The Person I Reblogged This From Deserves To Be Happy

Ok ok but why is language learning becoming so competitive?

- If you want to learn one language and practice a few times a week, that’s fine.

- If you want to study 7 languages at once and practice every day, that’s fine.

- If you like to go out and use your target language, that’s fine.

- If you just like to watch movies or youtube in your target language, that’s fine.

Different things work for different people.

Some things may be scientifically proven to work better, but not everyone has the time or the energy.

Language learning is a passion we all share. Why are we gatekeeping people who aren’t learning as many languages or aren’t as invested?

#96: Experiments

I wrote this post for myself as much as I wrote it for you.

You have an idea for a short story. It starts small, a random, sudden jolt of inspiration. Over time, other ideas latch on to it, big and small. Slowly but surely it expands into something bigger, and you start paying attention. It stays close, at the back of your mind at all times, and you pick the thread up whenever you have a spare moment.

Even more time passes, and you realise that the idea is so big that you can’t keep it inside your head anymore. So you pick up your notebook and dump all your thoughts under the heading initial notes.

You’re excited about it and want to explore it further. Things seem to be getting pretty serious. If you do it right, this could get really big. Not a short story but a novel for sure, perhaps even a trilogy. Now you have to be careful and really think about it.

And you do. More unsorted notes start piling up until you’re pretty sure this will be at least an eight-book series with the possibility of spinning it off into a fantasy empire not unlike the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett.

At this point, you’ve been racking your brain on this for months, but all you have is an idea. A pretty epic idea, but still, only an idea. You don’t know if the story’s going to work and have no idea whether you’ll actually enjoy writing something like this. This has happened to me many more times that I’m willing to admit, and most of them remain mere ideas to this day.

I often wonder: why not do it the other way around? When the initial jolt of inspiration comes, why not harness it? Why not sit down and write whatever story comes out in however much time you have without thinking about it? Just a little experiment.

Writing scenes with those characters that just appeared in your mind puts things in perspective. It gives you an idea of how much research and other related work you would have to do. Writing even a short experimental scene doesn’t spoil the idea. It puts it to the test.

As writers of fiction, we have the luxury of being able to try things out with almost zero cost. A surgeon or barrister or firefighter can’t turn up for work with a wild new idea and immediately put it into practice. That would be dangerous.

Unlike all these responsible people, you can write out whatever comes to mind as crazy and half-arsed it might be. In case that fails, you can always just delete it or tear it up or burn it or take it to Nevada and nuke it in the desert (stay safe, though).

You can abandon it if you don’t like it or change it in the middle. There are no rules. Even if it turns out well, you have no obligation to publish the exploratory story. You can rewrite it as a novel and/or incorporate it into a larger body of work.

If you write just a few hundred or thousand words towards a story, you have a much better idea if it’s going to work than a person who spent months just thinking about it. There’s nothing to lose.

Think less. Do more experiments.

What I Am Reading

This week, I finished Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman — a collection of short stories by Haruki Murakami. It was a fantastic read. I have to admit, I’m becoming a massive fan of his style. I’ll have to read more Murakami in the future.

Short Stories

I read the following short stories this week:

Firefly by Haruki Murakami

Chance Traveller by Haruki Murakami

Hanalei Bay by Haruki Murakami

Where I’m Likely to Find It by Haruki Murakami

The Kidney-Shaped Stone That Moves Every Day by Haruki Murakami

A Shinagawa Monkey by Haruki Murakami

Divorce by Tita Chico

Want More?

My email subscribers receive a notification when I publish these posts along with a few things I found interesting or helpful on the literary internet every week. Click the link below to join the club.

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Past Editions

#95: Project Fatigue, June 2019

#94: Writers and Jobs, June 2019

#93: Time Tracking for Writers, June 2019

#92: Decisive Moments, May 2019

#91: Writing and Life, May 2019

“I’m gonna let out all my anger in the form of kissing you.” 

“I… well, I guess that’s one way to vent.” They paused. “…That I’m really down for.” 

The 100 Days of Productivity Challenge with EmmaStudies!

Productivity challenges are a fun way to help boost your motivation to get things done! ‘100 days of productivity’ is one of the most popular challenges when it comes to Tumblr and Instagram. As I am planning to start the challenge, I thought it would be a great opportunity to get more people involved! So, where do we start?

What is ‘100 days of productivity’? To put it simply, the challenge is to do something productive for 100 days. It comes from the idea that each day, we can do at least 1 thing that pushes us forward. The challenge is meant to improve your sense of accomplishment and show that with a bit of motivation, you can get things done!

What classifies as productive? This is entirely up to you and what you feel is worth recognition. Whilst the majority of study blogs do something study related each day that isn’t a set rule. Some examples could be:

studying for an accumulative time of 2 hours a day

decluttering your desk and study space

finishing all your homework

drafting an assessment you’ve been procrastinating on

organising your files

sorting through your emails and implementing a filter system

backing up computer files and phone

organising your monthly plan

going to study or read at the library

finishing a book you’ve been meaning to read

setting up a file organisation structure on your computer

creating a resume and cover letter

applying for jobs, internships, work experience

spring cleaning your bedroom and study space

organising your bookshelf

unsubscribing from spam emails

collecting account emails and passwords

sorting out your expenses and budgets

deactivating unused social media/email/etc accounts

Obviously, this list has just a few options. You can do anything which you find achieves a positive and organised result! Even if you do something small, you can count that :-)

Does it have to be consecutive days? It can be, but there isn’t a rule. Most people attempt to do consecutive days but that isn’t always possible. Doing something productive one day after another is great for building your self-discipline, however, you can skip days if need be. If you do, don’t feel bad! Remember to bounce back and continue the next day.

Who can join? Do I need to have a studyblr/studygram? It is open to anyone! There are no requirements for joining. You don’t need to have a studyblr or studygram! If you’re looking for a fun way to motivate yourself with the backing of other people, this is a great challenge to be a part of. 

When do I start? Absolutely whenever you want. Could be the start of a month, the start of your school term or for the new year. For this which I’m setting up as a collective challenge, I am planning to start on Monday 9th October. For anyone who has seen this post before then, you are more than welcome to start the same day! But if you see this afterwards, you can still join and be a part of it - but you’ll just be a few days behind, but that is not a problem! :-)

How do I track document my productivity? Most people document their journey through Tumblr or Instagram by posting a photo each day (or every few days). I will be doing this! I will be tagging my posts with #emma100dop which you should too. This way I can see your photos and reblog them too!! As a challenge which I am hoping lots of people can get involved in, having a specific hashtag is great for motivation.

Similarly, it is worth tracking your days on paper. I have created a printable set which you can download for documenting each day’s work. *Download link here!*

Do I have to share pictures? If you don’t want to, you don’t have to share. For studyblr and studygram accounts this is a good idea because you’re uploading original content but if you don’t have a study account, you don’t need to upload any. You can still document your progress with photos and make a gallery on your phone if you want. As mentioned above, I have a printable which you can download for free to track your progress. If you don’t want to take pictures, you can just cross off or write down what you did that day! 

I am really excited to start this challenge with you guys! :-) I think doing it as a collective group is a fantastic idea in terms of boosting and maintaining motivation through the whole challenge. With lots of accountability partners, we should all hopefully manage 100 days! Best of luck! Remember to tag me in your pictures on Tumblr and Instagram!! x

Other posts | Printables | Instagram | Youtube | Pinterest | Etsy Shop

a list of simple yet beautiful things to live for:

the feeling of sunlight on your skin

the smell of pastries as you pass by a bakery

being wrapped up in a blanket with a cup of hot chocolate in your hands on a cold night

holding hands with the person you can’t imagine living without

discovering a new favorite song and listening to it on repeat

having a relaxing bath after a long exhausting day

secretly admiring a beautiful stranger you saw on the train

 sunday night feelings of despair management checklist 

set a timer for five minutes and tidy up. (you’ll go past the timer.) 

pack your school/work/lunch bag

pick out which clothes you are wearing tomorrow

prepare any food/drink you can (putting water in coffee maker, etc)

make a to-do list for tomorrow

check if anything on that to-do list can be done now

do one final email check

do one final planner update 

relax

you’re gonna have a great week! you got this! 

Good Study Habits (8 Tips)

Start

Make some time to study. Write it down in your planner, bullet journal, hand, anywhere. just make sure you tell yourself to do it and then do it! Starting is always the hardest thing to do. But once you start you will likely get into it pretty fast.

2. Make time for breaks

Being able to schedule in time for breaks is important. You don’t have to study yourself into the ground. Give your brain a break but, don’t give yourself too long of a break. Give yourself a maximum of an hour of break. If your break lasts more than an hour, most likely you are never going to go back to studying.

3. Remember to eat

Do not starve yourself but also do not eat too much. Being satisfyingly full is good, it will help you focus and help you feel comfortable. If you overstuff yourself, then you might get sleepy or you will feel too uncomfortable to the point of not being able to focus. Eat some snacks in between chapters, eat a balanced lunch, and make time for dinner. Good snacks would be: nuts, banana, yogurt, dried fruits.

4. When Studying a new topic, make time to go back and review older topics

Remembering new topics are great, but over time your brain will only remember the new information and eventually forget the old information. Being able to go back to old information for a review will ensure that you remember everything you need to remember.

5. Don’t overwhelm yourself with colors

Being organized with your notes is good! But having too many different colored pens or highlighters in your notes can get stressful and confusing. Having to focus on changing pens every paragraph or getting out more highlighters during a lecture will distract you from actually learning even though you are taking notes. Being able to take fast organized notes while also listen to what the professor is saying is a good balance. Stick with one other pen and one highlighter.

-One black pen for standard note taking (general information)

-One red or blue pen (definitions)

-One yellow highlighter. (dates and names)

6. Notes Index

If your notes have pages and pages of topics, I would make a separate page for an index. This way, you will be able to find a certain topic faster. Wasting time on finding something in your notes will not be necessary with an index.

7. Flashcards

You should make new flashcards for every new topic. That way you will have flashcards to refer to in class, and you can study on the go. It will be easier to pull out your flashcards on the bus, waiting for class to start, and while you do homework.

8. Organize notes later

Being able to sit there and listen while taking notes is important. It is more important than having pretty notes or to worry about having very organized notes. Write down what you need to write down and rewrite it later on.

U kno what???? Honestly?? All jokes side about the Duolingo owl, Duolingo is one of the only language education services I know of that doesn’t charge for the full course and I really think we don’t appreciate that enough in a world where knowledge is severely (and increasing) restricted based on income. I just went through the app store and downloaded every language app I can find, and the only two that didn’t charge hefty subscription fees to access all the lessons were duolingo and memrise. Support free education.

Things I Wish I Knew Early On

I’m entering my junior year of college and have been creating a list of things I wish I knew earlier than now, like back in middle school or high school. Learn from me with these things, and feel free to add-on whatever you think fits!

Buy Victoria’s Secret underwear and bras. The quality is way better than anything else and definitely worth the money.

Go to the movies by yourself. It may seem weird at first but it really isn’t. Plus you don’t talk anyway. Treat yo self.

Begin saving money early on. Save it all up. Travel with the savings.

Don’t waste all your money on cheap clothes. Don’t solely shop at stores like H&M and Forever 21. Get the latest trends from there and that’s it.

Spend more money for higher quality clothes. Especially for jeans. But don’t buy $200 jeans. $50-$100 is plenty.

Work hard. Get a job. Even if it’s crappy. The experience (and money) is important.

Study hard. Even if it sucks. I regret not trying harder in high school and am pushing myself more now in college (thus this studyblr). Learn all the things.

Simple basic items for clothes look cleaner and are easier. Don’t wear tons of patterns.

Buy yourself a flannel. A good, soft one too. Flannels are amazing.

If someone doesn’t make you feel good about yourself, don’t spend time with them. It’s not worth it.

Don’t keep tons of knick knacks. You don’t need them.

Keep a decorative box and put small memories in them each time you do things. Ticket stubs, wrist bands, fliers. Then when it’s full, go through it and enjoy all the memories. Then, throw them out after and start over.

You don’t owe anyone anything. No explanations. No apologies. (Except maybe your family). When you choose to give them those things, it will mean more because you will actually mean it and want to mend your relationship.

Watch the sunset. It’s fucking beautiful.

If you are not comfortable, don’t do it. Leave the situation.

Learn the balance between school, work, social, and personal lives. Put equal time into all four. Even your personal life.

You are your own best friend and will have your own back, so spend time with yourself. Treat yourself (but not too often) and enjoy your own company.

Talk to yourself. It is good to be able to have a conversation with yourself and think things through fully.

Sometimes you have to be impulsive. It takes just three seconds of spontaneity to get yourself out of your comfort zone. Sometimes this means making new friends or overcoming a fear.

Life will tear you down sometimes. It is okay to cry. But just remember, when you hit rock-bottom, there’s only up from there.