Since I missed 4 months out of my first year of A levels due to glandular fever, I have had a lot of catching up to do this year. This means I have had to stop procrastinating as much as I used to and have collected some pretty useful tips on how to do this.

1. Make a schedule. Last year I revised what I felt like revising when I felt like revising it, which meant that some topics that I enjoyed had been revised thoroughly, whereas others didn't get looked at at all. It also meant that often I'd spend an hour or so revising and then get bored. If I have everything planned I do my revision and then fit everything else around that.
2. Plan for rest days. Make sure there is at least one day every week that you leave free for doing all the fun things which would otherwise distract you from your work.
3. Get a proper sleeping schedule. If you're tired, you're less focused and therefore more likely to put off doing important things. It can also become tempting to take naps, which is very dangerous because you never know how long they will last and can take up a lot of your time.
4. Allow yourself a daily treat. A massage, an hour reading a good book, even just a tea break. Taking a small step back from work makes it seems less daunting and allows a calmer more focused approach. Be careful to stick to your allotted time for this though, otherwise it can become procrastination itself.
5. Set realistic targets. If you plan to do one chapter's worth of notes you're more likely to do it than if you try and force yourself to do a whole book. Similarly, make sure you leave enough time to achieve the goals you have set out for yourself.
6. Prioritise. This may seem obvious but last year I tried to do everything at once and it was just too much. This year I get my work done in order of priority so if I don't manage to do something it doesn't matter so much.
7. Eat breakfast!!! It's the most important meal of the day for a reason.
8. Plan a trip. This works particularly well if you're revising, plan something for after exams that you can look forward to and makes all your hard work seem worthwhile. Since you probably won't go out much during exam season it should be easy to save up for too ;).
9. Remind yourself why you're doing this. I want to do well in my a levels so that I can go to university next year, therefore I have a photo of the campus up on my wall to motivate me. A friend of mine is trying to make his mum proud so he set a reminder on his phone to tell him that once a day if he's struggling. It just makes it all easier to bear when you think of the outcome.
10. Don't be too hard on yourself. If things don't go to plan, don't give up and put off working at it again, keep focused and try again. Also if you're having a bad day, don't overwork yourself. Take a break. It makes everything better long term.

While I'm not an expert in that I have a huge amount of piercings, I have four and can remember having them all done, unlike some very small children who get their ears done. In the last year, I had my belly button pierced, and more recently my forward helix, which is basically where your ear joins onto the side of your head at the top.

1. It will hurt. People who say it won't are probably like mothers who tell other people that labour doesn't hurt: they have the beautiful veil of their shiny new piercing that blocks the memory of having it done. Cartilage hurts more than just skin but it's one of those things that is over v quick.
2. You WILL have a moment of regret while it's healing. Whether that's because it's now uncomfortable to sleep or smile or eat or what, is location-dependent, but at some point, you'll wonder if it's worth the hassle.
3. Saltwater solutions feel gross. Usually, you'll have to bathe your new body jewellery in a sea salt solution, and sometimes bits of crusty grossness will come off.... yeah, it's a little odd.
4. Don't get it done with a gun. I have experienced both a gun and a needle and had a traumatic experience with the former, so I would seriously not recommend it. That and the fact that they can be way more unsanitary, and if you have your cartilage pierced, it can shatter. 
5. Don't make price your deciding factor. You're literally having a hole poked through your skin. Treat yo'self.
6.  Schedule it knowing what you're going to be doing. Some piercings won't like a chlorine swimming pool, so if you get it done in June just a month before your resort holiday, you may spend that whole time with it feeling awful. The safest bet is probably September onwards so that you can have it fully healed by the summer.
7. Don't get it done for someone else. It may be for a partner, or to piss off your parents, or because all of your friends have it, but seriously, like anything, be your true self. (Also bodily autonomy is an important thing, and just generally it's an unhealthy thing to change a part of yourself for anyone else). Also, you're more likely to regret it if it wasn't actually your idea in the first place.
8. Ask the person piercing you about future ones. If you want a triple forward helix or something, ask them to leave enough room, or even if it will be possible. Plus this helps you work out what you can do, before the agony of a failed appointment and disappointment. You may also receive some unusual compliments, such as 'you're the anatomical model for an ear' or 'ooh you have a lovely outer conch' (I have such high self-esteem about my ears now).
9. If you have your bellybutton (officially named navel) pierced, you can then draw a mouth or curve your finger to look like one, and Snapchat recognises it as a face!

I am fortunate enough to have two younger brothers who (most of the time) I love and adore. The older one, Finn, is 15 and annoys the hell out of me, but is also absolutely hilarious. The younger one, Linus, is very cute and also very weird. I thought I would do a blog about what the 10 best things of having them around are.

• They are always available to take stupid snap chats when you're feeling bored. Linus and Finn are both great for this, but Linus tends to be available more often.

• Christmas just wouldn't be the same without the board games, and nothing beats a bit of sibling rivalry when it comes down to it. This Christmas in particular was great as I got to witness my brothers being pie faced.

• You get absolute gems of throwbacks, such as this one where Finn is really not enjoying the paddling pool.

As I have written about before, I am a huge fan of the 1975 so these quotes have given me a lot of joy or helped me through difficult times. (The majority are things Matty has said or song lyrics).

1. 'Me and George are like a married couple. The other day I woke up at 3am, and he was just on the sofa. I said "what are you doing?" and he was like, "I didn't have any weed, so I just came around.'
2. 'Always trying to keep warm when you're the sun'
3. 'George might as well be a dog himself, he's so obsessed. He doesn't have one, and I keep coming home to find Allen not there, and then I see on Instagram he's having a barbecue at George's house.'
4. 'You're a walking overdose'
5. 'It's the sentiment behind the film that appeals to me, the hopelessly romantic notion that two people can meet and instantly fall in love, an escape story where love is the highest law and conquers all against the odds.'
6. 'You are not beside but within me'
7. ''If I Believe You' is about Jesus Christ. Big Jimmy C. That's why I'm wearing this (white) suit'
8. 'Step into your skin? I'd rather jump into your bones'
9. 'I'm gonna put on sunglasses now for practical reasons and to emphasise the rockstar thing'
10. 'I can't exist within my own head'

Thanks must go to my friends for putting up with my political meme spam!

I have a lot to look forward to this month and I'm feeling a bit down so I thought writing about them might cheer me up.

I've been ill lately and I know Klara has been too, so here are some things you can do to make yourself feel normal again.

1. Get a haircut, or at least a wash and trim. This is the ultimate. My hair gets absolutely awful when I'm sick (it's been dry af but gets greasy way too easily) and so today I took myself down to the hairdressers and enjoyed having my hair washed, dried, cut and curled. Plus my hairdressers have massage chairs :)
2. Talk to your friends. It sucks to not see people for a long time but just do it, even if you can't be bothered. This leads into...
3. See people face to face (that you do not live with). The people you live with don't count, you'll have seen them already. I mean, get out and even if you just go for a coffee for half an hour, you'll enjoy seeing some people that you love. Also you can catch up properly!
4. Go shopping. Treat yo'self <3
5. If you've been sick/lost your appetite, buy some of your favourite food and actually be able to enjoy it once you're feeling better.
6. 'Cry' - my good friend Klara Hughes suggested this, and I'm on board with this suggestion lol. Crying in the face of shitness is sometimes a good plan.
7. Do a face pack. My skin also is disgusting when I'm sick, so this can make it feel soft and clear up imbalances.
8. Sleep. I love sleeping so much. 
9. If you've put on weight, as I have, don't worry. As soon as you get back up and moving, you will lose it.
10. Paint your nails, sing along super loud to songs, play the flute, or do whatever it is you love!

This time last week my grandfather passed away so this week I learned a lot of valuable things that I thought may be useful to people going through something similar. Although everyone grieves in different ways I felt that the advice I was given was useful to anyone who is in mourning.

1. Surround yourself with people who are also grieving. Share stories. Share your pain. Love, cry, support each other. Hug them.
2. Surround yourself with people who love you but are not in mourning. Allow them to support you without asking for anything in return.
3. Make tea.
4. Allow yourself to be sad. Cry if you need to, no one expects you to be okay.
5. Ask for support if you need it.
6. Isolate yourself if you need alone time, but don't cut out the people who are there to help you.
7. Eat.
8. Look at old photographs, remember the good times. Death is horrible but life should be celebrated.
9. Accept it, this important if you're going to move on.
10. Allow yourself to be happy again once you are finished grieving without feeling guilty.

1. Taking tablets. Not as in I can't take them, because I can, but I'm currently on a course of 8 tablets per day. I have to schedule meal times around it, and even when I wake up or go to bed so that I'm able to take the 4 doses.
2. FOMO. I have the worst fear of missing out anyway, but when I can't go out and do things it makes me sad :(
3. Temperature control. I hate having fevers, but recently I've just felt really cold. It's bad enough when it's winter, but being ill too makes it even worse. Sometimes even snuggling up in a blanket isn't enough, and the other day I felt cold in the bath which was really weird.
4. People who don't understand. This is especially common when it's been more than a short illness, and some of the most annoying people are the ones who simply don't understand. They either think you're not ill, that you should be able to do things you can't or that you're 'not trying hard enough'.
5. Skin. My skin is always disgusting when I'm sick. I haven't been wearing makeup (apart from a couple of days) for the last 6 or 7 weeks, and you'd have thought that would make my skin, gorgeous, reinvigorated and clear. NOPE. It's awful.
6. Hair. Ditto: gets greasy very quickly.
7. Fatigue. There's only so much sleeping you can do in a day.
8. Being lonely. I have been ill for so long (70 days today wooooo!!) that I miss all of my friends, but at the same time I'm too tired/ill to almost be bothered to talk to them. I'm also turning a bit clingy, which was gr8 (not) but one of my friends literally hasn't spoken to me since Friday and it upsets me more because I'm feeling a bit low.
9. Weight changes. I find putting on and losing weight quite easy anyway, but there's nothing more disheartening than when you're not doing anything, and you can just tell you've put on a few pounds.
10. Boredom. Netflix is my favourite thing, but even that gets boring after weeks of watching telly.

As someone who is sad a lot I have to find ways to cheer myself up so these 10 things always help.

1. Chocolate. Need I explain? I think there's actual science that proves chocolate makes you happy but even if there isn't it's delicious.
2. Tea. Hot beverages in general to be honest. They imitate human warmth and make you less lonely apparently.
3. Cuddles. Always always always cuddles. Or other forms of affection, especially from someone you love.
4. Hobbies. Something to take your mind off what's bothering you.
5. Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging. Other feel good movies will do but this one is the best (in my opinion).
6. Cats. They're so cute!!!! Also puppies.
7. Fluffy socks. And fluffy blankets and fluffy jumpers and anything else that will keep you warm in the winter.
8. A good book.
9. My brother. He's so funny and always makes me laugh, everyone needs a friend or family member like him.
10. Chicken nuggets!!!!!!!!

Twice a year my college runs a Sixth Form Dinner where we dress up in nice clothes, drink champagne and eat a fancy meal. Much as this is a (usually) enjoyable occasion, there are some parts that I hate every time so I thought I would write about them.

1. Deciding what to wear. This is always an absolute nightmare. There are so many dresses and they cost so much money and it's NEVER acceptable to wear the same thing twice and it's just a stressful experience for everyone involved.
2. Champagne. Now, don't get me wrong, I love a glass of bubbly with my family from time to time. But, as someone who is a massive lightweight, the pressure of acting like my heels aren't just a little more difficult to balance on than before the 3 glasses of fizz I just downed is not enjoyable.
3. Shoes. I literally wear nothing but crocs and converses, but for formal that's apparently 'inappropriate' so I have to totter around in stilettos.
4. Makeup. If I am feeling girly I can enjoy this, but contouring and false lashes are not my friend after a long day and I don't appreciate having to wear them.
5. Starters. I eat embarrassingly little anyway without adding MORE food to my dinner.
6. People take them wayyyyyy too seriously. In this case especially, it's essentially a fancy school meal. Calm down.
7. Small talk. I don't care how you are. I know we had awful weather today, I was there. I know my dress is pretty, that's why I bought it.
8. Hair styling. I'm useless at it, so I usually make one of my friend's do it for me, but it's just a source of unnecessary stress if you ask me.
9. Late nights. I probably sound like a grandma on this one but I don't care, I love sleeping.
10. Drunk people. Dealing with drunks when you're sober is not ideal, and I never drink much in situations like this so I always end up looking after them. Not ideal.

So I'm one of those people that gets super down in the winter. I hate getting out of bed when it's cold and everything is dark. Something about me is just weighted down, especially if it's raining and I have to walk somewhere, and I've just forgotten my umbrella...

However, unless I move to the Equator, I'm just going to have to live with the seasonality of Britain, so I have devised some tips, tricks, and other miscellaneous motivation to keep me going.

• Pop the heating on an hour before you wake up

Infamous sleeping bag experience

So anyone who knows me well knows that I hate the cold, so Autumn and winter are always pretty depressing for me but I am trying to be more positive this year so I am looking on the bright side and recognising the good things about this season: