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organization || 5 study tools you should be using for success

IoanaSeptember 16, 2020

First published on the Pearson Canada Blog on September 16, 2020.

In collaboration with Pearson Canada, I put together a visual guide to the top 5 tools I’m currently using to stay on top of everything.

Check out the other fantastic student features on their blog, too!


As a student blogger and content creator, I’ve built my entire personal brand and online presence around being organized. My YouTube channel, Mistral Spirit, aims to help other students and lifelong learners work towards a motivated, balanced and goal-driven lifestyle through organized bullet journal inspiration, productivity strategies, and creative journaling.

However, being organized is more than just a personal brand; I always tell people it is the foundation of my personal milestones and accomplishments.

When I reflect on the good study habits that have gotten me to a 4.2 GPA in university, the communication skills that helped me achieve two successful major scholarship applications, and my detail-oriented personality that has grown my hobby YouTube channel into a business and consulting practice, the one consistent thread is my structured approach to pursuing any goal.

I always sit down with a pen and paper, envision the goal, plan the little steps it will take to get there, and create a system of daily intentions that will turn the goal into a reality.

In this post, I want to share the last component of this structured approach: the tools that enable my daily systems to fall into place.

Here are the 5 tools I use to stay organized and progress towards my goals every day.

Bullet Journal

A bullet journal is a planner that comes in the form of an entirely blank notebook. I’ve been using one since the 9th grade, and there are a few layouts I design into my bullet journal every month:

A monthly calendar helps me keep track of school and career deadlines.

Daily to-do lists help me tackle each day’s projects!

A sectioned-off sidebar on each page for the week’s priorities, ongoing projects, and low-priority administrative tasks help me balance my many priorities.

Not to mention, the creative possibilities that go along with a planner that comes completely blank are endless! I wouldn’t be capturing the full range of what I use my bullet journal for, if I didn’t include its fantastic capacity to be a creative outlet, too.

Google Calendar

I use Google Calendar to keep track of events and places to be, as well as to calendar-block my time. This practice lets me focus on work when I’m working, and enjoying my free time guilt-free when I’m not!

In fact, if you’ve ever hopped over to the Mistral Spirit YouTube channel, you’ll know that Google Calendar is my all-time favourite time-management tool!

Digital Textbooks

Pearson eTexts are the apotheosis of digital textbooks. Not only can you highlight, add notes, and export your annotations to PDF form to study from, but accessing them on your phone is the ultimate convenience.

I’ve always been a big fan of digital textbooks for the very simple reason that carrying around heavy textbooks all day long on a university campus is no student’s idea of fun. As a Commerce student, I have a lot of readings to do, and I want to be able to do them from anywhere.

OneNote

I can’t imagine my study systems without OneNote. Every semester, I start a new digital Notebook, and keep multi-media content in hierarchical pages within my course tabs.

One of my favourite OneNote features is the ability to insert printouts into your digital Notebook. For classes with lots of articles to read, lots of lecture PowerPoints, OneNote is a great way to keep all those materials in one place, and have access to them from anywhere – be it your laptop or your phone!

Touch screen laptop

Right before starting my first year at university, I made the investment in a Microsoft Surface Pro 3 laptop – complete with a stylus and flip-back keyboard – and it has changed the way I prepare for classes.

This list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the power of a touch screen laptop like this one. Not only do I save paper annotating articles directly in OneNote using my stylus, but it’s so light and convenient to carry with me to do schoolwork and client work from anywhere.


For more on study strategies, take a look at my most recent video, “How I Take Notes as a 4.2 GPA Student” on my YouTube channel:


What are your essential study and organization tools?

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Comments (3)

  • Gabroveanu

    September 18, 2020 at 8:06 am

    Draga Ioana,
    Eu mă bucur mult pentru succedul tău!
    Nu am inteles de ce nu pot sa fac comentarii direct pe blog, omi cere sa fac abonament si nu mâ pricep, dau mi-a cerut cont de word… , eu vreu sa urmaresc numai blogul tău, se poate?
    Te iubesc si te admit,
    Silvia

    Reply
    1. Ioana

      October 21, 2020 at 10:21 am

      Multumesc Silvia! Si da, se poate! Pe dreapta, deasupra “things I like” cu toate pozele, e un loc unde iti cere emailul. Daca il pui acolo, o sa iti trimita emailuri cand postez ceva nou – si numai blogul meu 🙂 Sper ca asta ajuta!
      Te pup,
      Ioana

      Reply
  • Gabroveanu

    September 18, 2020 at 8:07 am

    Admir!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Nice to meet you!

Hi, it’s Ioana! I’m a blogger, brand marketer, and recent Queen’s Commerce alumni. When I’m not drinking coffee, reading, studying or exploring the city, I dabble in creative projects like this one!

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ioana.pitu

ioana | mistral spirit | organization & creativity
Caught the @evergreen_brick_works farmers market t Caught the @evergreen_brick_works farmers market this Saturday for another @usktoronto sketching meetup! Always a great time with this group. 🥳 I’ll admit I didn’t do much sketching this time around… was *very* busy making the rounds at the farmers market. 😜

#usktoronto #torontosketching #evergreenbrickworksmarket #urbansketching #travelsketch
little cup, GIANT smile 🥳 Totally in my elemen little cup, GIANT smile 🥳

Totally in my element at the @usktoronto exhibition reception event at @atoriginto a couple weekends ago. The exhibit showcases sketches by local artists that are primarily done on-location in places we travel to or live in. I’ve tagged a few of the artists so you can tap through to their profiles!

You might remember helping me choose which two sketches to submit to the show application back in December. Check them out hanging right there on the wall in slide 3! 

And HUGE thanks for helping me narrow it down. 🥰

If you’re in the area come check it out. (Or better yet, let’s go together!) 👯‍♀️

#urbansketching #travelsketching #urbansketchers #usktoronto #usk #travelsketchtoronto #urbansketchersexhibit
Some more photos from our @usktoronto urban sketch Some more photos from our @usktoronto urban sketchers meetup this Sunday in Toronto at @theonlycafe!

Instantly loved the interior of this cafe. 👌 I feel like maximalist interiors speak to my soul. Its late and maybe this isn’t quite it, but … they sort of remind me of my favourite people.

#urbansketchers #torontoart #urbansketch #sketchbook #sketching #artjournal #travelsketch #drawyourday #watercolor #urbansketching #sketchjournal #finelinerdrawing #moleskine #moleskinesketchbook #watercolortraveljournal #watercolordrawing #traveljournal #travelwatercolor
The most perfect Sunday morning sketching meetup w The most perfect Sunday morning sketching meetup with @usktoronto at @theonlycafe 🥰 Art + chill + new friends + coffee = happy soul

Thanks for organizing @satori3000! Check out these talented artists: @deshpande.shardul @maragulens @aish_cj @april.sketchedthis @sarawenn17 @beverleydaniels5 @hirtescufineart @sonalipraharajarts @satori3000 @sonyapadovani @michaeltsouras
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Caught the @evergreen_brick_works farmers market t Caught the @evergreen_brick_works farmers market this Saturday for another @usktoronto sketching meetup! Always a great time with this group. 🥳 I’ll admit I didn’t do much sketching this time around… was *very* busy making the rounds at the farmers market. 😜

#usktoronto #torontosketching #evergreenbrickworksmarket #urbansketching #travelsketch
little cup, GIANT smile 🥳 Totally in my elemen little cup, GIANT smile 🥳

Totally in my element at the @usktoronto exhibition reception event at @atoriginto a couple weekends ago. The exhibit showcases sketches by local artists that are primarily done on-location in places we travel to or live in. I’ve tagged a few of the artists so you can tap through to their profiles!

You might remember helping me choose which two sketches to submit to the show application back in December. Check them out hanging right there on the wall in slide 3! 

And HUGE thanks for helping me narrow it down. 🥰

If you’re in the area come check it out. (Or better yet, let’s go together!) 👯‍♀️

#urbansketching #travelsketching #urbansketchers #usktoronto #usk #travelsketchtoronto #urbansketchersexhibit
Some more photos from our @usktoronto urban sketch Some more photos from our @usktoronto urban sketchers meetup this Sunday in Toronto at @theonlycafe!

Instantly loved the interior of this cafe. 👌 I feel like maximalist interiors speak to my soul. Its late and maybe this isn’t quite it, but … they sort of remind me of my favourite people.

#urbansketchers #torontoart #urbansketch #sketchbook #sketching #artjournal #travelsketch #drawyourday #watercolor #urbansketching #sketchjournal #finelinerdrawing #moleskine #moleskinesketchbook #watercolortraveljournal #watercolordrawing #traveljournal #travelwatercolor
The most perfect Sunday morning sketching meetup w The most perfect Sunday morning sketching meetup with @usktoronto at @theonlycafe 🥰 Art + chill + new friends + coffee = happy soul

Thanks for organizing @satori3000! Check out these talented artists: @deshpande.shardul @maragulens @aish_cj @april.sketchedthis @sarawenn17 @beverleydaniels5 @hirtescufineart @sonalipraharajarts @satori3000 @sonyapadovani @michaeltsouras
So glad I overcame my initial hesitation toward th So glad I overcame my initial hesitation toward this book being about video games. It’s a delight for my brain so far and I’m not ashamed to admit that I spent all of this morning and afternoon reading (it was glorious) and I’ve learned 3 new words I adore:
- dilettante
- Weltschmerz
- palimpsest

Pls note: photos taken “while reading” are obviously not as impromptu as they may appear on Instagram. They’re usually when (a) you’re on a reading intermission because you either haven’t started or are getting a bit tired of reading for so long or (b) there’s a long period of descriptive text that doesn’t necessarily represent the quality of the book and is a good time to hashtag let-me-take-a-selfie. So don’t read this one page and form an opinion about the book. Instagram isn’t reality. 😜

Pls also note I’m only 40% through the book so my review isn’t definite. I’ve been burned before by jumping too excitedly to recommend a book (in this case, TV show) to everyone around me before realizing it gets WEIRD later on. So take my moment of excitement with a grain of salt - more thoughts to come!
Just received this new pen from @bulletjournal and Just received this new pen from @bulletjournal and @leuchtturm1917 @leuchtturm1917canada! 👀 Here’s a closer look!

Can you tell I had so much fun unboxing this 😅 It’s my new desk pen for days that I want to feel a little ✨fancy✨

#gifted #pen #amwriting #bulletjournalleuchtturm1917 #gelpen #journal #journaling #planner #studygram #aestheticstudy #bujo #bulletjournal #bulletjournalpen #bujopen #minimalistplanner #bulletjournaling #bulletjournalcommunity #penlover
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