2013 vs 2014.

I know my Blogger challenge post is meant to be a substitution for resolutions/goals, but I find that it's always nice to have them written down somewhere so I thought I'd share mine from last year (2013 resolutions) and come up with some new ones!

2013

Revise work from the beginning - I sucked at this last year and it hasn't really changed if I'm honest. I just need to revise earlier.

Read more - Time is a problem for me. I work a lot and spend the rest of my time blogging. I did manage to read a few books just for the fun of it this year and I loved them all! I also read a few books surrounding my subjects which were good!

Take more photos - I fulfilled this when I went to Sicily with college but apart from that, I didn't get many chances to just take photos with friends. I've taken lots more photos for my blog though if that counts!

Don't get as easily distracted - I've been getting better at forcing myself to work but when I'm not motivated, I'm in trouble.

Be confident in myself - I'm so much happier than I was last year about the way I look and just myself in general. I feel like I know my style and what suits me better now so bring on 2014!

Talk to people more - I've spoken to some more people and made some good friends so I think I accomplished this!

Make an effort with friends - I met up with my friends quite a bit this year but still not as much as I would have liked. However, to get decent grades and get into Uni, work comes first (which they know) so I'm quite happy with the amount I did see people!

Blog more! - I blogged more because I had a full year instead of five months of blogging this year, but I added up the number of posts, and I did the exact same amount August - December which I find really creepy!

2014

Revise earlier - As I said above, I need to start revising earlier. Last year I assumed that I could fit all of my revision into less than a month which ended pretty badly. This year I'm going to start revising much earlier so I have time to revise it all more than once (I hope!) or at least have a firm understanding in what I've done.

Take better control over my health - I've mentioned before that I'm diabetic and sometimes it seems to become completely out of control. I also think that I need to start being more healthy so this year, I'm going to try and keep record of my diabetes and eat better and possibly try and exercise more when I get time. 

Be more organised - I bought a weekly planner last year and even though it was great to start with, I neglected it a bit in the last months of using it which is rubbish because it helped me keep on top of work and I even wrote blog ideas down! It was seriously useful and as my life is set to only get busier, I think it will be great to start organising my time and sticking to my plans using it. I also need to make sure all of my work is organised so I can fin everything I need to revise easier. 

Improve my blogging - My blogging has been so patchy but as I now have more followers and viewers than I've ever had, I really want to try and improve my blogging pattern, style and just generally how and what I blog about! I'll obviously still do the same sorts of posts because I love writing about nearly everything, but I'm going to try and be more organised, maybe write a post every other day or so? I'll have to try things out and see how they go! I'll also need to see how I can fit blogging in between my homework and revision too. 

Focus - Even if it means forcing myself to sit at a desk and write or read anything, I need to focus on my work more, no matter how much motivation I'm lacking. This year will be the most important for me so slacking really isn't an option. 

I feel like 2013 has gone by so fast and I'm sad to see it go as it's been amazing - I've made better friendships with some people, found confidence (or at least the start of it) in myself and been much happier than other years. Hopefully 2014 will be just as good to me and I'm excited for it to start!

Jess xx

The Wrong Direction.

All of my posts seem to be about my make up buys over the last month and I assume they're getting pretty boring! To be honest though, my life isn't particularly exciting either...
I'm very close to finishing my personal statement and I honestly don't understand how people are finding it so hard to write about why they want to do the subject; surely if you love it enough to want to do it at Uni then you should be able to write about it? I found it hard to start but once I got going, I managed to write the rest in under an hour and a half. When I gave it to my tutor, she gave me really good feedback and helped me structure and word it better for my next draft. It was quite a bit over the character limit but I'm so pleased with it! She also managed to find a way to fit my blog into my personal statement and make it sound like it's relevant for my course!
UCAS is a nightmare though. It takes so much effort to write in each grade you got for each module of each subject done since GCSE so trying to find the right course then the right version of the subject is nearly impossible. Luckily I'm almost finished which is great!

A few things that have been going through my head recently:
1. I need to work and revise more.
2. I'm so excited for Uni, but which to choose?
3. Cardiff do Journalism, English Lit, Creative Writing and Fashion and Beauty societies? Awesome. When can I start?
4. I miss London.
5. This song.
6. I need a job but too much college work.
7. I can't wait for Christmas.
8. I get distracted way too easily.
9. Also, this song!
10. I wish more people would find my blog, I love getting my voice out!
11. I wonder what doing YouTube videos would be like?
12. I want all of the Uni stuff out of the way so I can make my final two choices!
13. This year is going crazily fast, how is it almost Christmas already?! I'm so excited for next year though.
14. Sophie Ellis-Bextor is the best on Strictly Come Dancing, I don't care what anyone else says!
15. X Factor gets worse every year, why do we still watch it?!

 Hope you enjoyed this insight into my mind! And just to see how much of a workaholic I am as every other thought is related to work or Uni...
Jess xx

2013

I know this is super late 2 weeks in to 2013 now but I've actually come up with some goals for this year! I'm not going to call them resolutions because these really are general things I just think will be good for me to work constantly. I don't want to say I need to do this within the year because I need to carry some of them on. But I suppose some could be counted as the usual type of resolution...
So here goes; My goals for 2013 and beyond.

Revise work from the beginning
I'm pretty horrible at revising. I end up leaving the bulk of it until about a week until the exam and then having a mental breakdown at the amount of work I have, resulting in me becoming a complete social recluse who only comes out of their room for food. I've decided that the stress isn't worth it so this term I'm going to try and revise what I learned in the lesson that night. Hopefully this way the information will start to sink in and I won't have to work as hard to remember everything!

Read more
Obviously because of the subjects I take, I have to read a lot of books that are on the syllabus. However, I get very little time to just read a book because I want to read it. This year I'm going to try and read more purely for the sake of reading instead of for a subject. It will be a nice way of taking a break for working while still doing something valuable and productive.

Take more photos
Not all memories stay in your mind so photos are the best ways to preserve memories of days, people, places or times. I don't take many photos of (or with) people I know so I'm going to try and change that.

Don't get distracted as easily
I know, easier said than done, but I really have to stop getting so distracted because it doesn't help with my work. Yes, breaks are good, but I need to know when to stop and know when to get back to my work.

Be confident in myself
I need to be more confident with what I look like and myself in general. I need to just accept who I am, because no matter what, I'm stuck like this for life, happy with it or not, and there's no point being awkward/miserable about what I can't change.

Talk to people more
If I know them, I can talk to someone for days. Annoyingly, if I don't, I'm as awkward as anything.  want to try and be more confident when meeting new people because you can meet some lovely people if you just talk to them!

Make an effort with friends
I feel like I neglect my friends due to my work load which I feel really guilty about. I'm worried that if I carry on just solely focussing on work then I'll lose my friends which I really don't want to do. I love them all loads but my work always take priority over everything which is good if I want a good education and good results at the end, but I don't want to become a social recluse that only works and doesn't ever meet up with people. Hopefully I can change that this year and see everyone more!

Blog more!
Even though I had over 100 posts last year, I feel like I've neglected the blog quite badly this year and I feel bad! I lovelovelove blogging but sometimes it's so hard to think of something new to write about. However, I also feel bad if I just leave it for ages until  come up with something! I'm compiling a list of ideas that I can write about if I ever get stuck though so fear not! I'm going to aim for a post every other day at the least, but I really want to try posting at least once every day; it's a nice break from proper work and I can just write for ages about whatever I like instead of a book or source I've been set!

So hopefully I'll be able to actually stick to these goals, it will be fun and exciting to try new things and do more of things I love!
Jess xx

There's no business like snow business!

It snowed today! First snow of this year! Yay! It's officially christmas time!
I've been struggling recently with concentrating on my work so yesterday I tried something new...turning off the internet. Shock horror! And funnily enough, it actually worked!!! :D I managed to do my Classics essay in under 2 hours because of that! But to work properly, I always have to be comfortable. In college today, we were talking about this and I've come up with a few ideas to figure out my best working conditions.
So here we go; Jess's ultimate working tips!

1. Turn off the internet/social networking sites. If you still have to use the internet, try to do as much work at school where you can't access any distracting websites, I've only just realised this, but they're blocked for a reason. If you can't do work at school, restrain yourself from going on Facebook; set yourself a time period that you will work in without going off topic, and if you do this, give yourself a little break to check your timeline! Or get your parents to block social networking sites until you've finished the work! It can be annoying at the beginning but it's actually very useful!
2. Clear your workspace of any distractions. Trust me, when you're procrastinating, ANYTHING can distract you. Make sure you only have what you need around you. Have anything that will motivate you to work around, just make sure you don't have fun things around! It'll help in the long run!
3. Make sure you're relaxed and your head is clear. Trying to work when you're stressed and distracted by other thoughts is possibly one of the hardest things to do like, ever. If you need to, just watch a bit of TV or read before you start work. Just get relaxed and motivated to work, focus on it and concentrate. 
4. Get a drink and snacks to keep you going throughout the work period. Make sure you keep hydrated when you're working or your mind will drift and you won't concentrate or work to you fullest potential. Set yourself mini goals and when you complete one, have a little snack! Be it sweets or a biscuit or an apple, anything you enjoy and will want to work towards! It's actually quite a good way to stay on track of work because you actually want to work to get the treat at the end of the section you're doing!
5. Wear something comfortable. Tight or annoying clothes will stop you focussing on your work fully. I always change in to my lounge trousers/jogging bottoms when I do work at my desk because they're super soft, warm and baggy so I can sit any way I want to without them being tight and awkward. My thoughts are basically the slobbier the better! Baggy and comfortable is the best thing because you don't have awkward buttons or zips digging in to your sides or tummy when you're working! 
6. Make a plan/to do list. For the last week or so, I've been making to do lists for each day. It makes it easy to organise and see what needs to be done each day, plus it gives you an extra bit of satisfaction when you cross something off! If you have to write an essay, make a plan. Honestly, over the last week or so, I've been set 3 essays and every time I've written an essay plan for it. It makes it easier to decide what to write as you can set out your main points, write out the quotes you want to use so you don't have to search for them (MASSIVE time saver!) and you can also move points around before you start writing it so it makes more sense! So much simpler! If you've never done it, try it. It will make such a difference to the amount of time you spend writing essays. It also allows you to basically write your essay in note form, get it checked by the teacher and only have to add in a few extra words to make it in to proper sentences! It doesn't have to be super detailed, but it also doesn't have to be sparse and barely any use at all! Writing out your main points, the quotes and the basic outline to the analysis makes essays so much easier. But remember, you don't have to stick fully to the plan, so if you come up with an awesome idea, don't forget to add it in! 
7. Give yourself little, manageable targets to work towards. If you set tasks for you to do, it can make it easier to organise your revision/work. Cutting a mountain of work in to bite size chunks will help massively. Maybe you have a huge essay to do or a lot of research? Say that you'll write 2 paragraphs/points and then have a break, or find out 5 pieces of information then get a snack? YOu can tailor it to you, it's your work!
8. Finally, DO WHAT'S BEST FOR YOU. If you already have a good way of working, ignore me and carry on! If you don't and like me, you get severely distracted a lot of the time, take note and try a few of these ideas out! They won't all work for everyone, some will work better and others will fail miserably. But if you don't try, you'll never know what works and what doesn't!

Hope this has been a massive help to anyone that's struggling with their work/revision skills :)

My perfect work set: Gingerbread latte, a few sweets and an essay plan!

Baggy lounge trousers and my cute dog slippers; how adorable are they?!

Jess xx