It’s back to school time! I’m excited to meet my new students and see all of my current students, but it’s difficult to believe that summer break is ending.
As we progress into the new semester, I’ve identified this year’s list of 5 Things I’ll Need to Survive the Fall Semester. Here they are, in no particular order:
1. EVERNOTE
I have my entire life organized on this virtual filing cabinet. I really don’t think I could live without it. If you aren’t sure about how/if you should use Evernote, Michael Hyatt writes a ton about his unique, effective ways to use Evernote for pretty much everything. I’ve adopted many of his methods.
2. IPHONE
I think my iPhone has made this list every year. I don’t go anywhere without it. It’s my portable life. Yes, I realize this potentially is a problem, but I haven’t yet decided if I intend to do anything about it. Until then, I will continue needing my iPhone for survival.
3. MIO
No, that is not blood in my water bottle. It’s fruit punch Mio. I’m addicted to Mio and have been for a couple of years. It flavors your water without adding calories, so it’s my go-to drink. It also keeps me drinking water all day long, which helps me feel good physically.
4. MY “BULLET” JOURNAL
Yes, I’ve fallen into the bullet journal craze. If you haven’t heard about bullet journaling or really understand it, Anne Bogel does a great job of explaining how and why she uses a bullet journal.
Here’s the thing, my bullet journal really isn’t some kind of complex, beautiful journal where I keep everything. It basically is just a list of my to dos for every day of the week and a single place where I take notes. It certainly isn’t pretty. So, basically, I’ve adopted the “bullet journal concept” by going back to planning my week on paper in pretty pens. Whatever works, right?
BTW, these Paper Mate Flair pens and the Staedtler triplus fineliner pens are the ones I use for my journal. I’m not picky about my journal, but I do like it to be a spiral. People who are more serious about bullet journaling recommend these Leuchtturm notebooks.
5. KINDLE UNLIMITED
I am an avid reader. I also love listening to audiobooks. This habit was getting pretty expensive until I discovered Kindle Unlimited. You can try Kindle Unlimited free, after which time you pay $10 a month for it. However, you can read any book they have available for free and many of them have audiobook companions. The coolest thing is that the two sync together. I can, for example, listen to a book in my car on the way home from work, then pick up where I left off by reading the electronic version of the book once I get home. At first I was frustrated by the number of popular releases not available on Kindle Unlimited, but once I started reading, rating and getting recommendations, I’ve found a ton of books that I like there.
I’m sure there are many other things I will use religiously throughout this semester, but this list is a pretty good indicator of where I am now. What about you? I’d love to see your list.
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