Ad Astra Per Aspera

Hey, Talon here. This is my studyblr. Astronomy/Astrophysics Double Major M-NB|he/him|bi 22|♊︎|INTJ

[music-of-learning]

• 09.12.2020 • 100/100 Days of Productivity

✨ Wow, I did it!! 100 Days of Productivity Challenge o.0 I don't know if I was productive through all of this period, but I certainly tried my best. The first semester is almost over, Christmas break starts in less than 2 weeks. I just have two more assignments to complete and all stress will go away (ar least for this few weeks before exams in January). ✨

[soaked-in-starlight]

Congrats on completing 100 days of productivity!

[iraprince]

a lot of us are working from home now, pretty abruptly. it’s hard, and especially if you’re like me, a sudden lack of structure coupled with really harsh self-expectations/a tense or unforgiving temperament is really challenging.

i started working from home fulltime this year, and my stop it series is a set of doodled observations i’ve made about the obstacles, bad habits, and unhealthy expectations i’ve found myself running into as i adjust. i hope maybe they can be helpful to other people too!

please check out the linked tag bc i have further observations/clarifications on these in the captions of the individual posts, but i figured it’d be good to finally dump all the notes i’ve made so far into one place. 

and a final note on what i’ve run into as i get used to working from home: it is a really really difficult balance for me, bc on one hand i really NEED a lot of self-discipline and productivity assists to get things done and make enough money to survive. but on the other hand, a loooooot of productivity advice/motivation/tools out there are really heavily keyed into capitalism and the concept of productivity as self-worth, and it’s easier than you think to slide into destructive thinking because you’re trying to keep yourself on track. do what you have to do, but make sure that the measures you take to try to make home employment work and get things done are always abt helping yourself do what you need to do without strife, not wringing as much work out of yourself as possible.

[thebasedkaiya-deactivated202302]

nov. 24 2020

a gloomy day for studying chemistry (my favorite kind of day)

[threewornwords]

it’s almost november, which means it’s that time of the school year. it’s getting darker sooner, assignments are piling up, and a lot of my classmates are feeling exhausted. that is exacerbated by covid-19, personal stressors, and other factors that affect each of us differently. 

as someone with high-functioning depression, i am well-acquainted with experiencing cycles of good and bad days, so i decided to write this little post of things that help me. (i hope these are helpful, but they may not work for everyone. you know yourself best.)

1. identify and acknowledge your feelings. 

the first step is to sit with yourself a while and identify your emotions. it’s important to understand how you’re feeling and pinpoint a reason why, because emotions that are pushed down don’t just disappear. you don’t have to do deep soul-searching, and you don’t have to try and change your emotions right now. just get in touch with how you feel.

i like to tell myself “you’re feeling _____. that is okay and valid. you’re probably feeling like this because of _____.”

2. prioritize what you need to get done

okay, this one might be the hardest. i know it’s difficult to think about your to-do list when you might just want to sleep, but future you will be grateful that you at least made a dent in your work. think about what you need to do vs. what you should do. start the necessary items first, and don’t feel bad about skipping the less important ones. 

for example: let’s say i needed to write an essay, do two readings, attend two zoom classes, take an online quiz, and attend two meetings. i might instead find a few sources for my essay, do one of the readings, attend the classes with my mic and camera off, skip the non-vital meeting, and attend the second meeting. 

it’s mostly about modifying your schedule to be as non-taxing as possible. 

3. give yourself extra time & comfort

don’t expect yourself to function exactly as you do when you’re feeling great. if possible, let yourself wake up slowly. do what you need to be comfortable as you start your day. listen to a lovely playlist, wear a hoodie & sweats, place a stuffed animal at your desk, turn on your fairy lights, etc. 

this is why it’s important to cut back on your to-do list - completing tasks will take you longer. it is okay if things take you longer today. it has no bearing on your worth as a person or a student. resist the temptation to do everything just to prove to yourself that you can push past your own discomfort and need for rest. 

4. let someone know how you feel

you don’t need to get specific if you don’t want to, but you should probably let a friend or loved one know how you feel. 

a simple “hey, i’m not feeling great today, so if i act off that’s probably why” or "i’m feeling kind of down today so i might not [insert activity or behavior]” will help you be honest and keep the people close to you in the loop. 

i had a bad habit of not telling people when i’m having a bad day and then getting annoyed when they act like everything’s normal! the truth is, they don’t know what you don’t tell them. who knows, maybe there’s something they can do to take some of the weight off your shoulders!

5. view your situation as if you were someone else

this one might sound a little odd, so bear with me. imagine that your friend, parent, sibling, partner, etc. were feeling the same way you are right now. what would you advise them to do?  would you encourage them to take the time they need today? would you try to help them through it? 

then do the same for yourself. it’s easy to think that other people are different, that they maybe have fewer bad days and therefore are “better,” that they don’t need to push their feelings down like you do. that is false!! try to identify three things that you would recommend a loved one do when they’re feeling down, and then apply those to your situation. 

6. know that this feeling is temporary

you will not feel like this forever. it is hard to truly believe that when it feels like life will not get better, but i am here to tell you that it does. get. better. this summer was the worst of my life (no exaggeration - my mental health was at rock bottom), and while i still have bad days, i can confidently say that you will move past this. 

lastly, here is a website i think has some good advice - it takes into account that we all have varied needs. it’s written for people with depression but honestly is mostly applicable to everyone. just do what works for you <3

[squaredstud-ies-deactivated2020]

Self-Discipline Isn’t Always the Answer

So I wasn’t really taught to brush my teeth every day as a kid. So I didn’t. I got to be an adult and realized “hmm teeth are expensive I need to start brushing them” and brushing my teeth twice a day has been on my actual to do list every single day of my college career. It’s a habit I needed to build.

Have I successfully done it? Absolutely not. I’m pretty good about doing it at least once a day, but some days it just doesn’t happen. It’s not that I forget usually, I just had some aversion I couldn’t figure out, until last week.

I’m at the grocery store, in the toothpaste aisle with my roommate, and I complain about how much I hate mint. I FUCKING HATE THE TASTE OF MINT. The taste and the smell, any kind of minty thing in any form, I HATE IT. But literally every “adult” toothpaste in the aisle was some type of minty disgusting nonsense. And my roommate was like “you know you could like get kids’ toothpaste? You like bubblegum right?”

And y’all, it was like the clouds parted. I got some strawberry bubblegum kids’ toothpaste. I brushed my teeth with it and it was a whole new experience. I have successfully brushed twice a day every day since, because the mental block I had towards it is gone! 

I thought my lack of brushing was just a moral failing on my part; I was too lazy, too undisciplined, to build a good habit. But really? I just hate the taste of mint so much I didn’t want to brush my teeth.

This made me realize that when presented with a change you want to make, a habit you want to build, if you’re encountering resistance in yourself, you should lean into that resistance and really investigate what’s causing it, then work on accommodating that. 

Say you hate washing dishes so they pile up and then you’re overwhelmed by how many you have to do. Why do you hate it? Deep down, what about it do you dislike? Is touching wet food super gross for you? Try thick rubber gloves while you’re washing. Does the sound of dishing clanking together grate your nerves? Do them with headphones in and turned up loud. Do you hate the smell? Light some candles, spray some air freshener. 

Do these things instead of gritting your teeth and forcing yourself, then ultimately failing and getting discouraged by your “lack of self-discipline”

TL;DR: When a task is consistently hard for you, relying on self-discipline, forcing yourself, and gritting through doesn’t always work. Lean in and listen to your discomfort, and find what makes the task hard, then try to accommodate that. Also, mint toothpaste is gross.

[squaredstud-ies-deactivated2020]

yall I can’t believe how many notes this post of mine got o.O 

[flowerais-deactivated20211031]

things you will experience if you keep doing your best

actually looking forward to things and having enough energy to do everything you want to do 

the fresh feeling after cleaning everything and throwing away things that were piling up since forever, including mentally

realising that you haven’t thought about someone for three days straight when you’ve been sad about them for a long time

making a new friend who genuinely likes talking to you after feeling like you don’t belong anywhere or you’re better off alone

making more time for people that really matter to you and actually love you unconditionally instead of endlessly wondering why some people left you or didn’t reciprocate

not placing your entire sense of worth on someone else because you feel happy and whole by yourself 

an outward change in appearance, almost a kind of glow because you’re radiating warmth and strength from inside

good grades, making huge improvements and achieving whatever goals you have in mind

feeling calmer and not relying on external validation because you see your own worth, trust yourself fully and can accept imperfection, laugh at your own embarrassing moments, encourage yourself when you’re down and quickly forgive your own mistakes 

gaining enough respect for yourself to treat yourself gently and not tolerating anyone who treats you badly

realising that you feel lighter inside and nothing is as much as a chore as it used to be

feeling yourself become less unaffected by small things that used to ruin your day

realising that you can make any changes in your life if you stopped discouraging yourself so much

realising you don’t need many superficial distractions anymore because you actually feel okay

[eintsein]

Productivity Printables

Hey everyone! The semester has kicked off for many of us already, myself included, and I just gotta say, it’s been pretty crazy. I wanted to share some tools that have helped me and hopefully can help you too in having at least some semblance of organization this semester.

A couple notes: The first preview will show both high and low contrast versions. Remaining previews will show high contrast only but there are low contrast versions available. I have no idea why but the reviews may look different on different browsers/screens. They should print out fine, though. Click images for better quality, or go straight to the download link.

Anyway, here are the printables!

Daily Printables

Daily View (High Contrast (left) | Low Contrast (right))

Attention Management (High Contrast | Low Contrast)

Energy Management (High Contrast | Low Contrast)

Weekly Printables

Weekly Overview - Monday Start

Blank (High Contrast | Low Contrast)

Task-based  (High Contrast | Low Contrast)  

Time-based  (High Contrast | Low Contrast)  

Weekly Overview - Sunday Start

Blank (High Contrast | Low Contrast)

Task-based (High Contrast | Low Contrast)  

Time-based (High Contrast | Low Contrast)

Monthly Printables

Undated Monthly Overview - Monday Start (High Contrast | Low Contrast)

Undated Monthly Overview - Sunday Start (High Contrast | Low Contrast)  

Misc

Einstein Matrix (High Contrast | Low Contrast)

Hope you enjoy them, and if you’re looking for any of my printables, they all can be found in my Study Drive. Have an awesome semester!

[nowhereisnearmyhome-deactivated]

Bouncing Back After Failing College Classes

I’m a physics major going into my 4th (and hopefully final) year. I now have a 3.1 gpa, and i was on academic probation summer of my freshman year (summer 2018) because i failed 3 classes (calc 1, chem 2, and chem 2 lab).

Now, i do have adhd, and that did contribute to my trouble, but the truth? i got lazy. i got really fucking lazy spring 2018. i had highschool and 1 semester of college under my belt, i thought i was fine slacking off a bit. i have a big problem with being full of myself when it comes to academia, because i tend to learn things quickly and easily, so when i do end up not knowing something or having a hard time understanding something i just completely shut down (which makes it 10 times worse).

So, i have some advice/tips as someone who genuinely thought they were gonna drop out of college in freshman year. i know it may not be applicable to everyone, and its not the Greatest Advice because i’m not the Greatest Student, but i hope it helps (and if not the advice, then at least knowing that failing a class isn’t the end of the world and that its possible to bounce back from the brink of failure).

i got an F in calc 1, a C- in chem 2, and a D in chem 2 Lab in spring 2018: i began the semester already behind on calc because i skipped precalc. i had no idea what i was doing, and because i was already upset i just continued that downward spiral the rest of the semester. on the calc 1 final, i wrote my name, sat in the lecture hall for 30 minutes, and then turned in the exam and left. i knew i wasnt going to pass, i didnt even want to be in that exam room. chem 2 was just my own cockiness getting the best of me. I got a B+ in chem 1 and thought it was okay to not study as much because i knew the material (hint: don’t do what i did lmaoo). I got a D in lab because i skipped 4 labs and never made them up, that was completely on me.Unfortunately, a C- on my transcript does not count so i have to retake chem 2 and chem 2 lab (in fall 2020).

i retook calc 1 in summer 2018 and i got a B: i decided that i was going to buckle down and just try new methods of studying. 1st thing i did was buy a whiteboard for $10 from home depot. i found out that writing on a vertical surface while standing up helped me retain the math methodology better. i also used the Feynman technique and would write and rewrite all the derivative rules until i could do it completely from memory.

i got a C+ in calc 2 in fall 2018: i fell into a rut early in the semester, and wasnt really able to recover from that. i passed, and i am so happy that i did, but things i wish i had done from the start was doing the hw as soon as it was assigned, retaking the exams on my own time, writing out the integration rules, and going to office hours if i got stuck.

in spring 2019 i took matrix theory and differential equations. i got an A in matrix theory, and a B in diff eq: i had mtx thry at 8 am and diff eq at 12:30pm, on wednesdays and fridays. what i would do was wake up at 6:30, get to the mtx thry classroom by 7:30, review my notes from the previous lecture, take notes and write down questions anyone would ask during lecture, go to the library and annotate the lecture notes and then read the chapter for the next lecture, then i would review my diff eq notes from previous lecture, go to diff eq and do the same thing, and then go back to the library and repeat the process. then i would go to the physics lounge and do my hw for both classes on the white boards, and ask the older physics students for help if i got stuck. i learned that repition and consistency was the best approach!

i got an A in calc 3 in summer 2019: this is probably my proudest accomplishment in my academic career so far. i did the same approach as i did for matrix theory and diff eq, but i also would redo the exams on my own time. another thing i did was review all the equations i would need for the test for about 2 hours before i took it, then when the prof handed out the exams i would write down the equations from memory on the back of the test. i found that this helped me out So Much by being able to recall them from memory, and that i barely needed to look at them for reference, but knowing that i had them there in case i forgot was very reassuring.

i got a C in both classical mechanics and electromagnestism 1 (EM1) in fall 2019: this was the semester that i had a breakdown in september and had to go home for a week to get myself back to normal. the breakdown was triggered by a lot of factors, but getting an 11% on a classical mech exam was what pushed me over the edge. after i collected myself and came back to university, i was in a much better place mentally, and was ready to try again. i made study groups in both classes, and we would get together to do hw/studying/exam reviews. having this support system helped me hold myself accountable, and to pull my weight in these sessions. i went from an 11% to a ~71% in class mech thanks to this.

i got an A in electromagnestism 2 in spring 2020: this was surprising, considering that i had gotten a C in the previous EM class. my issue was that studying electricity on its own and magnetism on its own was very confusing to me, but putting them both together as electromagnestism made so much sense to me. it was like a lightbulb went on in my brain, and i was able to draw connections between all 3 fields, and it was honestly unexpected. i still was in a study group for this class, but thanks to covid the study groups moved to discord. part of my success was being home all the time and having nothing better to do than study. something i found that really helped was writing summaries for each module, i would use the lecture notes, textbook notes, and my own reasoning/justifications to write up summaries about what i just learned over the past 1 or 2 weeks. being able to write out these mathematical concepts into words really helped me visualize what was going on, and it helped me so much. (if you would like to see examples of this then please let me know!)

Now these aren’t the only classes I’ve taken, these are just the classes that i struggled in/redeemed myself in, academically.

Looking back on the past 3 years, there is so much that i wish i had done differently, but there’s nothing i can do now accept apply those changes to my current circumstances and try my best to improve in way that is within my capabilities. Failing a class doesn’t mean the end of the world, failing a test doesn’t mean the end of the world. learn from your mistakes, grow as a student, and just keep looking forward!

[queerquasar-deactivated20220811]

I love this and I relate so (maybe too?) much

Some important things I got from this post: 

Improving academically isn’t a straight path! You have to constantly work to get better, you can’t flip a switch one day and suddenly become a straight A student. You will have ups and downs and do better in some classes and worse in others. This is ok! What matters most is the progress you’ve made when you look at it all together. 

Find what specific study methods work for you. different people learn in different ways, and you just have to figure out what’s best for you, whether it’s rigid routines or study groups or something else!

[macademmia-deactivated20260103]

Chaotic Academia during online school

Getting out of bed five minutes before class starts and throwing on a hoodie to pretend like you changed

Mastering the art of looking like you’re paying attention in class when really you’re 3 hours deep in to researching something obscure because you got curious

giving up on school friendships and making tons of friends online, forgetting that your peers exist

Reading fanfic during your break

taking all your notes in one notebook

doing your homework everywhere but your desk

Staying up until 3 am reading your favorite novels because school assigned stuff puts you to sleep

spending all your time on your pawn projects and then remembering school exists and bullshiting your way through homework

Not being able to keep your attention on a boring online lecture

Having more time to research what you love and wishing school could teach that

spending hours creating elaborate study plans but giving up on day 2

wishing people could just wear the mask so that you could visit a bookstore and people would stop dying

slipping your favorite book and movie quotes in when you talk/write just to have a little inside joke with yourself

hating school and the terrible expections and lack of life lessons but trying to succeed at the same time

[museum-of-artifacts]

Galileo’s Moon Drawings, the First Realistic Depictions of the Moon in History (1610). #science #moon #history #artifacts #art

[eintsein]

Attention Management: How to Take Control and Live Intentionally

We live in an age of information, and it’s becoming even more difficult to be in control of our attention. Every second, it seems like there’s something new to be consumed, something new to pay attention to. Because of this, it’s important to take control of our attention and more intentional about how we spend our time, and we can do so by practicing attention management.

Keep reading below for a transcription + some other posts you might be interested in:

Energy Management

Flexible Time Blocking

The Mandatory Midday Break

A Small Guide to Journaling

Staying Focused while Studying

Hope this helps!

Keep reading

[eintsein]

Getting Stuff Done: How to Deal With Lack of Motivation

“How can I stay disciplined?”

“How can I get things done if I don’t feel like doing them?”

“How can I overcome my lack of motivation?”

As a college student who has had their fair share of being absolutely unmotivated to do anything, I know it can be hard to get things done if you don’t feel like doing them. Luckily, there are some things you can do to become more motivated to finish your homework, write your paper, study for your exam, or whatever tasks you have on your plate.

Part 1: Increasing motivation

Break up your tasks

Just thinking about one huge task is going to intimidate you so much that you’d rather leave it till later, when the urgency of time pushes you to complete it, than start now.

Breaking up your big tasks into smaller ones will make your tasks seem less daunting. Since you won’t be as intimidated by the amount of effort it might take to complete these tasks, you’ll be more likely to start doing them.

For studying, this can be something like ‘make flashcards for units 1-3’ or ‘practice past exam papers: 2015 + 2016’. For writing papers, this could be writing an outline, doing research for each point of your outline, writing the first 3 paragraphs, etc.

Working on small tasks at a time will also make you less prone to distractions since you only need to focus for a short length of time.

Make small goals and reward yourself

These goals could be accomplishing one of the smaller subtasks above, or achieving a certain grade on a practice test, or finishing a section of your study plan - as long as you’re working towards something.

The rewards? Maybe going out to eat, watching something, or even just time off. Hopefully these rewards will motivate you to complete your task.

I know some people are more inclined to do their work if they’re punished for not doing it, rather than rewarded for doing it, so if you wanna take the ‘punishment’ approach, you could do something like not allowing yourself to use social media until you finish a set of tasks - this is essentially the same thing, just thought about in a different manner. However, you should always be careful with these punishments/restrictions, because sometimes they can end up harming your health and productivity (e.g. ‘I can’t take a break until I finish all of my homework’).

Part 2: Not relying on motivation

Of course, you can’t always expect yourself to be motivated all the time. In fact, it’s very ineffective to rely on motivation to get things done; motivation is fleeting. Here’s an alternative: self-discipline. But how does it work?

Establish a study routine

Humans are creatures of habit. Even if you’re a P-type (like me), habits are hard to break. So making a habit of accomplishing your tasks/studying at a set time every day will help you, well, accomplish them. For example, it’s a lot easier to get your homework done every day if you do it at the same time - e.g. once you come home from school - rather than doing it ‘whenever you have time’.

Having a study routine will also make you less likely to be distracted since you know that that period of time had a purpose. If you’re trying this out for the first time, you might wanna completely get rid of distractions so that you can focus (e.g. putting your phone in your bag, on silent). However, with practice, I found that my phone or any other sources of distraction don’t really bother me anymore since I’ve had tons of practice resisting the urge to pick up my phone whenever there’s a notification, for example.

Schedule in time for breaks

This ties in well with the point about rewards: the break might be the reward for your studying. However, this doesn’t always have to be the case. You shouldn’t always think of relaxing as merely a reward for studying or accomplishing your tasks, but rather a necessity for the well-being of your mind. This sort of approach to breaks ensures that you actually let your brain rest once in a while.

After taking a break, your mind will be refreshed and revitalized, and you should have more than enough energy to continue with your other tasks.

Some of you asked - with regards to my previous post on The Mandatory Midday Break - how I can limit myself to exactly an hour, and to be honest, the answer is habit. It’s like having a habit of showering at the same time every day and not extend the length of time you spend in the bathroom (except in certain circumstances, like during a day off, I guess).

This is why it’s important to schedule your breaks and establish a study routine or habit - not only does it ensure you get enough rest, but it also prevents you from extending your break so that you don’t become unproductive and leave a ton of tasks unfinished.

It can be hard to motivate yourself to accomplish all your tasks, but there are things you can do to increase your motivation. However, you can’t expect to be motivated all the time, and you shouldn’t rely on motivation to get things done. Discipline and habit are the most important tools you can use to be efficient and productive without having to be motivated.

Hope this post has been helpful, and, as always, feel free to drop me an ask if you have an ask. Have an awesome week :)

[astrifer-aspirations]

Hello studyblr community! Consider this a reintroduction of sorts, as I haven’t been super active on this blog since 2017. Many many things have changed since then, and I want to get back into the swing of this blog in hopes it’ll help me out.

You can call me Talon (he/him); I am a 22 year old double majoring in Astronomy and Astrophysics. I am entering my fifth (and hopefully) final year of college this fall.

There aren’t enough astronomy studyblrs out there, so I am here to fill that void.

Classes I’ll be Taking this Fall (subject to change):

Stellar Astrophysics

Ancient/Medieval Religious Philosophy

Statistical Physics and Thermodynamics

Honor’s Reading

Honor’s Research

Advanced Lab I

Fun Facts:

Space is my driving passion in life.

I am an INTJ and a Gemini. I am extremely introverted.

My main is talonholme , but at this point all I do is reblog aesthetics on it.

My favorite fictional character of all time is Ford Pines from Gravity Falls.

I am a freelance illustrator and you can see my work here, here, or here.

Commissions are open, too! Follow the first link for details.

What to Expect:

Astronomy masterposts

Studyspo

Update Logs

Space. Lots and lots of space.

Tips I find helpful

An open inbox for any questions! I’ve lots of experience at this point.

Inspirational Studyblrs:

@melaniestudiesastronomy​ @studyblr​ @eintsein​ @soaked-in-starlight​ 

I’ll Follow You If:

you study astronomy/physics

have space-themed bujo spreads

like gravity falls/steven universe/star wars

you ask me nicely/I like your blog

[dakiryuu]

Advice for staying an organized and mentally-sane student

At the request of @karensesmiles ☺️♥️

1. Be on top of your schedule and deadlines ft. the importance of calendars: only memorize what you need to

First, it should be noted that you don’t want to waste your time trying to memorize deadlines and important dates when you don’t need to – write them down. Reserve your limited memory space for tests, quizlets, etc.  Doing this actually gives you time to prepare, a sense of ease, and enhances your time management.

The Two Calendar Trick

No matter what, you’ll want a calendar or planner of some sort. The personal trick that I have used and found literally so much success with (as in me taking 5 courses in 10 weeks and maxing my course load type of success, and still having a life and being mentally sane) is the two calendar trick.

*Calendar 1: An Academic Calendar (MyHomework)

This calendar or planner should be solely academic: including deadlines, reminders, homework, and so on. I currently use a digital app for this called MyHomework, which I have used since high school! 

*Calendar 2: A Life Calendar (Google Calendar)

This calendar or planner should hold all of the things you are used to putting on calendars, including events, trips, meetings, birthdays, parties, and so on. I also put my class-times on my life calendar. The calendar I use for this is Google Calendar, just because it is connected to my student gmail, my Google Drive, my notes, my Chrome browser, and everything else I use through Google. For a long time, I was using a hand-planner in combination with MyHomework and taking it with me everywhere I went. I slowly moved away from paper, but a hand-planner is still a wonderful option.

By keeping these calendars distinct, it’ll help you to separate your personal from your academic, but also visualize your due dates and reminders separately from your daily time allotments. 

2. A week or two before the start of the semester

*Check your email consistently in case professors send early assignments.

*Write on your calendar your class info including full class schedule - start day, time, and location (which can be organized on MyHomework even before the start of the semester)

3. As soon as the semester begins (if not sooner)

*Print your syllabus and all class documents, organize them into a class binder or folder (I personally love the folders with little metal clips for three-punched papers since binders tend to take up too much backpack space)

*Know where you want to take notes (either in a class-specific notebook, a binder, an organized google drive class folder, or in a designated place on your laptop like Microsoft OneNote) - keep it consistent with all classes so you don’t get confused and keep it simple enough that you don’t forget where to find it. Distinguish between lecture notes, reading notes, and homework/assignment notes. **Note: if you keep your notes consistent and organized, making a study guide will be extremely simple since you have all of the info you need in one place!

*Organize all of your classes into MyHomework, and use the syllabus to organize all deadlines onto the MyHomework calendar, so you are ready from the start and don’t miss a single thing.

4. Tips on Time Management

*Likes are, if you have a full student schedule, then you should treat your academics like a full-time job, which needs daily attention.

*Check your email and schedule first thing in the morning, and respond to emails or snooze them/set a reminder to respond to them later. Checking your email and having notifications on is going to end up being more important than any other notifications.

*Don’t go into projects or homework assignments blind - prepare for them in advance. Finding out you’ll need to put 3 days of work into a homework assignment you opened the night before it is due is the worst feeling in existence.

5. Other tips

*Contact your professor frequently (and go to office hours), because at some point you’ll need advice, leeway on a grade, help with an assignment, or a letter of recommendation. A good rapport with the professor will never hurt a grade.

*Don’t do what other students around you might be doing: including not taking notes in lecture, skipping lecture, barely making it through homework assignments, etc. If your professor is grading cumulatively, which many will do, then only 25% or less of the students will get an A, and likes are you’re sitting by the majority. And likes are, they’ll be contacting another student to get the information they missed later.

*Sit in the front.

*I do daily to-dos in my notes and in other random places, and used to do it for my #100daysofproductivity :) it’s super helpful to get it down on paper if you’re overwhelmed by it.

*It’s better to know too much and be too “on top of it” than the reverse.

*Scraping along and barely making deadlines induces anxiety, stress, and makes education an unenjoyable experience!! You’ll thank yourself for being organized later!

Lastly, every successful student has some type of organizational routine or set of habits that makes them truly enjoy learning and enjoy how they go about studying. Hopefully, this will be the first step to finding yours.

That’s all for now, good luck students!! xx

[meganportorreal-archive]

I think I write so much so one day I won’t have to talk anymore.

[noodledesk]

a lot of you have asked how I actually use notion in my day to day life, so I’ve broken down my task manager for all of you! hope this helps :) happy notion-ing! 💖

my other posts on notion: goal setting 📚

edit: i’ve made my template available for everyone to duplicate here! happy notion-ing!

entire post below!

Keep reading

[eintsein]

Energy Management

A human-based organization method

click on images for better resolution; images also available here (link to google drive)

Other posts that may be of interest:

Getting stuff done: How to deal with a lack of motivation

Flexible time-blocking: A more breathable way to get things done

The ABCDE Method