First Ever Vlog!

Today I finally uploaded my first ever vlog! Whenever I have seen people's own YouTube videos I've never really realised how much time and effort went into editing it. It's clear to say that it took me much longer than I had ever expected. 

I started editing the footage as soon as it started piling up as small clips within the first few days of the holiday. I'd use the time in the morning and evening when we weren't really doing anything to try and order the clips in a fashionable manner, which looked somewhat alright. Since this is my first attempt at vlogging, and for that matter making a YouTube video, I was stuck using the old school Windows Movie Maker which I found okay until I started importing all the footage throughout the week. It was terrible and the software kept crashing and was dead laggy. 

After editing all the footage I realised that it would be a good idea to split it up since Movie Maker was driving me insane with how slow it was being. At this current moment in time I've only managed to split the first two parts of the video up; the first vlog is uploaded and the second just needs a thumbnail before I shall upload it. 

The reason I wanted to vlog this holiday is because I've been into watching vlogs and YouTube for more than two years now and have been really intrigued and wanted to be able to produce content like some of my favourite YouTubers. I think the only reason I managed to convince Josh into helping me do this is because I introduced him to Hannah Maggs, or should I say The Michalak Family Video Diaries - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAm6pD2wwvzveOA9znHaSWYqFI9FUiucq

Not only was I intrigued by these YouTubers which I had been watching for a long time, but, since me and Josh have been together for a while now, I thought it'd be a good idea to start documenting our lives, not all of it, but the happiest times and when we visit places.

It'd mean the world to me if you went over to my channel and watched these vlogs and told me what you think.

Click Here for the first vlog!

I hope you enjoyed this post; be sure to lookout for more in the future as well as the other vlogs on my YouTube channel that will be uploaded very soon! :) 

Becky x

Study/Revision Tips

For many years I've never really had to do any serious revision for exams. However, recently I've had to take my second set of Yr 11 mocks and I've began to find out a range of different study tips. Therefore I thought that it would be helpful to share these tips with you so that, maybe, I can help you with getting through endless and intense revision for important exams that you might be having to take.

The first thing that I would suggest is to set yourself a designated area appropriate for studying. To make this area beneficial for work, it's a good idea to have a comfortable place to sit, depending on what kind of revision or work you're doing you may need something hard to lean on such as a table and it's also better to work in a well lit area that is fairly cool so that you are kept awake since a warm and humid atmosphere can make you sleepy.

Another way to make yourself stay energized whilst working is to eat snacks, depending on your diet and whether you're bothered about eating healthy, you can vary your choice of snack. Above is one of my favourite finger foods to eat to keep my brain awake. It's especially good to consume vitamin c which is naturally found in fruit and vegetables so therefore it's healthy and it's also known to make you feel more awake.  

Along side eating snacks, you should also stay hydrated. Water is needed to make the body function properly so without it your brain isn't going to be working at it's best when you really need it to whilst studying. In the photo above, I've included some mint green tea which I've found is amazing at waking me up when I've fallen off the track of actively working and began to feel a bit sleepy.

It's very true that revising is very mundane and tedious which is why rewarding yourself after doing each piece of work is key. Doing this helps motivate you to finish each piece as you know that there is something to look forward once you've completed it, this way it doesn't feel as long and boring as it would if you didn't. One of my favourite ways of rewarding myself is by watching a YouTube video, text someone or scroll through Twitter or Tumblr on my phone.

To keep your blood flowing through your body and to stay awake, it's a good idea to get up once in a while to go for a walk or even a light jog. This benefits your health as well and keeping you motivated to power on through your work.

A further way to prevent studying from becoming dull, depending on if you can work whilst it's playing, you can listen to music. Personally I can't always concentrate whilst listening to upbeat and loud music, and for that reason I tend to listen to quiet and mellow music with little loud singing.

An additional thing I like to do is use brightly coloured pens and highlighters. This allows me to make different sections easily noticeable and also allows revising to be much more fun. I also like to use coloured sticky notes to pinpoint different pages in books, making them easier to find. It's also a good idea to underline key phrases or quotes.

It's always handy to have an A4 note pad of some kind. They are great for taking notes in lessons and then revising them later on or to use as a place to produce pieces of revision. The main use of my notebook is to read information and put it into my own words. I've found that this type of revision works best for me so far.

My final study tip is to keep a planner. Lucky for me, my school give us a new planner at the beginning of every year for free which I find very helpful. A planner allows you to record any work you need to get done, therefore you can check and instantly find out what you need to do each night and for when. It's also the greatest feeling in the world being able to cross out a dreaded task from your planner once you've completed it. 

I hoped you enjoyed this post and be sure to lookout for another one soon! :) 

Becky x