woman wearing red polka dot shirt at cafe on smartphone

3 Ways You Can Use Your Devices To Maximize Productivity

woman wearing red polka dot shirt at cafe on smartphone

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 ...

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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?

"Whaaaat?!" gif

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

 

young woman smiling while using a planner

Best Planners to Organize Work, School and Life

young woman smiling while using a planner

  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...

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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?

 

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?

happy women gazing away with writing journal in hand

The Surefire Way To Organize Your Life With A Bullet Journal

happy women gazing away with writing journal in hand

The Surefire Way To Organize Your Life With A Bullet Journal

Between home life, work, and school, how’s a girl supposed to find time to just live? The bullet journal, the organizational notebook thought up by Ryder Carroll, could be your ...

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The Surefire Way To Organize Your Life With A Bullet Journal

Between home life, work, and school, how’s a girl supposed to find time to just live? The bullet journal, the organizational notebook thought up by Ryder Carroll, could be your solve. At its heart, this simple method acts like a combination of to-do list, day planner and project planner. It’s easy to get started, and easy to personalize (perfect for creative expression!)

The Surefire Way To Organize Your Life With A Bullet Journal

Between home life, work, and school, how’s a girl supposed to find time to just live? The bullet journal, the organizational notebook thought up by Ryder Carroll, could be your solve. At its heart, this simple method acts like a combination of to-do list, day planner and project planner. It’s easy to get started, and easy to personalize (perfect for creative expression!)

Bullet Journaling — that is — writing things down in a bulleted list or bullet journal as some call it, places our daily, weekly and monthly “to do” list in a sequential order.

Write down the things on your brain:

  • An appointment
  • An essay due date
  • Kids’ activities
  • Life goals

And get it off your mind.

Why Create A Bullet Journal?

Using a bullet journal can keep you on track. It’s also a great place to write down important appointments, social events, contacts and other items that require your attention.  The act of writing can also make your life calmer and keep you more organized as you go about the day caring for your family, your work, and yourself. It’s the best way to keep rocking every aspect of your life like the organized Diva that you are!

As you fill out your BUJO create a method for keeping track of things. The Lazy Genius Collective suggests that placing things in order, starting with an index with notes on all the pages in your journal, and moving into a daily or monthly plot can be beneficial to keeping you using your BUJO effectively.

The beautiful thing about this style planning is that it’s as unique as you are. No more wasting pages on day planners. Create it exactly the way you like, with only the things you need! In general there is no right way to organize your BUJO.

Get Started With Your Bullet Journal

Getting started is easy! Just buy any lined or dotted notebook and a pen—that’s truly all you need. Bloggers at www.simplepurpose.ca recommend that you buy yourself a good planner or notebook, one that makes you feel like you want to write in[1] it. The great thing about bullet journals is that they are customized to your life – you get to make lists, write, and scribble in your BUJO – and you can make it as minimalist or creative as you like!

Make Your Bullet Journal Work For YOU, Diva!

Once you’ve got the basics, you may choose to step things up a little by getting creative. Create monthly themes, plan layouts for tracking class projects, or make space for a gratitude log. You can do what you like! Planning Mindfully is a blog dedicated to the art and creation of handy, beautiful bullet journal templates. If drawing and “making it fancy” aren’t your interest, explore the official Ryder Carroll edition of Bullet Journal 101!

Get your life organized, gain some clarity of mind, and keep working it!

What’s your favorite way to plan? Tell us in the comments!

And if you want even more tips on staying organized, join our email list for weekly inspiration.

Bullet Journaling — that is — writing things down in a bulleted list or bullet journal as some call it, places our daily, weekly and monthly “to do” list in a sequential order.

Write down the things on your brain:

  • An appointment
  • An essay due date
  • Kids’ activities
  • Life goals

And get it off your mind.

Why Create A Bullet Journal?

Using a bullet journal can keep you on track. It’s also a great place to write down important appointments, social events, contacts and other items that require your attention.  The act of writing can also make your life calmer and keep you more organized as you go about the day caring for your family, your work, and yourself. It’s the best way to keep rocking every aspect of your life like the organized Diva that you are!

As you fill out your BUJO create a method for keeping track of things. The Lazy Genius Collective suggests that placing things in order, starting with an index with notes on all the pages in your journal, and moving into a daily or monthly plot can be beneficial to keeping you using your BUJO effectively.

The beautiful thing about this style planning is that it’s as unique as you are. No more wasting pages on day planners. Create it exactly the way you like, with only the things you need! In general there is no right way to organize your BUJO.

Get Started With Your Bullet Journal

Getting started is easy! Just buy any lined or dotted notebook and a pen—that’s truly all you need. Bloggers at www.simplepurpose.ca recommend that you buy yourself a good planner or notebook, one that makes you feel like you want to write in[1] it. The great thing about bullet journals is that they are customized to your life – you get to make lists, write, and scribble in your BUJO – and you can make it as minimalist or creative as you like!

Make Your Bullet Journal Work For YOU, Diva!

Once you’ve got the basics, you may choose to step things up a little by getting creative. Create monthly themes, plan layouts for tracking class projects, or make space for a gratitude log. You can do what you like! Planning Mindfully is a blog dedicated to the art and creation of handy, beautiful bullet journal templates. If drawing and “making it fancy” aren’t your interest, explore the official Ryder Carroll edition of Bullet Journal 101!

Get your life organized, gain some clarity of mind, and keep working it!

What’s your favorite way to plan? Tell us in the comments!

And if you want even more tips on staying organized, join our email list for weekly inspiration.