Category: Blogging 101

it’s almost the roaring twenties again!// feat. end of the decade book tag and more rambles

Published on by 💫Ava💫4 Comments

So I just looked at my calendar and realized that in two days the decade is over. It was literally just January first and all I wanted to do was blink and now its almost twenty flipping twenty!

Copy of why hello there!

Welcome back to my itsy-bitsy corner of the web! Once again I am sorry for my inconsistent posting, I kinda have a bittersweet relationship with my blog. Some days I am in love with it and I would write posts all day and other days I just feel burdened by it xD

But enough of my rambling! I have a lot of stuff planned for this post that will hopefully be interesting and fun so let’s get started!

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the 2010s. The decade of Vine, and memes and oK bOomEr and more awesome stuff is ending. It actually doesn’t make sense like all of a sudden I’m panicking and wondering how this happened so fast. GUYS I’M A LITTLE SCARED TIME IS GOING BY WAY TOO QUICKLY.Image result for panic gif

now let’s talk about boOOooOOOoooOOOooks!

^_^ end of the decade book tag ^_^

I found this tag on youtube and thought it would be fun to do! (SINCE THE WHOLE DECADE IS ENDING AND STUFF!) Let’s get started!

1. favorite book/ series of the decade

I have enjoyed so many great series throughout the decade and it’s so hard to choose! I think my top two would be the Lunar Chronicles and The Chronicles of Narnia! I also really enjoyed the Grisha series!

2. book that has impacted your reading the most

I’m not really sure! So many books have impacted me a lot so its really hard to remember which ones truly stood out. I think maybe Darius the Great is Not Okay, or Operation Beautiful.

3. book you recommended the most

Ahhh I don’t know! Once again there are so many books that I have read and loved that I am uncertain which ones to recommend xD! I think maybe Darius the Great is Not Okay!

4. prettiest book of the decade

What’s up with all the hard questions OMG. There are so many pretty covers that I can’t name them all but my top three are Finale, Cress, and Six of Crows!

5. favorite author of the decade

This is soo hard! There are so many amazing authors and it’s incredibly hard to choose my favorite because I adore all of there writing styles and the way they build their worlds and develop their characters. I think my favorite is probably Marissa Meyer. She has inspired me to write so much and I adore her world-building and her characters!

 

6. a book(s) you want to read before the end of the decade

Welp, I achieved my goal of reading 100 books this year so I think I am pretty much-done reading!

7. a genre you hope to read more of

I want to try to read more non-fiction. As much as I adore fiction, reading too much fiction has given me a lot of unrealistic ideals and has become a huge outlet of procrastination and avoiding things I need to get done and get over. I hope that reading more non-fiction will help me appreciate the world a bit more instead of getting jealous of or falling in love with fictional characters

8. reading plans for the end of the decade

I don’t really have many!

9. reading plans for the new decade

I hope to start book journaling and keeping track of everything I read. I want to kind of write down important parts or quotes from books so I don’t forget them! I want to try to read 150 books in 2020 and try my best not to reread books but actually read new books outside of my comfort zone.

10. habits you’re leaving behind in the 2010s

Comparing myself to others. Negative thinking and negative thoughts about myself. Procrastination and self-loathing.

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^_^ some goals for 2020 ^_^

  • blog more consistently
  • think more positively
  • act friendlier
  • stop having huge crushes and focus on building friendships
  • stop worrying
  • exercise more
  • finish and publish a book
  • learn guitar
  • act in a musical or play
  • start a buisness
  • start a youtube channel
  • try getting a job
  • draw more
  • make more friends
  • spend more time with God
  • read my bible more
  • stop falling in love with random people
  • make my dreams come true

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The 2010s was a huge decade for me! I have gone through and accomplished so much. I’ve had ups and downs, made friends and made frenemies, made choices good and bad.
I am so excited about 2020 and the years that come after. I can’t wait to see the things in store!

What are some things that you have done this year? What are your goals for 2020? What are you the most excited for?

5 easy ways to boost productivity! + free to-do list printable

Published on by 💫Ava💫6 Comments

Copy of why hello there!

Welcome back to my itsy bitsy corner of the web! Or if your new here, thanks for checking out my blog. You can find more about me here!

Today’s post is all about how to boost productivity and get more done in less time.

lets get started to

1. Set a Timer

Estimate the time you need to tackle different tasks and set a timer for each of your tasks. When it comes to the time limit, move on to another task.

2. Eliminate All Distractions

I recommend putting your phone on airplane mode or turning off your notifications. If you’re using a computer to work on a project close out all the other applications. Try to go to a quiet place or alert the people around you to not bother you.

3. Listen to Music

Distractions should be avoided, but sometimes a bit of music in the background can help you focus.

Of course, it doesn’t need to be the Hamilton cast recording on full blast, but a bit of Beethoven may do you some good. If you’re not a fan of classical music, there are plenty of relaxing, lofi study playlists on youtube. The songs are really nice and it does help you focus.

4. Take a break from technology

The Internet has become one of the number one distraction. To increase your productivity, try to do as much of your work offline as possible.

I find it easier to brainstorm with pen and paper than on a notes app, because not only is it relaxing, it’s easier to stay focused on.

5. Just Start

Often times, starting is the hardest part. People often wait for the perfect time to start a project, but usually, there is no perfect time, and they are really just procrastinating and they never start.

Once you get started, you will quickly get into a rhythm that could last for hours!

The last thing I have for you guys is a little printable to-do list/ planner. This is great for jotting down things to do and planning your day out.

Get it done girl!click here to download!

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Thanks for reading this post, I hope the tips helped! What are some ways you stay productive? What projects are you working on? How do you manage your time?

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Why I’ve been gone//+ I hit 1k on instagram?!

Published on by 💫Ava💫7 Comments

Copy of why hello there!

Welcome back to my itsy bitsy corner of the web! Or if your new here, thanks for checking out my blog. You can find more about me here!

If your one of my regular visitors you might have noticed that I haven’t posted for quite a while. Recently I have of been in a creativity block, I have been a bit unmotivated and it has been a little harder to come up with unique and interesting blog post ideas. You may have even noticed that some of my more recent posts have been a little jumbled and not as long as my other posts. It has been pretty refreshing to take a break from my blog, It has helped me focus on some of my priorities like studying more, but I have really missed blogging and sharing my thoughts with you guys. So I’m happy to say that I am back.

I am going to try to post twice a week; Tuesdays and Fridays, like I tried to do before. Tuesdays will have a more bookish theme and Fridays will have more of a lifestyle theme. And I will try to keep you guys updated by posting on my Instagram @elysianartiste.

Speaking of Instagram, I recently hit 1k+ followers which I am sooo thankful for. As a teen blogger, It can be easy to get discouraged and feel like your content is trashy, So it means so much that 1000+ people appreciate my content and enjoy it! I honestly never imagined I would get that far. I am really thankful that my parents entrusted me with Instagram because they aren’t really huge fans of social media, so I am so grateful that they allowed me to use it.

If you are allowed to use Instagram, I really recommend you follow my page @elysianartiste, I post daily, and I have fun quizzes and stuff on my story and its easier for me to engage with my followers.

If you arent allowed to use Instagram I totally feel you. It took many tries to get my parents to agree to let me use Instagram as another platform to express my creativity. If you really want Instagram, I recommend setting aside a time to talk to your parents when they are not busy or working on anything else. Explain why you want it, The benefits of having it, and ask what the boundaries are and If they do allow you to have it, respect the boundaries. Once they see you obeying the boundaries it allows them to trust you more and eventually they will give you more freedom.

So yeah, short story long that’s why I have been gone and not so active with my posting. I am really excited to get back into the blogging world. I have a bunch of great content that I cannot wait to share with all of you!

Thanks for reading today’s blog post! I am excited to get back into the blogging world!

 

keep smiling, ava 

 

 

how to learn a language faster

Published on by 💫Ava💫29 Comments

Copy of why hello there!

Welcome back to my itsy-bitsy corner of the web! So if you didn’t know, I LOVE LANGUAGES. I am trying to learn French, Japanese, Korean and Swahili. I have only gotten far in French so far. So in today’s post, I wanted to share some tips on how to learn a language faster.

lets get started

One of my favorite ways to learn new languages is to use duolingo! Duolingo is a free app and website that helps you learn languages. I use this a lot and It really helps!

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Duolingo is fun and engaging and I really recommend it for anyone who wants to learn a new language Let’s move on to the tips!

  1. Study the language every day. Find little ways to use the words of your chosen language each day
    • Language learning is based on repetition — repeating something into your brain over and over again until you remember it. If you break too long between study sessions, you are much more prone to forget what you learned last time and you will waste valuable study time going back over what you’ve already learned.
    • You can cut down on this wasted time by studying every day. There are no miraculous short cuts when it comes to language learning — you just need to commit.
  2. Watch, listen, read and write in your chosen language. Immersing yourself in a language means doing all of the activities you would normally do in your native tongue, through your new language — whether that’s reading, writing or listening.

This is one of my favorite ways to learn languages because you don’t really have to do much work, you just listen or read.

  • Possibly the easiest thing you can do is watch television shows or movies in the language you are trying to learn. Try to avoid subtitles, as you will tend to rely on them. To make things easier, try to watch shows or movies whose plots you are already familiar with — like kids’ cartoons or dubbed versions of English movies — knowing the context will help you to decipher the meanings of words and phrases.
  • You should also attempt to read and write in your new language. Get a newspaper or magazine and attempt to read one article a day — looking up any words you don’t understand in your dictionary. You should also try to write a few simple things in your new language –whether it’s a pretend postcard or a shopping list.
  • Download podcasts or tune in to radio stations in your new language. This is a great way to immerse yourself in the language while you’re on the go. Not only does this help with your listening comprehension, but it also allows you to hear the correct pronunciation of common words and phrases.
  • Listening to songs in different languages is fun too!

 

3. Learn the alphabet of the language you are learning, if necessary. It will make it significantly easier for you and you will be able to read and pronounce words, which will help you memorize them with greater ease. Plus, it is better for you to be sounding the words out rather than looking at the romanization for the words.

4. Have fun! The most important part about learning a language is having fun and enjoying it! Try to use your skills to communicate with others online or have a penpal that speaks the language your learning!

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I hope these tips helped you! thanks for reading!

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Are you learning any languages? What languages do you speak?

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positively positive//how to stay positive even when it’s hard

Published on by 💫Ava💫13 Comments

Copy of why hello there!

Welcome back to my itsy-bitsy corner of the web! Today’s post is going to be about staying positive, even when it can be challenging.

I am not going to lie, It has been really hard to be positive this month. I had so many goals and To-Do’s and amazing things I wanted to accomplish, but everything gets in the way and everything goes wrong. For example, yesterday I planned on planning today’s blog post so I could spend today working on my overdue podcast episode and catching back up on Camp Nano. Of course, my perfect plan didn’t work out. So now, I am rushing trying to write this blog post, doing schoolwork, posting overdue pictures, working on an overdue podcast episode.

Also practicing for my easter performance and youth worship.

If you can’t tell I am very stressed out.

There are two ways I can handle my stress and frustration.

  1. Bask in the frustration and procrastinate.

Or

2. Acknowledge what went wrong and still work on your projects.

What do you think is a better choice? I think Number 2 is the best choice.

Even though staying negative is obviously a lot easier, in the end, it makes things harder. But, staying positive can help you accomplish more things and stay on top of your projects.

If you are feeling negative and stressed when working on something, it’s okay to take a break. During your break, work on a different aspect of your project, or on a different project that might be easier to do. That way you won’t waste any extra time during your day.

It can be a challenge to stay positive but in the end, it always benefits you!

pros of being positive+

+ positive people will feel happier

+ positive people will do better on assignments and tests

+positive leaders are able to make better decisions under pressure

+Positive people are able to maintain a broader perspective and see the big picture which helps them identify solutions whereas negative people maintain a narrower perspective and tend to focus on problems.

+Positive work environments outperform negative work environments.

Are Positivity and Negativity a personality?

No. Positivity and Negativity are both choices you can make. You can choose to be positive and you can choose to be negative. For every emotion, you feel you can make a choice to feel them or not. When I choose to be positive, even when I feel negative I can learn to control my emotions. I am a very emotional person and I am not good at hiding my feelings (thanks to my awesome acting skills uwu) But I can choose to stay positive by putting positive thoughts in my head.

Positive thoughts.

The key to staying positive is to replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Imagine you are in a case against your brain. You are your lawyer and you are defending yourself. You have the evidence about what is true about you. (does this make sense xD?)

If negativity tells you that you look bad today, tell yourself that you look good and that it’s in the inside that matters.

If negativity tells you that your acne looks bad, remember that there are some people that have facial deformities and remember that you are BLESSED ( beautiful, loved, excellent, saved, special, Enough, dandy)

If negativity tells you that you are unworthy of Gods love, remember that God will always love you and is waiting for you with open arms, ready for you to repent and come back to him.

Positivity Pointers- (tips for staying positive)

Here are some ways to stay positive.

Praise and worship. Don’t complain. Focus on someone else instead of myself~ Madison Grace

Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.

Inspire others and that will inspire yourself

Count your blessings

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I hope these tips helped you! Thank you so much for reading my post! Have a great day!

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How do you stay positive?

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