The choreography in “Rewrite the Stars” is honestly genius.
The whole scene is staged in such a way that for the first half of the song, Phillip is continuously trying to pull Anne back to him each time she tries to pull away. He’s trying to hold her in place at his level, on the ground. Even when she soars up into the air, he keeps trying to literally pull her back down: grabbing on to her hand, her waist, the rope, her hoop. Anything to keep her in place with him.
But for the second half of the song, Phillip stops trying to hold her down and instead follows after her into the air, basically saying through the choreography, “If we can’t be together in my world, can we be together in yours?”
And only once they’re both in the air - the space that reflects the freedom the circus gives them - does Anne allow herself to consider the idea that they could actually be together. Phillip stops waiting for her to stay on the ground with him and puts in the work to be with her, literally scaling the walls of the theater to reach her. In more ways than one, they end up finding a balance and supporting each other’s weight for the rest of the song.
What I’m trying to say is that the choreography in The Greatest Showman is not only absolutely gorgeous, it’s also incredibly deliberate and tells a story through movement and I love it so much.
Sunsets are divine. So is Fitzgerald. 💗
So let’s say you’re in the same boat I am (this is a running theme, have you noticed?) and you’ve just got, like, SO MUCH STUFF that HAS to get done YESTERDAY or you will DIE (or fail/get fired/mope). Everything needs to be done yesterday, you’re sick, and for whatever reason you are focusing on the least important stuff first. What to do!
Take a deep breath, because this is a boot camp in prioritization.
Make a 3 by 4 grid. Make it pretty big. The line above your top row goes like this: Due YESTERDAY - due TOMORROW - due LATER. Along the side, write: Takes 5 min - Takes 30 min - Takes hours - Takes DAYS.
Divide ALL your tasks into one of these squares, based on how much work you still have to do. A thank you note for a present you received two weeks ago? That takes 5 minutes and was due YESTERDAY. Put it in that square. A five page paper that’s due tomorrow? That takes an hour/hours, place it appropriately. Tomorrow’s speech you just need to rehearse? Half an hour, due TOMORROW. Do the same for ALL of your tasks
Your priority goes like this:
5 minutes due YESTERDAY
5 minutes due TOMORROW
Half-hour due YESTERDAY
Half-hour due TOMORROW
Hours due YESTERDAY
Hours due TOMORROW
5 minutes due LATER
Half-hour due LATER
Hours due LATER
DAYS due YESTERDAY
DAYS due TOMORROW
DAYS due LATER
At this point you just go down the list in each section. If something feels especially urgent, for whatever reason - a certain professor is hounding you, you’re especially worried about that speech, whatever - you can bump that up to the top of the entire list. However, going through the list like this is what I find most efficient.
Some people do like to save the 5 minute tasks for kind of a break between longer-running tasks. If that’s what you want to try, go for it! You’re the one studying here.
So that’s how to prioritize. Now, how to actually do shit? That’s where the 20/10 method comes in. It’s simple: do stuff like a stuff-doing FIEND for 20 minutes, then take a ten minute break and do whatever you want. Repeat ad infinitum. It’s how I’ve gotten through my to do list, concussed and everything.
You’ve got this. Get a drink and start - we can do our stuff together!
Late night studying German. https://www.instagram.com/p/BpZ2nlrDzgN/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1fxo2rp0dcxxw
If you get tired, learn to rest, not to quit.
unknown (via love-inspire-universally)
(I finished my freshman year this spring with a 4.0 GPA, an off-campus research internship, and three professors contacting me suggesting that I apply for a fulbright scholarship. These tips aren’t coming out of my ass.)
1. LISTEN TO ME WHEN I SAY THIS: YOU DO NOT NEED TO “GET INVOLVED” IN STUPID CLUBS IF YOU DON’T ENJOY THEM. Hear “get involved! :)” for the 1000th time and just barf in your mouth a little and move on. If you work hard and get good grades, and socialize with people on campus when you have free time (it comes more naturally than you think) YOU WILL. BE. FINE. Actually better than fine. You’ll have time to get a real job/internship, which by the way, is what the real world wants to see you prioritizing. Moral of the story: Only join clubs if they help your personality thrive and feel healthy. Don’t do them because you feel pressured.
2. DON’T TAKE SHIT FROM A N Y O N E. I know you’re trying to fit in and take the stance of trying to make everyone happy to make sure you’ll have plenty of friends. But you have to realize that you literally just met these people, and they just met you. If they create an uncomfortable environment for you that makes college harder to cope with, get them the fuck out of your life. Ain’t nobody got time for people’s high school-ass drama.
3. SKIP YOUR CLASSES SOMETIMES. If you really have your shit together, it won’t matter. Your school will say the amount of skips you can get away with before it harms your grade. Use. Them.
4. BECOME THE MASTER OF WRITING ESSAYS IN ONE NIGHT. You will have to. I’m telling you right the fuck now. And you can get an A, if you work your lil ass off. I’ve done it many times.
5. DON’T CARE FOR EVEN 1 SECOND WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK OF YOU. If you wanna wear sweats and no makeup, do it. If you want to dress up and take time to put on makeup, do it. If you want to stay away from partying, do it. If you want to party, have a good ass time. If anyone has enough time to judge you, they need to be studying harder or getting a hobby. Make yourself comfortable and happy as fuck and enjoy your time in college worry-free.
6. BE THE ASSHOLE WITH A TABLET OR LAPTOP IN LECTURE. You won’t have time to copy it all down. You’ll be miserable. Just trust me. I know studies say its more effective to write stuff down for memory, but, write them out later or something. Learned that one the hard way.
7. DON’T REWRITE YOUR NOTES IF IT DOESN’T HELP YOU STUDY. If you know doing that doesn’t help you memorize, don’t do it, period. Or, if you have a collossal asston of notes (like I did) it isn’t even worth rewriting them all in the first place. I’ve fallen down that hole and lost motivation and time. Just reread them or make flashcards or whatever. Study for effectiveness, not aesthetic.
8. BE PREPARED FOR LAB TO GO THE “WHOLE TIME.” Yah, you’re gonna see 3 hours on that brand-shiny-new schedule of yours and be like there’s no way it’ll go that long, right? LOL about that. Just mentally brace yourself. Eat and drink beforehand for the love of god we don’t need hangry people handling chemicals.
9. COMMUTING DOESN’T MAKE YOU A LONER. Just. No. If you live close to campus, are comfortable with commuting, and know you’ll save yourself MAJOR debt by doing it, do it and don’t feel a fucking ounce of guilt about it. It’ll be some early mornings, but your fresh out of college broke ass will thank you, and you’ll use your time more effectively. (Plus you get a non grimy shower like??)
10. LOVE YOUR NEW FINE ASS SELF. College is a fresh start. Put energy into who you have always wanted to be. And don’t compromise that out of social anxiety and embarrassment. You’ll be happy and thank yourself if you step out of your comfort zone to be the person you’ve always had in mind.
all I want is a cute apartment with big windows, sunshine streaming through, a full bookcase, the smell of coffee and to be content and at peace with life
the messier, the better.
I hope you wake up early enough to put on your favorite outfit and make your favorite breakfast. I hope you find your skin clear and hair healthy. I hope you’re content with the way your body looks. I hope you get good grade on that exam you’ve been anxious about, and that presentation you have passes smoothly. I hope you find happiness in small things today. I hope that, even with your ups and downs, you are content with yourself.