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Espresso and Ambition

A not-so-serious gal with some serious dreams.

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Designing a Semester Strategy (with Printable Worksheet!)

August 9, 2017 by Taylor 2 Comments

Designing a Semester Strategy - Espresso and Ambition

Today’s post is on what I think is a super important topic for anyone gearing up to go back to college in a few weeks, and that’s coming up with a semester strategy. While it’s easy to just dive into school and college life headfirst, it’s so helpful to have an overarching strategy of what you want to get out of the semester before you get there. Having goals like this really helps when it’s time to get into the weeds of planning out your daily life and deciding what you want to prioritize.

I’m going to walk you through the steps I take when I develop my “semester strategy.” If you want the same printable I’m using, subscribe to my blog using the button on my sidebar! You’ll get a download link delivered straight to your inbox.

Designing a Semester Strategy - Espresso and Ambition

 

Setting Goals

Deciding your overarching goals for the semester is so important – they set the tone for how you spend your time and how you measure your success. I usually like to have at least one school-related goal, and that one obviously takes priority. These goals can be more numbers-based, like getting all A’s, or they can be something more habits-based, like finish all readings before class every week. Then, you can set more goals related to other aspects of your life; for me, I’m making it a goal to continue posting regularly throughout the school year. I think three goals is probably the sweet spot. Much like making too many resolutions, having too many spread-out goals can make them all harder to achieve. Focus on the things you really care about.

 

Making It Happen

Next up, strategize. Goals are really only ambitious statements if you don’t put in the effort to determining how you’re actually going to achieve them. So figure out the little steps you need to take in order to make those big goals happen. If your goal is to get all A’s this semester, break that down into habits that will translate into good grades. Plan to spend an hour each day reviewing for two weeks leading up to each exam, make it a mission to go to office hours after each assignment/exam to figure out how you can improve, and promise yourself that you’ll attend every class, no matter how tempting staying home and watching the next episode of Friends on Netflix is.

 

If you’ve written all of this down on paper, you now have a document with all of these promises to yourself on it. Hang it somewhere obvious or keep it on your desk, so that whenever you get bogged down with work, stress, or a barrage of social plans (in which case you’re way cooler than me), you have this fun paper reminding you of everything you set out to achieve this semester. Use that as motivation (along with an extra cup of coffee), and make this next semester yours.

xo, Taylor

Designing a Semester Strategy - Espresso and Ambition

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Filed Under: College, Lifestyle, Organization

Comments

  1. Rosie says

    August 14, 2017 at 4:51 am

    I just discovered your blog from a link on Poppyseeder and I love it! I’m about to start a masters in September and I’m getting really anxious to finalise my optional modules so I can begin making timetables and planning for semester one. I always used to make time on a Sunday night to go through everything for the next week and plan it out – it definitely made me feel so organised and I actually knew what was going on.

    Reply
  2. Trace Ferguson says

    August 15, 2017 at 12:32 pm

    Love this article, will definitely be using the printable! Keep it up, Taylor!

    Reply

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Meet Taylor

A real-life combination of Elle Woods and Hermione Granger. Recent graduate of the University of Georgia, currently living and working in DC. New blog posts every Monday, new YouTube videos every Thursday. Subscribe by clicking the link below for post updates and exclusive content!

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tayy_kay

📍 dc
🔥 nasm certified personal trainer
✨ self-love + balance
🎥 2 new workouts per week!

tayy_kay
without heavy weights, it’s sometimes a little c without heavy weights, it’s sometimes a little challenging to really feel like i’m working at my full potential on leg days 😶 enter: single-leg movements. since all the weight is in one leg, you’re putting way more emphasis on it than you do during two-leg movements - and you’ll definitely feel that 🔥 you also get some added bonuses in the form of ensuring you’re working each side of your body equally AND a balance challenge!!
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you can add in weights or bands to up the challenge level, or do it all bodyweight like i am here!
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1️⃣ 15 single-leg box squats per leg (use other leg as a kickstand for an easier modification!)
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2️⃣ 15 bulgarian split squats per leg
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3️⃣ 15 single-leg hip thrusts per leg
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4️⃣ 15 single-leg deadlifts per leg
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throw on at the end of a longer leg day workout or do it 3-4 times as a workout all on its own!!
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👚 @girlfriend 🎧 numb - neffex
🖤 go easy on yourself 🖤 this is a weird time 🖤 go easy on yourself 🖤 this is a weird time to be alive, and it’s more important now than ever to listen to your body and stop being so hard on yourself. motivation is a fickle thing and working out when you don’t have all the equipment you love is weird. give yourself permission to take a break when you need it. don’t beat yourself up for missing workouts - exercise should be something you do because it makes you happy, not because you feel like you have to punish yourself. if it doesn’t make you happy that day, that’s okay. give yourself a break, come back and try again tomorrow. 💪🏼
circuit-style upper body workout 🖤 honestly not circuit-style upper body workout 🖤 honestly not kidding about how much i love this long resistance band, it’s so versatile! definitely worth getting your hands on one for home workouts 😊 (although almost all of these can be completely with dumbbells or heavy objects if that’s what you’ve got in hand)
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also please watch to the very end of the fourth video for quality footage of greg 😂
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1️⃣ 12 long band shoulder presses to standing chest presses
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2️⃣ 12 upright rows to bicep curls
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3️⃣ 12 overhead triceps extensions per arm (the one leg stance is some bonus balance work!)
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4️⃣ 12 rear flies, featuring greg trying to fight my shadow
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5️⃣ 12 commandos
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6️⃣ 12 side-to-side pushups
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repeat 4x total!!
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👚 @underarmourwomen
🎧 best of me - neffex
giveaway 🔥 we’re all handling this weird, cra giveaway 🔥 we’re all handling this weird, crazy time in the world a little differently, and for me, it’s looked like a lot of establishing to and sticking to routines (seriously, sometimes it feels like my skincare routine and workout split are the only thing still giving meaning to days of the week, lol). my morning smoothies have been another important one - there’s a recipe in my story highlights and surprise surprise it uses this protein powder 😛
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anyways, onto the real reason you’re here! i’m giving away 25 $20 giftcards for @310nutrition with NO STRINGS ATTACHED 🤯 you hear that? you ain’t gotta do a thing to win - the first 25 people to use the code KAYGC20 on their order automatically win. get your hands on some fire plant-based protein powder, courtesy of me and 310 😋 (p.s. if you’re still seeing this caption, there are still giftcards available!!)
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#310gc20 #310shake
sometimes you just gotta get hella dressed up and sometimes you just gotta get hella dressed up and hold a fake photo shoot just to prove to yourself that you’re still a real human
posted a new youtube video. this picture is tangen posted a new youtube video. this picture is tangentially topical. link in bio.
upper body circuit ‼️ i’ve been gravitating upper body circuit ‼️ i’ve been gravitating towards circuit-style workouts lately, because they really work up a sweat and home workouts just don’t feel as legit to me unless i’m hardcore sweating 🤷🏼‍♀️ i don’t mind not breaking much of a sweat at the gym, but it feels weird not to when i’m working out at home - anyone else feel this or am i just weird?? 😅
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do all exercises back to back with no rest in between!
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1️⃣ 10 push-ups to renegade rows
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2️⃣ 12 alternating bicep curls
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3️⃣ 12 diamond front raises
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4️⃣ 8 sets of 3 tricep pulses to this lil cross-body weight move that doesn’t have a name {keep your core tight to feel it on your obliques!}
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5️⃣ 15 bent-over rear delt rows
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6️⃣ finisher!! 🥵 10 burpees with 2 shoulder taps and 2 toe taps in the middle of each rep
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repeat 🔁 for a total of 3 rounds!!
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👚 top from @gymsharkwomen, shorts from @nike 🎧 dangerous - neffex
would be nice if both sides of my head could agree would be nice if both sides of my head could agree on whether my hair is wavy or straight, but apparently that’s a little too much to ask of it 😂
got a circuit-style leg workout for you today! 🥳 there are 3 sets of 3 exercises that you’ll complete back-to-back - once you’ve done those three moves, rest for 30 seconds before repeating them all over again 2 more times! rest for 1-2 minutes in between each circuit - keeping your heart rate up is the goal here, i was driiiiiiipping sweat by the end of this one 🥵
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circuit 1️⃣: 10 step-ups to reverse lunges per leg
10 reverse lunges to curtsy lunges per leg
20 lateral lunges
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circuit 2️⃣:
10 squats to surrenders (stop in a squat position before standing up at the end to really feel this one)
10 stagger-stance rdls
20 criss-cross squat jumps
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circuit 3️⃣:
15 leg lifts per side
10 single-leg glute bridges per side
15 frog pumps
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👚 top from @fabletics, joggers from @gymsharkwomen
🎧 watch me - neffex
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