Patchworked.

Or, you know, continue. I started this post Friday but am only getting around to finishing it today.

I am in the middle of preparing for my various midterm examinations and essays and such; I have been my usual hermit self in my heated bedroom with a netbook on my lap and an assortment of textbooks, worksheets and two Mukmuk plushies (I love them dearly) surrounding me.

So far, I’ve been successful, except for the first day when I procrastinated by watching clips of Grey’s Anatomy for two hours. HOWEVER, that was the only time I’ve done that, and I’ve been productive for the rest of the weekend.

How am I managing? Well, I’ve had the help of the following:

① LeechBlock Add-on for Firefox – Only for the brave of heart. I’ve used the add-on to block Facebook, Tumblr, etc. along with other procrastination-inducing sites. You can choose to block sites for a specified amount of time, after a certain amount of time, or a combination of both. It’s especially useful if you know you can’t get rid of the Internet since you have an online assignment for Econ or a quiz to do on VISTA.

② MindMeister – Ultimate brainstorming tool which I’ve used to assemble my points for my History essay. It’s for those 1) who can’t read their messy handwriting after scribbling a bunch of ideas (aka me) 2) who use the computer as a tool for everything, and/or 3) who just can’t seem to organize their thoughts that well. You can modify colours and put in images and icons to really put ideas into (virtual) reality. There are, of course, other mindmap sites out there (Mindomo, bubbl.us, Mind 42) but I find this one to suit me the best.

③ 8tracks – I shall add on to fellow blogger Sara’s rec of the site Stereomood. 8tracks has been my favorite place for creating playlists and discovering new music for a while now. It’s perfect for those who don’t want to fill their teeny netbooks with too much files but still want their musix fix.

A really great playlist that I have to recommend for everyone is Of the heart by user starsmending. It is filled with nothing but lovely instrumental music, which I find really helps me with my studying. Another playlist to try, is, well, mine (shameless promotion FTW): the first thing, which is a collection of piano instrumentals that I’m really attached to.

I’d also love to know:
What online tools do you use for studying?
Do share, because I’m a bit of a computer geek who loves comparing programs and websites and takes joy in browsing the web for these kinds of lifehacks.

Ever the keener (kind of),
Jennine