a true 2025 review
in my bullet journal, i make monthly review pages with spaces to write the difficulties i faced, how i learned from them, my successes, and what i'm excited for in the coming months. i also have larger sections dedicated to detailing specifics dates and events i'd like to remember :)
difficulties i faced
- getting out of a slump and into a productive, focused mindset
- buying less than i actually need
- spreading myself thin
- knee pain
- getting the energy to study
- trying to be consistently healthy and sleeping well
- losing a friend and feeling betrayed and a bit lost
- getting distracted OFTEN
- keeping momentum going day to day
- being on my phone mindlessly
what i learned
- to be consistent and make progress everyday is a lot better for my mental health than trying to be super productive in a shorter time period
- i need better time management
- being outside is fun :)
- pomodoro method is a good method of discipline for me, but it's not fool-proof
- making a study plan helped a lot with executive dysfunction and managing my anxiety
- to check what i pay for before i pay for it...
- slow and steady :)
my successes
- i passed my first gen chem II exam
- i got 100 on another gen chem II exam!!!!
- cooking more! i made my own ramen with veggies and cheese, caesar salad wraps, and buttered noodles
- i passed all of my classes in spring AND fall !!!!!!!
- getting 92 on my first cell bio exam
- getting 100 on my first ethnography essay!!!
- starting working on my personal website :) it's been really fun and rewarding
- getting my TDAP shot so i can do a research project (i hate needles and medical stuff stresses me out so huge win!)
what i was excited for
- going to Poland with my mom in the summer!!
- spring break :>
- working on my Tree of Life, which is a personal project i've been working on of compiling all the info of all the animals i learn about in all of my zoology courses
- Starkid's rerun of The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals
- Jujutsu Kaisen movie and season 3!!!
- Chainsaw Man Reze Arc movie!!!
- My Hero Academia season 8!!
- a new Ninja Sex Party cover album YAY
dates to remember
- January 26th, i learned how to play bullshit and egyptian ratscrew with some friends and it was really fun but we only played it that one time because we'd get really loud while playing lmao
- February 12th, i attended a lil group painting event held by the psychology club and it was outside and dark, but really chill and fun. i painted a lil abstract rose with glittery paint!
- February 20th, for herpetology, my professor had us visit a small campus with a lot of surrounding forest to look for herps. we never found anything but it was a nice walk and i had a good time shooting the breeze with my classmates
- March 22nd, my mom and brothers visited me at my apartment! we also went to a nearby park and ate together at Texas Roadhouse, and it was a really nice change of pace
- March 28th, thrifted with some friends and got some stuff i actually like and use, including a nice leather wallet, a baby sock coin purse, and one of the Fazbear Fright books :D
- April 15th, played Hues and Cues for the first time with some friends after watching Smosh play it and it was SO FUN
- April 17th, watched the Miku Who Can't Sing movie which was a really good movie that moved me, plus some people sitting near me at the theater passed out glow sticks for the ending and it was really sweet :D
- October 30th, had an ochem exam that really drained me so i spent the rest of the day buying some trinkets and treats, playing video games and watching my shows with 2 good friends :)
- November 5th, my first improv club meeting! i felt awkward but it was fun and i immediately felt comfortable
- December 14th, my birthday! my mom took me and my brother to a lil local restaurant by the water and i had a mimosa and shrimp tacos, and we had a fruit tart for dessert :3 twas a very nice and chill day
- December 23rd, got a new pc as a late birthday present! it's been really nice and i can finally play modded minecraft without my laptop trying to lift off lmao
- December 29th, i visited the new MOTE Marine aquarium location with my family and it was so cool! i think my favorite parts were seeing the otters and the giant pacific octopus <3