Avatar

Studyblr Master

@studyblrmster / studyblrmster.tumblr.com

Avatar
Avatar
kannelbulle

A tip my biology teacher ALWAYS reminds us of

If in the True/False type of exam question there’s a word „every” „always” etc then IT IS A FALSE STATEMENT. There are ALWAYS exceptions in biology and other science subjects.

Avatar
Avatar
optomstudies

bullet journal ideas masterpost

Over 250+ spread ideas!🎊

hoping your dreams are fulfilled, your grades are awesome and your skin is glowing in 2018!

Year in Review

  • highlights / reflection
  • achievements this year
  • lessons learnt / growth as a person
  • things you want to improve on
  • advice you’ve received / given
  • best music/movies/tv shows/etc of the past year
  • friends made during this past year

commonplace journal pages

  • things you’ve discovered during the past year
  • useful tips during the past year
  • odd facts and trivia during the past year
  • topics to explore during the past year
  • questions to ask during the past year

New Year, New You

  • calendar / future log / yearly or monthly logs
  • things to look forward to this year
  • upcoming books/music/movies/tv shows being released this year
  • maslow’s hierarchy of needs self-reflection spread
  • goals / new year’s resolutions + steps to put it into action
  • skills you want to learn this year e.g. coding
  • habits you want to break / habits you want to pick up
  • diary: day-to-day happenings
  • budgets: monthly/yearly budgets
  • inspiration spread for new projects
  • level 10 life: rate areas (academic, personal, mental, physical, spiritual, social, financial) of your life out of 10, and write down goals to improve that rating!
  • monthly overviews (e.g. progress on goals)
  • assignment due dates calendar
  • 18 things to do by the end of 2018

Special Pages for Special Friends

  • business cards from networking events
  • gift ideas for your friends/family/significant other
  • birthday / anniversary calendar
  • emergency contacts / phone numbers of important people
  • friendship journal:
  • memories / moments they were there for you
  • how you met
  • moments you want to share in the future
  • their mbti/hogwarts house
  • their best qualities

Trackers/Logs/______ of the Day

  • gratitude journal - # things you’re grateful for every day
  • habit trackers
  • motivational quotes
  • news headlines / this day in history
  • daily affirmations
  • currently reading / watching / listening to / feeling / eating / wanting etc.
  • time usage (read: wastage) tracker
  • k-drama or tv show episode tracker (always forget what ep I’m up to :S)
  • expenses tracker / tax deductibles
  • dream diary (tracker, plot(?), lucid or not, dream meanings)
  • new album or song releases
  • photo diary / sketch diary
  • weather
  • follower milestones
  • social media post tracker
  • household duties/chores tracker
  • grades tracker
  • year in pixels
  • TIL (today I learned)

civics

  • appointments: dentist, optometrist, doctor, therapist, etc.
  • bills: car / internet / rent etc
  • tax: income statements and work expenses receipts
  • membership/licence renewals

health

  • weight tracker
  • resting heart rate tracker (gives general idea of cardio fitness)
  • water intake tracker sleep log / time to bed / time awake / total hours slept
  • exercise log: number of reps / steps / minutes
  • mood trackers
  • period tracker

Various Creative Spread Ideas

day-to-day / life planning spreads

  • skincare routines
  • perfect/ideal morning routine 
  • self-care reminders
  • exercise routines
  • wishlist
  • bucket list
  • firsts: kiss, date, house, vacation, car, concert, etc.
  • DIYs to attempt
  • savings jar (doodle it!)
  • yearly / monthly recurring tasks
  • usernames/passwords (hints only for security!) 
  • 5 or 10 year plans
  • dream job
  • dream house
  • planning for moving houses
  • dream wedding / planning
  • date ideas
  • make a worse case scenarios primer
  • summary tutorials for your reference e.g. step-by-step tax returns

academic

  • studyblr ideas
  • topics I need to revise
  • finals study timetable/plan
  • aspirations: what you want to be and why / how to get there
  • class timetable
  • assignment ideas
  • project schedules / team meeting dates
  • professors’ emails/office hours
  • assessment results
  • anti-procrastination page
  • motivations to study
  • skills you want to learn or are useful e.g. coding
  • formulas page
  • courses you want to take and their pre-reqs
  • college comparisons
  • back to school shopping list
  • textbook list with prices

language learning

  • vocabulary lists
  • grammar structures
  • media (books/tv shows/movies) to consume in that language

self-reflection / personality traits

  • best and worst characteristics
  • what to be mindful of / what you need to work on
  • mbti types you’re most compatible with 
  • fears and how you want to overcome them
  • letters to your future self (include hopes and dreams)
  • letters to your past self (include achievements and things to be proud of!)
  • inspirational people
  • stress management tips
  • charities to donate to and why you support them
  • volunteering activities

fun, cute, and aesthetic spread ideas

  • things worth staying alive for / getting out of bed for
  • a spread with all the things you were worried about which turned out fine
  • message page from your friends to you
  • “i can’t live without ______”
  • creative crafts spread: tips / equipment / tutorials
  • aesthetic colour moodboards
  • happy / comforting / relaxing / funny things spread 
  • seasons (summer/autumn/winter/spring) spread
  • rainy day spread
  • holidays spreads: christmas / easter / halloween / thanksgiving
  • idioms and proverbs from all different cultures
  • flowers spread: fav flowers, meanings, bouquet/arrangements, press ‘em!
  • crystals spread: fav gemstones (doodle ‘em), meanings
  • succulents spread: fav succulents, terrarium layout ideas
  • coffee/tea spread: paint with coffee / fav blends / best cafes
  • what’s in my bag (doodle it!)
  • outfit ideas / polyvore style collections
  • magazine clippings
  • shower thoughts / hypothetical ideas spread
  • draw my life spread / personal timeline
  • favourite characters e.g. gudetama, kumamon, etc. (doodle ‘em!)
  • interesting words list (ephemeral, mellifluous, serendipity, scintillating etc)
  • ideal date ideas
  • wedding anniversary ideas (like 1st is paper, 25th silver, 30th pearl, 40th ruby, 50th gold, 60th diamond)
  • baby animals spread (duckies, puppies, bunnies!!)

#just bullet journal things

  • bujo spread layouts and devices to try out (e.g. chronodex, parallel time ladder) 
  • key/legend (keep it simple!)
  • colour palettes/swatches
  • washi tape / pens / markers swatches
  • banners / fonts
  • doodles
  • ticket stubs / receipts
  • stickers / stamps
  • cutouts of info brochures
  • pressed flowers
  • calligraphy / brush lettering / handwriting practice
  • favourite stationery

activities

_______ that you want to do* / have done* (kind of bucket list) *watch, read, listen to, try, taste, cook, play etc. 

  • books
  • movies
  • tv shows
  • music
  • hobbies
  • arts/crafts e.g. paper quilling
  • sports e.g. archery
  • how to play / equipment / etc.
  • video games
  • foods
  • activities
  • board games

books / movies / tv shows

  • summary / review
  • favourite characters
  • meaningful moments / moments that made you laugh / cry
  • (for the media critic) artful moments:
  • best descriptive passages
  • best cinematography
  • best action scenes
  • best use of soundtracks
  • (basically moments that make it deserving of awards)

music

  • album reviews
  • favourite songs
  • playlists for every mood and all seasons
  • meaningful lyrics
  • songs you shazamed
  • favourite genres and exemplar songs

kpop

  • reasons why i love my bias / bias wrecker / group
  • letter to your bias
  • comeback concepts / favourite outfits
  • visual/picture tutorials for makeup styles
  • calendar of your favs’ schedules during comeback season
  • in-jokes/memes
  • awards / achievements / records broken / milestones
  • translated lyrics
  • kpop songs vocab lists
  • upcoming releases
  • on this day

art

  • pics of your favourite artworks/artists + write about it
  • art styles you want to emulate
  • explain techniques for different media e.g. watercolour wet-on-wet
  • doodle ideas

astrology

  • natal chart readings/aspects/placements
  • solar return reading for the incoming year / transits
  • synastry / compatibility chart readings
  • constellation/star charts
  • symbol reference page for planets, zodiac signs, aspects

food

  • recipes
  • meal plans
  • shopping lists
  • interesting foods: (doodle ‘em!) taste / texture / smell (e.g. truffles, caviar)
  • cafes/restaurants you want to go to + their specialty dish (photo)
  • cocktails you want to mix/taste (doodle ‘em!)

media

  • interesting articles + moral/ethical issues it prompted you to think about
  • controversial topics on the news and for/against arguments/your thoughts
  • on this day in history
  • fav websites / blogs
  • jokes / puns / pickup lines
  • favourite poems / quotes / short stories

kinaesthetic

  • burn book - write things that make you angry/sad and rip the page out
  • wreck it journal - e.g. colour, scribble, stickers all over this page

travel

  • places to visit
  • travel itinerary
  • cultural parables
  • useful phrases in the language and their meaning
  • travel memories spread: things you did / places you went / selfies
  • postcard collection
  • packing list
  • friendly and not-so-friendly people that you met in foreign lands

writing

  • short story ideas
  • plot brainstorming spreads
  • journal prompts
  • drabbles
  • character designs
  • foreign words which can’t be directly translated into english

Follow optomstudies for daily original posts and study masterposts!  Links: all originals + langblr posts + 15-part college 101 series + web directory!

Avatar
Avatar
yhbgk-blog

How to Study Like a Harvard Student

Taken from Sophia Chua-Rubenfeld, daughter of the Tiger Mother

Preliminary Steps 1. Choose classes that interest you. That way studying doesn’t feel like slave labor. If you don’t want to learn, then I can’t help you. 2. Make some friends. See steps 12, 13, 23, 24. General Principles 3. Study less, but study better. 4. Avoid Autopilot Brain at all costs. 5. Vague is bad. Vague is a waste of your time. 6. Write it down. 7. Suck it up, buckle down, get it done. Plan of Attack Phase I: Class 8. Show up. Everything will make a lot more sense that way, and you will save yourself a lot of time in the long run. 9. Take notes by hand. I don’t know the science behind it, but doing anything by hand is a way of carving it into your memory. Also, if you get bored you will doodle, which is still a thousand times better than ending up on stumbleupon or something. Phase II: Study Time 10. Get out of the library. The sheer fact of being in a library doesn’t fill you with knowledge. Eight hours of Facebooking in the library is still eight hours of Facebooking. Also, people who bring food and blankets to the library and just stay there during finals week start to smell weird. Go home and bathe. You can quiz yourself while you wash your hair. 11. Do a little every day, but don’t let it be your whole day. “This afternoon, I will read a chapter of something and do half a problem set. Then, I will watch an episode of South Park and go to the gym” ALWAYS BEATS “Starting right now, I am going to read as much as I possibly can…oh wow, now it’s midnight, I’m on page five, and my room reeks of ramen and dysfunction.” 12. Give yourself incentive. There’s nothing worse than a gaping abyss of study time. If you know you’re going out in six hours, you’re more likely to get something done. 13. Allow friends to confiscate your phone when they catch you playing Angry Birds. Oh and if you think you need a break, you probably don’t. Phase III: Assignments 14. Stop highlighting. Underlining is supposed to keep you focused, but it’s actually a one-way ticket to Autopilot Brain. You zone out, look down, and suddenly you have five pages of neon green that you don’t remember reading. Write notes in the margins instead. 15. Do all your own work. You get nothing out of copying a problem set. It’s also shady. 16. Read as much as you can. No way around it. Stop trying to cheat with Sparknotes. 17. Be a smart reader, not a robot (lol). Ask yourself: What is the author trying to prove? What is the logical progression of the argument? You can usually answer these questions by reading the introduction and conclusion of every chapter. Then, pick any two examples/anecdotes and commit them to memory (write them down). They will help you reconstruct the author’s argument later on. 18. Don’t read everything, but understand everything that you read. Better to have a deep understanding of a limited amount of material, than to have a vague understanding of an entire course. Once again: Vague is bad. Vague is a waste of your time. 19. Bullet points. For essays, summarizing, everything. Phase IV: Reading Period (Review Week) 20. Once again: do not move into the library. Eat, sleep, and bathe. 21. If you don’t understand it, it will definitely be on the exam. Solution: textbooks; the internet. 22. Do all the practice problems. This one is totally tiger mom. 23. People are often contemptuous of rote learning. Newsflash: even at great intellectual bastions like Harvard, you will be required to memorize formulas, names and dates. To memorize effectively: stop reading your list over and over again. It doesn’t work. Say it out loud, write it down. Remember how you made friends? Have them quiz you, then return the favor. 24. Again with the friends: ask them to listen while you explain a difficult concept to them. This forces you to articulate your understanding. Remember, vague is bad. 25. Go for the big picture. Try to figure out where a specific concept fits into the course as a whole. This will help you tap into Big Themes – every class has Big Themes – which will streamline what you need to know. You can learn a million facts, but until you understand how they fit together, you’re missing the point. Phase V: Exam Day 26. Crush exam. Get A.

Woah

Advice that makes you feel like you’ve got a kick up your butt to go out and do something.. I like that 😌☺️😏

Avatar

HOW TO REMEMBER WHAT YOU STUDY

As a psychology student, I have studied about Memory; its encoding, storage and retrieval process, how memory is organised in our minds, and how we can improve our memory. 

Studying involves using our memory because we may need to remember excessive information at a time during examinations, or to understand complex concepts which may include a lot of numbers, formulas, or labeling of diagrams etc. Therefore, I feel that knowing some memory techniques or knowing how to remember or retrieve what we’ve already learnt will be extremely useful for students or even for people who work. 

There are many suggested ways in which we can improve our memory. There are some memory aids we may use like making Mnemonics, which is a technique which relies on the linking of ‘to-be-remembered’ information with an organised set of images or words that are already firmly established in our long-term memory and can therefore serve as reminder cues. To make this definition easier, we can imagine a cloakroom where “reminder cues” are pegs and the “to-be-remembered” information is hung on these pegs! For example, to remember the names of Great Lakes we can associate the first letter of every lake with the word HOMES - Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior. 

Another Mnemonic device is ‘Stories You Tell Yourself’ which is to relate the information in a made-up story. For example, if we need to remember the following list of words; lumberjack, dart, skate, hedge, colony duck, furniture, stocking, pillow, mistress  We can remember these unrelated items by relating them together in a story we make up. The made up story might go as follows: “a lumberjack darted out of the forest, skated around a hedge past a colony of ducks. he tripped on some furniture, tearing his stocking, while rushing toward the pillow where his mistress lay.” 

Yet another technique is Chunking. It simply means grouping or combining certain parts of information and remembering those chunks of information instead of the whole information all together. For example, if we are required to remember a credit card number- 19141609007, it would help to break down the number into chunks. The first four numbers can be remembered as an year in history, the next four numbers can be chunked as a date too, while the last three numbers form a chunk which is easy to remember by itself. 

For all the above techniques it is important to use our originality, creativity or imagination, because that would enable us to remember what we have learnt more clearly and accurately. It is  important to understand that these techniques help us to remember what we have learnt more clearly because we are LINKING or ASSOCIATING new information with ALREADY STORED information in our minds. 

Mnemonics are fun to use and can be helpful in remembering many things. We all want to remember what we need to know in courses or in our work, as we can best and so we will need to go beyond the mnemonic techniques

1. Study is work and takes time

We all have been in a situation where we leave homework or essays till the last day because we think it won’t take as much time. But, we all regret it later because studying is work, and it definitely takes up time. So, plan a schedule that you can stick to. During the time you set aside for study, work at it instead of talking to your friends or spending massive amounts of time on Instagram/Tumblr/Youtube. If we spend that time scheduled for study by studying, we will find that we still have plenty of time left for other activities.  

2. Rehearse the Information

Rehearsal is simply keeping the new information at the center of attention by repeating it silently or aloud. The more an item of information is rehearsed, the more likely it is to be remembered, because it will get transferred to our long-term memory. In the last few years, experiments have indicated that the sheer amount of rehearsal may be less important than the ways in which the information is rehearsed. Maintenance rehearsal is simply going over and over what is to be remembered. It is a passive repetition of the information (merely repeating the information). Elaborative rehearsal is more likely to succeed because it involves organizing and giving meaning to the information as it is being rehearsed. It is an active process of repetition- thinking about what is being rehearsed in an effort to relate it to other things that we know or are learning. 

3. Organize the Information

While rehearsing, we will start to organize or arrange the information into categories, groups or in a way which makes “sense” to us. This is called Organizational Encoding. We may make tables, charts, diagrams, separate information through headings, subheadings or paragraphs, make groups or categories to organize the information. We can do this both mentally or/and also on paper through making notes.

4. Test Yourself

After planning, rehearsing and organizing the information try to get an idea of how much you remember. If you study by breaking the study material into parts, test yourself after each part. Go back over what you have studied using the organized material (headings, pointers, diagrams, tables, flashcards etc) as reminder cues.This will tell you what you know and what you need to work on. By testing ourselves, we will also be practicing our retrieval skills. 

5. Revise/Review before Examination

We may forget many details we learned. Use the organization of the study material and go back over the things you have forgotten, relearning them the way you learned them in the first place. It is important to relearn the information in the same way because the information is already stored and organized and just needs brushing up, so following the same path of learning will speed up the process of remembering what you have learnt. Revising/reviewing should also be based on the type of examination you are taking. Long answer type/essay type questions will usually look for major ideas and experiments which support the information. Trying to think of what the questions will be ahead of time and practicing the answers to them is a good idea. For MCQ’s/objective type questions be sure to know the definitions of words and also be able to recognize a word through a definition. However, that being said this doesn’t mean to neglect certain terms or ideas for any examination; just give a little emphasis, depending on the type of examination. 

To conclude, studying to remember involves planning, rehearsal, organization, feedback or testing, review/revision, and over-learning. It is a word psychologists use for the phrase “practice makes perfect”. Studies have shown that such “over-learning” works to reduce the amount forgotten. 

Credits: psychandchill

References: Introduction to Psychology by Clifford T. Morgan, Richard A. King, John R. Weisz and John Schopler

Avatar
reblogged
Anonymous asked:

Do u have any advice on studying a subject that you really can't understand? (Chemistry in my case)

HOW TO STUDY A DIFFICULT SUBJECT?

  • STEP ONE, ALWAYS, is MINDSET.
  • Eliminate “can’t understand” from your vocabulary. Transform it to “will find out”. This way you open your mind to accepting new information, without it hitting the wall inside your mind that would have said, “Can’t. It’s too much. It’s too difficult.”
  • Appreciate the fact that you get the opportunity to learn the amazing science to know the world at an elemental level.
  • Remember that no one is born with knowledge, we all learn it, some topics just take a little longer, esp if were aren’t that familiar with the related concepts. Don’t compare the fact that others in your class are learning things at a different speed. Because you’re living your own journey. You’re in a lane of your own.
  • So allow yourself to spend extra time exploring the topic. There are two parts to learning: understanding and memorising. This helps with the understanding.
  • Familiarise yourself with the concept from various points of view, not just the way the teacher is teaching it. Because often the way you are taught something can make something seem more difficult, vs a teacher who really takes the time to make it seem easy.
  • Take the time to learn the basics.
  • Find other ways to learn the same info. Have multiple sources of info: YOUTUBE (helped me personally), textbooks, google the topic.
  • Ask a fellow student who knows it better and ask them to talk about some of the points with you.
  • Relate what you learn and see how they impact and exist in the real world - turn it more practical, beyond theory. Connect it with other disciplines.
  • Read the textbook - slowly. Give yourself to understand esp the early paragraphs
  • Practice the questions at your own pace allowing yourself to see how it works.
Avatar
Avatar
Avatar
quiksilwer

Hello fellow nerds!

A new school year is approaching, and since I have to nail my A* this year I put together a masterpost with helpful links and tips that I have gathered throughout my school years. Good luck this year: you´ll do just fine!

1. Learn ´em languages

2. Do your research

3. Learn how to write like a God

4. Oh yes sweet reading

5. Get your studying and organization game on

6. Stress and anxiety management because school is stressful

7. Go get ´em tests

8. Classroom participation - because teachers love that shit

9. Software and pages for us nerdy kids

10. Yo! Take some time to care ´bout yo´self

Avatar
Avatar
ssehuns

I used to have a lot of trouble still do with procrastination and I realized that, in my new studyblr days, I didn’t know how to utilize my studyblr to help me and it was just another way for me to procrastinate and feel productive. If you can relate to this, you could probably benefit from this little dose of studyblr realness.

  1. Don’t use your studyblr just for aesthetics: studyspo is great for inspiration and motivation, and it’s probably what drew you to the studyblr community, but it shouldn’t be what makes you stay. You won’t be able to take anything worthwhile from your blog if all you reblog is photos of beautiful notes. Mix it up with masterposts and printables and photos of “non-aesthetic” notes.
  2. Don’t use methods that don’t work for you: if you absolutely cannot understand mindmaps but absolutely love the way they look, resist the urge to make them. You’ll only end up confusing yourself and wasting time. Only use note taking and studying methods that make sense to you. 90 percent of the time they’ll be things that you used before you made a studyblr. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t experiment with different styles and methods, but only stick to what works for you.
  3. Discipline over motivation: imho, the study community  overstates the importance and effectiveness of motivation. Don’t get me wrong, motivation makes studying more enjoyable when you have it, but more often than not you don’t. In the end, motivation isn’t what makes you study every night, or stick with self studying a language. You have to discipline yourself to study when you don’t want to, or work when you’re tired. My old French teacher used to say “Don’t fall into the trap of waiting motiviation, and just do it” and I feel like that’s super important with this. (1, 2, 3)
  4. Talking about studying isn’t studying: sort of related to number 3, don’t let your studyblr be another way to put off work. It’s all to easy to think “I’m blogging about studying; in being productive,” but it’s a dangerous thing to do. Studyspo is great, but don’t let scrolling through your feed become another method of procrastination.
  5. Take photos after you study: or during, but not before. I used to spend so long taking pictures of my notes, that I wouldn’t have time to study them. I still take too long photographing my notes to take picture, so I’ve started using a pomorodo timer. After 25 minutes, I’ll use my five minute break to take photos. It’s increases my productivity so much, and I’m not sure how I ever functioned without that system.
  6. Just get it done (and prioritize): honestly, sometime you just have to forget about trying to make your notes look pretty and just go for functionality over looks. Just let go of any studyblr ideals and do what you need to do. If you don’t have time to bullet journal and get your work finished, use an electronic calendar or don’t spend so long on your journal. Most importantly, be real with yourself. At the end of the day, you know yourself best, and you know what you need to do.

Good luck on your studyblr journeys lovelies, hope this helped!

xx

Avatar
Avatar
ohleaf

🌼🌻study smarter🌻🌼

(here are some study tips straight from my psych notes)

1. interest: the brain prioritizes by meaning, value, and relevance so u remember things better if ur interested

  • find a study partner
  • do extra practice or research
  • teach it to someone else (this works so well!)

2. intent: be actively paying attention. very little learning actually takes place without attention

  • use a concentration check sheet (every time u get distracted, put a check on ur sheet. this is supposed to program ur mind to pay attention)
  • while u read, talk back to the author
  • ask questions during lectures (this is scary ik!! but do it!)

3. basic background: make connections to what u already know

  • preview and skim the material before u read it. or google it!
  • write out a list of vocab words before a lecture and leave some spaces between them to fill in during the lecture
  • read ahead of lectures
  • watch crashcourse tbh

4. selectivity: start by studying whats important

  • look for bolded words, graphics, pictures, chapter review questions in ur readings
  • listen for verbal clues like emphasis and repetition during lectures
  • make urself a study guide as u read and write down questions for urself to answer later as review (kinda like cornell notes)

5. meaningful organization: u can learn/rmr better if u group ideas into diff categories

  • apply vocab words to ur life
  • make flashcards and sort them (try not to have more than seven items in one category!)
  • use mnemonics

6. recitation: saying ideas aloud in ur own words strengthens synaptic connections! when u say something aloud u r forcing urself to pay attention

  • after u read, ask urself questions
  • talk abt what u learned w/ classmates outside of class
  • again, teach someone else

7. visualization: ur brain’s quickest and longest-lasting response is to images

  • convert info into a chart or graph
  • draw it out
  • make a mental video of a process
  • look at picture/video examples

8. association: memory is increased when facts are consciously associated w something u already know. memory = making neural connections

  • ask urself: is this something i already know?

9. consolidation: give ur brain some time to establish a neural pathway

  • make a list of what u remember from class
  • review notes at the end of the day, every day
  • stop after reading each prg to write a question in ur notes
  • make ur own practice quiz

10. distributed practice: we all know cramming doesnt work but we do it anyway! but yeah short and frequent study sections work better

  • make a daily/weekly study schedule
  • create a time budget/time tracker (track everything ur doing for a week and see how u can be more efficient w/ the time u waste)
  • divide the reading/vocab by the number of days before an exam and do a little bit each day (u can use sticky notes to divide ur reading)

other tips:

  • stop stressing! this sounds stupid and it isnt going to be easy, but anxiety causes u to lose focus. try ur best to think positively. sleep a lot. minimize ur caffeine intake. take a walk maybe
  • when u need to remember something, look upward or close ur eyes (when ur eyes are open ur using visual parts of ur brain that u might not need to be using)
  • find a rival! (like the person right above u in class rank) secretly compete w/ them (envy can improve mental persistence bc it makes u focus more intensely) but dont overdo it! 
  • walking and sleeping build memory storage in ur brain
  • eat flavonoids! (grapes, berries, tea leaves, cocoa beans make neurons in the brain more capable of forming new memories + increase blood flow to the brain)
  • obstacles force ur brain to try harder, so space learning lessons apart or create a puzzle to solve or change ur physical setting
Avatar
Avatar
emmastudies

How to deal with procrastination

One of the biggest problems for students is procrastination! It takes different forms for everyone but ultimately it stops us all at some point. Since there are several reasons for procrastinating, I’ve put together the five main types and a few ideas on how to deal with it. 

You’ve got poor work/productivity habits. You leave things until the last minute since you “work better under pressure”. You probably think you’ll do something after you’ve finished something else, and then never do. You get distracted whenever you’re trying to study and will sit waiting to feel motivated but it never comes. For this I’d suggest:

  • create a productivity inspiring workspace - find somewhere that you can set up a study space, whether it is an actual office or just a desk. Organise everything that you will need. I have a selection of pens and my few notebooks on the top so I can easily access them. Remove anything that might cause you to be distracted and doesn’t need to be in your immediate reach. If you’re got space, put up some motivational pictures. This could be my motivational printables, some quotes or your own pictures. Plants are also proven to boost productivity, so might be worth putting a small one nearby!
  • create an action list rather than to-dos - write down a few manageable tasks that you need to do and be specific on the steps you should take. Writing the actions they require will help you see what you should be doing to complete something, instead of just the overall task. If you’re able to break it down, you can take actionable steps rather than mentally having to think of each point.
  • focus on 20-30 minute periods - generally, we lose focus after a while so taking regular breaks can help give you chance to relax and refocus. Apps like Forest allow you to set a timer and will give you off your phone at the same time. Obviously, if you’re being productive, don’t suddenly cut that off because it is “time for a break”. Here are some other free alternatives.
  • remove distractions as best you can - I’m always distracted by social media so I will use Forest on my phone or time-lapse myself so I can’t use my phone. With my MacBook, I have two accounts. One for university and one for everything else. I am not logged into any social media on my uni account so I can’t just check it for a minute then end up wasting 20 minutes :’-)
  • find an accountability partner - pick someone who you can rely on to check on you regularly and see how your tasks are coming along. You can send them your to-do list and then every few hours you can update them with your progress. You won’t want to let them down. Alternatively, you can study with a friend! Tumblr/Instagram is basically my partner!
  • use the two-minute rule - if something takes less than two minutes, do it. Don’t make an excuse, just do it. Tasks that are longer you can either delegate or defer. Here is a simple visualisation of what I mean.
  • record your progress - doing a simple “don’t break the chain” in your planner is a great way to see how productive you’re being and therefore get you more motivated to keep it up! The ‘100 days of productivity’ challenge might be worth doing!

You’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed. Everything seems to be mounting up and nothing seems doable. You don’t know where or how to start. For this I’d suggest:

  • ask for help - if you’re feeling like this, it is likely you need some help in some form or another. See if a family member, friend, classmate or teacher (or Google) can help or give you a starting point. Emailing your teacher is a great option if you’re a little nervous about speaking to them in person. Plus you won’t forget what they told you because you’ll have a response.
  • remind yourself that getting started is the first step - you don’t need to finish a task in a matter of minutes. Start doing something small. Maybe organise what you need, highlight the important bits of your assessment, or draft an essay plan. The secret to getting ahead is getting started!
  • divide and conquer - figure out what is the overall task that you need to do and split it into manageable parts. For instance, with an essay, the aim is to write it! Divide it into planning out what you want to write, any references you need, summarising a final draft and then writing each paragraph. By dividing bigger tasks into actionable parts you can reduce the obstacles and get through each part in a more timely manner.
  • reward yourself - create a system to celebrate completing a selection of tasks. By rewarding your progress you’ll build an incentive to work and reinforce productivity (great for your self-discipline!).
  • learn to forgive yourself - if you have an off day, that is okay! When the stress of your education is getting too much, it is necessary to have time out.  Remember to come back to it later and try again.
  • don’t over schedule - if you’re feeling pressure from the amount of work and then the added pressure of trying to stick to a time limit, you’re just going to go crazy. Set yourself flexible times to get something done instead of being heavily structured. Give yourself time for a break and the ability to change tasks.
  • stick with one task - it can be so tempting to multitask but try not to. Try to keep the focus on the what you’re doing until it is done. If you struggle with that, you could write down anything useful that you randomly think about for another task, use a break-time to think about that other task or alternate between subjects/tasks every few hours.

You’re a perfectionist. You either don’t want to start something out of fear you won’t get it right or you can get stuck on the small details. There is a pressure to achieve the unachievable. For this I’d suggest:

  • focus on getting started, instead of finishing - it is easy to get overwhelmed thinking about what something is supposed to be like finished if you’re a perfectionist. Take things one step at a time. It’s also useful to remember the sooner you start, the more time you’ll have to perfect it at the end!
  • make drafts - if you’re overwhelmed, take half an hour to map out your plan of attack. Drafts can take many forms: summaries, scaffolds/outlines, essay plans, post-it notes, etc. I find it much easier to get on with work if I have a bit of a plan.
  • remember that your perfectionist tendencies aren’t actually improving your work or productivity but hindering you - you’re continually setting yourself unrealistic objects and (like me) probably feel let down by yourself if you don’t reach them. Be realistic and focus on getting it done!
  • accept mistakes - you’ve written something wrong, don’t panic! Cross it out with a single line and move on. Things happen and you have to accept it. You can’t rip up the page every time you do something wrong, even if it is so tempting.
  • put things in perspective - is what you’re beating yourself up about right now going to mean anything in a week, a month, a year? Be honest if it isn’t, is it really worth putting unnecessary pressure on yourself.
  • praise yourself through the process - try not to criticise yourself but recognise your progress.
  • don’t compare yourself - this is very hard not to do but remember we are all different. Just because “you’re not as good” or don’t understand something as easily as others, it doesn’t mean you’re any less! Everyone was a beginner once and we all learn at different paces. Work to your strengths!

You want to do something else. You find whatever you’re doing boring. You want it to be over with but don’t want to get started. The ultimate catch 22, right? For this I’d suggest:

  • remember that putting it off isn’t going to make it go away - if you leave it too long you’ll end up getting more stressed about it. Best to get it over with.
  • make a plan from the get-go - once you know something is coming up (e.g. a test, an assessment, etc) make notes on it! That could be questions, annotations, potential topics, citations, etc. By making the effort to spend time reading through, you’ll save your future self some stress. Especially if it’s a topic you have forgotten. That way your notes act as a reminder so you can get started.
  • set a finish time with a reward - tell yourself that if you finish something by a certain time and then you can do something else. Use your self-discipline to not go back on this. Set a realistic time and try to get it complete before. If you can think that you’re doing something fun once it is completed, you’ll be more motivated to get it done.
  • make a structure - for note-taking, it can be overwhelming looking at a textbook and thinking what you’re going to write out. Make a note-taking layout/colour code that works for you and that subject. Mine is here - it just gives me an idea of how I’d lay everything instead of going in with no action plan.
  • try to make it fun - this could be using YouTube to learn or starting a study group. Use different methods for memorising information such as flashcards, mindmaps or study guides (like question/answer).
  • make the effort to refocus - if you’re finding something boring and you’re unfocused, walk away for 5 minutes, get a drink and come back. If you’re really struggling, change topics for a while. Find a point where you can finish and start doing something else that is productive.
  • listen to some music - generally, music without lyrics are best for focusing. Spotify has a great playlist for studying called ‘focus’. However, I find my regular music good for getting me a little more motivated and awake. I also like writing essays to music because I weirdly sort of type in the same rhythm. Funny study hack I’ve found that works for me haha!
  • write your thoughts down - Another thing I’ve been trying is externalising my thoughts. If I get distracted by something or have a “gosh, I need to remember that” moment, I will write it down. By getting it out my brain and onto a bit of paper, I no longer have to think about it and can continue. 

You have no motivation. Often we feel that motivation is the only thing you need to get on with something, but this isn’t totally true. You need a mix of motivation and discipline. As the saying goes: “motivation may get you started, but discipline keeps you going”. To build your motivation, I’d suggest:

  • have a mass organise - usually when I’m feeling unmotivated, I’ll clear out my desk and sort out my computer. This involves throwing out stationery that doesn’t work or scrap paper. I usually make piles of spare stationery and will re-organise my desk drawers. For my computer, I will pull out all my files to my desktop then start working through them. I’ll delete duplicates, rename files properly, and put them in the right place.
  • find some new stationery - weirdly buying stationery is one of those things that instantly makes you want to be productive. Head to the shops and spend a little something on a new pen, highlighter or notebook!
  • film yourself - studying generally doesn’t give us any instant gratification which can make it feel like a drag. By filming yourself working you can get a little video at the end which shows your progress. I love watching time-lapses of myself because you see all the work you did super quickly. It also means I’m not touching my phone!
  • set yourself some goals - write down a few things you want to achieve, in the short or long term. Put it somewhere that you’ll be reminded about it! By externalising your goals, you’re more likely to make the effort to achieve it.
  • check/make a studygram and studyblr - this is one of most motivating this I’ve done. Having social media dedicated to studying has helped not only improve my work ethic but my whole attitude towards education. Getting involved in the community is a great motivator. Here is a post on how to set up a studyblr.

I hope this post gives you just a few ideas on how to tackle procrastination! If you’ve got any tips you’d like to share, please message me! x

You have no idea how much I needed this.

I’m so pleased that it could help!☺️💗

Avatar

How I Use OneNote for University

Hey, all! I thought I’d share how I use OneNote, for any students who might want to use it for school organization. I have used this since the beginning of my university career and have found a method that works for me, after nearly three years.

I provide templates for what I use as .one files that can be imported into OneNote, and you’re free to use & modify them however you wish. 

Semester Calendar Template: Download
Customized Syllabus Template: Download
Cornell Outline Template: Download + Outline inspired by How to Use Cornell Cornell Note-Taking Method on OneNote by @strive-for-da-best​

As a student with learning disabilities, I found that using a computer, rather than writing everything out, is the best method for me to learn. I type up notes in class so as to not worry about keeping up with a professor, handwriting, or neatness. OneNote is my favourite note-taking application for this, because it’s essentially an upgraded version of Word that’s free and syncs automatically across devices. When my computer crashed, I was still able to access my notes online.

OneNote isn’t all typing. You can use it on a tablet or use a drawing tablet, in my case, to handwrite notes for a more natural feel. A very efficient way of taking notes is to import the lectures slides in OneNote and to write directly on them. I found that very useful in math-heavy courses, such as statistics and chemistry. The equation tool, while nifty, isn’t efficient.

By no means whatsoever is this the only way to use OneNote! In fact, I’d recommend you find a way that works for you, because while this may be highly organized, it takes a bit of set-up time and is tailored specifically to my needs. You can use my example as inspiration, but play around with it! The beauty of OneNote is that it can be used in a variety of different ways.

Download OneNote for Windows | Download OneNote for Mac
Avatar

LANGUAGE LEARNING MASTERPOST

For all of those who want to learn a language but don’t know where to start, need extra help as you learn it, or if you’re just bored. These are the resources I’ve gathered over the last few months (feel free to add to it!)

General sites with grammar/sounds/pronunciation for a wide variety of languages

More specific sites, targeted at one language

For all ya’ll auditory learners

     -also, foreign language mixes on 8tracks

Interactive language-exchanging sites where you can make friends and meet natives wOWie

Tips, advice, and motivation to give you that extra push

For those interested in linguistics, here are 15 interesting articles on the field

for funsies!!!

i’ve found quite a few resources for irish gaelic, a really beautiful but complex language that you can challenge yourself to learn

want to learn a language that doesn’t exist???? there are tutorials here here and here on how to write gallifreyan and a tutorial here on how to write the numbers

If i find more content, I’ll edit this and add it right away. Good luck and have fun!

Some of this stuff and more found here in my resources post :D

Resources are da best because then you can’t use it as an excuse not to learn a language :3

You are using an unsupported browser and things might not work as intended. Please make sure you're using the latest version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge.