Coffee Creamer #2

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Coffee is a major staple in the college student diet...  it just is.

Or at least, it is for me anyways.  Just two days ago, I took my first Chemistry exam (woohoo, it's over!), and just to make sure I was on top of my game the day of the exam, I drank three coffees (yes, three...)

The exam was at 5pm and was only one hour long.  If I spent all hours of my life week studying to ace the exam, the last thing I needed was to be tired and make a silly mistake.

It's a weird feeling, you know?  Being finished with something very important--something that only comes around a few times every semester.  All of the lectures, the textbook readings, the frustration studying, etc, just to take a short exam with thousands of other students...  It's a really nervous/exciting/in-the-moment/adrenaline-rush feeling.  It's actually sort of... fun?

Yeah, I'm weird.  My friend gave me a face when I said that too...  Anyways, while I'm taking a break off the coffee for the next few days, I'll give you the creamer recipe I used quite a lot these past weeks!


Coffee Creamer #2:   (single-serving)
    3 tbs Dried Nonfat Milk
    1-2 tbs Sweetener (like erythritol, Truvia, etc)
    1 cup HOT Coffee
    8-13 drops Stevia Extract (to taste)

Directions:
1.  In the bottom of your coffee mug, add the dried milk and sweetener
2.  Pour the coffee into the mug and whisk until there are no clumps.  Add the stevia and stir again.

Oh, coffee, I'll miss you!

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How to Get Started (studying, cleaning, etc):

     My classes this year demand more hours studying rather than writing ten-page papers or completing plentiful homework assignments.  Around the start of school this fall, I was getting stuck when it was time to study--I didn't know where to start!  All I had written in my agenda was,  study chemistry.  And on the next day, I would write,  STUDY CHEMISTRY!  since I didn't the last day.  I realized that writing those two words were not get me anywhere.  On the outside, it seemed like such an easy task, but once I got started, that task overwhelmed me.  I can't review all those notes!  I can't read half the textbook by next week!!  My worries created anxiousness, and deterred me from studying.  Why was I procrastinating?  Why didn't I know where to start?
     For one, the task, "study chemistry," is plain ambiguous!  And so is "clean house" or "organize closet."  They seem simple from the outside, but once you start, they seem so daunting.  When preparing for the exam I took just a couple days ago, I found that writing each individual task separately was much more effective.


For studying...
     -Instead of writing:  study chemistry,  write:  gather study materials (notes, homework, labs, textbook)
     -For the next day, write:  review notes, or,  review chapter [insert # here]
     -If you are like me and highlight your textbook, then write:  review highlighted passages
     -etc...


For cleaning...
     -Instead of saying:  clean house, start with something like:  wash dirty clothes, or, clean out refrigerator
     -Look around your house and start with one corner, not one room, then just start cleaning!  When I used to get really unorganized, I would dump everything messy in the middle of the room, then slowly put things away to where they were supposed to be, one by one... hang a shirt here, file that paper away there, put away the bagels... you get the picture  :)
     I know that a lot of other students have this problem too.  Studying (and cleaning) is very important, so skipping it is not an option.  I hope this helps, and makes your to-do list tasks seem less intimidating!


-Jess