i'm a working woman, mama!

a period of transition is upcoming!

It’s not a secret that astrology + reiki + tarot isn’t my full-time gig, nor have I always intended for it to be. Client work is rewarding, and I adore it; but I’m also tapped out in terms of resources at the moment, so my books will be on hold until April, when I should have a better idea of what that means for my schedule and adjusting to my new position. (Probably should have started with that: I got a full-time job as a clinical researcher at a medical centre in the city, so my commute is insane, and I work from… 8:30 to 5….) Miss Dolly below to score the soundtrack of the rest of the newsletter because I love her and she’s a treasure to the world.

what does this mean?

Well, it means that my books are on pause until April, and I’ll be using this newsletter (as well as social media) to inform people on when they’ll be open again. Things may be flexible and change, but I’m hoping to be able to get the flow of the office, as well as getting to know my co-workers well enough that things will be easier once we hit April. That being said, it means— you get some fun updates, but I will be working on monthly short-horoscopes (those will start in April) for the big monthly issues. And then these tiny weekly updates where I tell you what’s going on and the stuff that’s been on my mind lately!

the work stuff edit

Now that I’m back to work, it’s got me thinking about the products I’ve loved and used in the past for note-taking, and I’ve made a list of the items that I can highly recommend, and some items that I haven’t yet tried! Yes, if you have children or go back to school, this probably would have served you better in August rather than March. But who cares?! This is my newsletter and I can be as weird as I want!

Uni Alpha-Grip Shaker Mechanical Pencil (0.5 lead, $8 at JetPens): While I could recommend any number of mechanical pencils, the alpha-grip has always been my favourite because it is squishy and fun to play with (the grip) and it comes in a shaker-style pencil. I wouldn’t recommend this if you’re working in a crowded place (but who is nowadays) or those who are particularly sensitive to noise, but as someone with ADHD, this pencil writes well and also gives me an excuse to fidget with my hands.

Zebra Mildliners (various colours, this set is $28 at JetPens): I found these out from studyblr back when I was in my post-bacc program, and they single-handedly changed my life and the way I write notes forever. The pastel colours are light enough to act as highlighters but they’re double-tipped (for her pleasure) so you can use them to colour in drawings and doodle too! I have the entire set and had to buy a new one because I used these so often they dried out lol.

Cornell Notes (free99, though you can buy notebooks and stuff): Not a product, but a system of note-taking that also forever changed the way I write notes forever. Details on the system there, but basically you split your notebook up into a side column where highlights/keywords will be, and then the main portion of the notebook is detailed notes describing the concepts. In the actual system, you also have a chunk at the bottom to summarise, but honestly? Just the side column and main area worked well for me. I also used lots of colours (mildliners) to emphasize and draw illustrations. These also helped.

Libby (app, free, though you need to sign up for a public library to use): E-Books. Basically Scribd but free with your local library card. If you can sign up for other libraries, you can connect those to the app as well— the more libraries you sign up for, the more access you have, and the more material you can borrow! I’d super recommend because it’s free and super accessible, helpful in the middle of this panorama!

do you like these “shorter” issues?

Give me some feedback, friends! I’ll make monthly editions longer, and shorter editions on a weekly basis so far. :) Less pressure for me. Let me know if you enjoyed/are enjoying these newsletters.

See you next week x