C’mon brain, it’s time to study again!

I found it really hard to get back to studying this year. In fact, it was so hard that I didn’t actually study at all throughout October. In my defense, I did have a few health problems which made me feel exhausted and studying was the last think I wanted to do.

My previous module’s intensity level was very low. It allowed an extra week to write TMAs and there was no science as such in it. It was more of a journey though the world giving an overview of different environmental problems. The module was very enjoyable but it made me forget how intense and time consuming studying science actually is.
Back in June I’ve submitted my last TMA which was an examinable component and school was out for summer, for three and a half months to be exact.
This blissful study coma tricked me into thinking that I can just slowly get back into studying again and that catching up won’t be much of a problem. Well, it is a problem. SXF206 is intense and apparently I’m expected to already know AND remember certain things?? Errrrr well… maybe I do know something but not without refreshing my memory which obviously makes studying longer than anticipated.

Catching up really is not easy, it not only requires a lot more time put into the studies (the standard is already set high at 14 hours per week) but it has definitely also put extra stress and pressure on me.
Lesson to be learnt? It’s simple. I need to stay on top of things, make sure I am following the study planner and maybe even try to get ahead if possible. 

My first step towards Minimalism

There are no rules and regulations to minimalism. The concept is to own less stuff and it can be adapted accordingly to different lifestyles.

What drawn me to minimalism the most, is an idea that ‘less clutter means more focus on the things that matter’. The meaning of this is quite literal. The less unnecessary stuff there is around the house, the less we have to focus on them (less cleaning, less tidying, less distraction). It frees up the time to do the things that matter.
There are obviously a lot more benefits to minimalism. It’s a refreshing escape from the world revolving around consumerism; it’s an environmentally friendly concept based on ‘reduce’ and ‘reuse’ values; it contributes to spending less money, and it helps us focus on the non-materialistic matters.

I have started my route to minimalism in July this year. My first step was to declutter my home. I was shocked when I realised how much unnecessary stuff I was hoarding in my one bedroom flat. The flat didn’t necessarily feel cluttered but all of the cupboards were full, there was not much space and there was ‘stuff’ everywhere.
‘Keep’ or ‘Toss’ process was not as easy as I hoped for. It actually took me several days to go through everything and by everything, I mean EVERYTHING! Kitchen cupboards, make up, clothing, ‘man’ draws, ‘random stuff’ draws, bed sheets etc etc.

My little Fiesta’s boot as well as the back seats were full of stuff!

Two Saturdays of getting up at 6am and £200 later, and I was free from all of the unneeded and unloved clutter.

I think minimalism is not a project to be completed but it’s a continuous journey. There is still so much that I want to learn and do, and hopefully sell this idea to other people. 

I am hoping to write a few more posts about my journey with minimalism, including the difficulties I am having with putting together a minimalistic capsule wardrobe. Stay tuned!

A moan… because sometimes you just need one

This is basically going to be a moan… A moan about time or lack thereof. 

I work full time because I have to support myself and I study part time because I want to change my career. I have no children and I live alone. In theory there should be no major problems with my time 

needs. In practice however things look completely different.

First of all for some unknown reason I think that I can do a lot more with my spare time than the reality allows. In my head I come home, cook dinner, clean up, study, read a book, scrapbook, blog, paint my nails and go to bed at 10pm to have a full night’s sleep. Obviously none of this happens. I make beans on toast, leave dirty dishes in the sink, stare at my computer for 2 hours feeling guilty that I am not studying, play candy crash saga, take a shower and crawl into bed absolutely exhausted.

Is it a problem with motivation? Or maybe bad planning? I’m not supposed to overwhelm myself with a load of tasks because that’s the reason nothing gets done. BUT if I do have 10 minutes of spare time I feel guilty of not doing anything productive! My brain is fucked up! It tells me I’ve got too much going on and yet it doesn’t allow me to chill out.

I am currently trying to stay on top of the studies and failing because module only just started and I am already behind. I am obviously not blogging although I come up with great topics to blog about while in the shower. Books to read (for pleasure) ale piled up gathering dust, travel albums are waiting to be worked on/finished off.

Don’t even get me started on December… I have a forever growing list of things to book/sort out! Holiday (mini break in Fuerteventura, my own bloody idea off course!), my 30th Birthday weekend away in Bath for 10 (my idea and everything has to be the way I like it to I’m sorting it out) and my brother is coming over from Poland with his wife and my nephew for Christmas so we’re going London for couple of days (guess who’s idea was that!?). Did I mention that it’s one of my friend’s birthday in December? And that there’s work’s xmas party? And that I have an assignment due on the 10th? Ohhhh…. And I am a bridesmaid to my best friend so now I’ve got bridesmaidy duties like dress shopping and hen-do organising.

Are you bored yet? No? Well, I decided I need to apply for some volunteer jobs to start gaining experience in the environmental field… Because you know, I have plenty of time to spare…

I might have to tell my boyfriend and friends that I am not available until October 2016 although a new module will start then so maybe I should re-schedule seeing anybody until 2019 when I graduate… Or maybe… you who is reading this… Are you rich? If yes, have you got spare £1500 a month so I could quit my day job, live comfortably and do whatever I need (study) and want (holidays) to do?