People read blogs to get information to solve a problem (Money Journal, 2016). Chances are you are reading this right now because you have ran into a case of writer's block. I have been there before more often than not actually and I have sought for ways to get out of that certain situation all over the internet. Among the many advice that I received from various social media platforms there were only three ways that really got me out of my writer's block.

Sharing is good and with digital technology, sharing is easy (Stallman, n.d.). I decided to put those three effective useful tips in one post in hopes of being able to help you get out of your own writer's block so here are 3 ways to help you come up with new blog post ideas.

1. Online Articles

Through reading online articles you will be expose to new information and new things that not only could help you come up with your own blog post idea but it could expose you to new ways of solving a problem as well. Taking a chunk out of an already existing article and putting your own twist to it based on how you understand it is a good way to keep yourself generate [more] ideas that could essentially help you into making your best blog post yet. 

I use the mobile application "Pocket" that allows me to save tons of articles to read offline on my spare time. A certain article from the mobile application has inspired me to write this very post that you are reading right now so reading articles online could definitely help you come up with blog post ideas.

2. Magazines

Assuming that the magazines that you pick out are the ones that has something to do with your blog niche, this method allows you to come up with blog post ideas around that niche. Pick yourself a Cosmopolitan Magazine if your niche is beauty and fashion or a Wanderlust Travel Magazine if your niche is all about travelling. There are topics, tips and tricks in there that could give you an idea on what to write about on your next blog post. You could even do the same article but with your own twist to it to give it a new flavor.

This is a favorite method of mine to do because we have a lot of magazines around the house. Even the magazines that were published many years back could help you come up with your own topics that are relevant in today's society.

3. Pinterest

Pinterest is where people discover new ideas and find inspiration to do the things they love ("All About Pinterest", n.d.). It covers a variety of categories from business to weddings, make-up to home decor and photography to travelling. There are a lot more categories worth mentioning but that is for you to find out!

Pinterest is usually the place where I find inspirations for flatlay photography, tips and tricks on how to take good photos and all that good stuff. It is easy to navigate around Pinterest and find pictures that inspires you. It is available in both website form and as a mobile application so you could pretty much take it with you wherever you go.




What is your favorite way to come up with blog post ideas?

Having a planner can be a good thing, it can help you keep track of daily tasks and appointment, helps you manage your time and helps you increase your productivity; however, sometimes the limited space and lack of pages that actually fits your needs can be a little bit of a downer. Although that may not be a bother to some people, it would still be nice to make the best of your planner but with a bullet journal you won't have to worry about wasting any pages.

A Bullet Journal is a customizable and forgiving organization system (Bullet Journal, 2013). There are tons of things you can do with a bullet journal namely it can be your diary, mood tracker, sketchbook, to-do list and many more. It is versatile and can basically adapt to your needs. It doesn't necessarily need to conform to the usual bullet journaling that you see on YouTube and on Pinterest where the creators really got creative with each of their pages. You can just simply add the main components of a bullet journal without having to decorate your pages. These components are topics, short sentences and bullets.

1. Prioritization 

The best way to make things happen is to prioritize (MacDonald, 2018). A bullet journal can simply be your to-do list and when making said list we tend to jot the important tasks needed to be done first before the minor ones. 

That being said you can also stick or draw yourself a monthly calendar in your bullet journal to keep track of appointments and what not. Whatever a planner can do your bullet journal can too. You can accomplish all the things you want by lining up your priorities with a schedule that works best for you (Breus, 2018).

2. Creativity 
If you're one of those people who likes to customize, design, doodle and color in your journal or notebooks then bullet journaling might just be the perfect thing for you. Essentially a bullet journal is a customized planner or sketchbook to help you capture notes, thoughts and inspirations (Cousins, 2017). Thus using a bullet journal can increase your creativity. And like sketchbooks it doesn't matter if you make a mistake on a certain page, though it may bother some people, bullet journaling is a place where you can accept errors and work to improve them in the future.


3. Diary
A diary is a record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period (Wiki, n.y).

Bullet journaling is not only a fun and creative alternative for your regular planner but it can also be your diary. A bullet journal is all of the following: to-do list, planner and diary! You can keep track of your daily activities, schedule important appointments, jot down important memos all in one place without having to worry about organization within the system.

I, personally, am a type of person to keep a lot of notebook for various purposes but ever since I started bullet journaling I've learned to only keep and appreciate one notebook without having the urge to buy a new one.There are days where I want to be creative and make a certain page really cute but most days I tend to just jot down important things first before going in and doodling on them. There are days where I want to keep a diary and my bullet journal is able to fill that void in.

What's your favorite thing about bullet journaling?

I have skipped the last week of January in publishing my last post relating to HTML and CSS programming language because of my insufficient time to write it. Being bombarded with school work has been a struggle for many students especially to those who have extra curricular activities after school. With exam pressures and anxiety received daily, academic stress can become a struggle to students as early as middle school (Huffpost, 2013).

Academic stress can get the best of you if you do not know how to deal with them. Time and scheduling, being organize plays a vital role in your overall performance. Below are my three tips to help you cope with stress.

1. Manage Your Time

Remember that there is only 24 hours in a day and it may seem like it's long but in reality once you get started with your school works or extra curricular activities, you'll notice that 24 hours is not enough to finish all your work especially if you're one of those students who likes to cram the day before their homework is due.

Cramming essentially makes you stressed out because of the pressure of knowing that you'll need to pass whatever homework it is or that there is an exam the next day. The result of cramming varies from person to person but the overall bottom line of this is that it adds up to your stress or it is the cause of you stress. 

To avoid cramming and make the most out of your day, you should learn how to manage your time. Below are just some of my tips in managing mine.

• Plan ahead
• Prioritize wisely
• Be organized 

Planning ahead serves as a guide to me so that I will not get overwhelmed with the things needed to be done in the next few hours or the next days and months. I have noticed that it improved my overall performance at school, it helped me get less stress over thinking about what's going to be my next post, and it helped me become more productive. 

Planning ahead, of course, made me realize what to prioritize on my to-do list so I believe that prioritizing wisely is important as well. The truly urgent work will get more of the attention and ultimately get done faster (Hubpages, 2014). If you know that a certain homework is almost due then you have to prioritize that first before this other homework that has been given to you that is due the next week. 

If you do the two things mentioned above then certainly you'll be organized. And to help you further in planning ahead, I suggest getting a planner or make a bullet journal to meet your needs.

2. Be Prepared 

Prepare the things you need for the next day the night before. This is a simple but helpful tip for students or even workers out there. Preparing your things the night before makes the next day go smoothly because you don't have to worry about forgetting anything. It saves time, you don't have to worry, you just have to go about your morning routine and once you're done you just have to grab that bag and off you go. 

This doesn't only apply to your things but it applies to others as well like prepping your breakfast and making your lunch. The good thing about being prepared the night before is that you're going to get a good night sleep. 

This is similar and quite frankly related to managing your time but this is one of the best tip that you can take to improve your academic performance. A college friend of mine that has a GPA of 4.0 which is equivalent to 93-96 percent, studies 4-7 hours a day. That's a lot of dedication in studying compared to mine. I have a GPA of 3.7 and if you're still interested on how I maintain that grade then read on!

You should have at least 1-3 hours of your time dedicated to studying on one or two subject. I personally think focusing and dedicating your time on a subject that you know you're not good at helps you improve on that particular subject. A little tip in understanding difficult concepts is to use simple analogies to make it memorable for you. 

To have an effective study timetable make sure to include time for homework and revision of materials already covered as well. Revising already covered materials will help you master it and it will remain inside your head.

There are other small ways in which can help you destress a little that can be easily implemented into your daily routine as well.

1. Sleep well
2. Keep a joy journal (this one is inspired by pinterest)
3. Meditate 
4. Draw or paint
5. Workout
6. Play with your dog
7. Read a book
8. Take a nap 
9. Relax
10. Smile and Laugh often

Share your thoughts and your own personal tips on how you deal with academic pressure or stress in general on the comment section below or share it with me on twitter at @danidotyes. Have a nice day!