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Espresso and Ambition

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

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5 Steps to Start Spring Semester on the Right Foot

January 5, 2018 by Taylor 2 Comments

5 Tips to Start Spring Semester on the Right Foot - Espresso and Ambition

Winter break is honestly amazing. Three weeks of relaxation where nothing even remotely academic has to even cross your mind – could it get any better than that? However, three weeks of doing whatever you want and having no strict schedule means that starting spring semester can be a bit of a shock to the system. For today’s post, I’m sharing 5 easy ways that you can prepare yourself for spring semester so that you go into the semester organized, motivated, and ready to go!

 

Clean out your backpack

You know your backpack got real messy over fall semester. Even if you’re a pretty organized person, there’s still a good chance that there’s a few random papers and some food wrappers at the bottom that you need to clean out. In addition, this is a great time to throw out any old papers from last semester, particularly if you plan on reusing some of your school supplies for this semester’s classes.

 

Refresh your school supply stash

I typically reuse old folders and the like from previous semesters, but spring semester is a great time to make sure you’re fully stocked on all of the important goods – pens, pencils, notebooks, index cards, etc. For some reason, I run through a pack of black pens faster than anything else, so I always find myself picking up a new pack at the start of each semester.

 

Read your syllabi

Before the first day of class (if possible), print out and read over your syllabi. Not only do you get a good feel for what you’re expected to do throughout the semester, but syllabi often provide you with some pretty clear predictions about how the professor themselves handle a classroom. A syllabus with strict policies likely suggests a firmer instructor, while more flexibility in grading and attendance may mean that a professor is a bit more flexible and laidback themselves. It’s just a good way to get a feel for the class before you even walk in on the first day.

 

Order your textbooks ahead of time

There’s nothing worse than getting to class on a Monday only to figure out that you’re expected to have the first 3 chapters read by Wednesday. If you’re like me, you order all your textbooks from Amazon (because they’re way cheaper there and rentals are a breeze), but even 2-day shipping will fail you on this tight of a turnaround. Avoid the excessively high school bookstore prices and order your textbooks in advance.

 

Write every important date in your planner

Once you have your syllabi and course materials, build yourself a roadmap for the semester. Use the big monthly spreads in your planner (or in your bullet journal) to write out every important due date for the entire semester. This will help you to see some trends (like when you may have multiple tests in a week) and give you a better idea of how to budget your time for major projects/papers.

 

With these quick and easy steps (they’ll all probably take less than 15 minutes), you’ve put yourself on the right track to have an amazing spring semester.

xo, Taylor

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Filed Under: College, Lifestyle, Organization

Comments

  1. Katie says

    January 17, 2018 at 1:23 pm

    Loved this post! I’ll be taking some of these ideas into use down here at auburn!
    http://www.katiegeorges.com

    Reply
    • Taylor says

      January 17, 2018 at 1:30 pm

      Glad you liked it! Good luck on your upcoming semester!!

      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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