If I Was a Student Again, I'd Do This ๐
Summary
TLDRThis script outlines a comprehensive bullet journal setup for students to enhance organization and academic success. It includes a timetable, front pocket for essential papers, study toolkit with QR codes, year-at-a-glance calendar, future log, ideal weekly schedule, spaced repetition log, term schedule, assignment log, and weekly log. The focus is on creating a functional yet aesthetically pleasing journal to track classes, assignments, and personal goals, with an emphasis on the Alistair method for task management.
Takeaways
- ๐ Start with a timetable on the inside cover of the journal for easy access and reference to daily classes and activities.
- ๐ Create a front of journal pocket by modifying the first page to store important papers like assignment sheets and permission slips.
- ๐จ Decorate the study toolkit page with washi tape to keep the journal visually appealing while maintaining functionality.
- ๐ Use QR codes on the study toolkit page for quick access to study resources, playlists, and online assignment submission sites.
- ๐ Set up a year at a glance on one page to track holidays, school days, and important events throughout the year.
- ๐ Organize the future log by terms or semesters to plan and track assignments and tests within the academic structure.
- ๐ Develop an ideal weekly schedule to balance study, extracurricular activities, and self-care, and compare it with actual weekly activities.
- ๐ Keep a spaced repetition log to enhance studying by revisiting topics at increasing intervals to improve retention.
- ๐ Use a term schedule or term overview to summarize weekly tasks, assessments, and due dates within the academic term.
- ๐ Maintain an assignment log for tracking the progress and stages of each assignment, including its impact on the overall grade.
- ๐ Set up a weekly log with a daily breakdown, priorities, habit trackers, and tasks to stay organized and focused on studies.
Q & A
What is the main purpose of the video script?
-The main purpose of the video script is to provide a detailed guide on how to set up a bullet journal for students to stay organized and on top of their studies.
Why is a timetable important in a bullet journal for a student?
-A timetable is important because it helps a student keep track of their classes, periods, and other school-related activities in an accessible and visually organized manner.
How does the speaker suggest creating a timetable grid on the inside cover of the journal?
-The speaker suggests removing a piece of paper from the inside cover, drawing the timetable grid on it, and then sticking it back in to ensure straight lines and a presentable appearance.
What is the benefit of having a front of journal pocket according to the script?
-The front of journal pocket is beneficial for safekeeping important papers like assignments, forms, or permission slips that need to be transported to and from school and acted upon.
Why does the speaker recommend placing the study toolkit at the front of the journal?
-Placing the study toolkit at the front of the journal ensures easy access to important study resources, such as QR codes for timers, playlists, and online resources, which can help prevent distractions when using a phone.
What is the 'Year at a Glance' layout and how can it be used by a student?
-The 'Year at a Glance' layout is a single page that displays the entire year, allowing a student to see important dates, holidays, and events at a glance. It can be used to plan and track academic and personal commitments throughout the year.
How does the speaker suggest organizing the 'Future Log' in a student bullet journal?
-The speaker suggests organizing the 'Future Log' by breaking it down into terms or semesters, depending on the student's academic calendar, and noting important due dates for assignments and tests within each term.
What is an 'Ideal Weekly Schedule' and how can it help a student?
-An 'Ideal Weekly Schedule' is a layout that outlines how a student would like to spend their time during a typical week, including study, extracurricular activities, and self-care. It helps a student achieve a balanced lifestyle and ensures they allocate time for all important tasks.
What is the significance of the 'Spaced Repetition Log' in studying techniques?
-The 'Spaced Repetition Log' is significant as it helps a student apply the spaced repetition technique, which involves reviewing material at increasing intervals over time, to enhance memory retention and understanding of studied topics.
How does the 'Term Schedule' differ from a 'Monthly Log' in the context of a student's bullet journal?
-The 'Term Schedule' differs from a 'Monthly Log' by focusing on an academic term's structure rather than a calendar month, summarizing assessments, homework, and tests on a weekly basis throughout the term.
What is the purpose of the 'Assignment Log' in a student bullet journal?
-The 'Assignment Log' serves to track the progress of assignments, including different stages of completion, due dates, and submission status, helping a student stay organized and accountable for their academic work.
Outlines
๐ Organizing School Life with a Bullet Journal
The speaker reflects on the potential benefits of using a bullet journal during their school years to enhance organization and success. They describe setting up a timetable on the inside cover of the journal for easy access, despite the challenge of creating straight lines on the red paper. The speaker, a former teacher turned content creator, emphasizes the importance of a timetable for tracking classes and other school-related activities. They also suggest considering the school's schedule structure, such as different periods or class-based timing, and incorporating lunch and break times into the timetable. The idea is to have a comprehensive reference for daily school life.
๐ Creating a Front Pocket for Essential Documents
The speaker details the process of creating a front pocket in the journal for storing important papers like assignments and permission slips. They explain how to transform the first page into a pocket by cutting and folding it, which helps in keeping essential documents safe and accessible. The advantage of having this pocket at the front is the increased likelihood of remembering and addressing the tasks associated with the stored papers. The speaker also discusses the importance of visual appeal in a journal to encourage its use and shares their strategy for creating a study toolkit with QR codes for quick access to study resources, which helps in avoiding digital distractions.
๐ Year-at-a-Glance and Future Log for Academic Planning
The speaker introduces the concept of a 'year at a glance' layout, which provides a full-year overview on a single page, useful for marking important dates, holidays, and school events. They discuss personalizing the layout based on the school year's start date and suggest using color codes and keys for different types of days. Additionally, they mention the 'future log' layout, which is used to plan and track long-term academic commitments, divided into terms or semesters. This layout helps in visualizing and organizing academic goals and deadlines across different periods of the school year.
๐ Ideal Weekly Schedule and Spaced Repetition Log for Effective Studying
The speaker outlines the importance of an 'ideal weekly schedule' to balance study, extracurricular activities, and self-care. They propose using a column-based layout to allocate time for various activities throughout the week, aiming for a structured yet flexible routine. Furthermore, they introduce a 'spaced repetition log' to track theๅคไน of study topics over specific intervals, which is a proven study technique to enhance memory retention. The speaker explains the Alistair method for setting up this log, emphasizing the need for regular review of study materials to build a deeper understanding of the subjects.
๐ Term Schedule, Assignment Log, and Weekly Log for Comprehensive Tracking
The speaker discusses setting up a 'term schedule' as a term-based overview for tasks and assessments, which can act as a replacement for a monthly log. They also detail an 'assignment log' to track the progress of assignments, including stages of completion and submission. Additionally, they describe a 'weekly log' layout that divides the page into two halves: one for daily breakdowns, priorities, and habit tracking, and the other for tasks and events. The speaker highlights the use of the Alistair method in these layouts to efficiently summarize and organize information.
Mindmap
Keywords
๐กBullet Journaling
๐กTimetable
๐กFront of Journal Pocket
๐กStudy Toolkit
๐กYear at a Glance
๐กFuture Log
๐กIdeal Weekly Schedule
๐กSpaced Repetition Log
๐กTerm Schedule
๐กAssignment Log
๐กWeekly Log
Highlights
The speaker suggests that bullet journaling could have improved their school success.
A timetable on the inside cover of the journal is recommended for easy access.
Using a removable paper for the timetable to ensure straight lines and a presentable grid.
The importance of considering the school's period structure when setting up the timetable.
Including lunchtime and break times in the timetable for a comprehensive daily overview.
Creating a front-of-journal pocket for safekeeping important papers and assignments.
Decorating the study toolkit page with washi tape to maintain functionality and aesthetics.
Utilizing QR codes for direct access to study resources to minimize phone distractions.
The 'Year at a Glance' layout for tracking significant dates and events throughout the year.
Using color codes in the 'Year at a Glance' to indicate time on or off school.
The 'Future Log' for planning and tracking long-term academic goals and deadlines.
Designing an 'Ideal Weekly Schedule' to balance study, extracurricular activities, and self-care.
The use of a 'Spaced Repetition Log' to enhance study techniques and retention of information.
Incorporating a 'Term Schedule' to organize and track assignments and assessments term by term.
Setting up an 'Assignment Log' to manage the progress and submission of academic tasks.
The 'Weekly Log' for daily task management and habit tracking to maintain organization.
Considering the use of digital tools like Excel for grade tracking and calculations.
The video offers additional layout ideas for a comprehensive student bullet journal setup.
Transcripts
if I had been bullet journaling while I
was at school I would have been such a
more successful student but what would I
have actually set up in my bullet
journal to help keep me organized and on
top of my studies starting at the back
of my notebook I'd actually have removed
a piece of paper so that I could set up
a timetable for myself I want this
timetable to be in a very accessible
spot mainly being the inside cover of my
journal but because the inside cover
doesn't have dark red paper it's a
little bit hard to set up a timetable
grid that actually has straight lines
and looks presentable so removing this
DOD piece of paper so that we can draw
on that and then stick it in is how I
tackle it I actually used to do a
similar thing when I first started
bullet journaling but typically I just
make the timetable on a computer print
it out and stick it in if we're just
meeting hi I'm Jess or jashi Karin I
used to be a teacher now I'm a full-time
content creator and I first started
bullet journaling at the end of my first
year of teaching I was a bit of a
scatterbrained mess had a lot of things
to keep track of and a lot of things to
do and knowing when and where my classes
were going to be was kind of important
thus having a timetable in the very
inside cover of my journal made for a
super handy reference I knew what
classes I had when I knew where I needed
to be the timetable at my school is
split into six different periods which
is what I'm drawing on this one here but
we also had two separate Tim taes cuz we
had like an a week and a b week so in
setting up the timetable that you put in
the front of your Journal make sure that
you're considering how your days are
actually structured have as many rows as
you need for the different periods or
classes and what I'd also typically do
is put in some rows for lunchtime and
other break times mainly because
sometimes things are happening during
those slots and we still want to keep
track of what's going on this could be
tutorials Sports practice any kind of
clubs that you're involved in we
effectively want this timetable to be a
One-Stop shop for all of the things that
go on in a typical waked school if I
were making this for myself as a
university student I'd probably make it
a Time based timetable rather than a
period or class-based timetable mainly
because my lectures and tutorials
sessions weren't necessarily the same
amount of time every single day or for
every single slot but still this would
be the very first thing that I put into
my notebook Excuse me while I MA my
notebook here but it is all for a good
reason the next thing that I'd set up in
the journal would be a front of Journal
pocket this is effectively done just by
taking the first dock Rd page cutting
away the top of the page and then
sticking down the outer edge and lower
edge of the paper that's left over this
is a good way to deal with that first
DOD page which as you saw is quite stuck
to that a card mainly cuz it's a little
bit hard to open already so using it as
a regular page with stuff written on it
can be a little bit tricky the idea
behind turning this into a pocket though
is that anytime I get assignments or
forms things that I need to take home or
transport to and from school those can
be slipped into there for safekeeping
this wouldn't be for every single paper
that I get from every single class but
more so papers that have things on them
that I need to action for instance
permission slips that need to be signed
assignment sheets that need to be
completed anything that can be flat and
folded so that it fits into that pocket
in my journal the reason that I'd put it
at the front rather than just using the
gusseted pocket at the back of a
notebook is because I find that most of
the time things that I put in the back
pocket get forgotten if it's in this
front pocket though I'm much more likely
to remember that it's there and also
turn to it and get it out and do the
tasks associated with those papers
because I know that the front of Journal
real estate is super important for
anything that I want to have very
accessible the next thing that I put in
would be a study toolkit as you can see
I started by decorating the page a
little with some P tape this one's from
the washi tape shop because even though
this page is going to be very functional
I still want it to be pretty I find that
if my journal doesn't look nice I'm not
very inclined to use it which kind of
defeats the purpose of setting it up so
we need to make it look good but the way
this layout is going to work is that I'm
writing in some little headers for each
of the different elements in my study
toolkit and then I'm going to go and
generate some QR codes that I can stick
into this page let me know if you relate
but anytime I open up my phone to do
anything I get distracted by a
notification end up scrolling a whole
bunch of reals on Instagram and then
when I finally realize I'm wasting time
I put my phone down and then think oh no
I didn't actually do the one thing that
I opened my phone to do by having QR
codes on this page instead it means that
I can just open up the camera on my
phone which I can do from the lock
screen so I don't have to see any
notifications scan the QR code and it
takes me directly to the thing that I
want to access on this one i' put things
like timers for pomodoros a study
playlist if I have particular music that
I like to listen to and also any online
spaces that I use for school this could
be places to submit my assignments
places to ask for help and get resources
effectively anything that's web- based
that I can make a QR code for that would
be helpful in my study Endeavors as said
I want this one at the front of the
journal so it's really accessible and by
having it next to the pocket I can also
make sure that the things I'm putting in
here would be useful for actioning the
items that end up in that pocket whether
they be assignments forms whatever else
flipping over though and getting into a
layout that I would use regardless of
whether I was a student or not in fact I
do put this in pretty much any Journal I
set up and that is a year at a glance
this one is effectively what it sounds
like so just a way to see the entire
year on one page for this one we're just
writing out many calendars for each of
the months for a year from the start of
the notebook when you start this one
very much depends on when your school
year is I'm starting this one in August
because that's when I'm setting it up
but where I'm based the school year goes
from January to December so I'd probably
be more inclined to put that in here it
very much depends on what your calendar
year is when it starts also how long you
want to use this journal for for
instance if you're planning on using it
for 2 years then having two calendar
years on here would make sense in terms
of how I would use this one though it's
not just as a reference to see which
calendar date falls on what day but more
so a way to denote specific happenings
I'd be inclined to use color codes to
indicate time on or off school so when
are our vacations when a start stff only
days public holidays anything like that
and I could also Circle dates to
indicate other happenings like
assignments assessments field trips
Sports days anything that was a little
outside of the ordinary depending on how
much information I want to capture on
this one I'd probably also include a key
Either at the top or bottom of the page
depending on how I set the layout up or
possibly as a little tipin if I didn't
have enough space on the page itself in
making that key I'd also be inclined to
write down the pen numbers that I'm
using especially if I don't play plan on
keeping those pens on me on a regular
basis just to make sure that I'm using
the right pens with the right colors
when it comes to denoting any
information on there I used a very
similar system when I was a teacher so
putting in the holidays putting in stuff
only days I also used it for times that
I was sick because I wanted to keep
track of how many sick days I had and
thus how much sick leave I had remaining
while that might not be so necessary for
you as a student it could be useful if
you're looking to keep up your
attendance long story short though the
year at a glance doesn't just have to be
a fell page in your setup it can
actually be really functional and really
helpful for Life as a student in terms
of the page we're setting up on the
right this one is going to be a future
log this is also another collection that
I do set up typically in my journals not
necessarily in the style I'm using here
but this style in particular I've chosen
because if I were a student I would
break my future log down into terms or
trimesters semesters whichever kind of
span of time you're learning Institute
users for me when I was at high school
it was terms so we had four of those a
year and when I was at un University we
had trimesters so three of those a year
but one of them I very rarely had
classes in because that was the summer
trimester it was a little bit shorter it
was only really for kind of specialty
classes in the one I'm setting up here
though you can see we have four
different sections for those four terms
and I just labeled them as term 1
through 4 on that one I'd write down the
specific dates for pieces of work being
due or tests anything that warrants
keeping track of but flipping over and
the next layout we're setting up is an
ideal weekly schedule or what some
people call an ideal ordinary week when
it comes to using our time effectively
this actually could be very useful for
anybody regardless of whether they're a
student or not but it's just thinking
about on a typical week how would I like
to be spending my time this doesn't
necessarily mean that every single week
is going to be like this but by
considering how we would like to be
spending our time making sure we have a
good balance between focusing on our
studies and extracurriculars and then
just self-care time with your friends
and family anything else that's
important to you if we have this ideal
schedule then we can compare it against
what's actually happening in our lives
we can then start to consider what
changes we can make to strive towards
this more idealized version now as said
this is an ideal ordinary week so this
isn't like a week off to sit around
Lounge on your phone completely shook
your responsibilities but more so on a
week that you actually have school and
have to attend classes or whatever else
how would you like to structure that
week so that you make time for
everything that's important the way that
I've set this one up is so that each of
the days gets a column and and then down
the left hand side we have a space for a
key this is so that you don't have to
write a whole bunch of things all over
the schedule you can just use colors and
patterns to indicate different blocks of
time with different happenings the way
that this one is different to a
timetable though is that the timetable
only focuses on your inch school hours
with maybe a little bit before and after
school depending on what's going on and
how you structure it this one on the
other hand expands it so it considers
your waking hours so all of the time
that you have available across the week
not just at school but also at home on
the weekend in your evenings all of that
kind of thing the aim here is not
necessarily to fill every single Gap
with study blocks and things like that
but if you go in with the intention of
having time set aside for those things
you're more likely to actually get your
study done and achieve a little bit more
balance in your life you're not just
studying or just socializing this is
another one that I might be inclined to
actually just type up on a computer
maybe an Excel or Google Sheets then
print it off and stick it into my
notebook just so then it's nice and neat
and if changes need to be made I can
just tweak it on the computer and then
print out another one it also means that
then when I go and set up my next
Journal I don't have to fully start from
scratch and draw the layout out again I
can just print off another copy and
stick that one in it might be good to
set up two of these one for when you're
at school and one for when you're on
your holiday period just so that you're
making the most of your time across that
period too but the next layout that I'm
setting up here is a spaced repetition
log or effectively a layout that I can
use to help me keep track of space
repetition that I would use towards
studying different topics space
repetition is one of the best studying
techniques there is and so if I were a
student I'd want to make sure that I had
a space dedicated in my journal towards
using it this one I've just set up using
the Alistair method so we have columns
running down the left hand side to
indicate different time periods that I
want to study the topics on and then the
larger column that takes up the right
hand side is just to write out the
topics that I would be revising
depending on how granular I want to get
with this one I might set up a separate
log for each of my subjects or if I'm at
University each of the papers or courses
that I'm taking but to encourage myself
not to cram so much and not to just rely
on note taking and rereading having a
layout like this would help me build my
understanding of those topics over time
if you're like J what the heck is spaced
repetition I have not heard of this
before it effectively just relies on the
idea of exposing ourselves to content
multiple times rather than just studying
something once or reading over it once
and hoping that we're going to remember
it the general idea is that you revise
the concepts from a lesson on the day
that it was provided to you and then you
revise it again 3 days later after that
you revise it again a week later then
maybe 2 weeks later with the time
between each revision of that material
getting a little bit longer that's why
for the columns that I've set up on the
left hand side they specify what time
periods I want to be studying the
materials on so studying it on day one
day three a week later a month later I'd
probably also have a 2 we period in
there but this one is just an example
heading into the kind of layouts that
I'd set up on a more regular basis
rather than the ones that are just start
of Journal setups one offs the one we
have here is a term schedule and I'd be
inclined to use this in replacement of a
monthly log mainly because I would be
thinking term-based rather than month-
based when it came to things I needed to
do this one could also be thought of as
a term overview so just having a column
for each day of the week and a row for
each of the weeks that are in that term
depending on how much I'd have to write
down I might expand this so that it
covered the full spread rather than just
one page but this is the layout that I
would use to again summarize what I had
going on in terms of assessments
homework due tests just to help keep
myself on track of the things that
needed to be done and when they needed
to be submitted in terms of the little
dots that I've put out on the term
schedule I'm not just using these to
denote where each of the days actually
is you could put a full Grid in for this
one if you wanted to to separate each of
those days and weeks but you could also
use those to either write in the day
number so that you know what date each
of those days falls on or you could use
it as a checkbox to indicate your
progress throughout the term I did find
myself using a lot of term countdowns
when it came to teaching and I'd
probably be inclined to use them as a
student as well on the right hand side
though this one is going to be an
assignment log I'd keep this one beside
the term schedule or at least fairly
close to it so that then I have not only
a summary of when they are due on that
term schedule but also a summary of the
stages that I need to complete in
working on each assessment piece
depending on what you want to call it it
could also be a homework log or you
could use this for something like a
reading log writing down all of the
readings that you need to do for your
lessons but the general structure is
again based on the Alistair method so we
have a column to indicate each of the
different stages on working on an
assignment and then the larger section
on the left is there to write down what
the assignment is you could indicate
what class it's for the title of the
assignment you could also include
additional information like it's waiting
towards your overall grade in a class if
it's worth a certain amount of points
anything like that but I've kept this
one fairly simple to just focusing on
getting the work done getting it
submitted and then recording my grades
in wherever I'm keeping those I did
consider setting up some kind of a grade
log in this journal setup but in keeping
with the idea of the layouts that I
would set up if I were a student I
probably wouldn't keep that one in a
paper based format I'd be more inclined
to keep it digitally mainly because I
like to use Excel to do percentages
calculations all of that kind of thing
to see how I'm tracking in a class and
how much I need to get on a final
assessment to get the best grade
possible that's a little bit easier to
do in something like Excel I don't want
to have to do all the math on paper but
flipping over and the next layout we're
setting up is a weekly log now I quite
enjoy trying different styles of weekly
log changing things up but if I were a
student and I wanted to focus more on my
studies than creating a different style
of weekly every week this is the style
that I would be inclined to use on this
one we have two distinct halves so on
the left hand side this is where I break
things down by day have a little
priorities list have a space to write
down any routines that I was trying to
build or effectively have a habit
tracker and then on the right hand side
this is where i' write out all my tasks
again in this one I would be using the
Alistair method it is one of my favorite
styles to use in my journal just because
it's a really nice way to summarize
information in this one I'd be using it
to indicate what day I wanted to do all
of my tasks on because the day specific
sections on the left I would probably be
inclined to use not so much for tasks
but more so for events happenings due
dates I could write out a list of the
classes that I had going on on each of
those days and check off once I attended
them as for the priority section which
is in that kind of second column on the
left hand page this is probably a little
bit larger than I would like to have for
priorities mainly cuz if you have too
many priorities then you realistically
have none so I'd possibly cut that one
in half and have a section underneath it
or just above the Habit tracker for
something like a meal plan maybe a
little water tracker gratitude log
whatever felt necessary on that week in
particular overall though this is the
structure that I'd probably be inclined
to use because it's not too hard to set
up it still looks visually appealing at
least to me and it would help keep me
organized in terms of the layouts that
we've set up in this video as said these
are specifically the ones that I would
use if I were a student again there are
also layouts that I would probably
include outside of the realm of student
life so things not so much related to my
studies or academics but these are the
core ones that would help organize me as
a student if you're looking for more
layout ideas obviously this isn't a
definitive list we do have a separate
video with another 30 ideas that can be
used in your student Journal that one is
worth checking out to to make sure that
you enter the new school year cool K and
collected so click or tap on that one
and I'll see you over there
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