my week #89

Due to my brief hiatus, this is a scheduled 'my week' post. When I return from my hiatus, I will be doing a post where I show this week all filled in :)

How has your week been? I hope you have had a good Christmas. Wishing you all a happy new year!

review: Plannerisms planner

Imagine the amazing opportunity of being able to design your own planner? Well, Laurie at Plannerisms did just that - and here is the result.

It comes in a range of colours: black, blue, purple, pink and teal. The cover feels like PU leather and seems quite hard-wearing, yet malleable: ideal for something that is going to be thrown around a lot for twelve months!

There is a quote at the front:

"Twenty years from now, you'll be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the things you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

I think this is a great quote to be met with every time the planner is opened.

One of the standout features of this planner are the goal setting aids. I love me some goal setting so these pages are heaven to my planning eyes:

Of course, no planner is complete without actual planning pages, especially year planning pages:

It is also great to see a double page spread on how to use the planner as it can all be a bit overwhelming to new paper planner users. And for the more seasoned planner users, this guide is just a springboard to how the planner can be used.

Before each month of the actual planning pages, there is a double page spread for any monthly goals you may wish to set (I love this!):

And also, a double page month to view:

The actual planning pages are vertical week-to-view. You can use these boxes in any way you want: writing in times and jotting down appointments is just one example.

At the end, there is an 'annual review' section. Ideal for reviewing how the goal setting went and what you might change or postpone until 2015.

At the back is a bio of Laurie from Plannerisms. It's nice to learn more about the brains behind the planner as I feel that with some brands, it can feel like a planner is an item made without the user in mind.

A nice addition is a secretarial pocket at the back and inside that, there is a small notes booklet:

Overall, this diary is a high quality item perfect for those who love goal setting and students. The goal setting pages are ideal for coursework brainstorming/ideas and the layout of the planner pages mean that the timetabled hours would be easier to see at a glance (as opposed to it being on a standard week-on-two-page layout, like my current planner). I can definitely see this planner aiding my studies next year and I look forward to using it in conjunction with my Filofax.

Thank you to Laurie and Olivia for allowing me to review this planner!

NB: Although these products were supplied as samples, it has not affected my opinion in any way. Also, I don't receive commission from any links from this blog post.

my week #88

This is a look at my week before it is all filled in. I am on a brief hiatus (I need some R&R after an intense three months) but once I get back, I will show off the week all filled in :-)

How has your week been?

It is Christmas soon so, merry Christmas! :)

what's in my bag #13 - the university edition!

During this first term, I have alternated between a Longchamp Le Pliage tote and the Zatchel you'll see in the next picture. Which one I use depends on the weather, how heavy it will be and also what I'm wearing (dresses and skirts with a satchel?! Bad idea...).

And here is what I carry in the bag (I try and keep it as minimalistic as possible):

From top left, clockwise: A4 refill pad, Garnier handcream, ID card (we are required to wear these at all times on the campus as the medical school is connected to the hospital), earphones, Smythson binder, Paul and Joe sister medicines bag, bottle of water, box of snacks and lunch, pencil case, phone, glasses, Oyster card holder and Halls mints.

I have a locker at university where I keep a bottle of contact lens solution, some snacks, my dissection room coat and some other essentials that I may need whilst on campus.

I'm sure what I carry around will change as the year wears on but this is all I find myself needing at the moment.

What do you carry to university?

my week round-up #50

Here was my week and here are the blogs taking part in this week's round-up:

{1} Properly Made Up
{2} Filofax Is My World
{3} Amy's World
{4} Hop Skip Jump
{5} Sailor Mouth
{6} Life of Kitty
{7} Lucy Wonderland
{8} Little Red Moose
{9} Askatla
{10} Everything IB
{11} Right Brain Planner
{12} Innocent and Twisted
{13} Addicted to Stationery
{14} Making Life Beautiful
{15} Coffee & Stationery

This list is shorter than usual because as of yesterday morning, I commenced a two and a half week hiatus where I only have scheduled posts.

Want to join in? Click the button below for more info :)




NB: Inclusion on my weekly round-ups do not mean that I endorse any of the products or services sold by readers in the list and I do not get commission from any sales that may be the result of a click-through.

two week hiatus announcement

So, there is no 'weekly round-up' today as I am taking a brief two week hiatus for the holidays. I have had a very busy term where I have had no time to rest and I need some R&R to recuperate and be fresh and ready in the new year.

I will be back in two weeks and I have scheduled my weeks in (pre-filled) for the next two Sundays and when I return from this hiatus, I will do another post with those weeks filled in.

The next 'my week round-up' will be on the 7th of January :)

Have a very merry Christmas and a happy new year - see you in 2014!

my week #87

This was my last week of the first term and boy, am I happy about that. I had two exams and the beginning of the week was filled with revision; with the end filled with a massive to-do list of life admin. 

How has your week been?

my studying necessities

Today, I am going to share the things I need or prefer to have around me when studying. To me, I need the perfect food, drink and environment, as well as stationery and the right frame of mind.

Stationery

I need colour, and loads of it:

And I also need items that aid productivity: tipp-ex mouse, post-it notes and washi tape...

Water

I'm constantly guzzling water when I work as the toilet breaks help me clear my head and allow me to get up for a little bit of a walk. Of course, I'm careful not to drink too much in one go - I know that too much water can be lethal!

Goal Setting

I have a maximum of three sticky notes on my desk at one time. Usually, they have my goals on them and I tick them off as I go along.

My Desk

Apologies for the appalling picture quality but it was the best I could do in low light. My desk looks like this during revision periods:

I try and keep it as minimalistic as possible but of course, sometimes, I am a bit lazy and there is some paper build-up!

With studying, I definitely believe that having a tranquil environment combined with the right frame of mind is the way to go. Add in some goal setting and you have a winning formula. Sometimes, my goals are small ones, like 'define physiological' or something 'silly' but crossing them off is really satisfying and motivates me to keep working at the other goals I have set myself for that studying session.

What are your studying necessities?

my week round-up #49

Here was my week and here are the blogs taking part in this week's round-up:

{1} Miss Mai's Adventures
{2} The Simple Life
{3} Innocent and Twisted
{4} The University Project
{5} Twenty5Seven
{6} Little Red Moose
{7} Addicted to Stationery
{8} She's Eclectic
{9} Lucy Wonderland
{10} My Purpley Life
{11} Hop Skip Jump
{12} Coffee & Stationery
{13} Amy's World
{14} Ginger Fox
{15} Break of Light
{16} Everything IB
{17} Star Gardener
{18} My Organized Mayhem
{19} Life of Kitty
{20} Making Life Beautiful

Want to join in? Click the button below for more info :)




NB: Inclusion on my weekly round-ups do not mean that I endorse any of the products or services sold by readers in the list and I do not get commission from any sales that may be the result of a click-through.

my week #86

Exams are so close now (as is Christmas) but this term has felt like a complete marathon. I'm completely exhausted and all I'm thinking is that there is just one final push until the holidays! 

It's all about revision at the moment so not much to report on this week but I like how minimalistic my pages now look though.

How has your week been?

my november review

It feels like that all of these posts are about my studies, but to be fair, studying is my life at the moment. They say that the first year of this course is the worst and they really aren't lying so far.

This month's essentials:

Flashcards

I tend to use flashcards to remember things that are a bit harder to memorise. Making them can be time consuming and I usually prefer to write out my notes, rather than condense them into flashcards. So far, I have made cards for the clinical skills side of the course:

And I also cheated by buying some anatomy flashcards (best £20 spent ever):

Technology

Earlier this month, I got my hands on the new iPad Air. It has proved invaluable as iBooks holds a few of my essential textbooks and the apps you can get for medical students are just amazing. It isn't half bad as an entertainment source either...

Stationery

Finally, these two items are permanently on my desk at the moment:

MT washi tape (the thin one) and a Muji pot of (mostly) Muji gel pens. All for prettying up my revision notes of course...

Now that December is here, I anticipate a month full of Christmas-related cheer (hello Christmas songs, mince pies and thick-knit jumpers and scarves!).

my week round-up #48

Here was my week and here are the blogs taking part in this week's round-up:

{1} Even Artichokes Have Hearts
{2} She's Eclectic
{3} Little Red Moose
{4} Hop Skip Jump
{5} Making Life Beautiful
{6} Break of Light
{7} Amy's World
{8} Miszapatosmetenruido
{9} Miss Mai's Adventures
{10} Star Gardener
{11} Lucy Wonderland
{12} My Summer Touch
{13} Addicted to Stationery
{14} Life of Kitty
{15} Everything IB
{16} The University Project

Want to join in? Click the button below for more info :)




NB: Inclusion on my weekly round-ups do not mean that I endorse any of the products or services sold by readers in the list and I do not get commission from any sales that may be the result of a click-through.

my week #85

Just over a week until exams, eek! My revision plan is already drawn up (done weeks' ago) and now my life officially consists of medicine and netball. Not much different to how it was pre-revision anyway...

A bit of drama to end the week with: on Saturday, I spent the night at my local Accident and Emergency department as a girl on the opposing netball team (in that morning's match) decided it would be a good idea to deliberately stick her leg out while I was running at full speed (and without being boastful, my full speed is pretty fast...) so I ended up 'flying' for a few seconds. This resulted in bruised and sore elbows, hands and knees. My left knee was so swollen and painful that my mum took me to A&E to get it checked out.

Luckily, nothing was fractured and the nurse said that there is only a 'soft tissue injury' and just to rest it for a week or so. 

Having woke up in agony this morning (elbows and knees mainly) and still struggling to walk properly, I'm relatively annoyed at the girl who did this as none of this was my fault. Furthermore, the match was one of the dirtiest I have ever played in and some of the stuff they did was just dangerous (like sticking knees and legs out when people are running...). 

If you thought netball was a non-contact sport, I hope I've changed your opinion as I never come away from a match without at least a bruise or a scratch!

Anyway, enough of the ranting...

And as it is the first of December - pinch punch, first of the month!

How was your week?