#until2022

[a-d--a-s-t-r-a]

Until2022′s Guide to Catching Up When You’re Drastically Behind in Study:

I. Assess the damage

The first step in the plan is to confront how bad the situation is and then make some calls about what you can realistically achieve in the time you have left. 

List everything you have to do, down to exact detail - don’t write ‘catch up on readings for Virology’, but instead note down every chapter. This will make it a lot easier to gauge how much time and energy you need for each assignment or exam, and will help to motivate you as you work through. 

Use an Eisenhower matrix to sort these tasks:

Important and Urgent: Any and all compulsory assignments, exams, tests, etc. 

Important but Not Urgent: Lectures for upcoming exams, compulsory readings or labs, etc.

Urgent but Not Important: Additional homework or tasks that are due soon but aren’t worth much, like logbooks or small quizzes

Not Important and Not Urgent: Additional readings, nice lecture notes, and other ‘good-to-haves’

Now cross out everything that you can afford not to do. That’s going to be everything in your ‘Not Important and Not Urgent’ zone, and probably all of the things in your ‘Urgent but Not Important’ zone. I know that it’s annoying not to get everything done, or to sacrifice the 5% that you could have gotten, but unless you can do it in 10 minutes and it’s really worth it you simply don’t have the time to spare here. 

Having said that, if a class has lots of small assignments due, don’t overlook them because they’re not worth much on their own - make sure you take a look at the overall percentage left to go in that subject. If you can dedicate a whole day to just that subject and smash through all those assignments in one, you’re crossing a lot of work off your list. For example, I have weekly quizzes and 2% labs in my Pathology course - if I’m behind, I’ll dedicate a whole day and do all of those assessments. That’s 20% out of the way and a big leap towards catching up. 

II. Tackle the low-hanging fruit

Seeing the product of countless days of procrastination is probably pretty daunting right now. I could offer you platitudes here but it’s a lot easier for you to actually take some action and feel better about it yourself, so:

Do everything that will take you less than 10 minutes to complete. Reply to those emails, the messages in the assignment group chat, upload your peer assessment, do all the little things you need to do for someone else. That should cross out a big chunk of things from your list, and you’ll be left with the important stuff like finishing assignments and studying for exams. 

If you’re panicking (seeing the huge list of stuff which you have to finish in an impossibly short time will often do this!) then try an easy square breathing exercise. Breathe in for a count of 4, hold for a count of 4, exhale for a count of 4, hold for a count of 4, repeat. Splashing cold water on your face is helpful too, as is having a glass of water. Do not use this time to procrastinate! It might sound like a good idea to relax by watching Youtube or Netflix, scrolling through Instagram or playing a video game, but you’re going to be sucked back into the procrastination game that got you here in the first place. 

III. Create your plan of attack 

You’ve left it too late to be regularly revising, so our plan of attack is basically going to be: cram every subject consecutively. This is the best way to get everything done when you’re pressed for time like this - don’t switch tasks or subjects. Interleaving subjects is great when you’re on schedule, but right now you don’t want to spend quarter of an hour getting into the groove of a certain subject and then switching before an hour has passed. 

University is just one assignment after another, no breathing space in between, especially towards the end of the semester. All you need to do is work out what’s due first and what’s worth most, order everything according to those criteria and then focus on the first assessment until you’re done. Once the assignment is handed in or you’ve sat the exam, then you can move onto the next task.

If you have two different assignments due for different classes on the same day, plan ahead so you can dedicate a full day to each subject instead of working on both at the same time. 

Plan out every single day - make sure you’re scheduling in time to eat, shower, sleep, and take breaks as well as to study. Be specific when planning your time out each day as to what tasks you’re hoping to achieve - don’t allocate too much time to any single lecture, but at the same time, be realistic about how much you can cover in one hour. 

Choose wisely based on what you do or don’t know. There isn’t much point in spending this precious time revising the things you already know you’re good at, so suck it up and schedule in the hard stuff first up, but be prepared to move on if you can’t get it down. You’re far better off going into the exam knowing 10 things badly, than 1 thing really well, so focus on the basics and if you have time to learn the more complex details then go back and do that later. 

You also need to be flexible and prepared to adjust - sometimes an assignment will take longer than expected or a day just won’t be as productive as you thought it might be. Don’t panic, just re-plan and shift things around so you keep moving in the right direction. 

IV. Grind it out 

Now that you have a clear idea of what you need to achieve and when, it’s time to get it done.  

For once, you shouldn’t need to worry about simple procrastination. You’re  probably already panicking, so turn that anxiety into motivation which will fuel you and let you focus for long time periods. Fear can be a great driver - when the threat of the exam is looming over you, it’s amazing how well you can knuckle down, assuming you don’t want to fail. 

Pack a bag with everything you need - your laptop or tablet, your charger, headphones, a water bottle and a travel mug, snacks and meals for the day, and anything else you like to have with you when you’re studying. Then take yourself to the library, the local coffee shop, the office - wherever you like to study, but don’t sit at home. There’s too many opportunities for distraction and you cannot afford that right now. Being in an environment where other people are working will motivate you to do the same. 

If you’re working on an assignment, the best way to get things done quickly is to let go of any preconceptions of doing a great job, or having a perfect draft, and instead just focusing on having a draft. Bash out the worst draft you’ve ever written, fill it with run-on sentences and spelling mistakes. But make sure you finish a draft. Then all you have to do is edit it, and it’s a lot quicker to do it this way than it is getting bogged down in the details before you’ve even begun. 

When you’re studying for exams, the number one way to learn is through active recall. There is no point in wasting time writing out a full set of notes if you’re two days out from the test. Even if you feel like you don’t know a single thing, start off straight away by testing yourself - do past exams, drill flashcards, try and write outlines or mind maps and then check your notes or textbooks and fill in what you’ve missed. If you don’t know the answer or you get it wrong, look it up and try to understand it, and then test yourself again in twenty minutes. 

It’s important to strike a balance here: don’t overextend yourself, but don’t continually take breaks. If you think you need a break, you probably don’t. Take two minutes to stretch your legs and drink some water, but do not pick up your phone. If you’re starting to feel mentally fatigued, especially after a few hours, it can be helpful to switch locations - go outside and study on a park bench, or shift to the dining hall. Sometimes the change of scenery is all you need to feel refreshed. 

V. Rinse and repeat

This is your life now. Make sure you stick to a regular sleep schedule - aim for at least six hours a night - because otherwise your fatigue levels will seriously impact your memory, retention and critical thinking abilities. It’s not worth the few extra hours you might get in, and you probably won’t be productive anyway. 

Remember that the advice I’ve given you here is based on what I do when I am severely behind, not how I study on a daily basis when I’m on top of everything. These tips aren’t all great for long-term learning, but are the most efficient way to cram when you’re behind and under pressure. 

You’ve got this. 

[dsm7]

7mins until2022

[studykiwi]

do you know any other nz blogs that are also studyblrs? :)

i’ll try to list as many as i know/follow although i’ve been out of the studyblr loop.. pls reply if you’re from nz as well !!

@studyoonqs (grandma) @aucklandmed (i found their blog recently and i think it would be super useful if you’re thinking about going the med route!) @until2022 @yuweeistudies @nzstudyblr @nursingstudies @jwstudying @studynzblr

[kimtivate]

blog rate? c;

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[a-d--a-s-t-r-a]

two questions based on greek gods: apollo; your favourite study playlist, and poseidon; your study routine

I'm sorry that this is so many months late, but I am back and here they are.  Apollo, my favourite study playlist: slow, rainy day jazz - Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Billie Holliday. I mix it with the Slytherin Common Room track on Ambient Sounds or with rainymood.com depending on the day.

Poseidon, my study routine: I am not a morning person. I leave any time before 10am firmly for drinking tea, admiring the sunrise and doing the laundry. I prefer to study in the early afternoon or evening if I can, usually somewhere there’s other people - the campus library, a local pub, the airport lounge, the tearoom at work. I tend to study based on outcomes, whether that’s achieving an assignment draft or reviewing five topics for an upcoming exam. I interleave topics, always, and I’m very careful about spaced repetition. I sometimes work with a pomodoro timer if I'm struggling to stay focused, but other days I can work for a few hours at a time without a break before it becomes unproductive, as long as I have hot drinks close at hand. When it comes to exam season, I try to study in group settings to maximise the efficiency of my time and reduce the feeling of being stuck inside cramming - having a group of friends teaching each other key concepts and reviewing past papers is a lot nicer than doing it by yourself.

[youreallyshouldbestudying]

Hi! I'm just starting this blog, it's quite similar to yours. Would you mind checking it out? I'd love to get a few more followers and be able to share my progress with other people c: Thank you so much x

Check this blog out! 

[a-d--a-s-t-r-a]

Until2022’s Comprehensive Guide to Getting Those A’s

I. Weekdays

Wake up early, finish any leftover homework, review any difficult flashcards, drink some water and do some sort of exercise, finish packing your bag.

Get to class 20 minutes early. You’ll have time to set up, read over some old notes, drink some coffee, review your to do list, catch up with friends in your lecture, or just get the seat that you want. 

Sit in the first or second row and leave your phone in your bag. Try and turn your notes into mind maps or flow charts as the lecture goes on. Note down case studies or examples, handy acronyms, or hints from the professor. You might get distracted and end up doodling, but it’s better than ending up on Instagram.

If you have gaps in between lectures, use them to do assignments or finish up notes. I always use the first part of my lunch break to finish my online quizzes so I don’t have to worry about them when I get home. You’ll thank yourself when you get home that evening! 

Find a good group of friends that you study well with, and try to teach a concept to them as if you were the professor. Use a whiteboard, or a piece of paper. Do your best impression of their voice. Then swap over. One of the best ways to learn is by teaching someone else. 

If you have some free time and you’re by yourself, take the last topic you learnt and scribble out a quick outline. Then use your phone to record yourself explaining it, as if you were teaching a person who has never heard of it. Like I said, teaching someone else is an excellent way to learn - and you’ll also have a bite-sized summary video to review before the test!

When you get home, note down any assignments or homework you were given that day. If it’s going to take less than 45 minutes to do it, then do it straight away. If it’s going to take longer, then make a start on it immediately. Then you can decide whether to keep working or whether you should finish it off the next day. 

Take your lecture content for the day and turn it into flashcards - I use Anki, but Quizlet is also pretty good.

File away any notes or handouts appropriately, and do any ten-minute tasks, like quickly emailing your professor or reading a short chapter. 

Go through your flashcards for the day and the previous days (order them based on how hard they were, so you know how often you should repeat them. Anki does this automatically.)

Pack your bag for the next day. Don’t forget any assignments that have to be handed in, get your meals and outfit ready, put your water bottle in the fridge and make sure your room is tidy.

II.  Weekends When Nothing is Due 

On Friday evenings, do all of your homework or small assignments. If your friends are going out, tell them you’ll be there once you’re finished. Smash out anything and everything that’s due that coming week, and if there’s nothing, then whip out your list of assessments and pick the closest one. Smash one out that evening, even if it’s just a bad draft.

Allocate half a day to your readings. Make notes and diagrams, fill in the gaps in your notes, make flashcards out of the definitions or important bits. 

Allocate another half day to your flashcards from that week. Make sure you interleave the subjects and use spaced repetition so you’re studying the hardest ones most frequently. 

III. Weekends When You Actually Have Assessments Coming Up

You’ve been working ahead, regularly reviewing your notes via active recall using flashcards, and keeping on top of your homework and assignments - so you shouldn’t be panicking too much. 

Get out your revision notes, your textbook notes and your flashcards. Now put them all aside, and try to write down as much as you can remember from memory. If you have past exam questions, try to answer those. Get a friend (see I5) to test you on the content. Make sure you know your formulae, key concepts and definitions by heart. 

If there’s an assignment coming up, you should already have a draft ready, so just print that out, bring up the marking schedule if you have it and edit it to high heaven. Then type the edits out. Run it through Grammarly or a similar app. Send it to the friend I just mentioned, and ask them to read over it. Compare it to someone else’s in your class. Make sure it’s backed up to iCloud or Google Drive. Once you’re happy (and don’t overthink it!) then send it in and forget about it.

IV. Handy Hints

Always start your creative projects as soon as you get them. You can pull an essay out of your arse with six hours to spare, but you do not want to be designing a poster at 3am, trust me.   

If you don’t know it, it will be on the test. This is Sod’s Law. Google it, make your friends explain it to you, watch a Khan Academy video on it, send your professor a panicked email and ask them for a tutorial on it. Do every single question pertaining to it in your entire syllabus. Become An Expert (TM) on it. 

Group projects are usually shit, but you will survive with the following steps: 

Read up on Belbin team roles and work out which you are, and which the people in your team are likely to be. Then work out how you can best lever everyone’s personality for the best possible result with minimal arguing, slacking, tears or last-minute panicking. 

Determine the intended outcome: is the grade important, or is it intended to bring you together and build rapport and team communication skills?

If the point of the project is to work well as a team, then you need to focus on communicating well and kindly, supporting each other, thinking outside the box and having fun. Don’t get too hung up on whether the final product is perfect. Instead, think about how well you would do if the professor threw away your assignment and graded you on what other people said about you, and act accordingly. 

If it’s the output which matters - like a big final project - then you are going to have to be frank with each other about what you’re capable of. The person who has the best English skills will have to review and edit the entire project, even though it’s a lot of work. The person who has a maths background will need to do the statistical analysis because that’s a technical job and the correct results are essential. The division of labour often won’t be equal, and if you want a good grade you’ll just have to accept that and find tasks that can be delegated to those who are less capable. 

Dali said “Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings.” When I’m demotivated, it’s usually because I’ve gotten bogged down in the details and lost sight of why I’m working so hard and where I’m going. Make a hot drink, pull out a couple of sheets of paper and a pen, and write down the date 5 years from today. Then just close your eyes and imagine what life would be like at that date if everything went exactly how you wanted it to, and start writing - put down every single minute detail. I can often spend ten straight minutes writing like this. Then have a read through and pick out exactly how the work you’re doing right now is steering you towards this vision of the ideal future. If it isn’t, then you should probably rethink what you’re doing, and that’s ok too.