What are the things you do for your self-care? How do you make time for self-care? On a scale of 1-10, how important do you feel self-care is important to your well being? For me self care is very important, it is something that I put on my ...

What are the things you do for your self-care?

How do you make time for self-care?

On a scale of 1-10, how important do you feel self-care is important to your well being?

For me self care is very important, it is something that I put on my schedule.

In this video, we will be talking about some tips on how you can do self-care.

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African American woman reading a book peacefully on couch

Work/Life Balance

April 24, 2019

Saying “No” to Stress with Priorities Check-In

We know it’s hard to successfully navigate family, work, politics, health, chores, and studying. Life seems to be going too fast, and to be honest, it’s not slowing down any time soon. But that doesn’t mean you have to succumb to the stress, eat comfort food for every meal, and give up on all the fun extra things that make life awesome.

Stress — and more importantly, how you deal with it — all come down to you. Even a simple mindset shift can help you view stressors in a new light. Think about all the advice you’ve heard about saying “I get to …” instead of “I have to …”. And it doesn’t stop there. You have the power to remove stress from your life, too.

Don’t believe us? Let’s breakdown 4 strategies you can use to reduce stress levels and set priorities in your life.

Rule 1: Set Aside all the “Nice to Haves” for Later

No doubt about it, college stress is on a whole new level. You’ve got essays, and tests, and pop quizzes, group assignments, speeches … you name it. And it’s all happening at once. There’s no “one and done”: rule for how to handle it all, but it can be helpful to remember to simply put first things first.

Ask yourself: “will what I’m about to do have an immediate effect on my most important goal right now?” Think about this in terms of short-term goals. You have dishes to do, laundry to fold, and an essay to write. Your biggest short-term goal is to get an A in your class for the semester. Which task helps you get there?

That doesn’t mean that the dishes won’t ever get done, or that the laundry will sit there forever. But always, first things first.

Rule 2. If it Works Without the Change, Then Let the Change Wait

Multi-tasking can seem like the easy way out of pressure, but try to avoid it if you’re really serious about reducing stress and increasing efficiency.

We all get distracted by a few new tasks here and there. The reality is that you may not be able to stop all these tasks from coming at you, especially as a college student. You may find yourself shuttling between school work and family tasks, only halfway showing up for either one.

Why not try out a more efficient way to deal with this situation? You can reduce stress, manage your time well and still remain fully present in each moment. Here’s the simple secret: as soon as a new assignment is given to you, listen to the instructions carefully and determine how much time you need to complete it. Then ask yourself if it’s really a priority that day or if it can be done tomorrow or next. Those dishes are annoying (and frankly, kinda gross) but leaving them one more day won’t be the end of the world.

On the other hand, leaving your assignment until tomorrow could cause serious issues. You just never know what might pop up tomorrow, right?

Rule 3: Focusing 100% on One Assignment is the Fastest Way to Complete It

Managing your time is a huge part of prioritizing your life, too. This means allotting a time block to complete certain tasks. Let’s say you’ve decided to complete that essay assignment that’s due in a couple of days. You sit down with a goal to get it done, then find that you spend three hours digging through research papers, bouncing around on Facebook, and staring at the ceiling. Or, you get distracted in 15 minutes and walk away.

Instead, get focused by setting a timer. 30 minutes will do. Set a timer, open your document, and get to work. Knowing that you’re in a time crunch, you’ll likely get more done in 30 minutes than you would in 3 hours, and you can walk away satisfied with your progress (even if you don’t finish it 100%).

Rule 4: Ask for Help When You Need It

Being productive and being stressed don’t need to go hand-in-hand. Ask for help when you need it:

task your kids with household chores while you study
ask a neighbor to pull in trash cans or check mail while you’re working late
use a delivery service for food from a local restaurant while you write an essay
hire help for everyday tasks while you enjoy time with family

Just be sure to ask for help from the right person. Having the wrong person, or someone who’s not up to the task, can end up causing more work for you down the line.

If you want to reduce stress and stay productive, focus on prioritizing what’s really important. If you want more help, join the Back to School Divas Facebook group for motivation and inspiration from women just like you!

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

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 woman smiling wearing cap and gown and holding diploma

Back to School Tips

February 6, 2019February 2, 2019

Am I Too Old to go to Grad School?

There are so many myths about grad school that many of us have heard. There’s the one about how, you should only consider going if you’ll be at a top school otherwise, it’s not going to be worth it (This is a lie). The...

There are so many myths about grad school that many of us have heard.

There’s the one about how, you should only consider going if you’ll be at a top school otherwise, it’s not going to be worth it (This is a lie).

There’s also the myth about how you can only get in with a 4.0 GPA (This is another lie).

But the one that really gets under my skin is the myth that grad school is only for the young.

This particular myth gets under my skin because it couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, statistics show that the average grad school student is actually 33 years old and the number of students who are 35 years and above is on the rise each year.

So if you’ve been thinking about going to grad school but are a bit hesitant because you’re in your thirties or older – I’m here to tell you that now is the time to finally pursue those goals.

Of course, there are a few things to keep in mind if you’re trying to get into a grad school program.

1. Your GRE Scores Are Very Important for Grad School Applications

You’re most likely aware that having a good score on your Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is important for any graduate school application. When you’re a little older, these scores can be even more important because they indicate your ability to handle the program you’re interested in.

2. Get Organized & Gain A College Mindset

So, getting into grad school is great and all – but it’s not going to be easy. You’re going to have to reach deep within to realize your goals. One thing you’ll need to start doing is getting organized.

There’ll be classes to attend and research to do, on top of all the day-to-day tasks you have as an adult returning to school. So, make sure that you create a schedule that involves meal prepping, study time, assignments or researching time.

If you want to get organized today, be sure to download the FREE Back to School Divas Planner. You’ll get access to weekly plans, goal sheets, meal planning sheets, and much more.

You may also need to reach out to your significant other or close family and friends for extra help if you have small kids. Set aside specific time over the weekend to get all your studying done. Whatever the plan is, communicate your needs to your loved ones and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

3. Draw From Your Life Experiences in the Classroom

I’m a firm believer in working with what you’ve got. Can you think of one thing that could give you an edge over your younger fellow peers? Your life experiences. The fact that you’ve lived, have worked, and have life experience always comes in handy when in grad school.

Your new college professors will enjoy engaging with someone who can draw from their real life experiences. You can add value to the class discussions. So start viewing your age as an asset you can draw from, Diva!

Going to grad school may have been a dream of yours when you were younger. Maybe you started to slowly let go of this dream because of that annoying perception that graduate school is only for young people.

Well, that’s not true. You’re never too young or too old for school. As long as you feel that your career can benefit from you furthering your studies, go for it Diva! You have nothing to lose and infinite opportunities to gain.

group of friends having dinner together in a holiday setting

December 18, 2018

How To Juggle Family, Friends and School With Holiday Priorities

Having holiday cheer is always one of your holiday priorities, but how many times does the stress of the season leave you feeling than "in the spirit?" Rather than stressing about all the things you have to do, spend time this holiday se...

Having holiday cheer is always one of your holiday priorities, but how many times does the stress of the season leave you feeling than “in the spirit?”

Rather than stressing about all the things you have to do, spend time this holiday season doing things you care about with people you love (and still get things done!)

Here are some of our best tips for juggling family, friends and school with your holiday priorities.

Set Priorities.

Do your best to remain focused on your end goals. Make a list of what matters most to you (family, travel, earning a 4.0 GPA, health & fitness) and keep it handy when you have to choose whether or not to add another holiday cocktail party to your holiday priorities agenda.

Ask For Help.

The American Psychological Association noted in a poll that 25% of Americans reported being “extremely stressed” during the holidays. 69% of those participants noted a “lack of time” as being the culprit. Help curb stress by asking for help when you need it. Stressing over hosting the annual holiday party? Ask a friend or two to help decorate or bring food. Struggling with your workload? Ask a coworker to help cover some of your projects. Make your mental health one of your holiday priorities by asking for help when you need it.

Be Proactive.

Life’s full of craziness (like unexpected overnight guests), but when it comes to things like deadlines, appointments, and expectations, think ahead. Don’t let small things turn into big, scary stuff due to procrastination.

Get Enough Sleep.

“Easier said than done,” you might think. When there’s family, friends, and plenty of eggnog involved, it’s easy to start feeling like you’re running on empty by the time real life strikes. Make rest one of your holiday priorities by setting a bedtime for yourself and sticking to it.

Be Ok Saying No.

For some, this is one of the hardest holiday priorities to put into practice. When another coworker or friend invites you for a White Elephant, don’t feel the need to say “yes” right away. Take a moment to consider if you have the time, the energy, and the funds to attend. If the answer is “no,” you can say it. Try “oh man, I already have something planned!” If you’d rather be more honest, say “I can’t make it.” No hurt feelings for them, no anxiety for you.

Leave Yourself Room for Error.

No one’s perfect. No matter how much you plan, things can always get a little wild during the holidays. Cut yourself some slack and self-care one of your holiday priorities. Even just a few hours a week can make all the difference to your sanity. Try to be fully present in your moments to recharge (AKA Netflix bingeing doesn’t count.) Get lost instead in an activity that promotes full presence, like doing a crossword puzzle, taking a walk, or cooking a healthy, delicious meal.

Make time for others and take care of yourself with these tips! To learn even more about holiday priorities from other Divas like you, join the Back to School Divas Facebook group!

close up of three students taking a test

December 8, 2018

Final Exam Survival: Your Guide To Nail Your Final

You’ve been working hard the whole semester. You’ve put in the hours on your class assignments, tests, and reports. You’re well on your way to getting a respectable grade. There’s just one more hurdle to overcome – you need to survive your ...

How You Used To Do It

Exam time naturally comes with a lot of pressure. You’ve done the quick meals, lack of sleep, and cramming sessions route but they always leave you tired and the nerves don’t seem to subside. There has to be a better way to nail your final.

How It Should Be Done

There are plenty of top tips you can have in place to ensure that you’re well prepared and nail your exams. Here is our final exam survival guide:

Get Some Rest

This may come as surprise to you. Why on earth should you be resting when you could be studying? Well, besides the fact that studying for extended periods of time without rest will leave you exhausted, in order for your brain to remember all you’ve just studiedand transfer it to “permanent long-term memories”, you need to take frequent breaks. This includes getting some shut-eye and avoiding your smart devices while doing so as they stimulate the brain.

Get in that Vitamin B

A study conducted by scientists from Boston University revealed that learners who had good exam performances, had a lot of Vitamin B in their system.

You can find it in foods such as chicken, broccoli, pumpkin, lentils, and eggs, to name a few.

Don’t Procrastinate

The last thing you want to do is have an all-night study session the night before a major exam. Besides the fact that this will hinder your brain from remembering all you’re trying to get in, cramming also doesn’t help with the nerves. And we all know that nerves are the enemy of trying to get a good grade.

So do yourself a favor and prepare well in advance. Put together a study time table that includes resting times and try to stick to it as best as you can. You’ll be glad you did this one.

On Exam Day

When it comes to the day of your exam, it’s often true that the most basic advice is the truest.

Multiple Choice Exam

Most exam papers will have a multiple choice section. In order to nail this part, make sure that you follow the following steps:

Read the entire question
Use the process of elimination
With the remaining possible answers after the process of elimination, select the answer that makes the most sense to you
If you find that 2 or 3 answers seem like the correct answer and the other options may also be correct, then choosing the “all the above” option might be the correct choice.

Essay Exams

No need to be intimated when you come across an essay exam. Here’s how to nail it:

Read the question and instructions carefully
Draft your essay by outlining the important points you want to focus on
Also draft your evidence, quotes, or studies that will support your statements
Time yourself carefully. Make sure you’re not spending too much time on the essay, and neglecting the rest of your exam questions.

Take A Deep Breath!

Now that you have our final exam survival guide, go out there and nail your finals! For more useful tips to use at school and at home, be sure to join our email list.

October 20, 2018November 2, 2018

New Mom Tried “The 10-3-2-1-0 Formula” For A Week And This is What Happened

Author and Business Consultant Bedros Keuilian created a system to help you sleep better, wake up earlier, get more done,...

New Mom Tried “The 10-3-2-1-0 Formula” For A Week And This is What Happened

Author and Business Consultant Bedros Keuilian created a system to help you sleep better, wake up earlier, get more done, and feel great doing it. It’s called the 10-3-2-1-0 formula!

We all want to “wake up early and get stuff done!” But with busy schedules, classes, kids, and showering, all you want to do is squeeze every last minute out of your sleep. Hello, snooze button! This method promises better sleep and improved focus.

What Is The 10-3-2-1-0 Formula?

The 10-3-2-1-0 formula breaks down like this:

10 hours before bed – No more caffeine.
3 hours before bed – No more food or alcohol.
2 hours before bed – No more work.
1 hour before bed – No more screen time (turn off all phones, TVs and computers).
0 – The number of times you will hit the snooze button in the morning.

Keuilian uses science to back up his claims. Caffeine takes longer than you might expect to leave your system (about 10 hours.) That residual caffeine lives in your system and can make it hard to unwind. Eating large meals, spicy foods, and drinking alcohol can make it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep all night—even though having a glass of wine in the evening may seem to make it easy. Plus, working, thinking about work, and staring at screens can keep your brain active when it’s time to turn the lights out.

This method is designed to help power down your brain so you can wake up refreshed.

Sounds interesting, right? We wanted to put this formula to the test, so we enlisted a real mom to try it out for 7 days. Would it live up to the hype?

A New Mom’s Experience with 10-3-2-1-0

New Mom Briana Scott is a Wife, Full-Time Employee, Part-Time Online Student, and Mama to 1-year-old baby girl. With so many roles and responsibilities, she was excited to try a simple method designed to help her feel better and get more done!

Briana tried the 10-3-2-1-0 formula for 7 days and reported back on her experience.

What was the first day like?

Rough! It was definitely an adjustment. Usually with the caffeine side of things, I drink a Grande size drink from Starbucks around 7 AM! To go without it, on most days, was difficult and made it hard to stay awake for homework after work. Because I have a couple classes and a full-time job to prepare for every night, I never got to bed at a decent time throughout this experiment.

How was the last day in comparison (easier, harder, did you want to quit?)

It was easier than the first day for sure, but it was something I had to keep remembering to do. So, it was almost like adding to the list of things in my day to be aware of. It was a great experiment, though, and would do it again when I’m off track.

What were some challenges you faced in doing the method each day?

Staying on top of it. There was a day or two that I forgot what I was doing with this. Again, that’s only because I had a few other things going on.

Did you notice any benefits in your work, school, or personal life?

I did! Whoop, whoop! The nights that I made myself follow the sleep part of this routine, I woke up the next day on time, refreshed and alert! I loved this result!

Does this method fit your lifestyle? Would you keep it up?

It does and it doesn’t! It holds me accountable for making sure I get the rest/relaxation I need as a parent, student, wife and full-time employee. If I can stick to something like this, I would be well-balanced all the time.

Will you try the 10-3-2-1-0 formula? Have your discovered a “secret recipe” for better sleep? Let us know in the comments!

young woman in glasses checking watch while writing in a book

October 12, 2018December 3, 2018

Simple Time Management Tips For Graduate Students

All academics, graduate students, and faculty alike struggle with the challenge of time management. New graduate students are often amazed at how much there is to do each day: classes, resea...

Simple Time Management Tips For Graduate Students

All academics, graduate students, and faculty alike struggle with the challenge of time management. New graduate students are often amazed at how much there is to do each day: classes, research, study groups, meetings with professors, reading, writing, and attempts at a social life.

Many students believe that it will get better after they graduate, but, unfortunately, most people report being even busier as new professors, researchers, and professionals. With so much to do and so little time, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. But don’t let stress and deadlines overtake your life.

How to Avoid Burnout

My best advice for avoiding burnout and getting bogged down is to keep track of your time: Record your days and maintain daily progress towards your goals. The simple term for this is “time management.” Many people dislike this term, but, call it what you will, managing yourself is essential to your success in grad school.

Use a Calendar System

By now, you probably use a calendar to keep track of weekly appointments and meetings. Grad school requires taking a long-term perspective on time. Use a yearly, monthly, and weekly calendar.

Year Scale. It’s difficult to keep track of today and remember what needs to be done in six months. Long term deadlines for financial aid, conference submission, and grant proposals creep up quickly! Don’t find yourself surprised to realize that your comprehensive exams are in a few weeks. Plan at least two years ahead with a yearly calendar, divided into months. Add all long-term deadlines on this calendar.
Month Scale. Your monthly calendar should include all paper deadlines, test dates, and appointments so that you can plan ahead. Add self-imposed deadlines for completing long-term projects like papers.
Week Scale. Most academic planners use a weekly scale of measurement. Your weekly calendar includes your day-to-day appointments and deadlines. Have a study group on Thursday afternoon? Record it here. Carry your weekly calendar everywhere.

Use a To-Do List

Your to-do list will keep you moving towards your goals on a daily basis. Take 10 minutes every night and make a to-do list for the next day. Look at your calendar for the next couple of weeks to remember tasks that need to be planned in advance: searching for literature for that term paper, buying and sending birthday cards, and preparing submissions to conferences and grants. Your to-do list is your friend; never leave home without it.

Prioritize your to-do list. Rank each item by importance and attack your list accordingly so that you don’t waste time on non-essential tasks.
Schedule time to work on classes and research each day, even if it is just a few 20-minute blocks. Think you can’t get much done in 20 minutes? You’d be surprised. What’s more important is that the material will stay fresh in your mind, enabling you to reflect on it at unexpected times (like on your ride to school or walk to the library).
Be flexible. Allow time for interruptions and distractions. Aim to plan just 50 percent or less of your time so that you’ll have the flexibility to handle unexpected interruptions. When you’re distracted by a new task or something that you need to remember, write it down and get back to work. Don’t let a flight of ideas keep you from completing the task at hand. When you’re interrupted by others or seemingly urgent tasks, ask yourself, “What is the most important thing I can do right now? What’s most urgent?” Use your answer to plan your time and get back on track.

Time management doesn’t have to be a dirty word. Use these simple techniques to get things done your way.