Life Hacks!

Waking up knowing you have to head to university tends to be the least enjoyable part of the day for most of us. With these few tips it might just ensure you both make it there on time and with all the correct necessities in your bag. Alarms: Its no surprise most people use alarms to help them get up at a specific time, however that temptation for us to get up, turn it off and get straight back into bed, can sometimes be overwhelming. Heres a list of small things you can change that might help! - Put your phone/alarm in a non reachable spot from   your bed so you physically have to get up and out of bed - Put your phone/alarm into a jar or something to amplify the sound image from: http://sarcasmlol.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/phonespeaker.jpg Prepare the night before: This 10 minutes you spend before bed every night can save you time and sleep in the morning Things such as - Food prepping - Going through the checklist of things to bring to class - lay

Mnemonic devices are actually really useful tricks to have up your sleeve. Now, you may have heard of this technique, but could not remember or spell the word! So, what is it? It is using a pattern of letters or ideas which assist you in remembering something. It does work! Well, I still remember the taxonomy hierarchy (learnt in Year 8) from this simple phrase: K ind p eople c an o ften f ind g reen s hoes. K ingdom, P hylum, C lass, O rder, F amily, G enus and S pecies.  photo from:  https://www.polyvore.com/converse_canvas_allstar_hi_kids/thing?id=89651940 Perhaps you remember a more common mnemonic in Maths. For instance, when you had to do Order of Operations when using BODMAS or PEDMAS .  photo from:  https://literaryterms.net/mnemonic/ You can use a rhyme, or use it to make it into a word! Why not give it a go! What are you going to try and memorise?   Catherine

Hey life hacks squad! So last week I covered the basics of how to get ready in a rush and what to focus on so this week I thought i'd cover little tips and tricks to improve your makeup game so everyone in the room will be envious! First make sure you start with a moisturised face and apply primer! Depending on the primer you get, it can drastically help minimise pores or the look of redness on skin which can make a huge difference in application. Another big tip is invest in good brushes! If your brush or sponge can barely apply paint evenly, what makes anyone thing it would even do a decent job applying it on a face. I personally recommend the beauty blender which you can buy online or from a Sephora store as well as brushes from Morphe, Sigma, Bare Minerals, Nude by Nature, Real Techniques, or even Artis brushes. All of those recommendations I have provided range in prices so if you don't want to bust the bank there's still some for you! Next, colour correct! If

Budgets Whether your a university student or not, budgeting is a important life skill to have. If your a university student reading this, you know the struggles when i comes to balancing work, University, social life and money. Sometimes the bank account has to take a hit in order for you to get that next assessment done or you end up working instead of getting that time with friends or family. This is when a budget/plan comes in. It helps you manage your finances by planning ahead based on what you might spend or what you might be saving up for. Documenting your expenses The first step towards a budget is working out how much you earn vs how much you spend. This means displaying your set expenses (rent, phone bill, insurance etc) + what you might spend on average per month. Then offsetting that by working out how much you earn on average a month (fortnightly also is a great option). This helps you calculate whether at the end of a typical month your making a profit or a loss

Often in universities, you may enter lectures or classes swamped by laptops and iPads, which have taken over traditional methods of note-taking. Whichever method you prefer, colour-code your notes! Here are some of the benefits: Allows you to find information quickly. Helps you to organise information – such as headings and sub-headings. Make links between ideas such as making timelines for important dates. Now, I wouldn’t say go too crazy with the colours. You don’t need to buy an 8 pack of highlighters from your local stationery shop, as too many colours can be overwhelming. Pick a few colours, create a key and use it!  Photo from: https://crazylittlerowling.wordpress.com/2016/09/18/testophobia-fear-of-exams-and-how-to-overcome-it-what-straight-a-students-are-following-and-they-arent-telling-you/24abc4bc28727d2c327c2463b1189ef1/ Catherine

Hey guys Today I wanted to share with you some of the ins and outs of Google Chrome, the most popular web browser. These tricks will massively increase the speed at which you perform tasks on the internet,  primarily through easy to remember shortcuts. First off, regarding the usage of windows and tabs, most people will know that ctrl+t will open a new tab, ctrl+n will open a new window, and ctrl+w will close the current page, but most people won't know that they can close an entire window through ctrl+shift+w . Also, if you accidentally close a tab that you didn't mean to you can use ctrl+shift+t to open the last page you closed, and can be used up to 10 times! Picture from:http://www.freecomputermaintenance.com/windows-tips-2/common-windows-7-keyboard-shortcuts/ This next trick is extremely useful when browsing the internet for tasks such as research or shopping, where you generally want to look at multiple sources or products. By using ctrl+left cl

Hey guys! So you planned to catch up with some friends but got distracted and let the time get away by binge watching the latest episodes on netflix? Don't worry I've been there too! Which is why I've come up with some tips to skip the full makeup routine and focus on essentials. Firstly, don't forget your brows, you don't need a full face of makeup but if you're going to do one thing, it's mascara and brows! They instantly lift your look and who doesn't love a good eyebrow game! Photo from: https://au.pinterest.com/pin/387450374166533282 Another handy tip, you'll need to make sure you look awake and refreshed so don't skimp out on the hydration. Drink plenty of water especially when you wake up and use a cooling moisturiser to reduce the look of tired puffy eyes.  Lastly, you've got to make sure you look presentable right? So make sure you pick something that doesn't have stains or wrinkles. Going for a neutral or

Many of us have issues with studying at university, let alone studying at home with all the distractions e.g. parents, Facebook Heres some quick tips to help you maximise your study time at home - Eliminate as many distractions as possible         - Turn off Laptops/phones if not needed         - Find a secluded quiet space to work         - Make your parents aware your not to be disturbed         - Wear comfortable clothing - Make a Plan/Set goals         - Make a schedule that focuses on different subjects at different times, so your time is spread               appropriately         - Plan what days your going to study and which days will be your days off         - Set goals for that given time of work whether its time or quantity related         - Put this schedule up on your wall to help yourself get into a daily routine - Ensure you give yourself breaks/rewards        - Setting 5 minute breaks every 30-60 minutes helps refocus your mind        - Rewarding y

Do you often want to be prepared going to a lecture? Sometimes, you are fortunate that the class releases lecture slides prior to the lecture, such as a PDF or a PowerPoint presentation.  Here are a few tips:  - Printing off the slides (at home or the library!) - Going through the slides before the lecture does help - allows you to become aware of the topics and themes discussed.  - Add notes, highlights and diagrams to the slides.  I have also found that this helps me listen to the lecturer, rather than merely copying off the slides. This becomes really beneficial, as it allows you to add extra information or diagrams to the slides.  Photo taken by: Catherine I am also aware that some classes do not release slides, so I would recommend trying to do the readings prior to the lecture. Some readings can be as long as 20+ pages, so skim the intro, look at the sub-headings and look at the conclusion. This will give you a brief overview of the topic and help you listen to

It's Tiarni, Catherine, Oliver and Alex and we all wish to welcome you to our blog! We are creating this blog to give you all great life hacks that you can use in everyday life including aspects like beauty, cars, study tips and computers.  You may not know much about us yet but here's an introduction to each member. Tiarni Hey guys! I'm Tiarni as noted above and a random fact about me is that i'm only 4'9", i know, it's short. That fact may not have been a life hack but its a getting to know you process where I would now tell you about what i enjoy. I have a love for beauty and makeup so of course you will see some great posts about ways to make your everyday makeup journey a lot faster if you can get lazy or run out of time just like I do! My time management may be poor but I know how to throw on some makeup in a couple minutes because of it!! I also am greatly interested in cars and so if you don't see Al