters! You will feel so good afterwards! I've picked up Lord of Misrule from Lush and I'm so excited to use it in the coming days! I love their seasonal bath bombs and their Halloween collection is fabulous!

How will you be spending your Halloween?x

All around the year, there is so much to get up to in Manchester. In October, there are so many events you can attend and plenty of activities to keep you occupied throughout the month! I have summed up all the best things to do in Manchester over October, focusing on that autumn feel, and I hope that you can get some plans out of this post. Just researching for this post has filled my calendar with lots of things I want to attend and take part in!

Events

Grimmfest - 4th to 7th @ ODEON Manchester Great Northern

• Yes, the festivities for Halloween start TODAY! Grimmfest is a festival of horror, sci-fi, extreme fantasy and cult film, and this year is its 10th anniversary! They feature a massive variety of film screenings and invite many of the creators to speak. They also have a series of short films with a focus on female creators. If you're a movie buff and a horror fan, I would definitely check this out!

Activities

Making the most of October in Manchester is easy and there are so many things you can do! How about browsing the great selection of plants at Flourish and taking home a few (or a few dozen)! There's something so lovely about shopping at their outdoor shop just off Market Street in the chilly weather.

If you're looking for some great seasonal decorations, have a look around the shops in the Northern Quarter or have a look in Home Sense in the Arndale. I have gone a bit over the top with these lately but they're all so lovely and you can never have too many Halloween decorations! I got my new fave mug at Home Sense and now I want dozens more!


Sheltering from the chilly weather may lead you into some lovely spots in Manchester. Check out some cafes and food spots around the city which you haven't been in before. You never know, you may find a new favourite hangout spot! For me, I popped into Chapter One Books and now I can't get enough of their coffee, cakes and brownies!

For other ideas of how to spend your October, check out my other Blogtober posts!

• A Veggie in Autumn - lots of recipes and suggestions for food this month!
• A Cosy Film Night - lots of film suggestions and cosy suggestions for the cold nights in!

Surrounding Manchester

One thing I didn't realise until this year is that there are places around Greater Manchester where you can pick your own pumpkins! Wouldn't this be the perfect idea for a day out with friends and family, or even a cute autumnal date? You can check out an article by Manchester Evening News HERE with all the spots you can go to!

Long walks don't stop once Summer is over! Why not wrap up warm and check out some of the best walking spots around? I love a good chilly walk followed by a filling and warming dinner back at home!

Do you have any suggestions which I have missed out? What will you be doing this month?x

Let's talk about self care again! Keeping on top of your mental health is incredibly important and it should be incorporated into your day-to-day routines. Even if we don't think about the implications for our mental health, a lot of the activities we already do in the name of self care have really good effects on our mental wellbeing! Here are a few suggestions of ways in which we can take care of our minds on a daily basis!

Body Care + Skincare

Taking the time to take care of yourself physically can work wonders when your mental health is not up to scratch. Just slowing down and doing something that has no purpose other than to make you feel good. This can be done a little everyday, with nice smelling body wash or a really nice cleanser. Something that feels a little pampering in your daily routine. Your nighttime skincare routine is an ample opportunity for this! You can also go out every so often! Do a face mask or hair mask, slather on a lovely body butter or give yourself a hand massage and cuticle pamper!


Sleep Hygiene

We all know that getting enough sleep is incredibly important, but we are almost all guilty of finding several excuses nightly to put it off! Whether it's late night studying, a Netflix session or a really good book, there always seem to be so many excuses for late nights and foggy mornings after too little sleep! Perhaps we can improve our sleep by being a little stricter with ourselves. I could take for hours about the importance of sleep, especially as a psychology student with a massive interest in it, but let's keep it simple! If we don't get enough sleep, we may wake up cranky and this is not the best way to go about our day! By waking up feeling more rested, rejuvenated and ready for the day, we could have a great kick start and go about our days in a better mental space. Set up a nighttime routine to get your body ready for a good rest and to wind down after the day. Take more baths to get into that cosy feeling! Have less screen time in the evening and grab a magazine or a book. Listen to your favourite chilled out music. Get on some ambient lighting. Whatever you do to wind down, make it a solid routine and stick with it. You'll be thanking yourself in the mornings!

Journaling

This is said time and time again, but i'm going to say it again because it's true. Getting your feelings down on paper can be such a good release. While you are writing down what is bothering you or what is happening around you, you are processing it all. You have to think through it purposefully in order to get the words down. I find that when I am journaling, I begin to really look through my issues in a constructive way and I start to come up with solutions or alternative ways of thinking. I then write them down and highlight them so that when I look back at my pages and look through what has been going on, I am immediately drawn to the solutions I have come up with and it reminds me that I can change my thinking.


Date Yourself

Sounds weird but hear me out. Take yourself to nice places. Go and have a solitary coffee somewhere or take a nice walk somewhere pretty. You don't need others to enjoy your time and learning to spend time with yourself and growing to enjoy it can be really mentally strengthening. I am living alone over summer and I genuinely hate my own company, but learning to make plans to go out and do stuff without having someone to meet has been a really nice exercise in self discipline. I have the opportunity to cancel my plans and stay at home in bed without really letting anyone down, but I push myself out of my flat and I end up really enjoying this time out alone. I have been discovering places which I have been waiting to visit with other people and now that I have been, introducing others to these places will be even better because I can show them all my favourite parts of the places!

Breaking Habits

Perhaps one of the best ways to take care of yourself mentally is to break those bad habits of yours. If you think less about breaking habits and more about getting into healthy habits, this will help you to fixate less on the bad habit which you are trying to fix. For example, instead of focusing on breaking my bad eating habits, I have set a goal of cooking proper meals every night and learning to enjoy cooking and learning new recipes. I focus less on getting rid of the bad foods, and more about getting into the habit of cooking good tasting proper meals. It makes it a lot more enjoyable! Here are some of the habits which I am looking to break, and the subsequent habits which I am hoping to build.

• Less screen time
• Get back into reading. Find a new favourite author and work at reading all of their works.
• Less drinking
• Invite friends over for games and food more (as opposed to just inviting people over to drink). You can cook for them whenever you find a really nice new recipe and enjoy the food with them.
• Stop staying up too late and oversleeping
• Fix your bedtime routine and find more nice relaxing hobbies to do before bed. Update your nighttime playlist.

I was laying in bed ready to sleep last night when I was suddenly hit by a number of post ideas. These have been few and far between over the past few weeks so I immediately grabbed my journal and scribbled down any plans I could. In this sudden rush of ideas, I came up with a three-step method for getting motivated. I have no idea where this came from, maybe one of the 'Finding Motivation' courses I took last semester, but it seems to be working! I am on a motivational high today!

Step 1: Assess

Before you start the motivation process, you should first figure out what motivates you and how you gather motivation. Some people are very intrinsically motivated. They are able to motivate themselves with thoughts of goals and future. Their rewards for their motivation are feelings, rather than external factors. They act because they know that they will feel satisfied or accomplished once they have completed their task.

Other people are extrinsically motivated. They act because they want to accomplish something external. They study for grades, not the feeling of achievement. They complete tasks because they want recognition or praise.

Our own 'motivation style' sits on a gradient of extrinsic and extrinsic. If we figure out what motivates us and where we lie on this gradient, we are one step closer to getting motivated.

When assessing your motivation style, you should look at past events. Think about when you have felt motivated and pushed to do something. It could be studying for an exam or picking up a sport. Think about why you did it and how you were able to motivate yourself.

Step 2: Access

Time to access your 'motivation materials'! Apply what you have learned about your own motivation style to how you gather your materials. These all belong in your 'motivation toolkit', which is your arsenal against being demotivated.

If you find that you are intrinsically motivated, focus on things that emphasise this. Find quotes that focus on self-satisfaction and personal development. If you're trying to motivate yourself to study, think about what learning means to you and how you will feel when you improve your own knowledge. If you are thinking about getting fit, think about how it will make you feel healthier and about the positive effect it will have on your wellbeing.

If you are extrinsically motivated, motivating yourself without something to actually work towards can be tough. If you are studying, focus on taking practice tests as you study. Seeing the grades that you attain improve will push you on to keep at it. If you want to get fit, maybe sign up to a marathon or start tracking stats of your workout. You will be working towards something, like being fit enough to have the achievement of running a marathon, or improving a reps number or fastest time.

Gather your motivation materials from many sources and keep them all in your 'motivation toolkit'. It can be physical or mental. Think about your motivation style when choosing what to put on your Pinterest boards or which quotes to write down. Think about your motivational style when choosing your goals to work towards. Keep refreshing your toolkit and adding to it!

Step 3: Success

Congratulations, you are now hopefully more motivated, or at least know more about how to get motivated! Now, go out there and crush your goals!

What do you need to motivate yourself for? x

All through my education, I was taught that my academics and my grades determined my employability. I was told that if I were to ace all of my exams, my future would be bright, and if I failed them, then I was throwing my life away. The reality is, you can have great grades and not get employed, and you can have poor grades and still be super employable. Yes, the grades are important and it would be ideal to ace your education, but it isn't the be-all-and-end-all of your career!

So, what are soft and hard skills? Hard skills are skills which are easily measured. These are your grades, your typing speed, your mathematical ability, your training. They are things that you can be taught and things that you can easily prove to a future employer. Soft skills are harder to measure and harder to prove. These are your personality based skills which can only really be shown over time and by observation and interaction.

So if it's harder to learn and prove soft skills, why is it necessary or important to build them? It's important to learn them because you will be able to use them in the workplace to better your career, as well as use them to treat others well and in your day-to-day life. While they are harder to prove, they will be key points in references from your employer and can be shown by experiences (eg. if you have experience in counselling, it connotes listening skills).

If the way to build and display soft skills is through experience, this is what we need to focus on in order to show them to a potential employer. I decided to focus on building my soft skills this year in my second year in university, and it led me to things I had never considered before. I started this by saying 'yes' to a bunch of opportunities which came my way. I had used my university counselling service in order to attend group therapy and to get on top of my depression. This led to them offering me training to facilitate mutual support groups within their service. I also applied to be a 'peer mentor' for my degree programme, which involves connecting with first-year students and giving them support to helping them settle into university life. This involved more training and more connecting. I also volunteered as a 'Welcome Hero', welcoming new students to the university and coordinating trips to local tourist spots.

TopResume listed 6 Soft Skills Employers Are Looking For In The Workplace and all of these opportunities which I said yes to helped me to develop and display all of these soft skills.

• The fact that I had taken up these opportunities and put in the time and effort outside of my already time-consuming studies displayed my strong work ethic. I was working hard and dedicating much of my free time to the student community around me. 
• Working in peer support really helped me to work on my communication skills and helped me to come out of my shell. I am quite an introverted person and I would go out of my way to avoid meeting new people and putting myself out there. However, I am suddenly open to connecting with others and have found confidence in my ability to communicate my ideas. 
• A lot of the opportunities I took required a lot of creative problem solving, as I was spending a lot of time dealing with people and coordinating events, each of which presented their own set of problems. If a facilitator had called in sick and I needed to take over from them, I had to come up with a quick plan of action for the session. If we were on a tourist trip and someone had taken ill, I needed to deal with the situation whilst also ensuring the enjoyment of others. 
• Time management has also been a big factor in what I do, as I juggle a lot of projects and events around an already busy student schedule. I also work part-time and was already involved in some peer support programmes and a lot of what I do goes into my calendar. Scheduling and time management has become key!
• It goes without saying that teamwork is heavily involved in most of what I do. It's so important for most projects and jobs that you are able to work within a team! I have been working in great teams of like-minded people in peer support and it's great to see the passion and commitment that goes on behind the scenes of all the schemes!
• Next academic year, I will be able to gain a lot of leadership skills as I have already been given opportunities for next year to advance in a number of the projects and schemes I am working in! I am so glad that I took up the opportunities when I did because otherwise, I would not have this chance!

Time for a new series of posts! I'm attempting to make some changes in my life and I'm going to set goals at the beginning of each month in order to implement these changes! As this post is the first (hopefully of many) in this series, I won't be reflecting on the (nonexistent) goals of last month. Instead, I'm going to reflect on some of the changes I want to make and why I am making this changes!

The whats and whys

There is an overwhelming amount of changes which I would like to make in the coming months, so I'm going to try to divide and conquer them so that I do not overwhelm myself! I'll start with the most pressing matters and a couple of realistic goals and work from there. However, in the long run, I would like to change a lot about my life and how I go about my daily life! I want to get out of the rut that I've been stuck in for so long! These are my general long-term goals:

• Get to a better state of physical health
• Take control of my mental health
• Smash the rest of my degree
• Take steps to reach the career I want so badly
• Keep up with the blogging, something that makes me so happy
• Step up my productivity game
• Sort out my money problems