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study tips: from me to me

I see a lot of posts with study tips for students new and old. A good few of them seem to be pretty good while others also seem to have unrealistic advice and unachievable standards. This is post is more of an exercise for me to acknowledge my weaknesses and strengths, and to figure out which study tips actually work for me. My study tips for myself may not apply to everyone since we’re all individuals with different preferences. Please, keep in mind that these study tips are directed towards myself, though I do hope they help other students.

Although, I do suggest everyone gives this exercise a try. Which study tips would you give yourself to be a better student, based on your previous school year?

Develop a routine

I crave routines, organisation, and structure. It helps me to keep a clear head and feel like I am in control of my choices and my performance.

It doesn’t matter if your class is early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Stick to a morning and evening routine. Develop a routine based on early morning classes and follow through even on weekends. By maintaining a routine adapted to early mornings, it makes it easier for me to wake up early and get stuff done. I have more time to be productive and schedule meetings with friends, doctors, study time, working out, etc. The plus side of having a routine is you get into the habit of doing homework or other tasks immediately. :)

Study full-time ≈ 40h/week

This is actually a tip I got from Jamie from TheStriveToFit on youtube. I don’t remember which video it was, but I’ll just write what I remember her saying. I recommend her youtube channel to all kinds of students, she has great advice whether you’re majoring in med or language or any other field. :)

Studying is a full-time occupation. Ordinarily, you might work 40 h a week, which means you should be studying 40 h a week. If you have a part-time job then you can subtract those hours from the 40 h total. Same thing goes for classes. For example, this week I have 10.5 hours of classes and no part-time job, which means I have 29.5 hours left to study this week. I like to use Google Calendar to schedule my classes and study hours. Having a flexible overview helps me to stay organised. I can even put in homework assignments and tasks in the calendar. Recommend 10/10.

No zero days

This is tip I saw a few years ago on tumblr somewhere and for me the concept works. I don’t remember who posted, but if you are out there, THANKS!!

A zero day is a day where you have done absolutely nothing (zero effort) to work towards your goal, and we want to avoid zero days. If you are just too drained or don’t have time to sit a few hours and study, then just do something small. Read the syllabus, read a page or even just a sentence from your textbook, write down main points/keywords, or even a mind map. Just do something. Anything. It can be small. Sometimes when I really don’t feel like studying, the hardest part is usually getting started. By committing to no zero days, I at least do something, and that usually gets things rolling for me. And whaddya know I can study for hours as long as I just GET STARTED.

Limit your electronic entertainment

Lately, I have been trying to limit my time on Netflix, HBO, and YouTube, in order to have more time to read and study. Yes, I am an adult now, but for me being an adult doesn’t mean binging on TV and not being responsible for my studies.

I decided to limit TV time to Fridays and Saturdays during 17:00-20:00 (5pm-8pm). Once that time is up, I do other things for entertainment. Reading, writing, drawing, studying if I feel like it, yoga, or I might even do a late workout. I also avoid my phone at all costs after 20:00. Staying away from my TV and phone gives my eyes a break and reduces the risk of headaches, (I get headaches when I stare at the screen too long).

Develop the habit of caring for yourself

This is a very generic tip, but also a very undervalued tip. We are creatures of habit. The habits we develop now in our teens and 20′s are what we will be carrying with us for most of our lives. Yes, it is possible to break habits, but it isn’t as common as you think. Focus on habits which will be beneficial to your health now and throughout your life.

When I sleep for 7-8 h I am more focused and motivated to study.

When I eat a healthy meal, I am giving my body the nutrition and energy it needs to take care of my cells.

When I exercise, I am stimulating the production of hormones to keep me happy and healthy, getting stronger, and I am improve my heart health.

You CANNOT live off of energy drinks and fast food. Please, stop glorifying fast food as a staple for a student diet. You can eat healthy on a student budget. Also, the concept of “treat yourself” shouldn’t be something you do everyday. Treating yourself can mean treating yourself to some extra calories one day, it doesn’t have to be a large pepperoni pizza, a hot fudge sundae, and a box of donuts. I have to admit, it sounds delicious, but sometimes it’s best to not have such an epic splurge. I do that only once every three months, but mostly when I treat myself, it’s something small that won’t have a negative impact on my diet focus.

Don’t pull all-nighters and stay up until the early hours cramming for an exam. I usually know when an exam is coming a few weeks in advanced and so do most students. This means you have plenty of time to schedule your  studying so that you learn and understand enough to pass the exam. Failing an exam isn’t everything, but it sure is an inconvenience to arrange a retake exam. Also, the lack of sleep/irregular sleep pattern causes more harm than good.

That’s all I have for now. Feel free to share or message me on what your thoughts are :) Have a good day!

[standalittlestronger-blog1]

i guess what ppl dont tell u about college is that is a very lonesome period of ur life. and that doesnt mean like u wont have lots of friends or u wont party or whatever but ur going to spend so much time alone. like cooking by yourself and studying n homework and driving and going to classes like……… its just you sometimes. and the trick is to use that time by yourself to relax and understand YOU better and iron out your own wants n wishes instead of wallowing

[standalittlestronger-blog1]

candles are how we keep fires as pets

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this was way funnier to me than it should have been

[standalittlestronger-blog1]

I’ve never identified with something more than this

[standalittlestronger-blog1]

Learn one Kanji a day with infographic: 方 (hou)

[standalittlestronger-blog1]

Today is but a Moment

Today is but a moment wasted for those awaiting only something better to arrive would it not be so much more wisely spent breathing smiling loving and being kind while gratefully remembering that we and it are both alive

[standalittlestronger-blog1]

[standalittlestronger-blog1]

信 — trust. shin (I trust you = 信頼します. shinrai shimasu. I believe [in] you = 信じています. shinjite imasu)

[standalittlestronger-blog1]

該離線了 Offline

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[standalittlestronger-blog1]

So I have some issues with having a super short temper (mostly because I take things to heart) and lately I've been improving by just counting my breaths to 10 before I respond if I think I'm going to snap and holy shit it's so simple and I feel like such an idiot for being cynical about it working coz it totally does! I know that I'm not totally happy yet but this feels like a step in the right direction 💙

[standalittlestronger-blog1]

tips on how to get over a breakup:

- don’t talk to them at all. block them and delete their contact info.

- remove all the things that remind you of them (pictures, gifts, etc)

- accept that you need to move on

- distraction helps in moments of extreme distress

- don’t push your emotions away. you need to face what happened.

- denial won’t help 

- accept that it happened, and that you can’t do anything about it

- take your time, but don’t wallow forever

- seek the support of your friends and family 

- identify your emotions to figure out how to deal with them 

- rebounds aren’t a good idea

[standalittlestronger-blog1]

How to write a morally gray character:

Have their ideals be right but their methods be wrong

Make it seem like their dastardly methods are really the only way to achieve the goal for the “greater good.”

Have them develop from a flat antagonist to a well-rounded protagonist

How to not write a morally gray character

wah my childhood was hard

[standalittlestronger-blog1]

[standalittlestronger-blog1]

103||100

Samedi 28 avril 2018;  21:59

Here are my summer plans! Everything I’m going to try doing, with a few added after this photo was taken

I went home today! Really late, because my brother wasn’t telling me when he was ready so I didn’t actually do anything this morning.  

But we went to a little dinner party in perfect french fashion and now I’m going to do my languages for the evening.

I just realized I have three months home so I’m going to try to get a job. Wish me luck! (I’ve done that before and freaking outt)  

I also bought my new bujo and the pastel tombow set so I’m super pumped about that!!

I hope you have the most wonderful and relaxing sunday~

[standalittlestronger-blog1]