5 Ways To Overcome Test Anxiety

Have you ever studied very hard for your tests only to get into the exam room and your mind goes blank, literally? And, as if that’s not enough, your palms become sweaty and the stomach starts to ramble? These are classic signs that you have test anxiety. Continue reading to learn some simple ways to manage your test anxiety effectively.

What Is Test Anxiety?

Feeling a bit nervous when you are about to take a test is normal, but for some back to school moms, it is a debilitating experience. According to VeryWell Mind.com, test anxiety is “a psychological condition in which people experience extreme distress and anxiety in testing situations.” Whether you are sitting for your AP exam, an ACT, or even an important final paper, test anxiety can derail months and years of hard work.

How do you know that you have test anxiety?

Test anxiety can be manifested through your body, emotions, and thoughts. The best way to find out whether you have test anxiety is to watch out for cognitive, physical, and emotional symptoms. The physical signs include a racing heart, nausea, shortness of breath, excessive breathing, dizziness, headache, tense muscles, and dry mouth. The emotional signs include anger, fear, disappointment, shame, guilt, and a feeling of helplessness. The cognitive signs, on the other hand, include difficulty concentrating, self-comparison, racing thoughts, negative experiences, and at times, blanking out.

If you have intense test anxiety, you are at risk of not only failing the test but also experiencing a panic attack. It is important, therefore, that you be conscious to avoid test anxiety. If how do I deal with test anxiety is your major concern, here are a few actionable tips to help you address this problem.

Test Anxiety Management Tips

Prior to establishing ways of dealing with test anxiety, it would be important to know what causes anxiety, in the first place. You are likely to experience test anxiety if you do not get adequate prep time, are afraid of failure, or have had a prior bad experience with tests.

The following tips will help you overcome test anxiety:

1. Prepare Well

Perhaps, getting prepared for a test seems like an obvious thing, but it requires proper planning. For most of us, we are bombarded with responsibilities everywhere we turn. So, it is important that you have a proper schedule. Preparing well for a test will give you the confidence you need to walk into any test confidently. But, how do you prepare well?

Studying much earlier is more productive than cramming at the last minute. Additionally, it is important to establish what works for you when preparing for tests. Establishing a consistent pretest routine eases the level of your stress and helps you prepare well for the test.

3 Ways You Can Use Your Devices To Maximize Productivity

2. Get Enough Sleep

There is a direct relationship between academic performance and sleep. One of the mistakes that most students do is imagine that they can read and grasp everything overnight, especially the days towards a test. Reading a lot within a very short time will only confuse you. In fact, pulling an all-nighter will strain your nerves. It is important that you have enough night’s sleep – 9-10 hours. It not only helps you walk into the test with enough energy but also guarantees optimal performance.

3. Adopt an Effective Relaxation Technique

It can be hard for most back to school moms to stay calm before and during a test. Various relaxation techniques can help you ease your nervousness. Adopt a relaxation technique that works for you. It could be breathing deeply, relaxing your muscles, or even learning to think about positive outcomes with your eyes closed.

4. Practice Self-care

You will more likely to experience high test anxiety if your overall anxiety is high. The implication is that if you can lower your anxiety, you will not have to worry about test anxiety. Eating healthy, getting enough sleep, and exercising are some helpful ways to manage stress. For example, to be calm a few days toward the date of the test, you can adopt a personal wellness plan.

Saying “No” to Stress with Priorities Check-In

5. Ask for Help

Do not shy away from asking for test anxiety management help. Talk to your test consultants, professors, teachers, as well as your family members and friends and you will find it reassuring to take your tests. They can offer you valuable information for your test preparation.

Most mental health professionals and counselors can help you address negative thoughts while preparing for your tests. In addition, you should have any form of disability that could interfere with your learning and preparing for the test, it is recommendable you ask for the necessary test accommodations.

Managing test anxiety is not something you can achieve in a day; it should be a continuous process. Start by taking great care of yourself, understanding that it is okay to make mistakes but learn from them, think positively, and you will be in control the next time you are taking a test. Above all, find a group of like-minded individuals such as the Back to School Divas Facebook Community to act as your support system.

Follow Back to School Divas via Facebook or click here to join the Back to School Divas FB Group to get advice on all of your degree questions in real-time!

African American woman smiling wearing cap and gown and holding diploma

July 17, 2019February 5, 2020

6 Steps to Building Better Study Habits This Spring

When you think about building new habits, you probably think about the New Year. After all, this is the time where we all take a good look at our lives and see things that we want to change. However, most people drop out early and do...

So, how can you change this? How can you ensure that you build good habits on any occasion and not only think about them in when the New Year rolls around? Learn the best ways to stay productive on the go with good habits.

The Step-by-Step Process to Building Good Habits

Step #1: Define And Focus On Just One New Habit

Most of us have different habits that we want to change. However, if you try to change them all at the same time, you’re more likely to end up failing. With this in mind, it is a much better approach to simply focus on one new habit that you want to build.

The key to determining the first new habit you want to implement in your life is to think of something that you can do all the time and that fits your daily life. That could be a 15-minute walk every lunch break, swapping soda for flavored water, or going to bed 30 minus earlier.

Step #2: Make A Commitment:

One of the most important things that you need to do when you are building a new habit is simply commit to it. You can even tell your friends that you will do this or that for the rest of your life. If you don’t mean it, it won’t do you any good. Besides, building a habit is more about doing than it is about telling. So, commit to your new habit for at least 30 days.

Step #3: Connect Your New Habit To An Established One:

Motivation rarely lasts. So, what you should do to help make a new habit stick is that you should anchor your new habit to an established one. Unless you do that, you will see your motivation decrease day after day. On the other hand, if you focus on continuing the habit without fail, it will come to a point where it is simply natural. Try pairing your desired action with a habit you already have to improve your motivation.

Tell yourself something like “after dropping kids off at school, I will take a walk around the building.”

Step #4: Take Baby Steps:

Even though you may be eager to build a new habit, the reality is that it will take you time for your brain to see this new habit as natural. So, the best thing you can do is to take baby steps. This way, you will be introducing the new habit in your life slowly but consistently. Just think of things such as waking up each morning 5 minutes earlier or eating one serving of vegetables each day. While these might seem to be very simple, this is exactly why they work.

Step #5: Dealing With Obstacles:

When you think of building a new habit, you are incredibly motivated. However, your motivation tends to start decreasing unless you keep focusing yourself on committing to this new habit every day.

The truth is that you will always end up dealing with obstacles and the best way to deal with them is to prevent them. Some of the most common obstacles include space, weather, time, pain, self-consciousness, and costs.

So, the best approach is to be prepared to deal with them when they come. Let’s say that you decided that your new habit will be to run outdoors every single day for 30 minutes. Everything is going well until the day it rains. Instead of skipping your run, you could plan that you will go to the gym instead.

Step #6: Reward Yourself:

When you want to make sure that you build a new habit, there is nothing better than rewarding yourself when you reach the target. Remember that you don’t need to break the bank to treat yourself. It can simply be doing something you love or going out with your loved one.

Are you working to improve your study habits? UniversityWriting911 is here to help with resources for creating and polishing A+ worthy essays and more.

young african american woman with glasses looking thoughtfully with a book

Productivity Tips

July 3, 2019

How to Plan for a Successful New Semester

When most students think about planning for a successful semester, they immediately think: "that's a lot of work."

While we agree, it's that kind of work that ends up paying off at the end. Bet...

When most students think about planning for a successful semester, they immediately think: “that’s a lot of work.”

While we agree, it’s that kind of work that ends up paying off at the end. Between assignments, breaks, and so many other things, it’s important to consider them all when you’re planning your semester.

In fact, a bit of planning can help make the rest of the semester a success! If you’ve already ended a semester successfully, or you want to ensure you get off to a good start, here’s how.

Here’s how to plan a successful semester:

#1: Put It In Writing:

When you are planning your semester, you need to put it in writing. It doesn’t matter if you use a student-specific planner, agenda, a regular old calendar or a digital calendar or planner. The important thing is to write down your plans.

#2: Annotate All Due Dates And Big Events:

Make sure that you annotate all due dates and big events for the upcoming semester. One extra tip that may help you is to use a different color to signal the due dates. This will allow you to know what’s coming at a glance.

#3: Break Your Work Into Daily Tasks:

One of the main benefits of planning your semester is that you can schedule your own time. If you have to deliver an assignment in one month, you don’t need to start working on it right now.

But you don’t need to leave all the work to be done on the previous day of the due date. When you plan your semester, you can easily dedicate a couple of hours each day, among your daily tasks, to work on this assignment. Just make sure that you have enough time to complete every task without rushing.

#4: Be Flexible:

The truth is that no matter if you create the best plan in the world for the next semester, there will always be distractions and interruptions. You want to reduce stress in college with ease. So, it’s always better to allocate more time than the one you believe you need for each task.

#5: Learn To Say “No”:

Sometimes, we just get carried away. You may like to paint and join a painting class and you also like to dance and you join a dancing class. Before you know it, you won’t have the time to do it all.

So, be sure to prioritize. Before you commit to any other extra activity, make sure that you really have the time and energy that it takes.

#6: Don’t Forget To Say “Yes” Too:

While getting good grades should always be a priority for you, your personal life is also important. So, if you feel like going out for dinner, watch your favorite television show or simply spend time with your friends, don’t feel guilty.

These are the kinds of activities that will allow you to relax and get the extra motivation to keep working hard. We all need a break sometimes.

#7: Keep Monitoring:

Planning your semester is incredibly important. However, you need to ensure that you monitor how you’re actually doing and if your grades are at the level that you were expecting.

By looking at what you have done and the results that you get, you’ll be able to adapt your behavior to improve your efficiency and productivity!

confident woman holding books while standing in front of college classroom

May 15, 2019May 24, 2019

10 Tips to End the Semester Strong

Are you starting to feel like you might break under the pressure of final papers and exams? Going back to school (especially college) after a long time away is tough! Your brain is in for some real mental exercise, and you need to take care of yourself as you cross that finish line. Here are 10 tips to end the semester strong. You got this!

Take a deep breath

If you’re starting to feel overwhelmed before you even start, don’t worry. Take a step back, take a deep breath, and refocus. It’s easy to feel like it’s all crashing down but starting is the hardest part. You can do this!

Get organized

After you’ve refocused your attention, get organized. A lot of people try to multitask and never get anything done. Don’t let this happen to you. Create a detailed study plan and stick to it so that your organization can guide you through the craziness of finals.

Avoid procrastination

When you have two weeks before anything is due, it’s natural to think that you have “plenty of time.” Yet, when you only have two days left, you’ll start to feel panicked. Avoid procrastinating and avoid panic. It’s as simple as that. Devote a few hours daily to the tasks you need to do, and you’ll get them done in no time.

Eliminate distractions

You hate to hear it, but social media is a distraction. Do you find that you’re on Instagram or Facebook a lot when you should be studying? Delete the apps for finals week! It might be painful now, but you’ll be much more productive. Plus, think of how much of a treat it’ll be when you can redownload them.

Remember self-care

Don’t skip your yoga class, your 8 hours of sleep or hanging out with friends when you really need it. Remember that self-care should extend into finals too. You need to have balance even when things get tough. Take care of yourself and everything else will fall into place.

Reach out

Reach out to professors, to peers, to your loved ones or to anyone else that can help you! When we feel like we can’t do something, we often turn inward and focus on how helpless we feel. Reaching out to others for help can show you that you’re doing exactly what you need to be doing and give you the boost that you need.

Study with a friend

Do you find you have trouble just getting to the library? Get an accountability partner! This person can keep you on track and devoted to what you need to be doing. And it’s less miserable when you do it with someone you want to spend time with anyway.

Prioritize

If you find you’re still overcome (even with your study plan), don’t be afraid to prioritize! What assignment is due first? Focus on that! Work on the other larger assignments as you go as well. Pace yourself and prioritize so that you feel comfortable with your workload.

Give yourself rewards

Money can’t buy happiness, but have you ever eaten chocolate in the library? It’s pretty close, right? Don’t be afraid to splurge a little and treat yo self!

Be positive

School can be tough, but attitude is everything. If you think of it like it’s a chore, it’ll feel like one. You’re earning a degree, and that’s incredible. Stay positive, don’t complain, and you’ll feel that much better throughout the process!

Want even more tips? Join the Back to School Divas Facebook group! We’re more than 1,000 members strong—and full of great advice, joy, and support.

woman wearing red polka dot shirt at cafe on smartphone

April 17, 2019April 17, 2019

3 Ways You Can Use Your Devices To Maximize Productivity

Your digital devices don’t have to be a place for distraction. Take advantage of these productivity tools for students. Did you know that the average person spends ...

Your digital devices don’t have to be a place for distraction. Take advantage of these productivity tools for students.

Did you know that the average person spends four hours a day on their devices?

How much of that time is used being productive? Technology has made our lives easy and interesting but unfortunately, while some people use these technological innovations to maximize productivity, some others just use it to get too comfortable and unproductive. Our phones, laptops, computers, and other devices can either help us to maximize our productivity or make us lazy and unproductive.

As a student, there are tools that you can have on your device to make studying, doing assignments, and projects easier for you. But as helpful as your devices are, they can also be a source of distraction for you especially when you have a lot of gaming apps and social apps installed.

Luckily, there are productivity tools for Mac and productivity tools for Windows for students that can help you get more done, faster.

How To Maximize Productivity With Your Devices

Set Schedules

The first step to being more productive is arranging schedules and setting alarms. Wake up on time, get where you need to be on time, and you’re halfway there, Diva! There are many built-in apps that can help you plan your day, week, and year. Take advantage of your Calendar, Notes, Alarms, and Reminders to keep track of appointments, assignment deadlines, and even to try calendar blocking or other productivity time hacks.

Time Management

There are so many productivity tools for Mac as well as productivity tools for Windows devices designed to help you manage your time. Banking apps make it easier for you to carry out transactions at home and make good use of the time you would have lost going to the bank. Location apps make it easier to locate where you’re going without wasting time asking people around and getting lost. You can even incorporate other time management systems like the 10-3-2-1-0 method into your phone to help you better maintain your schedule.

Performing Difficult Tasks

One major thing that our devices help us with is the performance of difficult tasks. For example, use an app to proofread documents like essays or even emails to your professors so you’re sure to sound professional. Explore apps that help with calculations, language translations, and other things that you might not be able to do on our own. Productivity tools for Mac and productivity tools for Windows can help you manage difficult tasks.

Productivity Tools For Your Devices

Productivity Tools For Students:

As a student, these are some major tools that will help you to be more productive.

Tools for Mac:

Schoolhouse
iRecorder
Knowledge NoteBook
Flashcard Hero
Studyper
Gigi

Tools for Windows:

Word Web
Typing Trainer
My Study Life Chrome
Rosetta Stone Free Trial

Other helpful tools:

Sticky Notes
Office Lens
Microsoft To-Do
Todoist
PDFpen
MindNode
Grammarly

Want to REALLY get productive? Download the Back to School Divas printable planner for FREE and track your to-dos, assignments and meals like a pro.

Sources:

https://www.inc.com/melanie-curtin/are-you-on-your-phone-too-much-average-person-spends-this-many-hours-on-it-every-day.html

April 10, 2019April 2, 2019

Get Calm with These Mindfulness Apps

Are you familiar with the term mindfulness? It’s gained popularity in the past few years and many people swear they have gotten their lives together, lost weight, learned to be happier and relieved stress by practici...

Still, some people have yet to catch up with the mindfulness train and if you’re one of them, then today our goal is to help you get started! Let’s start living a much more calm, aware and stress-free life by identifying some of the best mindfulness apps to help you get in on it.

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a state of being more aware, living in the present moment and being conscious of your feelings, emotions, and thoughts as well as your physical presence.

encourages you to let go of the past and mistakes you have made and focus more on living life to the fullest in the present. It’s a powerful therapeutic technique that can help you feel more at ease.

Focusing on the past or future instead of the present can make you anxious and stressed out which reduces your quality of life and productivity. If you’re looking to cut out those negative thoughts that make you feel stressed, and become more present in the moment, or if you already actively practice and want to enhance your practice, mindfulness apps can help.

Could relief be as close as your smartphone?

Let’s find out.

Calm

The Calm app lets you customize your experience by selecting soothing tracks to accompany your practice: the sound of the outdoors or rain, chirping crickets, or whatever sounds soothe you and puts your mind at ease. Calm features an exercise that helps you refocus your mind when it wanders, build awareness and learn to “snap out of it” when your mind goes into autopilot mode.

There are a series of 10-minute long videos on mindful movements and sleep stories that are read to you in a calming voice, like a bedtime story to put you at ease and help you sleep better.. There are also guided sessions for “daily calm” to help you relax and unwind. It has a wide selection of up to 100 music tracks to relax and sleep peacefully.

The app is free, but you can access even more helpful features with a premium subscription. It’s available on the Google Play store and iTunes App Store.

Headspace

Headspace is one of the most popular and best mindfulness apps available today. Creator Andy Puddicombe makes meditation and mindfulness a breeze with guided sessions based on what you want to achieve from your practice.

The app’s interface is bright and cheerful with animations and even has sessions for kids and short mini sessions to help you incorporate a bit of mindfulness into your daily life. You can track your progress as you meditate more and set reminders for days when you might forget to get a session in.

There are a variety of guided sessions to choose from like sleep sounds, emergency meditations, and short meditations. There is also an option for you to save some of these sessions for when you’re offline so you can access your favorite guided meditation sessions when you are off the grid.

The Headspace mindfulness app is available for free, but to access all of the available courses you’ll need to subscribe to a monthly plan. You can download the app from the Google Play store or iTunes App Store.

Stop, Breathe & Think

As the name suggests, this mindfulness app encourages you to breathe and think by giving you a handy timer for mediations and breathing exercises while a soothing soundtrack plays in the background. What’s really unique about this app is that it tailors each session to you by letting you check in and answer questions about your physical and mental health to decide which meditation or yoga session would work best for you.

There’s a wide selection of sessions—from forgiveness to short stories and acupuncture videos that help you focus on living more in the present. This beginners mindfulness app has a guide on mediation for those who need more help getting into mediation as well. At the end of the week, you get a review of what your week was like, based on the moods you checked in before each session.

You can enjoy using this app for free but for full benefits, sign up for a monthly subscription. The app is available on Google Play store or iTunes App Store.

10% Happier

This app is one of the most helpful mindfulness apps available for first time meditators. It’s based on the popular bestselling book by Tv Host Dan Harris with the same name and provides practical exercises you can follow, as well as sessions and talks by world-famous scientists, writers and psychologists. This app gives you the chance to communicate with a real-life coach if guided sessions simply aren’t doing it for you.

10% Happier takes a no-nonsense approach with its guided sessions on mindfulness, which is great for people who prefer a practical approach. The sessions and talks cover a range of topics including the benefits of practice on your brain and mind, mindful eating, and learning to be kind.

Take advantage of a 7-day free trial period after which you will have to pay for a yearly subscription if you decide it’s the best mindfulness app for you. The app is available on Google Play store or iTunes App Store.

Insight Timer

What’s really special about this mindfulness app is that it’s more like a community or social network of meditators from all around the world. Insight Timer gives you information on how many people are currently mediating with you around the world and even gives you the option of inviting friends to meditate as well. Because you’re so connected to other like-minded people there are group discussions on meditation and mindfulness where users can share ideas, ask questions and learn from each other.

This app offers a wide range of guided meditation sessions—from sessions on self-love to overcoming addictions. You can also time sessions and choose soothing background sounds.

Insight Timer is free to download but you’ll need a premium subscription for access to more courses and content. Because of the wide range of users, there’s a lot of content that can be overwhelming for beginners. The app is available on Google Play store or iTunes App Store.

Which app will you try? Have you ever tried mindfulness or meditation practice? Let us know in the comments!

stressed African American woman sitting in front of laptop at work

April 3, 2019April 2, 2019

How to Deal with Stress: Doctor’s Advice

With the crazy world that we live in and the hustle and bustle of each day, getting stressed out is not exactly a strange experience. Still, some level of stress has in fact been proven to be healthy! A little anxiety ...

Just like every other thing in the world, if stress goes unchecked or is too frequent, there can be frightening consequences. Your body could experience a decline in the central nervous system, immune system, cardiovascular and neuroendocrine.

And honestly, what is scarier than a trip to the emergency room? Doctors and scientists have gone out of their way to discuss tips for dealing with stress—so you can avoid health scares and feel your absolute best.

How to Deal with Stress in a Healthy Way

Beat Stress with Exercise

Hitting the gym or going for a walk comes first on our list because it’s one of the most fantastic ways to get your body and mind relaxed. Ironically, most of us who would love to experience these exercising benefits hardly ever find the time to make it happen!

Dr. Edward Group, Founder of Global Healing Center, stated that exercise helps you to feel stronger and better energized. It emits neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine which leaves you strong and feeling good thereby curbing stress.

Get in a regular sweat session at home with free YouTube workouts, DVDs, or other options. Doctor’s orders!

Fight Mental Overload with Meditation

Cutting off every distraction and finding that peaceful space to meditate and pray can be all you need to deal with stress. Research shows that it helps your body relax and keeps your mind focused. What’s more, meditating and mindful prayer help you get rid of negative emotions which could contribute to physical stress.

Meditation is so potent that the American Psychological Association recommends it to individuals, adding that it assists in generating self-compassion, forgiveness and other instant benefits.

Experience Renewal with Muscle Relaxation

With stress comes the feeling of tension and uneasiness. For this reason, taking actions to relax your muscles can help you get over such stress and exhaustion. To experience deep relaxation in your body, try:

enjoy a massage
stretch with a foam roller
take a hot shower
soak in a hot bath with Epsom sales

Gain a New Outlook when You Change Your Attitude

Stress usually originates from demands for your time and energy that you find difficult to handle. The most logical way to get out of stress is to avoid the situation that got you worked up in the first place. Easier said than done, right?

Maybe not. If your job gets you stressed to the point that Sunday afternoons are full of intense dread of Monday morning, consider updating your resume with a professional and start looking for something new.

Also, don’t work yourself up over circumstances that you can’t change. Focus on things you can control: your attitude, your time, and your thoughts.

Diva, daily living can be so crazy that it’s no wonder stress pops up every now and then. If your stress is ongoing, or leading to physical ailments, please visit your doctor.

If you’re looking for a simple way to enhance your productivity, get organized, and feel less overwhelmed by all your to-dos, download the Back to School Divas Planner! This beautiful free template includes weekly schedules, assignment lists, grocery lists and more.

African American nurse smiling at elderly patient in hospital bed

February 13, 2019February 13, 2019

How Registered Nurses Can Balance Work and School Like Superheroes

A registered nurse’s daily schedule is not easy, and now you want to head back to school? How on earth are you going to manage? Balancing nursing school with work and family is a big commitment. You’ll have to find the time to attend...

A registered nurse’s daily schedule is not easy, and now you want to head back to school? How on earth are you going to manage?

Balancing nursing school with work and family is a big commitment. You’ll have to find the time to attend classes, do your research, submit assignments, and stay focused on your work. Before you think this is a task that only a select few superheroes can achieve, know that many women before you have come out on the other side. You just need the right tools in hand.

Let’s have a look at how you can better manage your work, school, and home lives as a working nurse.

1. Communicate With Your Family and Work

Communicating with your family about your desire to go back to school is very important, especially in the early stages. You’ll need to make it clear to your partner what going back to school will mean to you so that you two can figure out a way to re-evaluate your responsibilities, and you’ll have time to concentrate on your studies.

Let the kids know to expect some changes in the house as well. If they are older, they can take on more responsibilities to help lessen the load. Consider assigning daily chores and tasks and keeping them all in a central place. This is a great time to structure personal responsibility, and help outsource to-do’s around the house while you adjust to your new schedule.

Finally, it could be beneficial to let your workplace know about your schedule changes and updates. Your job may be able to assist you financially with your return to school.

2. Understand Your Peak Study Periods

There are certain times of the day where you’re simply more productive. It may be in the early hours of the morning before the kids wake up, or late at night while everyone’s asleep and it’s super quiet.

Once you understand your circadian rhythm, you’ll be able to use it to your advantage. Schedule your studying times around this time so that you get the most out of your sessions.

3. Consider a Support System

Of course, you can always turn to close family and friends to give you that motivational speech you may need when you feel like giving up, but consider a support system from people who know exactly what you’re going through – your classmates.

You may be surprised to find out that there are plenty of other mothers in your class. Make friends. Share tips and even share babysitting recommendations.

Knowing that you’re not alone and there are plenty of other mothers out there in similar shoes who can help to give you that boost you need from time to time.

4. Look into Part-time Programs

If you’re a registered nurse and have a family, you are more than likely already spread thin. Adding school work to this equation is, without a doubt, not going to be easy.

One option you should definitely consider is part-time programs. Although they may take a little longer to complete, it might be what you need to keep sane as less of your time will be required each week. This is the principle of many online schools today—including one of the most popular, University of Phoenix.

In the Back to School Divas Facebook group, we’ve got members from around the country who are working mothers going back to school. We asked for their tips to help you power through:

LaTonya Grant said, “I work at the states mental health inpatient hospital…Stress is an understatement…I work two 16 hour shifts and one 8 hour each week…Plus school…Praying…Relaxing…And exercising helps me with my stress.”

Chanda Delia Wilson added “I worked as a contract nurse through the state and federal. I did this so I can make my own schedule.”

Bottom line: you’re not alone.

To get even further, and stay organized in the process, be sure to download the free Back to School Divas planner. This free resource includes templates for goal setting schedules, meal planning, grocery lists, and more.

young woman smiling while using a planner

January 10, 2019January 14, 2019

Best Planners to Organize Work, School and Life

Diva, when you’re a student, professional, or a stay-at-home spouse or parent, the responsibilities that you have to juggle through on a daily basis can be overwhelming. You have so much you want and need to do. Where do you start? &n...

Research shows us again and again the writing down your goals is the best way to achieve them. That’s why looking into some of the best planners that help you track your goals, objectives or achievements all in one place goes a long way.

Which Planner is the Best Option for You?

The answer to this depends upon your preference, your needs, and what you want to focus on.

At Back to School Divas, we want you to have all the tools you need for success. That’s why we designed an exclusive planner download pack! You can now have your very own functional, systematic planner without breaking the bank.

Download the official Back to School Divas planner printable for FREE! Get pages for monthly and weekly planning, goals, meal planning, grocery lists, assignment trackers and more.

With that being said, if you’re ready to invest in a way to get organized, here are some of the best planners that could help you achieve those goals in 2019.

Best Overall Professional and Student Planner: Panda Planner

Panda Planner is known as the professional, personal and student planner for everyone.

When Panda Planner’s founder, Michael Leip, struggled through multiple physical and life challenges, he identified a need to organize his life in the most optimal, simple way.

Over years of work, Leip has eliminated the clutter and only kept the most important organization tools within this planner. His strive for excellence makes Panda Planner one of the most well-rounded on the market.

Here’s what makes Panda Planner so great:

Undated, so you can buy it any time during the year and start with your organization.
Segmented in monthly, weekly and daily sections, so you can plan over a stretch of a few days or over a smaller period of a few hours.
Lots of space to write, brain dump and take notes.
Comes with bookmarks for additional organizational support.

The Panda Planner does have its shortcomings:

The ‘box’ segmentation in all planning pages may make organization seem monotonous.
The design is simple for those who want more character out of their planner.

Best Customizable Planner: Eric Condren LifePlanner

If the Panda Planner is the best overall professional, personal and student planner, then the Eric Condren LifePlanner is its equivalent in customization.

What sets the Eric Condren LifePlanner apart is the focus on delivering in aesthetics as much as it does in planning.

This planner comes in a classic coiled design with colorful pages to boot. Choose your favorite design and customize with sticker packs and more!

Here’s what makes the Eric Condren LifePlanner one of the top options for efficient student planners:

Weekly layouts are available in multiple options: vertical, horizontal, or even hourly.
In addition to undated weekly and monthly planning, this organizational tool also has separate notes pages and a dreams notes segment.
Colorful design includes inspiring quotes and feminine, fun color schemes,

LifePlanner shortcomings:

The classic coiled design could serve as either a blessing or a curse. It is easier to flip pages, but can be quite a task to handle as opposed to usual hardcover or paper bound designs.
Personality in colors may be overwhelming to those who like to keep their planning simple.

Best Professional Planner: Full Focus Planner

The Full Focus Planner by Michael Hyatt is considered to be more than a planner, designed for organization and targeted at mostly “Type A” personalities who want the utmost management out of their daily schedules.

The Full Focus Planner is mostly used by professionals such as business executives, including C-Level execs such as CEOs.

This planner uses its own terminologies, making it different from other planners out there, and has gained a cult following that sets it apart from its competition.

Here’s what makes Full Focus Planner a good choice:

Unique planning system includes detailed guides by the creator. A great option for those who like a complete management program.
Apart from the system, there are daily, weekly, and monthly options, as well as a section for notes.
Comes with multiple bookmarks for quick referencing.

But Full Focus Planner also carries its own little list of challenges:

The planning system can take some time to learn, which poses a disadvantage if you are already swamped with disorganization and want to get going with planning and tracking immediately.
Doesn’t offer much in terms of aesthetics. and appears a bit bulky.

Best Dated 2019 Planner: Passion Planner

Available in dated, undated and academic versions, Passion Planner can be the planner for those who want to juggle between a few responsibilities at once.

Passion Planner offers monthly and weekly layouts while also providing a roadmap along with to-do lists. You can plan future appointments, write the list of groceries that you want to pick up the next weekend, or track anything else you like.

What makes Passion Planner a great all-rounder:

Since it’s available in undated as well as dated formats, it can be used by those who want printed dates on their planners. The dates are also available in academic formats, perfect for students and teachers.
Available in multiple sizes so you can choose one that you’re comfortable carrying around.
Challenges section makes it easy to set and track goals.
Stay motivated with roadmaps, to-do list sections, quotes and monthly reflection segments.

But as with all the other best planners on this list, Passion Planner does have its shortcomings.

If you get the dated version, your planner has an expiration date on it.
Little space to take notes or jot down to-dos, especially in the weekly layouts.

If you’re interested in a totally customizable planning system, check out our post on the totally Pinterest-worthy bullet journal system.

Remember, you can launch your 2019 strategy for FREE right now when you download the official Back to School Divas planner printable!

How are you keeping track of your goals this year?

2019 planner with checklist for goals, plans, and actions

December 27, 2018December 27, 2018

How to Set Resolutions For School, Work & Family That Stick: Make 2019 Your Year!

We all want to set resolutions and kick butt when the new year comes around. The end of the year is a time when most of us reflect on what we've accomplished, and start to think about what we’d like to achieve in the following year. Se...

We all want to set resolutions and kick butt when the new year comes around. The end of the year is a time when most of us reflect on what we’ve accomplished, and start to think about what we’d like to achieve in the following year.

Setting New Year’s resolutions is something human beings have been doing for over four thousand years! Although we’ve been doing it for a while, it doesn’t mean we’ve managed to get the hang of it.

How many times have you set the resolution of eating healthier in the new year and a month or two later, found yourself at the nearest fast food restaurant after work? How many times have you promised yourself to start that side hustle you’ve been dreaming about, only to get to the end of the year with no progress made?

The truth is, setting resolutions that stick doesn’t come naturally to many people. In fact, most people need a little help. If you’re tired of not accomplishing your new year’s resolutions and want to finally set resolutions that stick, you’ve come to the right page.

Start by Setting Small, Achievable Goals

Setting small, achievable goals will help to ensure that you reach your target and stay motivated to keep going. For instance, if you’d like to get fit, aim for 3 to 4 gym sessions a week. For an unfit person who hardly goes to the gym, this is much more achievable than aiming to the gym 6 to 7 days a week.

Share your 2019 Goals with Others

Speaking to your close family and friends about your resolutions will help to keep you motivated and focused because you won’t want to let them down. If you’re planning on quitting smoking, joining a support group can help you be around others who are going through similar struggles and help give you the strength that you’ll need to keep going.

Be open to sharing your resolutions as you never know where you can find strength that will motivate you to strive harder.

Take it One Day at a Time

You’re not going to achieve your resolutions overnight. Remember that whatever unhealthy habit you’re trying to kick developed over a long period of time and being patient with yourself is the only way you’re going to change it.

For instance, if you’re trying to eat healthier, you can start by aiming to drink more water, instead of cutting out all the unhealthy foods from your diet in one go. Once you’re comfortable with drinking lots of water daily, you can then start by cutting out unhealthy carbs and replacing them with whole grains, for example.

You can aim to cut out one unhealthy habit per month or per week and slowly, you’ll begin to develop that healthier lifestyle you’ve always wanted.

Reward Yourself

Giving yourself small rewards is a great way to encourage yourself to keep going, especially during the difficult days. Your rewards don’t have to be grand at all, they just need to be small things that will put a smile on your face as you reach your milestones. Reward yourself with a trip to the movies, going to a comedy special, or just a simple massage or bubble bath when you’ve achieved what you want.

There is no better time to start setting your new year’s resolutions than right now. Sit and think about them carefully. Decide on what you really want to achieve in the new year and then apply the above.

Want to learn even more tips and tricks on becoming your best self on your back to school journey and beyond? Join our email list and become a member of our Back to School Divas Facebook group!