2021 is finally here, and I think we can all agree that it’s far from how we envisioned it. With COVID-19 still ongoing and a new semester starting, we wish we could terminate the 2021 subscription plan. But it’s here, and we must deal with it. I started getting ready for the new semester a while ago, and I’ve decided to share my tips below with y’all.
- A New Laptop Background
-
This might be annoying, but it’s an easy start to the list. I don’t know how y’all feel, but when I change my laptop background, my laptop feels brand new and makes me feel productive. I change my laptop background every month and sometimes every other week if I’m tired of my current background. I’m a picky person and can never have something for too long if I’m not truly in love with it. I get my wallpapers from theeverygirl.com and hover over their header until I see tech backgrounds. They upload new wallpapers every single month on the last day of the current month. They have wallpapers for all seasons, so they don’t forget about those stuck in the snow ;).
- Organize and Clean Your Laptop
-
Physically cleaning your laptop is a must, but what I really mean is cleaning it of last year’s files and those assignments you wish you’d forgotten about. For me, I literally threw all my files in the trash unless they were extremely important. I did the same thing to any paper copies I had because I didn’t want to be reminded of that semester at all. Also, I organized my Google Drive by year and divided it into fall and spring semester. For example, when I open my drive, I see my 2020-2021 folder which is then divided into spring ‘21 and fall ‘20. Then I have my classes in their respective folders–this makes it easier for me to locate a file and stay organized. I also cleaned my phone of any pictures or screenshots I took of Groupme or Zoom chats because it’s easy to forget what you have in your photos until you look (honestly, I was surprised as well).
- A New Phone Background and Layout
-
This might seem a little off, but along with my laptop tip, having a new phone background and set-up makes it feel new, which makes me feel productive. This is only for iPhone users with the new IOS 14 update, so sorry to Android users! I didn’t want to buy those IOS 14 packs on Etsy, so I instead downloaded an app from the App Store. There are a couple of apps for this, but I’ve personally been using ScreenKit, which offers a variety of aesthetic packs that come with app icons automatically, so you don’t have to go searching on Pinterest for awhile. However, some of the packs don’t come with enough app icons for all the apps I use. I go on Pinterest and look up an aesthetic picture that goes along with the theme (or color), and poof, it’s complete! Currently, I use the blue aesthetic for January and searched blue aesthetic on Pinterest for the rest of my apps. It does take awhile, but I love doing it each month, and I look forward to changing it for February.
Have fun and relax! I know spring semester is already upon us, and none of us want to go back to Zoom classes, but here we are! Just remember to get enough sleep, set aside some me time, and stay organized and on top of your stuff. It’s easy to lose track of time and procrastinate, but in the long run, we all want to look back and be happy with our efforts. Good luck!