Sorority Skills Used in Every Day Life

Hi Y'all,

As some of you may know, I'm an ADPi. So, I figured there was no better day than ADPi's Founder's Day to share this post with y'all: the skills I've found useful since graduating in 2015.

Now, I realize that I work in retail and in school, but I feel these are pretty universal.

1. Conversation. If you've ever done sorority recruitment on the sister side, you can probably hold a 10 minute conversation with a brick wall. Let me tell you, this skill is actually useful when making small talk or trying to figure out something during a sticky situation. Since I work in retail, I have definitely had to talk to people from all walks of life, and working in a school means I have to figure out what the conflict is when there are two kids screaming at each other and crying at the same time.

2. Multitasking. Being in a sorority means you're pretty busy. This means you can probably do two (or more) things at once. This I have found super handy in being able to get things done during the day so I'm not running around anymore than I have to (which is still a lot).

3. Organization. Again, this was a key skill in college, and still is post grad. I always have something going on since I work two jobs and go to school full time. Now, I don't color code my agenda anymore (well at least not as much), but I now use Google Docs/Google Drive successfully, or at least in a sufficient way for me to be successful.

4. Time Management. What? You mean you don't have to work 5 hours, go to class for 3-4 hours, AND do homework? Well, if you don't you're probably taking work home with you. While, I take very little work home with me because I have successfully learned time management. While I was doing my undergrad at CNU, I rarely had as much homework/studying to do as my roommate (granted, different majors and different expectations), but in my collegiate years, I would work, go to chapter, homework, and dinner and still be in bed by 9 or 10 every night (and I can say that I made it through all of college without drinking coffee).

5. Crafting Skills/Tech Skills. I don't know about y'all, but my crafting days did not end on May 9th, 2015 when I graduated. If anything, I use them more now. I can make an ad/flyer on the computer quickly. I can edit a picture for Instagram and keep a consistent look (done more for the store than my personal Instagram). I can craft something in 10 minutes that it takes other people half a day to figure out how to do. Also, cutting things with a die cutter? Oh my gosh, give me 5 minutes and it's done.

Moral of this story: learn all the skills you can, you never know when you'll need them.

with southern grace,

Lindsey

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Your Guide to Gift Planning

Hi Y'all,
Welcome to Blogmas! Today is the first official post in Blogmas, which I'm super excited about. Basically, for me Blogmas will be blogging every day, Monday through Friday the entire month of December. Not every post is going to be Christmas/holiday related-it just so happens this one is!

Today's post is all about planning gifts out!

Tips 'n' Tricks: Time Management

Hi y'all!
Today's post is on a subject I had to master in college, and I'm sure it's a struggle for y'all just as much as it still is for me! I've come up with 10 tried and true tips 'n' tricks for handling time management! 

1. Write everything down. I literally mean everything. I will literally write down "wake up", "make bed", "eat breakfast", "eat lunch", "eat dinner", "shower", "workout" just to name a few. In case you were wondering, I am that person who writes down something they've already done to make me feel like I've accomplished something.

2. Strategize. Think about what's going to take up the majority of your time, and start with that task. For me, writing a paper is going to take a lot longer than a few math problems just because I research (and edit) a lot. This also includes working ahead. Start the paper early if you know it's going to take you a while. Read the chapter before your professor talks about it in class. Put your laundry in the wash while you cook dinner.

3. Set a timer. Literally for anywhere from 30-45 minutes. In that amount of time, do nothing but work on whatever task you need to get done. When that time is up, take a break for 15 minutes. You'll be shocked how much you can get done when you give yourself a time limit. 

4. Put your phone on "do not disturb". You can also download apps so that you can't access certain sites, like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. This helps you stay focused on the task at hand instead of a variety of other possible distractions.

5. Say No. This one can be super hard, but say no to something if you really don't have the time to devote to it.

6. Reward yourself. I'm super guilty of sometimes over rewarding myself, but this is a great tip. If you know you're working toward something you're more likely to get the task done more efficiently.

7. Start Earlier. Don't feel like you have enough hours in the day to get everything done? Wake up a few minutes earlier to get everything accomplished!

8. Distribute your tasks. Can someone help you accomplish something? Great! Hand over whatever task it is to them...you'll thank yourself later.

9. Work on the go. Have a phone call to make, yet you need to be walking or driving somewhere? Take the phone call while you're driving or walking!

10. Sleep on it. It's ok that you don't finish everything on your to do list. As long as you got done the top priority items, you're good!

What tips do y'all have for time management?

with southern grace,

Lindsey

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Tips 'n' Tricks: Study Guides

Hi Y'all,
It's almost Thanksgiving (and only 5 Mondays left 'til Christmas)...which means it's almost time for final exams.

Studying is crucial for all those comprehensive exams that are right around the corner.

The key to a good study guide is good information, easy to understand, and neat.

Good information comes from both notes and your textbook (if applicable). I try and read the textbook as we go through the class, but if I don't have time for that, I go through the textbook while I'm making the study guide to fill in any gaps or to add more information to help me understand the subject more.

Useful tip: I always type my study guides so I make sure I have all the information, then I print it and write/highlight on it. I often type my textbook notes to make this a little less time consuming.

Easy to understand means that you have to understand every single bit of information on that study guide. This means changing words around and really thinking while you make your study guide. This means it's going to take time since you won't be "copying and pasting" the information.

Neat means that your study guide is readable and comprehendable. This means no messy handwriting (also the neater your handwriting the more time you're spending on it, which means you're spending more time with the material). I also don't clutter my study guides with page numbers, dates of class notes, etc.

How do y'all like to write your study guides?

with southern grace,

Lindsey

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Holiday Budgeting

The holiday season is here! While I for one am on Nordstorm's side of not starting to celebrate Christmas until after Thanksgiving, the holiday shopping has begun! The season is pretty stressful, and adding in packed shopping malls to the equation and it could ruin anyone's good cheer. There are many different ways to help out when it comes to holiday shopping for friends and family.

1. Swagbucks or any other gift card earning site or app. With sites like these, you earn points toward gift cards. You could literally give the person you're shopping for the gift card or you can use the gift card to buy your gift. This way, you're not spending any of your own money and the person really doesn't know that!

2. Baked goods. This might sound silly, but you can literally go out and buy a box to make bread, muffins, or brownies with and then give away whatever baked good you created as the present. Every year, we make some muffins and bread for friends, bank tellers, doctor and nurses, teachers, etc. While this means you're investing a little more time, it's something they'll appreciate. This is getting a little tricky with the increase in gluten, peanuts, and other allergies.

3. Prioritize your money and gift receivers. This might sound harsh, but one of the best things to do is write down who you definitely want to give a present to (parents, siblings, best friend, significant other, littles, etc.), and then how much you want to spend on each person. For instance, I would prioritize my parents, grandmother, brother, and my two best friends. Then I would shop for my littles, other relatives, etc.

4. Use the internet. You can often find some great deals online, and it's much easier to price check online than it is in store (unless you have an app for that). I often shop from home during the holiday season, because I get too anxious being in the overly crowded mall (and quite frankly, I work retail so my store is open the same time others are open and that doesn't leave me a lot of time). I highly suggest Amazon if you want to find some good deals.

5. Go to "discount" stores/shop local. By discount stores I mean TJMaxx, Marshall's, Homegood's, Sam's Club (depending on the item you're looking for), etc. Not only do these stores have great items, they always tend to have a good return policy for the holiday season. Same goes for local shops. You can often get better return policies when shopping local than in large chain stores (unless your wallet allows for you to buy your presents at Nordstrom). 

How do y'all like to budget for the holidays?

with southern grace,

Lindsey

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Tips 'n' Tricks: To Do Lists

Hi Y'all,

Tuesday posts are going to be all about tips 'n' tricks! I absolutely love learning new ways to do something or little hacks to get something done faster.

To do lists are basically how I get everything done, especially daily tasks and blog tasks for with southern grace! I've learned over time that the better my to do lists are, the more grace I have during the day (aka I'm calmer and not running around like a chicken with my head cut off).

1. Write down everything you have to do. It can be as small as "eat breakfast" or "start car".

If you've already started the day, write down something you accomplished so you can check it off. I know this sounds dumb, but it really does help! You start off your day on the right foot, and it makes your day that much better.

2. Use fun colors. Use colors that make you excited to look at your to do list. If you don't look at it, you probably aren't getting much done. To go along with using fun colors, make sure it's legible. If you can't read it, you can't do the task!

3. Make it accomplishable. Make your to do list accomplishable. Don't write down "cure cancer" because chances are you can't accomplish that in one day. However, say you have a 10 page paper due. You can write down "write 2 pages" or "edit yesterday's writing".

4. Always check your list. Make sure you check your list throughout the day. Whether this means changing the wallpaper on your phone everyday to your current to do list, or putting a sticky note on your computer, make sure you're looking at it.

5. Reward yourself. Do something fun/reward yourself. Make sure you have time to do something you enjoy or treat yourself for accomplishing everything on your list. Remember, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!

6. Task importance. Put your tasks in order from "must do" to "can do" to "can wait". That way, the tasks of the most importance get done first.

7. Consider the time. Take into consideration the amount of time it can take you to do a task. You probably don't want to start a homework assignment at 10 pm that is going to take you 3 hours. 

8. Use a method. Use a method that works for you. For instance, I write down everything and make check boxes by each task. When I've accomplished the task, I physically check the box. Other people, like to scribble out their task so they don't even have to look at it.

9. Use multiple lists. Especially in college, I would have multiple lists. One for the day, one for the week, and one for the semester. This way, I constantly knew I was making progress toward the end goal with lots of little goals!

10. Remember, it's ok if you don't accomplish everything. There are going to be some days that you just won't accomplish everything on your list. Sometimes, you won't even accomplish one task. That's ok. Just remember, you will have tomorrow.

with southern grace,

Lindsey

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