minimal-notes

[minimal-notes]

ways to study for exams that are actually productive

use actual note cards for vocab. yes, apps like quizlet are dandy when you’re on the go, but actually physically writing out each note card helps put the information into memory faster than typing them.

visual learner? make charts and diagrams. they don’t have to be pretty. the lines don’t have to be perfectly straight. it doesn’t have to be photogenic. but if it helps you learn, do it.

after you take notes (in class or at home/from your text book), write down possible quiz questions about the material on the next page while it’s still fresh in your mind. later on when you’re studying for the test, use these questions to gauge what specifics out of that chapter you need to work on the most.

start sooner rather than later. i know, you’ve heard this a million times from every teacher ever. but it’s legit. especially as you get into harder level classes and college courses because there is literally so much material that the tests cover that you simply can not accurately learn all of it over night. instead, start about 10 days in advance (but of coarse, the sooner the better).

studying doesn’t have to be a big giant study session that takes hours. if you start far enough in advance, study sessions can be around an hour, hell even 45 minutes is a good. if you go too long in one study session your brain will be fried and studying will be pointless because your brain won’t be processing any of it. that’s why it’s important to take breaks and not just cram for 5 hours the night before an exam.

actually study. hold yourself accountable and make your education a priority. if you have homework and studying to do, make it a priority over going partying or watching tv. there will be another party. you can dvr your show. you can’t take your test on a later day because you don’t feel ready. so be ready.

be careful with study groups. if you have a study group with all of your best friends, lets face it, you’re going to end up spending more time talking about harry styles and supernatural than actually studying. it’s better to have a study group with people who are your friends, but not best friends. and it’s better to keep it between 5-7 people so that everyone can be involved.

if the material is just super confusing and you can’t seem to understand it no matter how hard you study, it’s not you. it’s the way you were taught it. each teacher teaches a bit differently, and maybe their style of teaching just isn’t for you. if this happens, find a way that explains it the best for you. for example, if chemistry is just super confusing for you, try watching the Crash Course chemistry videos on youtube or have a friend explain it to you. this will give you a completely different perspective on the material and will help you understand it better.

at the end of the day, remember that everything will be okay. studying can be stressful, especially if it’s in a class that you struggle in. but i promise you that you are not the only one who struggles sometimes in school, it’s a part of being human. as long as you actually put in an effort and try your best, be proud of yourself. take a deep breath. and remember: you got this.

[minimal-notes]

for your ears

ambient sounds of a cafe

rainy days

calming sounds

lofi hip hop 

for your body, hair, and face

take a bubble bath; invest in some good bath bombs

exercise, take a walk

do your hair and make up

dress up in elegant, comfy dresses or whatever you want

paint your nails 

for your eyes

watch a movie 

take a power nap or just sleep, you deserve it

childhood films

go outside and watch nature, stare at the flowers blooming and the sun setting 

for your mind

free online therapy 

pixel thoughts  this is really cute guys! click on the link <3

make everything okay 

what to do when you are stressed

read a book

catch up with some friends 

hope this is helpful for you guys! if you ever need someone to talk to, i got you haha just message me and i’ll try my best to reply quickly. take care of yourself and remember to take a break if you need one. love you guys <3 <3

                                                                                            - sincerely, brie xx

[minimal-notes]

Hello everyone, long time no see! I just got back from a trip to visit a family friend, who also happens to be a super-smart lawyer. We talked non-stop for an hour about how she studied during law school! So naturally here I am to regurgitate the information to my lovely tumblr friends:

Take your class notes. Re-read them, and then start to revise and rewrite them. If you had 100 pages of notes before, your second set of notes should be 50 pages. You are essentially taking notes from your notes.

Do this again, cutting the notes in half. I know this seems repetitive, but you’re retaining information by rewriting and summarizing it. The more you do it, the better you’ll do later. 

Continue to rewrite and summarize your notes until you have a one page outline. This outline is your life-saver on tests. (It’d also be handy to keep all of the outlines you accumulate for your final)

Memorize the outline! When you sit down to take a test, the first thing you should do is flip to a blank page and copy down your outline from memory. Because you rewrote it over and over, you should be able to fill in the gaps in the outline, which will help immensely on the test.

That’s the gist of it! If you have any questions/comments feel free to message or send an ask. (Personally I love this method and I’m definitely using it next school year!) 

[minimal-notes]

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

Other posts | Printables | Instagram | Youtube | Pinterest 

[minimal-notes]

Helpful tips and (free) apps for mobile devices that will help you in school and homework

Since we keep our phones and other devices on us at basically all times, they’re really accessible and useful. When it comes to school, though, these devices can become rather distracting. Sometimes in order to focus, you need to leave it in a different room! But if used correctly, your phone can actually help you do schoolwork.

Here, my friend, is a post about using your phone to help you study and do schoolwork.

Just remember that everyone works differently and focuses differently, so experiment! Try out these tips. Alter them. Try doing some and not others. See what works for you!

Forest (app): This is an app that helps you focus; a tree is planted, and you set a timer. At the end of that timer, the tree has finished growing. If you use any other apps, the tree will wither and die. You can set a white list of apps that you deem productive; the app will allow these apps to be used during the focus time. At the end of each day, you have a forest of trees; it may be full of green trees, or withered trees.

Use the whitelist! If music helps you focus, whitelist your music app. whitelist any homework/working apps on this list you want to use during your focus time. Whitelist your calculator. Just go through the list of apps and whitelist any that you will need.

Don’t whitelist things you DON’T need. Remember the purpose of the app: to stay focused on SCHOOLWORK. Don’t whitelist things that will distract you.

MyHomework (app): This app is incredibly useful. You put your scheduled classes into the app (there are tons of options for the class times; block schedules, period schedules, weekly or biweekly schedules, etc), then you add assignments, tests, homework, etc. It’s basically a virtual planner. It allows you to include priority level. Then when you go to see what assignments you have, you can sort it by priority, due date, class, or assignment type. It will give you alerts too.

Widgets are miracles. This app has a widget for classes and for homework. It lets you see quickly what classes you have today, and what homework is due today, on your phone’s home screen.

Get it on all your devices. It’s on everything. Kindle, Chrome OS, Android, IPhone, Mac, Windows… I don’t know about linux. 

Cram (app): Basically, this app lets you make sets of flashcards virtually. It’s much easier than making paper flashcards, and it comes with you everywhere, so you can practice at any time. It comes with study programs, giving you easy ways to learn the subject fast. It also has a text-to-speech feature, and you can set one side to one language and one side to another language to help you with the pronunciation of words. It is the best form of flashcards I’ve ever used. 

Duolingo (app): This is an app designed to help you learn a language like you would naturally: through a kind of submersion. It gives you little phrases and makes you translate them. When a new word is introduced, it is underlined and you may click it to see it’s definition, so you aren’t completely��blind here. It also makes you do pronunciation, match words with definitions, and it has a few other activities. It doesn’t really give you lessons, it gives you practice. It has tons of languages, and it’s even going to introduce Klingon soon. One cool feature is the feedback: each language has admins, and when you don’t understand a sentence, you can ask about it in the comments. Another student, or an admin, may respond to your question with an answer.

Use the desktop version when possible. The desktop version gives you access to actual basic lessons, and goes a bit more in-depth. The little sessons on the mobile phone are certainly helpful, and you will learn, but the desktop version is a bit more educational and even offers flashcards… Which the mobile version does not.

It isn’t perfect. It isn’t good at grading your pronunciation, and sometimes a sentence can have two meanings, but it only accepts one. Luckily, you can always flag a question with a wrong answer, so it will be corrected by an admin. It’s a nice system.

Practice daily! This app records your streaks, so you can keep track of how much you’re studying. An interesting feature in this app is fluency. If you stop practicing, your fluency number goes down. It keeps track of how well you’re doing in the lessons to track your fluency growth.

Redo lessons. One interesting feature in this app is the way it makes you redo the lessons. Over time, the “strength” of each lesson goes down. You need to redo lessons for the strength to go up. This is to stop you from forgetting what you’ve learned.

RescueTime (app): RescueTime is an app and desktop application. It goes on all your devices and records what you’re doing. Sounds creepy, but all it’s doing is telling you what you’re doing, and giving you a score on how productive you’re being. You mark some applications as being productive, some as neutral, some as distracting, etc, then it keeps you aware of what you’re doing too much of and what you aren’t doing enough of.

Get it on EVERYTHING. For a while I only had it on my desktop, but then I found I was doing productive things on my chromebook and mobile too and I wanted those to be counted. I found that it inspired me to be much more productive with my time. On the bus, instead of playing a game on my phone, why not up my productivity with Cram? Seriously, it really makes you more productive. Get it on your phone, laptop, desktop, browser, whatever. Get it everywhere. And update to Premium if you can, it gives you a more detailed report.

Here are a few more tips for your phone in general:

Organise your apps into folders. For example, here is my homepage:

See the folders? I keep them color coded. The red folders are distracting: Social Media, Entertainment, Games. The Green ones are productive! The white and yellow are neutral.

Get widgets. They’re good at giving you quick information without having to open the app.

Experiment. Remember, everyone learns and focuses differently! Use your phone to your advantage.

Also, these are the apps that I use. There are so many other good apps. I’ve heard really good things about Memrise, a free app for learning languages that focuses on vocabulary. If didn’t include it in the main list because I’ve never used it and I don’t know much about it, but if you’re learning a language you should go check it out! I know I’m going to soon.

If you have tips or apps to add, please do!

[minimal-notes]

HOW I GOT A 4.00 GPA- AND HOW YOU CAN TOO!

4.00- the golden number. Every student wants it, but how to get there? In this post, I’ll be giving you my best advice as to how I got my 4.00 GPA, and how you can get one as well. The post will be split into 4 sections- before school, during school, after school, and overall. Hope you enjoy! 

BEFORE SCHOOL:

MAKE SURE YOU’RE COMING TO SCHOOL PREPARED. I can not stress this enough. Your school day begins before you even step inside a classroom. If you use a device to take notes, make sure you charge it overnight. If you use notebooks, make sure you’re bringing them all with you. Be prepared for the day that’s about to come. 

EAT A GOOD BREAKFAST. Eating poorly literally diminishes your ability to think well. Have a balanced breakfast- keep yourself well fed throughout the day as well. 

BE ON TIME. Starting your day late can sometimes put the whole day out of whack. Teachers can also take points away from you if you have poor attendance and punctuality, so make sure you’re always on time!

DURING SCHOOL:

ACTUALLY PAY ATTENTION IN CLASS. Make sure you take advantage of the lesson time you have. The teacher is there to teach you, so try your best to learn. 

GET THE IDEA INTO YOUR HEAD THAT CLASS TIME IS WORK TIME. I know it can be tiring to always be working. But, associating class time with play time is dangerous (and a hard habit to snap out of). You will have time to rest later- now it’s time to work. 

PRACTICE SMART NOTE TAKING. Don’t copy everything the teacher says- that’s not effective. Be succinct, try your best to assimilate the information before you write it down. 

YOUR TEACHERS ARE RESOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE- USE THEM AS SUCH. Ask them questions. If there’s a concept you didn’t quite understand during class, try to ask them about it later. This will show you are dedicated and have the desire to learn. 

ACKNOWLEDGE DISTRACTIONS, AND AVOID THEM. If your friends are distracting you during class, don’t sit near them. You’ll have time to hang out later. If your phone is distracting you, turn it off or don’t bring it with you. Know what your distractions are and make an effort to avoid them. 

AFTER SCHOOL: 

REVIEW WHAT YOU LEARNED THROUGHOUT THE DAY. You’re more likely to remember what you learned that day if you look at it more than once. Reinforce your new knowledge. 

REST. It won’t do you good to just study your way into exhaustion. It’s not good for your mind or your body. Take care of yourself too. 

STUDY REGULARLY AND EFFECTIVELY, NOT DAILY. You don’t have to study every day. I repeat- YOU DON’T HAVE TO STUDY EVERY DAY! That is not the best way to learn. 3 hours of productive studying are way better than 8 hours of ineffective studying. 

GET YOUR HOMEWORK DONE WITH. I know, homework sucks for the most part. But teachers can discount points from you if you don’t hand in assignments on time, so just get it over with. 

OVERALL:

GET GOOD SLEEP. Only about 15% of teenagers get enough sleep on a school night. Try your best to be in that 15%. Sleep deprivation can decrease your ability to concentrate and solve problems, so sleep well!

UNDERSTAND THAT SOME DAYS WILL SIMPLY BE BETTER THAN OTHERS. It’s ok if you’re not doing too well on one day- don’t beat yourself up because of that. Vow to come back stronger tomorrow. Stay motivated and don’t lose hope because of some bad days. 

KEEP TRACK OF YOUR STUDY SESSIONS. Keeping track of my study sessions is my favourite way to organise my studying. Since I struggle with hyperfocus, I time myself while doing a certain task so that I don’t lose track of time. I strongly recommend the app Focus Keeper for this!

WORK ON YOUR WEAKNESSES. You don’t have to just accept not being good at something. For example, I struggled with History for the longest time, and it was always my lowest grade. But after months of working and working, I now do well in all of my exams because I dedicated myself to it.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, REMEMBER THIS AT ALL COSTS: NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, IS UNLEARNABLE. As much as some things are harder to learn than others, this does not make it impossible. Keep in mind that you can do anything by working hard and being dedicated. 

That’s it for today guys! I hope you found this post helpful!

[minimal-notes]

I’ve been receiving tonnes of questions on Note - Taking recently, so I’d thought I make a post. Plus, I had fun making these graphics.

There are three different methods that I prefer when it comes to note taking:

Notes written During the Lecture

I highly recommend taking notes during the lecture.

I also use abbreviations for quicker and more efficient note taking. Some examples of abbreviation that I use are:

w/ - With

w/o - Without

e.g. - For example

Notes written After the Lecture

As for notes written after the lecture, I tend to seek the help of Google Spreadsheets or Microsoft Excel. This way I am able to organise information learnt. I do this by dividing the information provided into two columns, one for keywords or questions and the other for definitions and answers. 

*Note: This method was adapted from the note taking method I’ve used during college. 

Rewritten Notes

I also rewrite my notes. My rewritten notes are arranged based on the order they appear in the syllabus unless there are pieces of information that are related to more than one topic.

I use a black pen or pencil for my written notes, as well as coloured pens and highlighters to highlight the key words and terminologies for emphasise.

Before writing them down, I tend to visualise the layout - alternating between words and pictures/diagram. This definitely helps me with remembering for exams. All I have to do is imagine that I’m looking at that page and I can remember where everything is.

______________________________________________________________________

Please click on the images for a much clearer view. 

Well, that’s all from me! I hope that you found this information helpful. And, don’t hesitate to ask me questions if you’re confused about this method of note-taking, or any other problems you might have. For more information of how to survive university, follow this page. And, for more medical school chronicles, follow me on IG. 

[minimal-notes]

How to Fix your Sleep Schedule

We’ve all been there. You’ve been pushing back your bedtime for an entire week and now you feel exhausted and you don’t think you can function as well as you normally could. You just want to get enough sleep again, but how?

Make small changes

It’s a lot easier to push back your bedtime than to push it forward—but it’s not impossible. You just have to take it step by step. Go to sleep 15-30 minutes earlier every night until you reach your desired bedtime. You could try going to sleep much earlier than your regular time, but according that doesn’t usually work out. If you’re waking up later than you want to, you might also want to try waking up 15 minutes earlier each morning until you get up at the desired time.

I remember there was a week this semester when I went to sleep at 1am for several days in a row (I usually sleep at 11). I was sleep deprived and exhausted and I tried to sleep at 8 to catch up on lost sleep, but I couldn’t. I just laid in my bed for an hour until I gave up trying to sleep and decided to work on some homework until I felt sleepy again. What I should’ve done was go to bed 15 minutes earlier each night until I could go to sleep at 11 again.

Adjust exposure to sunlight

Exposure to adequate amounts of sunlight is key to helping our bodies maintain their circadian rhythm, which is the process that regulates our energy levels during the day and tells us when to be awake and when to go to sleep. Sunlight helps our body produce optimal levels of melatonin, a hormone that makes us feel sleepy at night. Studies have shown that people get better quality sleep in the summer because there is a greater exposure to light.

That being said, you should expose yourself to more light during the day to get better sleep at night. This might mean waking up earlier so you don’t miss hours of sunlight in the morning.

At night, you should reduce your exposure to any sort of light - both natural and artificial - so that your body knows it’s time to not be awake. I personally turn down the lights (and only have my fairy lights on) after 10:30 pm. When you’re trying to get back into your desired sleep schedule, you could aim to turn down the lights 30 minutes before your desired bedtime for that day.

Don’t eat too close to bedtime

You should wait 2 - 3 hours between dinner/your last meal and bedtime. I would talk about how studies show that eating too close to bedtime can possibly damage your health, e.g. causing reflux when you’re lying down, but that’s all been said before. The only thing I’d like to reiterate is that you sleep better when you wait after you eat. But as for my own logic on why you shouldn’t go to sleep when you’re full…

When you wait a few hours after you’ve had your last meal, before you go to bed, you won’t go to bed full, meaning that in the morning, you’re likely to be hungry. I don’t know about you, but I can’t go back to sleep when I’m, like, starving, so being hungry when I wake up causes me to resist sleeping in.

Don’t sleep in

You would think that sleeping in is, in fact, good for catching up on sleep. In reality, it doesn’t make you stop sleeping late, since you’d probably still spend the same amount of time awake. Instead, once you wake up, you should stay up, and don’t go back to sleep. You’re likely to get sleepy at an earlier time, and this will help you push forward your bedtime.

Resist napping

Resisting naps also has a similar logic to not sleeping in. If you take a nap, you’ll feel more energetic and night, and you might not be able to fall asleep as soon as you wanted to. If you resist taking a nap, however, you’ll be more tired at night, and you’ll fall asleep more easily.

Be strict with yourself

Finally, the key to having a good, consistent sleep schedule is to be strict with yourself. Don’t let yourself stay up for just 5 more minutes because you still have a ‘small’ task to take care of. When it’s time to end the day, end the day.

Maybe it’s hard for you to be strict with yourself since you can’t justify going to sleep over completing whatever task or responsibility you have left. Well, here’s my logic:

You could stay up 5 more minutes and risk extending that to a few hours or so in attempt to finish something. There’s no guarantee that you’ll finish it, and you might just lose all those precious hours of sleep for nothing, since you’ll wake up in the morning tired and unable to effectively do the task you wanted to do; or

You could stop everything you’re doing and sleep on it. You wake up in the morning feeling refreshed and clear-headed and ready to tackle on your tasks for the day. You find a new way to think about the task you were stuck on, and you finally solve it in less than half an hour.

I do realize that this only applies if the task isn’t super urgent. Let’s say you have a project due 11:59 PM and you’re rushing to finish that. In this case, the core problem is probably something else: an inability to manage your time, or procrastination. If that’s the case, you might want to check out my posts on how to beat procrastination and how to create an efficient (revision) schedule. The latter post is tailored for exam preparation, but the main ideas are the same for general scheduling (there’s a recap at the bottom if you just want to know the main ideas).

Additionally, you might wanna check out my post on my night routine.

And that’s all I have for you today! Hope this was helpful, and if you have any questions, feel free to drop me an ask or message me. Have an awesome day :)

[minimal-notes]

a list of my favorite study tips (and when to use them)

summer:

invest in a book of short stories for each language you’re studying, and keep the book(s) on your bedside table. take advantage of the free time while out of school to get in the habit of reading through the short stories whenever you can. just a few minutes of reading the short stories every day will immensely improve your foreign language skills and keep you from forgetting the vocab & grammar over summer break

acquire a list of the books you’ll be reading for school in the fall and start reading them. to get the list of books, try asking someone who’s already taken the class, your future teachers, or a school counselor. reading the books ahead of time will not only put you ahead of the rest of your class by giving you time to work through the material in advance; it will also significantly lessen your workload during the school year.

this applies to the school year as well, but especially when you’re reading books in advance, keep a journal and pen at hand every time you read. write down the major plot points of the section you’re reading, what you like/agree with, what you dislike/disagree with, and one or two quotes that summarize the main themes of the section (make sure you include page numbers!!!!). when school starts & you’re assigned an essay on that book, you’ll already have the main points of the book laid out, and lots of great quotes—with page references!—to use in your essay.

two weeks before school starts:

take a look at your syllabus and get started on your first assignments. if you start now, you can stay at least one week ahead on all of your assignments throughout the year. this is a HUGE lifesaver when something comes up unexpectedly during the school year—like getting sick or having to go out of town for a few days at the last minute—and you don’t have time to get homework done, because if you’ve done it in advance then you won’t have to worry about falling behind.

get a planner app for your phone. i like egenda, but you can use any app where you input homework assignments in advance and it alerts you at various intervals of time before they’re due. it’s impossible to get a good grade on an assignment if you forget to turn it in on time, so just alleviate that issue altogether.

throughout the school year:

take notes. have a notebook open in every class, and write down all important names, dates, quotes, formulas, and theorems. write the current date at the top of each page, and have a separate notebook for each subject. if a teacher repeats something more than once in a class, underline it, because those are the things that appear on midterms and finals.

help yourself memorize things by writing essays about them. even if you’re not assigned an essay about a topic, try to write/type two or three paragraphs every week to summarize what you’re learning in a class. writing things in your own words is one of the best ways to remember them, and it will also help you to improve your writing skills. additionally, this should be applied to all subjects, not just literature or history (because even if you’re studying a STEM field and writing isn’t a huge part of the curriculum, you should still have the ability to write about STEM concepts in a way that is understandable and engaging).

befriend the smartest person in the class. figure out who always has the right answers and make yourself their ally. be a good friend to them, and then when you’re struggling with a concept, they will either explain it to you or—if they don’t know what the explanation is yet—they’ll help you search for it.

take advantage of indexes. almost all books have one, and they can be lifesavers if you don’t know the answer to a question. especially in history class, when there are a bunch of names that are super difficult to memorize. i know this is a pretty basic tip (if you can even call it a tip), but i’ve had a lot of friends completely forget about indexes, so this is just a brief reminder. :)

participate in class. this might sound super obvious, but you cannot retain information without discussing it! if you’re like me and participating in class sucks because of social anxiety, try to force yourself out of your comfort zone & remember that you are your own worst critic, but it’s also okay just to discuss things with a close friend or family member instead. the important thing is that you’re repeating what you’ve learned out loud and practicing explaining it to someone else, which will really help you to grasp the concepts.

three weeks before midterms/finals:

now is when all of your notes come in handy. go back through the notes for each class and study them, particularly the parts you’ve underlined. you shouldn’t try to memorize the pages, but you should study them enough that—by finals week—you could summarize the contents if someone asked you pointed questions about them. this is also when it becomes extra helpful to be friends with the smartest person in the class, because they will be an excellent study buddy. just make sure that you reciprocate if you ask them to help you study.

fill in any gaps in your notes by talking to your teachers and attending all of the office hours that you can. many teachers will give you a study guide if you ask for one, and you can literally go through and fill it in with info from your notes. remember, most of your teachers really do want you to do well, and they’ll try their best to help you achieve the best scores possible.

if any of your quizzes are open book, ask your teacher if you can put completely blank sticky notes on pages. bookmark the pages that have important events, quotes, facts, etc., and then if you forget something on a test you can refer to the book & it will be much easier to find the information. personally, the only open book finals i’ve had are the kind where you just write three 1000 word essays in 3 hours, but we are required to have at least 5 quotes in each essay, so if that’s the case for any of you guys then this tip is super helpful for bookmarking those quotes as well.

while taking a final/midterm:

read through the whole test first. figure out how long it is, how much time you have, and how many points each question is worth. if you’re worried about running out of time, start by doing the problems that are worth more points, and then out of whatever’s left do the ones that look easiest first. this will guarantee that you make the best use of your time & get the highest grade possible

and that’s all i can think of right now! hope this can help at least a few people :)

[minimal-notes]

presentation

eip! my name is siobhan aka sica and i decided to start a studyblr just to motivate me to do something this summer and later during the school year. i'm gonna tell you a little bit more about me :

- i'm 16 years old. next school year i'll be in 1r batx (11th grade). the "batxillerat" basiclly prepares you to do an exam, les PAU. you need to get a good grade to enter in the career you want to study in university. THAT'S WHY I NEED MOTIVATION

- i'll be taking the humanities batx, but i think i'll make a post when the school year starts to tell you more about my classes and that stuff.

- i'm from catalonia, spain

- i love culture, i dance "sardanes", the national dance. there are competitions and this kind of things

- also i love music and i do some concerts

- and i'm also an activist.

- mmm what more can i say? I speak english, spanish and catalan. i also have an A2 in french :)

i think that's all! if you wanna know more just ask :)

[minimal-notes]

Things I Do At The Start Of Every Month

• Upload and delete photos from my phone. Google Photos has become my best friend, so once a month I make sure to upload all my recent photos to it, and then delete (most of) them from my phone to free up space.  •Figure out monthly finances and budget. I try to determine what the month should like for me money wise. Where do I have money coming in? Where is money most likely going to go? What’s the max I want to spend in each area? Sometimes it really helps, other times it doesn’t.   •Review + rearrange calender. I pull up Google Calendar, my dry erase board and planner and make sure everything is the same in each. I add events, rearrange them, and delete others.  •Make plans w/ friends and family. This isn’t something I do all the time, but if I really want to go out to eat or do something special with my mum or a sibling I’ll let them know and we’ll try to set a date to do so.  •Schedule appointments. More like make a list of things I need to schedule in the upcoming days/week. •Make/Buy birthday/holiday cards. I usually handmake my cards so having them premade is less stressful than waiting the day before (or day of) to try and draw out something spectacular.  •Plan off/zero/me days. It doesn’t matter what you call it. Sometimes you just need to make sure you have a day or two set to just focus on you. •Wash and clean car. I don’t own a car but I try to make sure the one I primarily ride in is fairly clean inside in general.   •Change bedding. Actually, I do this more often now. I change my bedding twice a month and wash my pillowcases once a week.  •Essentials shopping trip. If I’m in need of a face cleanser, lotion, toothpaste, I plan to go get it.  •Deep clean my bedroom/Reorganise my spaces. That’s the only area I really have to clean. I’ll sweep/mop the floor. Dust everything down. Clean my mirrors. Reorganise my shelves, dresser top, and closet. •Write down broad goals and to-dos. Basically, a rough idea of what I hope to accomplish and things that have to get done over the next few weeks. •Wash makeup brushes/give my makeup a good wipe down. Have no fear, I wash my makeup brushes at least once a week and spray them down with my daily brush cleaner, but sometimes I get lazy and leave the ones I don’t use that often dirty. Therefore, I’ll go ahead and wash them and really clean off/disinfect my palettes, lipglosses, foundation etc  •Pick two books to read this month. This is just from one of my yearly goals to read a new book every two months. I’ve been trying to choose one on my reading list and a ‘self-help’ type book.

[minimal-notes]

Study Break Ideas!

* go on a quick walk or run!

* there are good yoga videos on Youtube that are 5-30 minutes long, just enough time to give your mind a break! some of my favorites are 

Quick Stress Fix - 5 Minute Sequence (5 minutes)

Yoga For Focus & Productivity - 10 min practice (10 minutes)

12 Min Yoga For Brain Power | Yoga With Adriene (12 minutes)

Stress Melt - 26 Min Yoga Break | Yoga With Adriene (26 minutes)

* draw something! 

* watch youtube or a quick episode of the office (ONLY ONE EPISODE I KNOW IT’S HARD) 

* tidy up the space you’re working in! This can help you clear your mind and come back with more focus. 

* go get a snack and water—always make sure to stay hydrated! 

* call a relative or friend who you haven’t seen in a while (especially college people, talking to someone you love can be such a stress reliever, and you always have the excuse that you need to study in case the conversation goes on too long. you can also complain to them)

* dance party—my personal favorite. great stress reliever. 

* watch a cool TedTalk or numberphile video! 

How to build your confidence – and spark it in others | Brittany Packnett

Mindset is Everything | Cole Bennett | TEDxUIUC

The Magic of Not Giving a F*** | Sarah Knight | TEDxCoconutGrove

How to Get Your Brain to Focus | Chris Bailey | TEDxManchester

and the master playlist: The 20 Most-Watched TEDTalks

* when all else fails, BuzzFeed quizzes. 

[minimal-notes]

productivity can mean different things

summer productivity does not mean or have to mean that you are grinding everyday to get work done. being productive could simply mean self-care. productivity comes in all forms, from painting your nails to doing the dishes to reading a book. it could even be something along the lines of creating a new playlist or folding the laundry. it’s up to you.

first off, plan a little

write your lists down somewhere that you’ll check again (i’m using a google doc.) make three lists: daily checklist, short-term goals, & long-term goals. leave room for revision.

daily checklist

don’t pile on tasks on this. it is unrealistic to put like ten things on your list to do everyday, and it’s exhausting and can even be anti-productive trying to attempt to complete such a list everyday. pick two to three things to do everyday. for example, mine says, “1. do khan academy (for SAT prep) 2. check the DMV for available appointments (to renew my permit oops) 3. read a book or three articles.” the second one is subject to change because eventually i will get an appointment, so always leave room for revisions.

short-term goals list

this is the list where you put stuff that you want to accomplish by the end of the week, month, etc. for example, mine says, “finish ap government chapter one by friday.” these can be specific or general. like my short-term goals list also has my goal of reading three books every week.

long-term goals list

what do you hope to accomplish by the end of summer? do you want to re-invent yourself? be proficient in a language? have finished all your college apps? you define your goals here.

studyblr ways to be productive

read a book get ahead and look at your AP curriculums; make a study schedule watch TED talks watch documentaries listen to podcasts make study playlists visit museums

self care ways to be productive (these are nothing new, but just serves as a reminder that taking care of yourself is good and productive. it is in no way a waste of time, so don’t let anyone convince you otherwise)

take a bath or shower the simple hygiene stuff (brush your teeth, etc.) clean your living space delete apps you don’t use or need drink water journal, draw, make music do whatever makes you feel happy (if you don’t have anything, go a try a bunch of activities! do something that scares you, you might be surprised) exercise (it doesn’t have to be a whole lot, just walk around and stretch every once in a while) sleep, rest, take time for yourself

other ways to be productive

- practice a sport or instrument - learn/continue learning a language - spend time with friends or family - make an exercising schedule (start off with small workouts and gradually increase) - learn to eat healthier (begin replacing unhealthy food for better substitutes; i - - trust you know the healthier options) - volunteer (find a place or two and volunteer regularly.  reminder: it shouldn’t feel like a job; remember why you’re volunteering in the first place.) - look for summer jobs (it might be a little late now for stuff like summer camps, but you can still apply to places that have the signs like “help wanted” or “hiring now”)