Hey everyone!

This is a very unique post but it's one I am so excited to share with you all today. For a long while now I have been very insistent on implementing a planner as part of my "daily routine". In this post I'm going to highlight 5 ways in which you, too, can use a planner to enhance your college experience. 

Before we begin, let me introduce to you what a typical week looks like in my planner. This week my spreads theme was "Valentines Day". 

Blank slate!

 Feel overwhelmed yet? Here is what one page looks like after I begin to plan:


But don't worry! Below are the five ways I encourage you to start planning and why you should plan.

1. Allows for Creativity
   Of course we're all familiar with how planners can, quite literally, help us remember our assignments and upcoming events. However, were you aware at the different kinds of planners there are? From monthly, yearly, weekly, and hourly, you are sure to find a planner best suited for your needs. If you're someone who benefits from knowing the general rather than the detailed, I would recommend the yearly or monthly. For those, like myself, who prefer to keep myself a little more in-check, a weekly planner is a great asset. And, lastly, if you find that you prefer utilizing a more list-like style, then hourly would be your best bet!
   In addition to knowing the type of planner you want, you should also look into brands and styles. Erin Condren, Happy 365, and Bullet are all popular forms of planning. I personally like the Happy Planner because it allows me adequate room to plan and get creative through the use of stickers and such. Erin Condren is the same way, although I've found them to be a little pricey. Bullet journals are the "risk takers" of the group, as they come with no structure and allow you to format and design each spread. If these don't sound like your type of planner, you can always go with a Day Designer and use a more traditional form. 

The brightly lit Erin Condren

A very common Happy Planner

The classic Day Designer

The ever-popular Bullet Journal

2. Keep Track of Your Progress
   As discussed before, there are plenty of ways you can utilize your planner. Your details can range from the very general to the very meticulous, meaning they are much more freeing than you think. However, besides homework and meetings you can also use your planner to keep track of your goals! I like to use mine to remind me of my workouts and gym routine. I also like to use my planner to remind me to stay hydrated, stay focused, and keep track of how often I need to do laundry, buy groceries, and also prayer requests for that week. If you're not sure where to start, or even what to track, 365 Create helps you out big time by providing lots of useful sticker books like: Mom Life, Fitness Tracker, Faith Pack, and Productivity Pack (amongst many others!). 

My progress section looks a lot like this: 

The third column of my planner is used to motivate myself and keep my fitness journey documented.

3. Self Care 
   Planning is something that can either take you a few seconds or a half hour to do. However, if the idea of planning is something that appears daunting, have no fear! Look at planning as a way of self care. Every Sunday I like to sit down and plan out my next week. After arranging my stickers and writing my notes, the time spent totals to about 20 minutes. Some might say that is a waste of time, but if you really think about it, taking those 20 minutes a week to do something both relaxing and enjoyable could very well be something that you come to enjoy. It is something that varies person to person, but if you look more at planning as something to be enjoyed, I promise you it will feel less like a chore and more of an exciting thing you can do. 

4. Express Yourself in an Unconventional Way
   Back when I used to carry my planner around with me, I would oftentimes get asked various questions about my planner, my spread, and why I do what I do. While I appreciate the comments, above all I began to see that my planner tells a lot about me. If I have a messy, unorganized spread, than people are more likely to believe I am a messy and unorganized person. When they see that I have a brightly colored week with a clean design, the first instinct is going to be that I, too, am an organized person. Planning, if you really decide to put the time into it, can very well be that outlet you use to express yourself in a subtle way. 

5. The Three E's
   Planning should be something that is easy, efficient, and enjoyable! In the stressful and fast-paced life that is college, having a little extra help should be something you find useful, not boring! It's a fun way to combine crafts, expression, and art and create something worth looking back on. Plus, planning is never as expensive as you think it is! I got my planner, my planner cover, and sticker packets at Michaels for less than $50! I encourage you, if you are actively seeking out a planner, to start at a craft shop like Michaels and use as many coupons as possible to help make the investment feel a little less heavy on your wallet. 

   Everyone's planning style is different, but that doesn't mean planning shouldn't be something you make part of your routine! I can't tell you the amount of times I have overheard a student say, "It's not worth it," or "I don't like wasting the paper". In the high-stress and fast-paced day that most of us college students live in, using a planner should never feel like a chore. I encourage all of you to look into the benefits planning can provide, as these are just 5 of the many, many benefits! 


Until next time,

Aislinn 

Hi everyone,


Without realizing it the first week of college has already come to an end! Isn't it even crazier that I've been in Hawaii for just about 3 weeks as well? I would like to point out that it hasn't been just me in Hawaii, but also everyone else who has been reading my posts and keeping up with me. Those people have been in Hawaii just as much as I have been these past three weeks. In addition, I feel like it's also been a few days since I posted anything. I know that traditionally my posts have been a "recap" of sorts, with the occasional "fun fact" post thrown in there. While I've learned enough stuff to make a third fun post, I've decided to make this post based off of a conversation I had with another student today. I hope you enjoy.


This morning my friends and I, yes the same Coloradans I've been hanging out with, decided we would take the bus into Honolulu to go to The Korean Festival. Celebrating it's 15th year, the festival included dancers, food eating contests, information booths, a necessary tent, and lastly many unique food vendors. While it's usually just the 5 of us that go places, my friend Bella decided to extend the invitation to another girl, one from California, to come with us. Bella told us all that this girl had been feeling very homesick and that maybe getting her off campus would help distract her. Surprisingly, the girl agreed to attend the festival with us, something that I think really did help keep her mind off of things. While the festival was entertaining, I would like to point out that to those interested- it isn't all Korean food and Kpop. Instead, many of the booths are actually either information about Korean companies (Korean Air was one of the booths, as an example) or giveaways. Also, while the festival itself is free the activities are not. What I mean by this is that if you want to try a pipe ice cream you're going to need to pay  2-3 SCRIP's. A SCRIP is essentially a ticket that you pay for up front, and while it isn't required I would recommend it if you want to really do anything. Some vendors take cash but many take SCRIP tickets only. My friends and I didn't buy tickets and we still had a blast, so really it isn't something you need to do if you don't want to. 


After the festival my friends and I walked down to Walmart to pick up some last minute things for our dorm rooms. While it was mainly a mix of school supplies and food, what's interesting is the conversation I had with the Californian. She told me how she's been feeling very stressed lately and that she had come so close to leaving the campus. She told me that ever since getting to campus she's felt lonely and like an outsider, and that when she spends too much time alone she begins to feel "depressed". I wanted to make this post to shed some light on something that affects all students but that is still something so few will talk about. For this girl, the first week of college "was horrible". For her, it only took two days before she was calling her parents and begging for them to buy her a return plane ticket. This made me think back to my first post I made while on campus, the one where I was crying in my dorm room because I had no one to talk to on campus. The post I made before I had friends. You see, while the first week of college is fun, it's also very stressful. In addition to all of the schoolwork you'll most likely be getting, if you don't have that group of friends yet than chances are you'll start to feel like you're losing your mind. I want to tell you, right now, that you're not. You're not losing your mind, you're not alone, and it is okay to feel sad. Everyone, at least the majority, of people on campus feel this way. You will find that group of friends, you will have those days where you forget how homesick you are, and, before you know it, you won't even remember why you were sad in the first place. While my first week of school was, for the most part, great, I can confidently say that that is not the case for everyone. So many students on campus will tell you they're homesick, and so many will chime in if you share how you're feeling. With so many students going back to school right now, I only saw it fitting to share that this week is not the end. At times it will feel like you've reached your breaking point, and at times you will want nothing more than to go home, but if you put yourself out there and continue to act positive and kind than I promise things will get better. As it is I've made so many friends this week, and if you've ever known me than chances are you believe that I'm a fairly introverted person! But what happened when I put myself out there, when I was most vulnerable, was when I began to make friends. I made friends with the 3 Coloradans who quickly became 4. I made friends with Californians, Big Islanders, and even locals. I became friends with people from all over, and now I no longer feel alone. In fact, I look forward to spending time with these people. One week ago I wrote about how I was ready to leave Hawaii and about how utterly miserable I was in the place so many call paradise. But like I've said so many times before, if you give it time and put yourself out there I promise you will enjoy yourself. The first week of school is not your last. Remember that next time you feel like giving up. 


Just thought I would share that since I know so many other kids going through those emotions. Feel free to leave in the comments how your first week of college went, or just continue to silently admire my blog. Either way, I hope you learned something from this post. 



Until next time,

Aislinn