#tempted to start watching it while i revise. sometimes watching stuff really helps me focus other times i just. don’t do any work lol

[mossflower]

Hi! Happy New Year! How’s the Classic Who watch going? Still in the first season, right?

happy new year to you too!! it’s going extremely slowly lol. as in ‘have only just started watching the daleks’ slowly. my excuse for this is that i am also mid-homestuck reread and mid-exam revision and there is only so much my brain can focus on at once

[bladinstimes]

How To Be Hermione Granger

The point of this article is to share some tips and tricks that I, an old Bladins student and current Lund University student, have picked up throughout the years regarding my study technique.

Much like probably most Bladins students, I have always been very ambitious and over-achieving, and thus, I have always obsessed over my revision and grades to the point of mental breakdowns. Every deadline and exam used to bring me massive amounts of anxiety and terror. Unfortunately this is very common today, students work themselves to their breaking points - over and over and over again.

Today I feel more confident that as long as I pay attention during lectures, do my reading and note-taking and give myself more than the night before to study, it should go well - and if not, there’s often a re-exam option. (PS. There’s no shame in having to take a re-exam. It saved my ass once or twice this semester.) However this is not, as the article could indicate, an article on how to actually be Hermione. This is a guide with some sound advice on how to study like her. Or something like that. I mean, what do I know? The books and movies don’t really tell us much about her actual study technique, just that whatever she does works (of course, she does have a time-turner to her advantage, which most of us don’t, which means we actually have to manage our time to get the best out of or study sessions).

I personally strongly identify as a Ravenclaw and even though Miss Granger isn’t in my house, she is portrayed as the brainiac in the HP trio. In a maybe nerdy way, she is an inspiration and role model to me when it comes to school-work. I mean, if Hermione can get good grades AND fight against You-Know-Who with her two BFFs whilst also having to save their asses, because Harry and Ron definitely don’t use as much brain power as she does, then I think I can get my assignment done on time… right?

1. Pay attention in class & take notes

I know, I know, it’s so tempting to look out the window or be on FaceBook or Tumblr whilst the teacher is going on and on about something boring you don’t understand. You may think why you would even need to know. Unfortunately for you, if you want to get a good grade, you do need to know that stuff. Thus taking notes is a very easy way to make sure you don’t drift away in daydreams. it will not only give you a great tool when revising for the test or writing the final assignment, it will force you to stay awake and listen to your teacher.

2. Make a study plan

Write down what you need to get done, when it needs to be done and prioritize it accordingly. Not only does this make you organized and it will be easier to know where to start (which is often the hardest part), it will also make it easier to check it off once you’re done and thus keep track of your revision (and trust me, it is so rewarding and almost exciting to get to check that box or cross it off the list). It will also show what you have left to do if you were to get side-tracked or if something pops up.

3. Make studying fun and cozy

I personally like to make it cozy by having coffee or tea from my favorite mug (a Ravenclaw one, of course, gotta rep my house) and maybe a fruit or something like that. I also like to make my notes look neat, use different colors when I can be bothered and have access to multi-colored pens, give myself little breaks and rewards and play instrumental music that help me focus. By making how you study fun and cozy, you’ll be more inclined to actually do it - because you’ll want to.

4. Get up and move

Studying is a sedentary activity - you need to get up and wake your body up every now and again. Walk to the kitchen and get some water, go to the bathroom, do ten jumping jacks, five push ups or something else. Another suggestion would be to do some stretches, especially focused on neck, shoulders and back because these muscles especially tend to get stiff due to forgetting to keep good posture whilst being focused on something else.

5. Try to use as many senses as possible

Reading the material is good - your sight is involved. Taking notes whilst reading is better - your sight and touch are involved. Taking notes whilst reading something you then read aloud is even better - your sight, touch and hearing are involved. I’m not sure it’s possible to include smell and taste, but if you always spray a certain perfume and eat a certain snack when studying the same subject, perhaps it would help you out if you then use that perfume and eat that snack before whatever you need the information for. But I haven’t tried that one myself.

6. Turn your technology off and away if possible, but if not, use the ”do not disturb” function

Sometimes you do need i.e your phone, perhaps you use it as a calculator for maths or you need it for your favorite study playlist etc. Turning it off would make it hard to use them in that case, but putting it on ”do not disturb” will prevent all those notifications and fun stuff from popping up, and thus, the thing will not steal your attention.

7. Make a general to-do list the day before

Is it just me or do you suddenly get really productive regarding general chores when you sit down to study? Your mom asked you to do the dishes, you have to clean your room, you need to meet up with your friend in town at 4PM, etc. Make a to-do list with everything you need and want to do that day apart from studying. This can then be done during your study breaks or when you’re done.

4 tips if anxiety steals your brain

1. Drink tea, preferably chamomile: tea in general is relaxing, but chamomile has been proven to have a calming effect, can ease tension-headaches etc

2. Listen to calming music: example of Spotify playlists I love are ”Wake up and Smell The Coffee”, ”chill.out.brain”, ”Pluggfokus” or any yoga/meditation-type music.

3. vent. Write everything to a friend or in a document to yourself. If you decide to write to a friend, finish it off by saying ”okay gonna go back and try to study now so if you write something I won’t see it nor reply until later but thanks for being here for me” or something to show them you appreciate them.

4. If all else fails and you’ve tried everything you can think of: allow yourself to not study. I don’t mean after trying for half an hour and then giving up to watch Friends or play WoW, I mean if the mere thought of opening a book or writing one more word is making you feel bad in any way, allow yourself to take the day/night off. Do something that makes you happy, something you enjoy for a while instead. That will give you better conditions for trying again later. Often we don’t do this because it is so hard to allow ourselves to have fun when we know we have an important deadline coming up, and if we keep on trying whilst the anxiety is building up, we will only stress ourselves even more and that time is wasted. I would say time you spend doing something that brings you joy is not wasted time, even if you have something important to do. Doing that activity will brighten your mood and make you feel better, and thus, you’ll be able to concentrate and focus more when you get back to it because you won’t be as anxious or stressed.

And I mean... if all else fails...