Organized Charm: February 2014

Monday, February 24, 2014

5 Rules for Simplified Style


You know that saying about not being able to see the trees for the forest? Or maybe it’s the forest for the trees? Whatever it is, that saying has a lot to do with… my closet. 

I feel like I cannot see the outfits for the clothes! Good grief. Sometimes I just stand in front of my closet and think: what are these clothes and where did they come from and why are there so many and how is it possible that there are so many and I still don't see anything I want to wear?! 

Please tell me I'm not the only one. 

I have clothes in my closet. Clothes in another closet. Clothes in bins. Clothes in the attic. And do you know what talking about all these clothes makes me want to do? Obviously, it makes me want to buy new clothes! 

I know I should be keeping up with what I’ve worn recently and what I could do without (probably all of it). I actually used to have a really nice Post-It system in place to monitor what I was/wasn’t wearing. But I switched closets recently and I just haven’t been keeping with it.

I need a better system for eliminating all of the excess!

Do you know who really has style figured out? The Italians. While the rest of the world is buying into what’s on trend for this season, they are steadily looking awesome in their classicly-Italian ensembles. I've been to Rome twice in the past 3 years and I would move there tomorrow if I could. I'm obsessed. And even through I absolutely LOVE it... I feel 100% underdressed the whole time.

Their style is just incredible.  And do you know what I find most appealing about it? 

It seems simple. 

It just seems so simple. 

So, here are 5 Italian-inspired style rules:
(and these are definitely becoming my new closet rules to keep out the excess!)




1. Don't buy into every passing trend. 
 Well, this is the first and probably the most important for keeping a decluttered closet. Do you ever feel like we’re going to look at our pictures 4 years from now and say: oh, look at my chevron shirt and my chevron rug and my chevron walls and my chevron pumpkin and my chevron dog… Must have been 2013!?

The Italians know what they like. They know what looks good. And they know what will be obsolete in 2 years. I want my closet to be more like that.





2. Choose quality over quantity. 
Which is much easier when you aren’t trying to amass a huge quantity of “trendy” clothing. It's also a lot easier to justify spending a lot on one piece of clothing knowing it will last a long time. Which is probably why I’m the only person in Italy walking down the street in a non-designer dress. Because I’m choosing 39 cheap and trendy dresses over 3 quality dresses. 

And just think of how perfectly I could organize 3 quality dresses!




3. Stick with classic cuts. 
Don’t you think it’s interesting that we still idolize Audrey Hepburn, Jackie O, and Marilyn Monroe as fashion icons? I mean, their looks were so timelessly elegant and classic that I don’t think they will ever be irrelevant. So investing in quality clothing in those same classic cuts has like a 100% chance of never going out of style. 

Which would probably also be great motivation to stay in shape so that we can keep wearing them!




4. Opt for neutrals. 
This is the thing that I am the most in love with. Nothing ensures an easier dressing process in the morning than already having all matching clothes. Can you imagine getting dressed in the morning and the decision is: “Should I wear this black shirt with these grey pants or this grey shirt with these black pants?”. I could make that decision after just one cup of coffee.



 

5. Accessorize with color. 
Well, of course color is an important part of life. And no one wants to walk around in just black and white and grey all the time. But saving color for accessorizing also saves a TON of money! And makes for 2,345,355 more outfit choices! And guess what? If orange is the big color this year and you’re super sick of it by next year… all you have to replace are some scarves and jewelry!

And I think that’s just awesome.






I am about to set off on my own little journey to creating a more Italian closet :)



Are you feeling overwhelmed by your closet? 
Do you have any advice for me or have any suggestions of other styles I might also like? 

{photos in this post are from Cosmo Italy}

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Standardized Test Study Plan



ACT… GRE… PRAXIS… SAT...

No matter which one you’re taking, or how seasoned you are at doing it, there is just always something so nerve-racking about taking a standardized test. Maybe it’s the fact that they determine whether or not we can get into something. Maybe it’s the fact that you feel like you’re being watched as closely as a prisoner when you’re taking one. Or maybe it’s the fact that they’re just so dang expensive. 

Because my life is awesome, I actually have 3 certification exams coming up within the next few months… each one with its own study guide and (ridiculously expensive) bill.  Naturally, I’ve been obsessing curious about how much time to devote to studying for these exams. Like, are they more important, less important, or equally as important as my actual coursework this semester?

Maybe you’re curious about this, too?

I did a little casual browsing online (just kidding; it was panic-induced Googling), and most websites suggested that spending about 3 hours a week is sufficient. Which makes sense when you think about it, because we aren’t really LEARNING the material for these tests (hopefully). It’s just a review of things that we’ve already learned.

The main purpose of studying for these tests is to prepare yourself for the format and timing of the test!

 Here is a little timeline to help you kick its butt!  

9 Weeks Ahead: 
Order the study guide online or pick it up at the bookstore. Barnes & Noble has an entire section dedicated to study guides of all kinds! Also, Amazon.com never disappoints!

(this is one time you definitely want to buy the book new so that it includes all cd’s and practice tests!)

8 Weeks Ahead: 
Create a study checklist and timeline (kind of like the one you’re reading right now). Schedule time into your day/week for preparing for the test. Plan to treat your study time just like you would a real class… put it in your calendar (a beginning and ending time), put your phone on silent, and WORK!

Here are some time breakdown examples:
25 minutes a day, 7 days a week
30 minutes a day, 6 days a week
36 minutes a day, 5 days a week
45 minutes a day, 4 days a week
1 hour a day, 3 days a week

7 Weeks Ahead: 
Flip through your study guide. Get familiar with the sections and the format of the questions. Go ahead and take your 1st Practice Test (yes, without studying).

6 Weeks Ahead: 
Check out how you did on your practice test. This will be the way you determine what you need to work on and what you are already awesome at doing! Highlight the problems that you missed and review those chapters in the book.

5 Weeks Ahead: 
Read the rest of the chapters in the book, skim over the material that you are 100% sure you know, and spend more time on your areas of weakness. Highlight the key terms and take notes right in the book (there’s no point in trying to sell these things back, anyway). That way, when you review, all of your information will be right there together… which is super efficient!  

4 Weeks Ahead: 
Put information that you still need to work on onto index cards and review it frequently. Review any relevant textbooks or class notes that you may have. Read through the chapters that cover your areas of weakness again (and again…). 

3 Weeks Ahead: 
Review your index cards. As you realize that you’ve learned the information on them, take them out. Create one big outline with the information that is left to learn.

2 Weeks Ahead: 
Quiz yourself using your study sheet. As you realize that you’ve learned the information on that, highlight it so that you can skip over what you already know. Hopefully, the whole thing will be highlighted by the end of the week!

1 Week Ahead: 
Take the 2nd Practice Test in conditions as close to the actual test as possible (at a desk, quiet, timed). Review the items that were missed this time. Put them on new notecards and review them like crazy until 2 days before the test!




The Day Before: 
Give your brain a break! At this point, you’ve either got it or you don’t. Eat a healthy dinner and get a good night’s sleep! 

And on that test day, you march into that building with confidence because you worked hard and you know you’re completely awesome! :) 

What test are you preparing for? 
Do you have any advice to add to this timeline?

Monday, February 10, 2014

Freebie Printable: Weekly To-Do List & Progress Tracker


Today is an exciting day in the world of Organized Charm…
 I have created my very first printable and I am oh-so-excited to introduce it to y’all!

Earlier this week, I discussed how I organize my planner. One of the very most important parts of my planner is the the repurposed Meal Planning section that is now dedicated to my weekly school assignments. 

But you know what I realized? Unless you have the exact same planner that I have, you don’t have those sheets for keeping up with your weekly assignments.

Until now :)



Here are 16 weeks (a whole semester) of Weekly Assignment Lists! 

They are nearly exactly like mine, except that I added a couple of extra little things!
(so now, I actually like them better than mine)



Here is what they include and how I would choose to organize them:

Week
Fill in the dates of each new academic week. 

Main Goal
Look at your week and state your BIG GOAL for the week. Maybe a to start on a big upcoming project or researching a major topic…

Days
I left this section blank so that you can start your new academic week on whatever day works out  best for you. This semester, everything I have is due on Thursdays, so I’m starting new projects and readings on Fridays and Thursdays are my day to have it all complete. If you think better doing the more traditional Sun-Sat or Mon-Sun, you can do that, too! It’s all up to you!

To-Do
This is where I put each and every little task that I need to have complete by the end of the week. Sometimes, I break down my assignments into the different days I want to work on them and sometimes I just fill it in continually, depending on what I didn’t get finished on the previous day.

Done
Kind of the most important part. Yet, somehow, this is the thing that always seems to be left off of to-do lists! WRITE DOWN YOUR PROGRESS! How much time did you give yourself and what the heck did you do with it? This section holds you accountable for how you spend your time.

Finally, I added some of my favorite little motivational phrases at the bottom. If you keep your sheets in order, these should go along pretty well with where in the semester you are! 

(And obviously, these lists can be used for anything… not just “school” related tasks).

 I am SO EXCITED to hear about how y’all use these! 

ENJOY! :)

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...