Andrea's Avenue

Top: Twill Jacket/ Sweater/Booties/Melted Lipstick/NYX Lipstick
Bottom: Highlighter/Bronzer/Knit Blanket

Hello World! Long time, no talk. School has recently started (yuck) but now the temperature is getting a bit colder, leaves are falling, and everything is pumpkin spice. But now that school has started football games and chunky knit sweaters are the definition of a good fall night. I have put together a list of things that I would like to purchase this season- and maybe give you all some ideas! (even better, all the products are under $50).

If you are a full time student, working or a mother working a full time job you most likely have had those days when it feels like you're about to explode. That's how I've been recently with high school, and trying to find a job. Sometimes things just get overwhelming. I'm constantly busy when it comes to school with homework and activities.

The main thing I've been focusing on is school, since it's the most important to me. When school first started, I was struggling to find a job. That was mainly because I started out late which was a mistake on my part. Since I started school around the time I was putting in applications, I was getting stressed because I was focusing more on finding a job than doing my homework. So I decided to put aside finding a job till closer to summer, since that's when businesses are hiring more teenagers. But even with putting that aside I was still stressed with school. There were days I just couldn't keep up to save my life! I'm quite thankful for the teachers I have this year and for some I had last year, now I feel like I have control of everything thanks to their tips.

The WIN Method: If there's one thing I learned from Algebra that I use everyday, it's the WIN method. Win stands for Whats Important Now. Before I struggled trying to prioritize, for some reason none of the things I tried ever worked. Thanks to my Algebra teacher last year, he taught us the WIN method to help us prioritize when we felt we were losing control. Now, that's how I organize my homework. I always look through my homework and work on the most important thing first. If I have an essay due in a week and some worksheets I can easily do within 5 minutes, I'll work on the essay since it's more time consuming and I can relax for the rest of the week instead of getting stressed working on it last minute.

Organize: Since elementary school they always told us to stay organized because it will help us with how we deal with school. Around that time I was about 7 years old when they tried engraving that in our minds but at that age I just thought it was totally cliche. But now that I'm in high school I know that couldn't be anymore true. In 3rd grade through middle school we had to buy planners through the school to write our homework down and I was always excited to use it because I could personalize my planner how I wanted and it helped me remember things. My school just recently got rid of their planners, luckily I bought a planner before school started. I could use my phone, I find that the physical act of writing things down helps me remember. I carry my planner with me everywhere I go because it always helps me keep things organized. I've learned that being organized really does help with stress relief and that my English teacher is not kidding when she tells us planning is key.

Have "You" Time: I know this may seem cliche but setting time aside for yourself truly helps. Everyday after school I give myself 30 minutes to do whatever I want and honestly that has helped me through high school already. During those 30 minutes I enjoy getting a snack and going on a little walk to help me wind down from the day. When I didn't set time aside for myself I felt as if I was cramming everything in all at once. But since I've started giving myself 30 minutes my mind feels more refreshed and surprisingly I can remember things better than before. My mom actually used this tip when she struggled with school and I'm glad she shared it with me. It's fascinating what 30 minutes can actually do.

I hope you found these tips helpful! These tips have helped me so much through high school already. Feel free to share what your personal tips are :).