Organized Charm: April 2014

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Sponsored Post: McGraw-Hill SmartBook


This is the final post in a 3-post series on McGraw-Hill's SmartBook. If you (still) haven't heard about SmartBook, it is basically an interactive alternative to an ebook. In fact, it is the ONLY interactive alternative to an ebook!

SmartBook is uses 4 different techniques to enhance your learning while reading textbooks:

Preview, ReadPractice, and Recharge

Last week, I focused on the importance of previewing and (since I'm guessing that y'all can figure out the importance of reading), today's focus is all about practicing & recharging

These are so, so important because your brain kind of works with a "use it or lose it" type of system. We learn new things all day everyday, right? We hear new songs, read new articles, meet new people... our brains are constantly taking in new information. But do you know what our brains are also doing? They're also constantly clearing information out to make room for new things to come in. 

This is called pruning (or synaptic pruning, if you want to get scientific). And pruning is the reason you always forget that girl's name, even though you know you've met her a million times! It's why singers warn you that they might forget the words to a song they haven't sung in a long time. And it's why we hate cumulative finals. 

The practice and recharge elements of SmartBook are designed to keep the information that you recently read from getting pruned out! By practicing what you have learned, you are deepening your understanding of the material. You are applying it and your brain is actively using that information for something! 

By recharging, you are also keeping the material that you learned 4 chapters ago active! It is constantly coming back to your thoughts, being remembered, and creating a stronger foundation on which you can continue to build your knowledge! 

And that is what makes SmartBook so effective! :) 

How often do you actually read your textbook chapters now (don't lie!)? Do you think that using an interactive textbook would keep you focused? What tips do you have for remembering old information that you've learned? 

Sources:

Sunday, April 27, 2014

April Vignettes

Can y’all believe that April is almost over?! I absolutely cannot. Seriously, where did it go? 

I hope y’all had a wonderful month and got a lot of organizing done! We were super busy with apartment hunting, moving, schoolwork, and traveling. However, I did manage to get a couple of projects finished! 

Here is what my April looked like:


On Organized Charm:


Organized Charm reached its 100th post! YAY! It also started on its first sponsored post campaign with McGraw-Hill’s SmartBook. In addition to those posts, here are some other ones that went up in April

Class Folder Organization is all about how to simplify and organize your folders for class. Check out Note Taking 101 for ways to stay focused in class and take notes you’ll remember better! For OC’s 100th post, I gathered up 100 of my favorite motivational posts and shared them with y’all to celebrate! 

And Closet Organization Solutions is like a little roundup of my favorite tips for organizing overflowing closets! And Top 10 Organizing Blogs is a roundup of my favorite organizing blogs!










In my “real” life:


We traveled to Austin. Twice. The first time, my husband convinced me to take a spontaneous road trip .

Ok, I never do anything spontaneous. I didn’t even have time to make a list! And even though there was no real plan, we still had an amazing time! 

Because the drive was so long (10 hours!) we planned a trip and flew back a couple of weeks later to spend more time in the city!







Other cool places online:


As always, I was all over the internet checking out a ton of apps and websites and… y’all... I found some super cool stuff! 

I’ve been hearing about Happify for a while now but I never actually tried it until this week. OMG, why had I not done this before?! It’s amazing! 

When you create your account, it gives you a quick little quiz and then assesses what is holding you back from being happier. Then it gives you a growth track of 3 activities a day to work on getting happier! Shockingly (that’s my sarcasm font), I am on the track for Handling Stress Better

This is a free website/app combination and I would recommend it to everyone!




The Muse is full of SO MUCH good advice that it makes me sad to know I’ll never be able to read it all! Here is a screen shot of the website’s homepage! I’ve been getting updates from The Daily Muse, which is their blog and it is absolutely full of some of the best career (and life) advice you’ll ever read! 




If you have kids, run (don’t walk) to download Keepy. First of all, it is free. Secondly, it allows you a digital way to save kids’ creations without actually having to save their creations! 

I love my Kindergarteners and I love it when they give me sweet cards and pictures but I get overwhelmed with what to do with it all! You create a little profile for each child, and then upload their artwork/Lego creations/crazy outfits! 

Best of all?! They can RECORD A STORY over the picture and everything gets saved to Dropbox!




I Instagrammed a photo from our Austin trip and “americayall" liked it. Cool name, right? So I checked it out. 

o. m. g. Coolest blog ever. It is just this awesome adventurous couple doing all of these awesome adventurous things! 

Kind of like the Austinite version of Classy Girls Wear Pearls. If you like traveling, outdoorsy stuff, or awesome photography, check it out!




So, that’s how my month went! Not a TON of organizing (or blogging, obviously) but definitely a lot of fun things!

How was your April?! Have you already checked out any of these apps/websites? If so, which ones do you love the most? 

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Sponsored Post: McGraw-Hill SmartBook

This is the second post in a 3-post series on McGraw-Hill's Smartbook. 

If you aren't familiar with SmartBook, check out the video (made by students!) below:


Last week, I talked about the methods that SmartBook uses to engage the reader (aka you) to make textbook-reading more interactive. And seriously, who couldn't use some more of that?! One of the most important things that SmartBook does is give a preview of each chapter before you read it. 

This is super-imperitive because, when we are trying to learn new information, our brains are constantly trying to connect it to our existing knowledge. It’s kind of the same as when you see an actor/actress that looks familiar and you actively think (and think and think and and obsess, if you’re me) about it until you figure out what you’ve seen them in before! 

That's what your brain is doing every time you read new info! It is actively searching for a place to connect it to something else that's familiar to you. And if you’ve read an overview/preview of the material before you actually read the material itself, your brain has something to connect it to! Which helps you comprehend and retain the material better! The specific name for this is Schema and it’s one of the most important elements for learning!

I’ve been researching a TON of strategies lately for how to read textbooks more effective. And I will definitely be posting them within the next few weeks! :)

Do you do an overview of your textbook chapter before reading it? Or do you just jump in and start reading start-to-finish? What are some strategies/tricks that you’ve learned to make the material easier to remember? 


Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Sponsored Post: McGraw-Hill SmartBook

You know how computers are slowly taking over the world and making our lives easier? Well, I am 100% excited about that. And even more excited when it means less time reading textbooks!

I am super proud to team up with McGraw-Hill as they spread the word about SmartBook

If you haven’t heard of it yet, check out this video from McGraw-Hill Students:


SmartBook is amazing because it optimizes study time through these 4 steps:

Preview
You do know that you should be scanning textbook chapters before you read them, right? This is because it’s a lot easier to comprehend information when you can see where it fits into the big picture. SmartBook delivers a quick overview of each chapter for this exact reason! 

Read
While technology still hasn’t developed a way to transfer the information directly into our brains in our sleep (hurry up, please!), it can make reading lengthy and boring texts a little more effective. SmartBook highlights important learning objectives so that you can always be sure you’ve read the most important information! And with interactive questions along the way, it also automatically highlights what you need to learn and bypasses what you already know. 

Practice
We learn by doing. This is why you can explain the information from that research project you did last semester better than the information from the test you had last Friday. SmartBook’s interactive technology allows you to quiz yourself on the material and automatically highlights the concepts that you need to review. 

Recharge
If you’re like me (and you are), you can read all day long, no problem. It’s the retaining of information that’s the problem! The more that information is repeated or used, the more likely it is to end up in your long-term memory… and that’s what’s going to help you make your next A! :) 

Next Tuesday, I’ll post a little more about the science of why it’s SO important to preview before reading! 

What are some of your strategies for reading information? Are you excited about technology and textbooks? What do you think would be some advantages/drawbacks to “smart” textbooks? 

100th Post: 100 Inspirational Quotes



Welcome! Today is a pretty special day (for me, anyway) because…
this is Organized Charm’s 100th post!

I just wanted to take a quick minute to say THANK YOU to all of the people who read this blog regularly! When I first started writing it in August, I had NO idea that it would resonate with people the way that it has! So keep doing what you’re doing and know that I completely appreciate every comment/e-mail/follow/visit! 

Y’all make me feel so encouraged and I wanted to give that back in a way. So here are 100 of my favorite motivational quotes for y’all! Please feel free to add your favorites at the bottom!


Character:

“Be proud for what you are rather than for what you have.”

“Be truthful, gentle, and fearless.”

“Confidence is silent. Insecurities are loud.”

“Do all things with kindness.”

“Every man at some point is gonna lose a battle. He’s gonna fight and he’s gonna lose. But what makes him a man is that, in the midst of that battle, he does not lose himself.” -Friday Night Lights

"Fortune and love favor the brave." -Ovid

“Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.” -Minor Myers Jr.

“If you can be anything, be kind.”

“She who dares, wins.”

"Whatever you are, be a good one." -Abraham Lincoln

Change:

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Life the life you have imagined.”

“If you’re still alive, you can still change.” -John Mayer

“In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take.”

“In time, all things will fall right in place.”

“Love where you are.”

“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The best way to forgive is to forget.” -Unknown

“What’s comin’ will come and we’ll meet it when it does.” -Hagrid

“You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” -John C. Maxwell

“Your largest fear carries your greatest growth.” 

Creativity:

“Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life, because you become what you believe.” -Oprah Winfrey

“Creative people don’t follow the rules, they don’t necessarily break them either. They almost always make their own!”

“Do beautiful things with your beautiful life.”

“I just wanna go on more adventures. Be around good energy. Connect with people. Learn new things. Grow.”

“I realized this week that I just cannot do it all, so I will choose to do what I can. Fabulously.” -Clinton Kelly

“It never gets easier, you just get better.”

“I want to make beautiful things, even if nobody cares.” -Saul Bass

“May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.” Nelson Mandela

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” -Peter Drucker

“You know you’re on the right track when you become uninterested in looking back.” 

Education:

“Always keep learning. The second you stop, you will be outdated.” -AJ Kumar

“Greatness does not come overnight; it is developed slowly, painfully, and with humility.”
“I am just striving to be more me than I have ever been.”

“I don’t love studying. I hate studying. I like learning. Learning is beautiful.” -Natalie Portman
“Keep yourself educated and never stop learning.”

“Let the refining and improving of your own life keep you so busy that you have little time to criticize others.” -H. Jackson Brown Jr.

“Never give up on a dream because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” -Earl Nightingale

“Small steps every day.”

“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” -Ernest Hemingway

“You can never be overdressed or overeducated.” -Oscar Wilde

Happiness:

“Collect moments, not things.”

“If you have good thoughts, they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.” -Ronald Dahl

“Fear doesn’t shut you down, it wakes you up.” -Veronica Roth

“Keep going no matter what.”

“Once you learn how to be happy, you won’t tolerate being around people who make you feel anything less.”

“The less you respond to negative people, the more peaceful your life will become.”

“The world’s a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” -Saint Augustine

“Too much of anything is bad, but too much champagne is just right.” -F. Scott Fitzgerald

“What’s my guilty pleasure? The thing is, I never feel guilty about my pleasures.” -Tom Hiddleston

“You get in life what you have the courage to ask for.” -Oprah Winfrey

Life:

“A simple hello could lead to a million things.”

“Enjoy the little things.”

“Get up. Shower up. Show up. And never give up.” -Zig Ziglar

“Good things take time.”

“Had I not created my own world, I would certainly have died in other people’s” -Anais Nin

“Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion.” -Rumi

“Stop holding yourself back. If you aren’t happy, make a change.”

“We are our choices.” -J.P. Sartre

“What’s for you will not pass you by.”

“You are exactly where you need to be.”

Love:

“Be selective in your battles for sometimes peace is better than being right.”

“I was fierce and wild in love when I was young” -Ben Nichols

“If it’s both terrifying and amazing, then you should definitely pursue it.” -Erada

“Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“Let all that you do be done in love.”

“Love yourself first and everything else falls into place.” -Lucille Ball

“Spread love wherever you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.” -Mother Theresa

“When someone else’s happiness is your happiness, that is love.” -Lana Del Rey

“Wherever you are, be all there.” -Jim Elliott

“You are the finest, loveliest, tenderest, most beautiful person I have ever known.” -F. Scott Fitzgerald

Optimism:

“Be stronger than your excuses.”

“Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.” -Christian D. Larson

“Change your thoughts and you’ll change your world.”

“Commitment means staying loyal to what you said you were going to do long after the mood you said it in has left you.”

“Complaining is pointless, either act of forget.”

“Don’t compare your Chapter 1 to someone else’s Chapter 20.”

“Give this world good energy.”

“Have some faith in yourself.”

“The mind is everything: What you think, you become.” -Buddha

“What you tell yourself everyday will either lift you up or tear you down.”

Today:

“Don’t worry about what comes next.”

“Enjoy it, because it’s happening.”

“Find beauty in the small things.”

“I think in terms of the day’s resolutions, not the year’s.” -Henry Moore

“If we wait until we’re ready, we’ll be waiting for the rest of our lives.”

“It’s never too late to be what you might have been.”

“Rise up and attack the day with enthusiasm.”

“The future is no place for your better days.” -Dave Matthews

“Wake up and live.”

“Whatever the present moment contains, embrace it as if you had chosen it.” -Eckhardt Tolle

Work:

“Being a winner is never an accident. Winning comes about by design, determination, and positive action.” -Bob Proctor

“Good things happen to those who hustle.”

“I find the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.” -Thomas Jefferson

"It always seems impossible until it is done." -Nelson Mandela

“It’s a beautiful thing when a career and a passion come together.”

“Opportunity does not knock, it presents itself when you beat down the door.” -Kyle Chandler

“Success is not easy and is certainly not for the lazy.”

“Success isn’t a result of spontaneous combustion. You have to learn how to set yourself on fire.”

“The dream is free. The hustle is sold separately.”

“Work hard and do great things.”



I love you all! Go out into the world and have an amazingly awesome day!

:) 

Monday, April 14, 2014

Closet Organization Solutions



On my 4 Things to Organize in April checklist, my closet was right up there! I have a pretty good system in place for keeping up with what I’ve worn and purging it frequently. What I need is kind of a revamped closet organization system!

As I always do, I turned to Pinterest for inspiration and it did not disappoint!
(click on photos to follow links)




Buy uniformed hangers.
If all of the hangers match, the closet looks 100% more organized and put together. Plus, designate a specific number of clothing items for your closet and buy that many hangers. It will be a good reminder that your closet it getting too full! 




Find a cute way to display your accessories.
From pegboards to hooks to repurposed picture frames, Pinterest is FULL of cute ideas for displaying all those little accessories we need! Rather than just messily cramming them into a drawer, why not put them on display like a cute little boutique? Maybe it will make you enjoy getting dressed as much as you enjoy shopping! 




Store your shoes. 
Shoes are another one of those things that are easy to accumulate. If you don’t quite have the closet space of Sarah Vickers, no problem! Try a hanging heels on a curtain rod on the wall, a shoe rack on the back of the door, and storing flats/sandals in a bin on the shelf in your closet!




Find an organized home for tiny clothing items. 
So, hanging up clothes is easy but what about all those little things like scarves and tank tops? Luckily, they’re super easy to roll up and fit into small spaces! How about in a tiny dresser drawer, a “shoe rack”, or grabbing a couple of small clear drawers from Target? 




Hang your bags.
These are one of my biggest challenges! I love the way that they fit onto closet shelves and I can line them up neatly but I hate the way they get all smooched. Try designate a hanger in your closet as a “bag hanger”, a tension rod with S-hooks, or hanging some pretty hooks where you can easily reach them!




Pre-made closet system.
Of course, if you’re really getting serious about closet organization, Home Depot and Lowe’s have a TON of pre-made closet organizational systems! Just choose one that fits and works well for you!




You don’t have to have it all out at once.
Finally, this is one of the biggest things that keeps my closet in check. It isn’t necessary to have every item out all season long! Having 3 extra bins to hold clothes for each season will free up a TON of closet space!



Now let’s get those closets put back together! Summer is right around the corner and you don’t want to waste all that beautiful weather by being inside reorganizing a closet, do you? Me either :)

What kinds of closet organization tips do you have to add? Do you organize it a little at a time or do a big seasonal overhaul? Have you invested in a professional closet system or just created one that works well for you? 

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Class Folder Organization



I used to go really overboard with my school binders. I would go to Office Max/Target and spend tons of money on brand new cute binders, color-coded tabs, laminated dividers, and labels for every class. I made sure I had a place for EVERYTHING and I kept EVERYTHING in them. 

And, although it was helpful to have all of that information in one place, a lot of the sections actually just went unused. As time went on, I began to appreciate simplicity a little more. And now I am 100% certain that simplicity = efficiency!

The way that I organize my wedding folders now, I actually learned while I was wedding planning! When it comes to wedding planners, there are some that are huge, excessive, detailed, and expensive. But honestly, all you need is a list of things left to do and a list of things that are done. 

A list of things to do and a place to keep receipts of things that are complete? Sounds a little like coursework, doesn’t it? I thought so, too! 

Here is my newer, simpler, efficient-er way of organizing schoolwork!

Buy Folders

Buy a simple 2-pocket folder for each class. I like to assign a color to each class and buy them in those colors, but obviously you should buy whatever you think you will want to look at everyday! The main idea here is that these little folders are amazing for the following reasons:

They are easy to fit into your bag/backpack/purse
They are light to carry around campus
They are easy to keep organized
They make it easy to use
They are cheap!






Place Syllabus on the Right Side

Once I get my syllabi for my classes, I open it to the page with all of the due dates and place it into the right side of the folder. This makes it super easy to check what chapter I need to read this week, or when that next big project is due. As the semester goes on, I highlight the current week in yellow and re-highlight it in pink when the its complete.



Print Out All Assignment Instructions

At the beginning of the semester, I go to the campus computer lab and print out the directions for every project. Then I put these into the left side of the folder and order them according to their due dates. If I have a physical copy of my current work-in-progress (presentation outline, rough draft, study guide), I keep that on the left side along with its instructions.


OCD SIDE NOTE: I also like to use index cards to keep track of individual assignments because I can paperclip them into my class folder, into my planner, or hang them on the wall. It’s just a quick reference for the when, what, how much, and basic instructions of each assignment.


Keep Graded Papers Behind Syllabus

Once graded assignments are returned, I place them behind the syllabus on the right side of the folder. I only keep my graded assignments. And actually, thanks to the semester assignment spreadsheet, I could even do without keeping those papers (but I just like to).



Create a “Handout Folder” at Home

Create a folder at home for class handouts. Ending the semester with a ton of miscellaneous handouts that you may or may not use in the future is inevitable. Just create a little file folder at home for those types of papers so you don’t have to carry them around all the time! 


Of course, there are classes that require more thorough folders (like research projects) but this system works pretty well for basic, “lecture classes"! SUPER simple. SUPER efficient. 

Have you developed a system for organizing school binders/folders? Does it work well? What parts of organizing classwork are the hardest for you? 

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

4 Things to Organize in April




The new month is upon is! You know, the one where we're FINALLY supposed to see some flowers and spring-like weather? I, for one, couldn't be happier! 

And what fun is a new month without new organizing projects?! Riiight? ;)

Here are the 4 things I'm planning to organize in April! You can join me in these projects or choose your own! 

1. My car
I am one of those people who tends to drive around with everything I own in the back if my car. Whether it's change, makeup, water bottles, or winter coats... I somehow take it all with me everywhere I go! 

2. My clothes
Moving is deinitely the perfect motivation to get started on this. I have been hoarding clothes for years and it's just time to let some go.

3. My finances
Recently, one of my students' moms was raving about Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University and telling me how ORGANIZED her finances are now! I definitely need some of that! 

4. My purse
I feel like I don't even need to explain this. You know what I’m talking about. 

So, there they are! My 4 organizational projects for the month! I am SUPER excited about tackling some of these daily productivity barriers!

What are your 4 organizational goals for April?! 

I’ll post my progress all throughout the month of April, so feel free to e-mail me photos of your organizing projects and I’d be glad to post about them, too! :)

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