A New Purpose

I've had this blog for about two years now, and I am sure you can tell that I haven't used it much in the past year. I'd like to change that, mostly because I have been invigorated by a new purpose. I first started this blog to share tips of school success and organization, which I will continue don't worry, but I would like to add more than that. I want to share tips on success outside of the classroom (after all, we won't be students forever will we?) 

So from now on I will be sharing tips on how to continue your learning and success during your time in school and beyond.

For a while I described myself as strictly a type A/gold personality. This is still mostly true, but I'm learning how to fill in the gaps and address the weaknesses of that kind of personality.

One of those gaps being creativity.

The organized and well planned people of the world are not always the first person you think of when you hear the word creativity. But I wanted to change that. Yes, I do like everything to be organized and to match, but I also like to play around with different options and possibilities. I am not afraid to make mistakes if it means getting to the right decision in the end.

So this blog is a little bit about my own personal journey into creativity and many other areas I wish to improve and learn about, but my hope is that in sharing it with you, you may learn something along the way too and become your own success.

I hope you enjoy!
Lauren

Free Printable: To Do List

I love to do lists. I create one pretty much everyday. I often have so much I need to do and say I want to do that I tend to leave some things out, oops. So having a go-to place to put those things is amazing. And doing it in style? Even better. So I decided to make a little printable. It has two to a page, so you will have to cut each paper. I figured a whole 8.5 x 11 sheet would be too big (and if not, you're one busy person!).

Here is a close up of the sheet

And the best part is that it fits perfectly in the pocket of my new Kate Spade Agenda.

And the best part is that it fits perfectly in the pocket of my new Kate Spade Agenda.

So here it is to download, just go to the link, right click, save and print! Simple as that

Click here to get it!

xoxo Lauren

Should I Rush? How I Feel about Sorority Recruitment

A question I get so often from girls is should I rush? My answer is almost always yes! And here is why

I am in a sorority and love it. I have met two of my best friends there, girls I know will be by my side for years to come. My answer to the question is this: if you are even considering it you should do it. Going through recruitment does not mean you have to join a sorority! It means you are potentially interested and want to talk to a few girls to figure out what it's all about. 

I say if you're considering it, it's worth a shot. You can always try it and drop out of recruitment if it is really not your thing. Most people figure this out pretty soon. Once you've done a day or two of recruitment you'll probably either be in love or you'll say this isn't for me. And either is completely fine and acceptable. Just two quick tips is to keep an open mind and stay true to who you are. Keep those things in mind and I know you will figure out whether or not greek life is for you!

xoxo Lauren

Pin with Me!

I love Pinterest and seeing what other people find! So I've decided to make a few boards on my Pinterest page that I will let anyone pin on. I want to see what you've found that is helpful and what not.

Here is how it works:

1. Follow me on Pinterest, you have to be following in order for me to invite you http://www.pinterest.com/ashleigh0420/college-tips/
2. Go to the bottom of my blog and just send me a message (you'll see this at the very bottom of the page). Just type in your first name, email, and say "add me to your Pinterest board"
3. I'll invite you to my page
4. Then you can accept and viola you can pin to my board!

I am so excited, and I hope you all want to pin with me

xoxo Lauren

Agenda Smackdown: Lilly Pulitzer vs. Kate Spade

The other day I got a comment asking the pros and cons of the Lilly Pulitzer and Kate Spade agendas, and decided to write a whole post about it!

However when I got down to it, the agendas function pretty similarly so I do not have a whole lot of pros and cons for each, but I will explain my though process in my choice of agenda this year!

Last year I had a Lilly agenda and loved it! It was colorful and cute and I truly adored it. So this year I pre-ordered another (a jumbo this time, the pocket just wasn't cutting it). When it came however, the back of the agenda completely fell off and I was a little upset. I also noticed that the overall quality just wasn't as great as my last one, which made me seriously reconsider my choice. So I returned the Lilly and got a Kate Spade one instead. Here's why I love my Kate Spade agenda.

Unlike the Lilly Pulitzer agenda, the Kate Spade agenda's spiral binding is covered on the outside, so the back of the agenda falling off will never be a problem! This is really the thing that stood out to me the most. Also I realized I like the look more anyway. While I still love Lilly, I noticed that the Kate Spade agenda would match my other school supplies more, and I love matching. It also just seemed to be classier, I feel a little more sophisticated going into my meetings with the simple design.

So here are my final thoughts and advice:

If you love Lilly and color go for it! I am sure my experience with the quality is not normal, I probably just got a bad one. But I would advise you to see it in person before buying, rather than order online as I did.

If you like simple designs go with Kate! It's classic design is very versatile and so chic. The outside cover is handy and will protect your agenda from wear and tear.

The choice really comes down to aesthetic and what you prefer, because when I thought about it they function very similarly! They pretty much have some of the same features, just a different look.

So what will you choose, a colorful design or a simple look?

xoxo Lauren

ps: here is my post about my Kate Spad Agenda and the one of how I organized my Lilly Pulitzer Agenda

Favorite Finds: Kate Spade Agenda

If there is one thing I love, it's agendas. It's my favorite part of the new school year. Sometimes picking one out can be kind of tough. Last year I chose a Lilly Pulitzer agenda (here is the post on how I organized it), but this year I decided to go with Kate Spade. Initially I chose Lilly, but I realized that I liked the simplicity of the Kate Spade ones more. Here is a closer look inside!

This is what it looks like before every month

Here is the monthly view

And this is the weekly view

Overall, I love this agenda! It looks great and has enough space for me to write. Cute and functional, is all I can ask for. I bought mine online from Lifeguard Press

xoxo Lauren 

*all pictures and edits are mine

Notice Anything Different?

Ta da! I have completely changed up my blog. Went from yellow, pink, and orange to black white & gold. Less colorful, yes, but I do believe it suits my style more. I am a pretty simple girl and like minimalistic designs so I feel the black & white stripes with a hint of gold suits my style pretty well. Plus I was inspired by my new Kate Spade agenda (post about that hopefully soon). Anyway, I really want to continue this blog because of the support I have been getting from other posts. I have not been keeping up with it lately, though, because I have a hard time coming up with ideas, but I am trying! If you have something you would like to see feel free to comment and tell me! I love suggestions. Also let me know what you think about the new design.

xoxo Lauren