🌼 Hugs, RN🌸 @c-margieanne-rn - Tumblr Blog

Organisation and Planning

Have a planner or some area where you can write your plans for the day so you can easily see when you have a class or event.

Update your planner/ calendar every day

Have weekly to do lists. I taped mine in each week of my planner so i can see all tasks and events in the one glance.

Clean your desk or work space every night or after a session, this way it’s so much easier to get started the next day.

Have a post it note near you to jot down important things you remember for you to do later that way you don’t get sidetracked.

Get out any power cords, pens, food etc. that you need for a study sesh before you start.

Stick on your wall a list of upcoming assignments or class work due dates and tick of as you do them, or post it note them and remove when done.

Break down tasks on lists so it seems more achievable.

Always make a plan before starting an assignment, maybe a mind map of what needs to be done and where you’ll get what info. I love doing this for essays.

Make sure you know what things you need to do before each class whether its reading or printing slides, come prepared.

Keep all notes for a subject together whether in a folder or digitally, this will help in exam season and don’t leave papers in your bag to be forgotten about.

Empty your bag everyday and put handouts or information in its appropriate place.

Studying

Pomodoro! Most people i know do the 30 mins study 5 min break but this has always been too short of time for me to accomplish something with too little of a break so i tend to do 45 or 60 minutes with a 10 minute break which is pretty much the same time it just works better for me.

ASMR! i know this sounds cringe or cliche but asmr can be super relaxing and provides that white noise that we like without listening to music which may prove distracting. I suggest the Harry potter common room ones they are beautiful.

Attitude. This is so important because if you go into studying pessimistically you will end up annoyed, go in with the mindset of getting a lot done and reaching your goals.

A pretty work space is a used work space, well at least for me. When my walls are covered with artwork and my desk is neat i feel most motivated, cleaning your desk is a small task that might inspire you to get working.

Candles, see above.

Watch YouTube videos on the subject you’re studying, for visual and auditory learners this is especially helpful.

Make summaries after your notes, mainly focusing on explicit points in the syllabus.

Make sure your summaries are done as you complete the course work so you are prepared for exam season.

A few weeks before exams make a list of all you want to get done before then and start working!

If you have your textbook on your device get a program that will read the text to you, save your eyes and this is normally a quicker way to digest material.

Find the study space that works for you, e.g. home, the library etc.

As much as i love it, coffee makes you peak and come down so if you can water and good snacks can be better for sustained energy.

DO PRACTICE QUESTIONS! For some reason i thought it was okay to think about a practice question and then just look at the answer? No, this did not work, you need to actually see what you know and write a response.

When possible work under exam conditions, it’s going to be stressful to be put under those circumstances but you need to actually get used to working that way.

Set a time and write down all you know about a small topic on a page, what you miss is what you need to go over.

Most textbooks are a base resource that can help you if you don’t understand a concept but there shouldn’t be too many notes to gather that you shouldn’t have already gotten in class, this is obviously different for each class but for me this has been the case. Don’t waste good revision time relearning what you know.

Highlighting allows us to tune out of the actual reading so avoid when possible and take notes as you go if you need to as this makes you focus more.

Flashcards are fun to make and they are proven to work, just make sure if you make question cards you don’t cheat when using them and look at the answers.

Making your notes is pretty but time consuming, don’t feel pressured to have that aesthetic all the time, the work is more important.

Find online quizzes on the topics you are studying. Many people have done your course before and already put in the hard yards, take advantage of this.

As above there are many resources for topics online, find these before you start a new section to be extra prepared.

Rereading notes before bed makes sure it stays in your head as your brain will be processing it overnight or some science but it does work.

When studying put your phone in another room to relieve the urge to check it all the time.

Stationery

Have a good trusty pen. Mine is the uniball signo. We have a friendship, it’s good.

I’ve learned recently you don’t need 100 coloured pens and the entire fine-liner collection because i only like a few colours and often don’t have enough time to use a brush pen, markers, highlighters and pens all in the one page of notes.

Don’t feel pressured to have pretty equipment, functional equipment is 100 times more important

Small dot or grid notebooks to do summaries in or mind maps really has helped me feel motivated because they do look really pretty and gets me focused in exam times.

There is a movement towards digitising notes but i think it is still good to have a binder for handouts and articles etc.

Only take to college/school/university the essentials and save your back.

Keep a few bad ballpoints in your bag to save giving friends your nice pens and never getting them back.

Don’t buy stationery that doesn’t work, yes the New York post its i got were beautiful, did they stick at all, no. This clutters your work space and steals your money.

Personal Care

Don’t feel guilty for taking breaks, realistically know your limits and think of it as refuelling.

Try to eat healthy not for weight or looking good but because your body will hate you when you are always giving it takeaway and then asking it to do 14 hour study sessions.

When struggling to focus of a morning, get up and have a shower. This will wake you up and get you feeling motivated.

Have a support person. Mine is my boyfriend and is the person i can just let out all the stress onto, have a cry and then get back to work. You just need to let it out sometimes.

A more relaxed study method is to group up with friends and test each other, create little games etc.

Make sure you still socialise and go to events during crazy stressful periods because you need an outlet and a break.

write out your goals for a term, semester, class or year and refer back to them when you get your results, this will make sure you are judging yourself by your own standards and not compared to anyone else’s.

Reach out for help or advice, whether that’s to friends or people on tumblr or your professors, if you are struggling its ok to get a hand.

biopsychs

Tips For Online Classes

I’ve taken a few classes online and have had some friends that did so as well. Here are some tips that have helped me a lot! (Due to my experience, this post is more geared toward those who take mostly regular classes at high school with a few online classes, not those who take strictly online classes or are in university/college.)

Getting started

First of all, make sure you’ve registered for the online course properly. Often, you will have to register early. Also, the forms when applying generally take some time to fill out and make sure you’ve OK’d everything with your school. (I had to talk to my counselor at school and then get permission from the principal before starting my online classes but this will vary from school to school)

Make a schedule and stay on track

Now you’re ready to start! To stay on track, I would recommend making a schedule. Get a calendar and mark the date when you’re starting the class and the date when it finishes. See how many units/chapters there are in your class and plan to finish one unit a week, for example.

With your schedule, don’t plan to finish the final unit in the final week it is due. Leave yourself a week or two of catch up time. (You’ll thank me later).

It varies but online classes may be more or less time-consuming than regular classes. When I took French online I completed two French online classes in the time it took my friends to complete one French class. On the other hand, I have a friend who did Physics and Chemistry online and had to get an extension to finish her online classes in the summer. Online classes are supposed to take as many hours to complete as regular classes but sometimes the online tasks end up taking longer.

On this note, be careful about what classes you do take online. If you’re taking something like Physics or Math online but struggle with numbers/find it hard to grasp mathematical concepts be prepared to put in extra time if you want a good grade and a good understanding.

Don’t procrastinate

The most important thing to remember when taking online classes is DON’T PROCRASTINATE!!! It may only seem like you’re procrastinating a little bit but jump forward to a week before everything is due and you’ll prob be panicking.

That said, the good thing about online classes is that it is possible to cram and get a lot of work done in a short time. You can finish but it won’t be fun. A friend of mine took French online and spent half of her time taking quizzes on Buzzfeed. In the end, she finished all the work but didn’t enjoy it, neglected work from her other classes, and didn’t properly learn the content (bc it was done in such a short time).

Just don’t do it. don’t procrastinate.

Create a good study environment

Programs/apps, like Self Control, that block certain websites can be useful if you find yourself drawn to Tumblr, Facebook,Twitter, etc. when online. Block those websites and get to work!

Have a good study space! Make sure it’s quiet and free from distractions.

How to study for online classes

In general, study for online classes like you would for regular classes. Make notes/flashcards for each unit, do practice problems, etc. How you study may depend on the subject.

Since it all is online, I would recommend actually writing out notes. It may be faster to type notes out but writing information out may help reinforce ideas in your mind. You do you, though.

Organization

You won’t have as many papers for online classes but keep a folder for the things you print off and notes you make.

Be sure to keep your files and documents organized on your computer. Create a folder for the class and save everything there.

You may also want to use programs like Google Drive so that you can access saved files from anywhere.

Talk to your teacher

Don’t be afraid to talk to your online teacher. Even if it seems dumb, contact them. You don’t want to end up redoing an assignment bc you did it incorrectly when you could’ve just asked the teacher to clarify instructions. Send them an email, arrange a phone call, etc. They are there to help.

I hope this was helpful! If anyone feels I missed something or has any questions just send me a message and I’ll try my best to help!

study-at-the-disco-deactivated2

Tips about taking online classes by @anascoldcoffee

I haven’t seen many posts about online classes here on tumblr, so I want to share some tips that help me. I’m doing only online classes this year (and I’m also studying Korean online by myself), and before I started studying online I thought I wouldn’t like, that I would get too distracted. So here are some things I came up with to help me.

Make a schedule

I’m not sure if this applies to everyone having online classes, but for me I can watch the videos of the classes any time I want, as long as I watch all the videos of the class until the deadline. In order to get organized, I decided to make a schedule. The best thing about this is that I could make a schedule that adapts to my routine. For me, the best time to watch my classes was in the morning, so I adapted my morning routine to wake up a little earlier and make time to watch the class. Now, my mornings are dedicated to this; not only doing my online classes but also studying Korean. Just because the classes are online, that doesn’t mean you should think “I’ll just do it when I have time”. What I did was treat it as a regular class, so I organized myself and I can do everything on the right time.

Avoid distractions

My biggest problem on the beginning was that I got distracted very easily. Since I was already on the computer, when my class got a little boring I was like “hm, I’m gonna check Tumblr real quick”. Don’t do that!! To avoid these kind of distractions, I use the app Forest, on both my phone and on google chrome. This app kind of “block” your phone and some websites on your browser for a certain amount of time while a little tree is growing. If you use your phone or go on the websites you blacklisted before the time is up, your tree dies. I always use this app and it really helped me to avoid these distractions.

Have a study space

Another way to avoid distractions is having a space for you to watch your classes. It can be the space you usually study. For me, for example, I can’t study on my room, because I get distracted very easily and when I realize, I’m laying in bed and not studying at all. So, watching my classes on my room would be a bad idea. My study space in on another part of my house, where there aren’t as many distractions as my room.

Try to interact with people

The bad thing about online classes is that it’s just you. But on one of the online classes I was doing, the students decided to do a group chat with everyone. And on this online drawing course I did once, there was a group on Facebook for the students. Being the shy introvert I am, I don’t like group chats with a lot of people, but this was actually a good idea. On the group chat, the other students talked about some doubts they had and other things related to class, tests and etc, and that actually helped me. More than once I had a doubt about something and I understood it seeing what people talked on the group chat.

Those are the tips that really helped me with my online classes. I hope it’s useful to you.

olliesnotes

if you are considering online classes, doing online classes or just curious, this is the post for you.

as most of you know, I’m taking Latin and PE online over the summer to gain some extra credits early. I fell behind for a little while, but I’m back on top.

Issues You May Run Into

It’s easy to lose your motivation, but that shouldn’t discourage you from taking online classes. I began Latin at the beginning of summer and I finished like 25% of it in a week. My work slowed but it continued until I got to 59% and it kind of just sat there. Online classes are incredibly different from traditional classes because you don’t have a teacher breathing down your neck to make sure you work. It’s up to you to stay motivated

The Solution

Keep logging into the website. I really noticed I had lost motivation when I logged into my laptop and realized it had been a week since I had done class work. I didn’t just drop everything and finish the class but I made it a point to just start getting on the website everyday. I don’t even do assignments everyday, but I have to log in. It’s okay to just take 25 minutes and read a lesson or two. As long as you are on the website, practicing.

It can be really easy to fall behind on your work. Sometimes you lose your motivation but can’t independently fix it. That’s okay! But when you don’t fix it fast enough, before you know it, you are modules behind and it’s almost August. No matter how far behind you are, giving up the class is never the answer. Dropping the class will put a 0 in the book and even the most extreme case of falling behind and realizing it too late will still be better than zero. That kind of made no sense. I’ll explain further in the solution.

The Solution

Do not give up. Once you hit the point of no return, dropping the class is not an option. No matter how far behind you are and how little time you have left, any score you get will be better than the score you would get if you just quit. If you only have a few weeks left in the class and you are really far behind, work as hard as you can those few weeks. Only getting to 80% done is still much better than giving up at 47%.

Ask someone to remind you to do your work everyday. Studyblrs offer a wide variety of ages, but almost everyone is living with somebody. Whether it is your mom, dad, boyfriend, girlfriend, brother, sister or room mate, ask them to remind you to get on your class. If you know you have 0 willpower have them make you give them your phone for an hour.

You get distracted while you study/ work. I ran into this problem a lot when I first began. I would open up a tumblr tab while opening FLVS. This was for those “five minute breaks” that I had via the pomodoro method. Those five minutes quickly turned into at least 15 minutes.

The Solution

Just because you are on a device to do your work, does not mean you can’t limit your access to distractions. A free chrome extension, Forest, is perfect for this. It’s purpose is to discourage surfing the web while you work. You click the timer for 25 minutes, for example, and it will grow a little tree and after 25 minutes the tree is grown. But if you go on a website you shouldn’t the tree dies. This is strangely motivating to do your work :)

Turn your wifi off of your computer. If you are working on a word document to upload to your class, the internet will be unnecessary. If you have all of your resources on paper.

It can feel like you aren’t really learning from your class. I had this issue a lot torward the beginning. When you have all of your online resources right infront of you, it can be tempting to not even read them. I would just switch from my worksheet to my Latin dictionary and then not understand why I knew basically nothing about Latin. Though there aren’t any issues with this on my GPA, it still really upset me.

The Solution

Read everything. Even if you know you can refer back to the lesson during the work and tests, you should still read all of the information. It will be impossible to learn anything if you only read what you absolutely have to.

Write your notes on paper. I did all of my notes on OneNote in the beginning, which is great! If it works for you. I have trouble retaining information from notes on a screen. I started doing notes by hand and I felt like I learned sooo much more.

You get anxious during DBA’s. A DBA is a “discussion based analysis” and I don’t know about anyone else, but talking to the teacher I’ve never met before on the phone while they give me a test is dreadful. Nothing necessarily bad really happens, but between not being able to really understand them and the stress to perform, is nothing short of anxiety causing.

The Solution

Realize that your teacher wants you to do well. Your teacher isn’t trying to stress you out or cause you to mess up, they just want to make sure you are doing well. They want to see your progress beyond numbers on a computer screen and that’s understandable.

Take a breath. If you are getting overwhelmed ask your teacher for a moment. As previously mentioned, they do not want you to have an anxiety attack because they stress you out. Take a moment to think over the question and return.

honestly I feel like this post was more for me than anyone else. my classes have been stressing me out and if i can take my trial and error and use it to help someone else, i will in a heart beat.

motivatemycollegelife

How to start!

Make some coffee/ tea / snack.

Instead of spending hours procrastinating on your phone, watch a motivational video while you eat.

Tidy your study space, get rid of dishes, mugs and anything that isn´t study related. Leave your glass of water.

Go wash your face with cold water.

Check time.

Turn off your phone and computer. If your study material is there, turn the wifi off.

Study.

Take a short break. (Go to the toilet, refill your glass, stretch, open a window, listen to music, talk to someone, call your mom, etc)

Follow this sequence four times.

Take a long break. (Get another snack, watch a motivational video, go on a short walk, read a book, do some yoga, take a shower, go outside, doodle, post something on tumblr, take a nap or whatever you´d like to do. DO NOT WATCH A TV SHOW YOU ARE NOT GOING TO STOP AND YOU KNOW IT PUNK. Also, make it so that your break doesn´t last longer that 25 minutes, don´t waste precious time)

Go back, keep studying.

coralstudiies

SURVIVAL GUIDE & STUDY TIPS

hello everyone!! this post is a collab with the lovely and amazing @boinkhs because we’ve both reached 2k followers :D she’ll be doing study tips for college students and i’ll be doing study tips for high schoolers. check out her post here!

i’ve split this into part 1. survival, which concerns how to study & learn better in general and just tips on how to get through high school. part 2. is on specific study tips for each type of subject, namely sciences, maths, languages and humanities.

Hope this helps <3

1. Don’t snooze please

you just end up snoozing 5 times then you’re late for school

2. If you find you have difficulty getting out of bed, just keep in mind ONE TASK you need to do.

for example, making your bed. then you just gotta focus on that! it should help fight the sleepiness because you’re forcing your brain and limbs to be active.

3. Do the necessary things like brushing your teeth, putting on clothes and eat breakfast

i don’t know why but some people don’t eat breakfast before coming to school like ???? excuse me ???? please eat at least a small snack, or a fruit or something. your body doesnt function on an empty stomach! also, drink some water to hydrate yourself

4. On the road, you should do something that puts you in a good mood.

for me, i go straight to spotify and listen to my playlist. you should also review the previous day’s learning so that you refresh your memory before going back to class. personally this is my fav part of the day HAHAHA

5. If you like, you can choose to read a book.

just make sure you’re calm but ‘warmed up’ to focusing in a sense.

1. Hydrate frequently

idk man it just keeps you awake + i dont feel so icky if i drink enough water

2. Learn actively

if the teacher asks questions, try to answer. sit at the front row. offer to help give out the worksheets or notes. clarify your doubts after. when they speak, copy down notes. don’t worry about the aesthetic; i mean you can but you need to write fast and neat which unfortunately doesnt come together very often. i suggest you spend more brain power digesting and understanding the content.

3. Don’t over highlight

ONLY KEY POINTS that are stressed by the teacher. you can tell when their tone changes, expression changes, when they use more hand motions, or they keep repeating a few key words. yes , that. highlight that. stare at it while listening to them speak. make sure you understand. if you don’t please ask. but make sure you don’t have a fluorescent page because that’s not ideal study material!

4. Write down any questions you have

if they’re answered in the lesson, cancel them off. if not, ask after the lesson. dont be scared! *sends virtual courage*

5. Use whatever free time you have to finish homework

because you’re gonna thank yourself later. you should spend more time at home revising than doing homework. ( doing homework isnt equivalent to revising PLEASE I KNOW SO MANY PEOPLE WHO SAY THEY REVISED FOR 3 HOURS BUT ALL THEY DID WAS HOMEWORK ) also it feels better knowing you have one less thing to worry about

6. Record down all assignments, due dates and test dates

do it in a planner or your phone. doesn’t matter just keep them somewhere. it can be demoralising to see an entire entry of shit to get done but still it’s better than not knowing what needs to be done. ignorance is NOT bliss. try to color code or symbol code them, for example • for assignments (due date behind), - for tests etc. act on this when you go home (see below)

7. Have a file/binder some form of organisation to keep different subjects’ worksheets, tests, notes, reading etc.

you can have one massive binder, one binder for each subject, one folder file for each subject or anything that suits you. for me, i clip all materials of one subject together with a binder clip. the materials i use most are at the front for easy reference. then put those bundles into zipper files, perhaps one for math and sciences, another for languages and humanities. or whatever suits you best! make sure you have everything in one place so you don’t panic and dig through a pile of dog-eared paper.

8. If you can, when it’s near the exam period, don’t stay back after school unless it’s to study.

i used to stay back for training and to play volleyball with my friends and i kid you not we would play from 2pm to 6.30 pm and get nothing done but it was fun. and i’m not saying deprive yourself of that fun but when the exams are near, you should be studying somewhere quiet/ somewhere you can focus. you should go somewhere (preferably home) where you can focus and get things done.

9. Decide if you’re a lone wolf or if you need a study buddy/study group

personally i’m a lone wolf because i hate distractions and i don’t want to distract others. but when my friends ask me for help i don’t mind staying back a little to teach them and/or study with them. Personally i find that for subjects like english which require you to write about an array of topics, studying with someone else can help in generation of essay points and to just broaden your understanding of the topic. so yeah it really depends, just do what suits you :)

10. Take notes in class

try to understand while copying, and if you didn’t understand something, you should raise your hand and ask for the teacher to repeat so that you hear it again. also, it gives you more time to take notes as they re-explain the content. read them after the lesson is over to help internalise some facts. you can create your own method of organisation for your notes, e.g. colour coding.

1. Review the day’s learning on the way home.

if you take public transport, try to flip through your notes and worksheets to review new content for the first time.

2. Eat lunch, have a snack, take a shower, everything that’s necessary.

if you use your phone while eating, make sure you don’t eat slowly just to use your phone because that’s wasting time.

3. If you’re super tired, just have a 15-20min power nap

nothing more otherwise you will NEVER wake up until the dead of night. just take a nap to get some energy back. doesnt matter if you wake up feeling more tired, because you’ll shake that feeling in a while. keep a glass of water beside you so that you can drink it once you wake up!

4. Look through your ‘list’ that you made earlier in the day. (in class, pt. 6)

you might want to spend max 10 mins updating your schedule. then stare at the dreaded homework. start with the easiest and least time consuming to build up momentum. this could actually be the remainder of what you’ve finished in school. then look at the due dates. do them in order of due dates. unless it’s a huge project or assignment, you might want a head start on it!

5. With the remaining time, you should start revising

review the day’s learning AGAIN.

make notes/mindmaps/flashcards whatever works for you. you should prioritise the subject or chapter that you were most confused about. quickly revise and try to clear up any questions you have about the chapter. if you have additional time, go ahead and make notes for the next subject! another way is going through corrections and clarifying your doubts with friends/teachers, and summarise the day’s learning on a post-it or two. if you’ve already taken notes in class, look at other sources e.g textbook and combine what you’ve learnt before re-writing or re-organising your notes.

1. Pack your bag!

remove unnecessary materials, and pack the necessary one. make sure your bag isnt too heavy. you can choose to hand carry some files or binders if they’re too bulky, but make sure you’re all packed before the next morning

2. Have a meal & clean up

again, basic necessities. don’t go to bed hungry or feeling icky because thats not how you treat yo self!

Before class:

if you’re going to continue on a chapter, review the content that came before it. Try to make your own connections between the already learnt and to-be learnt content so that you’re mentally ready for class.

In class:

take down notes, highlight, annotate and DRAW DIAGRAMS. you can’t do sciences without diagrams. for physics or chemistry which require more calculation, copy down the problems your teacher goes through and solve them along with him/her. write the formulas on a post it note so you can stick it onto the page where you’re writing for easy reference. if the teacher plays a video which is MOST DEFINITELY NOT GOING TO WAIT FOR YOU you have to write only the relevant points in the most abbreviated form possible.

Note-taking:

I find that linear notes help me most in sciences. for chapters that involve lots of interconnected processes, for example o chem, then mindmaps or flowcharts will be helpful. also if you tend to forget something, post-it that stuff on the front page of your notes where you are FORCED to stare at it. yes. write down example problems and their steps, then write explanations for each step so that if you’re confused you can always refer back. again, draw any required diagrams.

Answering techniques:

if there’s a ‘standard’ way to answer it then you have to make sure you follow that way even in your homework because it’s muscle memory. when you get to exams, your hand will automatically write in the same format so you don’t lose marks or spend time recalling the correct format.

imo sciences are quite logical so as long as you remember and follow the flow you’ll be fine!

In class:

copy key terms, facts and examples and write all examples that the teacher has gone through. write all formulas and definitions on a post it, then shift it around the pages as needed. if there’s a type of problem you particularly suck at, ask your teacher for help IMMEDIATELY because it’s so easy to forget the steps to a problem.

At home:

do your homework, do additional practice, correct your mistakes, clarify, and repeat. memorise formulas and definitions (perhaps using flashcards or post its) then practice more and make sure your concepts are strong. there’s no easy way and sadly this is all i can comment.

In class:

copy down notes, think actively, and if you’re given a sample essay you should annotate the heck out of it and keep it somewhere safe.

For essays:

read up more and write up. befriend the best writer in class and ask for their essays. write essay plans and consult your teacher. brainstorm possible approaches with friends. read the news, and copy the links of interesting online articles for future reference. have a go-to list of examples and quotes you can use, for any and every topic. read these like your bedtime story and never forget to keep updating them.

For comprehension passages:

read the questions first. then you’ll be more sensitive to what you need to read in the passage and how you need to analyse it. try to question yourself about how and why the author does something or makes you feel something. do not rush-read the passage or you will fail horribly (personal experience). do one or two extra comprehensions and ask your teacher to mark them.

In class:

ARROWS TO LINK EVERYTHING and annotate any class notes given. write down new examples provided by the teacher. if there is a link you ‘can check out’ go check it out. it’s probably something thats gonna be on the exam.

At home:

you have to rely on mindmapping and flow charts because everything is linked in some way and you cannot ignore those links!!!! although i do my humanities notes in linear form, my in class notes are all in the form of mindmaps. and actually i revise from those in a pinch because i can see everything at one go. watch vids on the concepts, for example plate tectonics. those things are so hard to see when they’re deadass sitting on the page and not budging. watch a video where they really move instead of being frozen.

If you’re so frickin lost:

watch more videos on the concepts, watch more videos on the events, search up interpretations online and ask your teachers!!! for everyone who gets equally lost as me when i’m faced with a new chapter, another way is to pre-read before the teacher starts teaching. if you’re lazy to read just watch a couple clips on it so that at least you have some background. even if you wake up the next day with 0 concrete memory, which you won’t, you’ll already have the flow of things which will help you if you’re usually the straggler.

(disclaimer i study geography although i’ve tried history and english literature but i think that they’re similar to some extent, especially on how to study them)

faeinting

I’ve noticed quite a few people have problems with this subject, so here’s a little guide to help you manage chem!!

1) Realise that it’s an understanding based subject: Most of the people I’ve talked to think chemistry is just learning, but it’s really not. Everything is happening because of something and once you understand your basics, your brain will automatically start making links.

2) Know your basics: As I mentioned above, knowing your basics is the most important thing. If you don’t have a clear base of how things work then you won’t be able to understand properly & will just end up learning.

3) STOP LEARNING REACTIONS: Reactions aren’t learning based either!!! There’s a simple rule for each reaction and if you apply that and balance it, you’ll get the required reaction. (Base + Acid -> Water + Neutral Salt). Of course there can be exceptions to this rule.

4) Become good at nomenclature: Nomenclature is a pretty big part of chemistry and it’s not that hard! Know the rules of nomenclature and practice hard until you get the names of your compounds right everytime.

5) Use mnemonics! Ok I’m not going to lie, there’s very little chances you’re gonna research and spend lots of time to understand why which elements are there in the earths crust, so make a mnemonic so it helps you! (Mine is Oh Shit Allowance fees can near kill my hungry tiara = oxygen silicon aluminium iron cacium sodium potassium magnesium hudrogen titanium)

oreo-studies

- ̗̀ apr 5th ̖́-

basics of a weekly spread

hello!! and welcome to a quick guide on how to set up a weekly spread in your bujo, à la aurie style (that’s me!) weekly spreads are hella handy for planning your week out, keeping track of your day-to-day to-dos, AND having space to fill up with other information you’d like to keep!

although there are many variations of what a weekly spread can entail, i’ve found this format to be useful to me as a student with lots of projects, homework and after-school events. it’s helped me to keep up with my workload, as well as pick out days where i can fit in a study session or a day out with my friends :)

so without further ado, *drumroll please* let me breakdown each part of this spread to you!

week title

a very simple header that tells me the month and dates of this week! some people prefer having a mini calendar next to this so they can tell which week of the month it is, but i use my school terms instead. in this case, i’ve written T2W2 as a short form for term 2 week 2!

overview of your week

this is used in conjunction with your daily spaces! i stick to a simple legend for events, special days and tasks, but you can create your own version.

in the table i’ll write down events like my training schedules, consultations with teachers, project submissions etc. note that you shouldn’t be writing specific tasks like “finish chemistry report” in this table, but rather under a daily space.

daily spaces

so this is where your individual tasks go! to make it easy on your eyes, i’d recommend having the headers - which are really just the name and/or date of the day - a different colour from what the colour you’ll be writing your tasks in.

with daily spaces, you can allocate tasks to whichever day you’d like to do it on, and easily migrate it over to another day if needed.

tracker

tbh this is something i don’t always add but i do like the idea of trackers. I tend to use mine to note down how much i sleep each day, but of course, you can track other things such as the number of hours you study or spend on ig.

trackers act as a good motivator because it can make you more aware of how much time you are doing a particular activity, and subsequently, you can adjust your time spent for the better!

next week

like the tracker, i don’t add this to every weekly spread but it keeps me in check when i know i have a lot of events or submissions due next week.

also, if you do your spreads way in advance then you most likely won’t need this because you can simply write events on your next spread! unfortunately, i have a proclivity to procrastinate setting up my spreads so i need a space to write next week’s significant days down.

design

the look of your weekly spread will vary depending on your preferences. personally, i love having some colour while keeping the spread to a more minimalistic style.

some ways you can vary your design: ⬩ colour scheme ⬩ font (of header & daily spaces) ⬩ design of weekly overview table ⬩ rearrange format of spread!! switch things up here and there ⬩ doodles ⬩ add stickers or pictures in

and that’s it! hopefully for those who are struggling to find a suitable system they like using this may help you. do drop me an ask if there’s any other aspect of this that you’d like me to explain, or you have other questions about my bujo and weekly spreads! thank you ˙˚ʚ(´◡`)ɞ˚˙

emmastudies

This is a really cool way to make a quick to do list! X

emmastudies

Free 2019-2020 Digital Student Planner

I’ve had many requests for a free digital planner so decided it might be time to make one :-) Hopefully this suits the needs of everyone and can be enjoyed!

This file is mainly designed for iPads & tablets with apps such as Goodnotes, Notability, Xodo, Zoomnotes. However, it can be used on a computer if needed.

You can download it for free at the links below:

Folder including Monday & Sunday start options

All other free printables (can also be used digital or imported into this file, however will not be linked)

This planner includes a multitude of pages such as yearly overviews, monthly/weekly/daily calendars, student organisers, etc. It includes the 12 months for you to customise, along with 5 weekly pages and a selection of daily options. A reminder that this is undated. Pages can be duplicated to add more, links should not be impacted. However, if you delete the page which holds the link, the link will no longer function.

If you have any queries or questions, please direct them to my askbox!

Whilst this version is free, I do have a selection of paid options on my Etsy shop. There are several 2019 dated options, along with more student-specific calendars or for everyday use :-) These ones are much more extensive, include stickers and a variety of colour palettes and designs hence their price. I continually offer 10% discount using ‘student10′ if you are ever interested in making an additional purchase! I really appreciate the support I’ve had for my Etsy so far :D

I hope you enjoy using this! If you upload a photo featuring it, I’d love to see. Please tag me on Tumblr with #emmastudies or on Instagram with @emmastudiess. You can see other people using my items by visiting the #esprintables tag on my blog! Please remember, these printables are for personal use only and should not be redistributed as your own.

randomnameivechosen

Little about motivation throught the photos.

purelypeachh

Get your coffee, tie your hair back and get to work. You’ve got goals to achieve

minoven

journalling for beginners

i began keeping journals about a year ago, and believe it’s a wonderful hobby for just about anyone!

keeping track of various things in your life can bring a number of benefits, you can begin to recognise all the small things you feel grateful for, and help you process difficult situations - it can help you learn about yourself, find your voice and talk about things you might be uncomfortable to do so out-loud.

tips for a daily journal ;

📕 it doesn’t really have to be daily, it should be something you enjoy, and if you don’t have the energy, there’s no need to beat yourself up

🖊️ if you are running low on energy, but still need to get your thoughts out, you can always just do some doodles, short sentences or scribbles, just to help you untangle your mind

📕 sharing pictures of your journal is fun, but it’s best to feel open and free in what you write - i find it beneficial to keep a journal just for me, so i feel comfortable adding anything

🖊️ be honest with yourself, you don’t need to put on a performance for anyone else here

📕 date your entries to help you keep track of your moods and thoughts

🖊️ not feeling up for self-reflection? record simple things - draw an object nearby, write about an animal you saw, or make a list of things you did today

📕 don’t put pressure on yourself, your journal doesn’t need to be aesthetically pleasing, or beautifully written, you don’t need to have perfect grammar or a fancy notebook to enjoy journalling

lovelysuggestions

How to Get Going When You Just Want to Stay In Bed and Be Nothing

Some days hit you like a ton of bricks, and for those who already struggle, those days can be even harder. Hopefully, these little tips can give you a boost in your darkest moments.

1. Open a window, let some light and fresh air in. You might not want it now, but it will help you feel better in the long run.

2. Take a shower. Sometimes, this can be more difficult than we expect, but that’s okay. Just letting the water hit your back, or washing your face can make you feel more refreshed.

3. Work on a hobby that gets you going. Unfortunately, as good as it feels in the moment, lying in bed and watching netflix while the work you have piles up will only make you feel worse. Now, maybe you can’t tackle your assignments right now, but sitting up and drawing your favourite character or watering your plants while blasting some music will get you in a better mindset.

4. Change your music. Sometimes we need to listen to a sad ass song and just get all our emotions out, but once that’s done and dusted, don’t dwell. Listen to some up-beat music (if I may, I recommend our Pick Me Up Playlist by You) and try to keep your environment from matching your mood.

5. Get a healthy snack and drink some water. Never underestimate the power of good nutrition. If you can’t handle the thought of a full meal, some fruit will suffice for now. But remember what you eat fuels your body, so if you can bring yourself to fitting in a remotely well-balanced meal, you’ll be all the better off.

6. Make a list, pick one, simple task, and get it done. Maybe you have laundry to do and it’s piling up. Maybe you have to wash down the kitchen counter. Maybe you have a worksheet for school. Maybe it’s just making the list. Whatever you need to get done, write it down, and rather than letting that overwhelm you, pick one thing from that list to tick off. Slowly but surely, you will be able to tackle the bigger things.

7. Go for a walk. Getting some fresh air and simple exercise will refresh you without tiring you out. Bring some water, or maybe make it a trip to get some of your favourite snacks and a smoothie from Jamba Juice. If you’re struggling to get up and out, having something nice to look forward too can motivate you.

8. Think of why you’re feeling this way, and then let it go. More often than not, there is a reason you’re struggling to get up and out. Understanding the root of this feeling can help you move past it, tackle it, or keep it from holding you back.

I know this is pretty standard advice, but I think we all need that little reminder every now and again.

dick-winters-blog1

my masterlist of 'how to life’ tips

Cleaning & Tidying

Make your bed in the morning. It takes seconds, and it’s worth it.

Reset to zero each morning.

Use the UFYH 20/10 system for clearing your shit.

Get a reed diffuser and stick it on your windowsill.

Have a ‘drop-zone’ box where you dump anything and everything. At the beginning/end of the day, clear it out and put that shit away.

Roll your clothes, don’t fold them - or fold them vertically.

Automate your chores. Have a cleaning schedule and assign 15mins daily to do whatever cleaning tasks are set for that day. Set a timer and do it - once the timer is up, finish the task you’re on and leave it for the day.

Fold your clothes straight out of the tumble dryer (if you use one), whilst they’re still warm. This minimises creases and eliminates the need for ironing.

Clean your footwear regularly and you’ll feel like a champ.

Organisation & Productivity

Learn from Eisenhower’s Importance/Urgency matrix.

Try out the two-minute rule and the Pomodoro technique.

Use. A. Planner. (Or Google Calendar, if that’s more your thing.)

Try bullet journalling.

Keep a notebook/journal/commonplace book to dump your brain contents in on the regular.

Set morning alarms at two-minute intervals rather than five, and stick your alarm on the other side of the room. It’s brutal, but it works.

Set three main goals each day, with one of them being your #1 priority. Don’t overload your to-do list or you’ll hit overload paralysis and procrastinate.

If you’re in a slump, however, don’t be afraid to put things like “shower” on your to do list - that may be a big enough goal in itself, and that’s okay.

Have a physical inbox - a tray, a folder, whatever. If you get a piece of paper, stick it in there and sort through it at the end of the week.

Consider utilising the GTD System, or a variation of it.

Try timeboxing.

Have a morning routine, and guard that quiet time ferociously.

Save interesting-looking shit to instapaper. Have a set time where you read through the stuff you saved to instapaper and save the shit that you like from instapaper to evernote (or bookmark it properly).

During your working hours, put on your footwear, even if you’re sat on your bed. (Why?)

Have a folder for all your important documents and letters, organised by topic (e.g. medical, bank, university, work, identification). At the front of this folder, have a sheet of paper with all the key information written on it, such as your GP’s details, your passport details, driving licence details, bank account number, insurance number(s), and so on.

Try using StayFocusd and RescueTime (or similar apps/extensions). (I promise, you’ll find that you’re not as busy as you think you are.)

Schedule working time and down time alike, in the balance that works for you.

Money

Have. A. God. Damn. Budget.

Use a money tracker like toshl, mint, or splitwise. Enter all expenses asap! (You will forget, otherwise.)

Have a ‘money date’ each week, where you sort through your finances from the past seven days and then add it to a spreadsheet. This will help you identify your spending patterns and whether your budget is actually working or not.

Pack your own frickin’ lunch like a grown-up and stop buying so many takeaway coffees. Keep snacks in your bag.

Go to your bank and take out £100 in £1 coins (or w/e your currency is). That shit will come in useful for all kinds of things and you’ll never be short on change for the bus or the laundry.

Food & Cooking

Know how to cook the basics: a starch, a protein, a vegetable, and a sauce.

Simple, one-pot meals (“a grain, a green, and a bean”) are a godsend.

Dried porcini mushrooms make a fantastic stock to cook with.

Batch cook and freeze. Make your own ‘microwave meals’.

Buy dried goods to save money - rice and beans are a pittance. (Remember to soak dried beans first, though!)

Consider Meatless Mondays; it’s healthier, cheaper, and more environmentally friendly.

Learn which fruits and vegetables are cheapest at your store, and build a standard weekly menu around those. (Also remember that frozen vegetables are cheap and healthy.)

Learn seasoning combinations. Different seasoning, even with the exact same ingredients, can make a dish seem completely new.

Don’t buy shit for a one-off recipe, especially if you won’t use it all. If you really want to try out a recipe, see if a friend would be interested in making it with you, then pool for the expenses.

Make your own goddamned pasta sauce. Jamie Oliver has a decent recipe here, but the beauty of tomato sauce is that you can totally wing it and adapt the fuck out of it.

Misc

Have a stock email-writing format.

Want to start running, but find it boring? Try Zombies, Run!.

Keep a goddamn first aid kit and learn how to use it.

Know your OTC pain relief.

Update your CV regularly.

Keep a selection of stamps and standard envelopes for unexpected posting needs. (It happens more regularly than you would think!)

Some final words of advice:

Organisation is not a goal in itself, it is a tool. Don’t get caught up in the illusion of productivity and get distracted from the actual task at hand.

Routines and habits will help you. Trust in them.

You have the potential to be an organised and productive person, just as much as anybody else. It just takes practice.

onioncakes

✨ space themed july spread

instagram

catchymemes

elfwreck

The theory is:

6:30 am: Wake up, eat breakfast, do morning cleanup (may include shower; add up to half an hour if needed.)

7:30 - Leave for work

8:00 - Get to work (adjust morning details as necessary to match time to get to work

10:00 am - morning break; use this time to schedule appointments, drop mail in post box, etc.

12:00 noon - lunch. Also, potentially small errands. Check social media.

12:30 - back to work.

2:30 afternoon break - potentially more small errands

5:30 - leave work; do small errands (food shopping for a couple of ingredients, or drop off an item for repair, or pick up laundry, etc.)

6:30 - arrive home; start cooking dinner.

7:00 - eat dinner. (If you can’t cook that fast all the time, then your post-work errand may include “pick up dinner,” especially if you’re living alone.)

7:20 - done with dinner; clean kitchen, do other minor cleanup; prep clothes for tomorrow, maybe throw a load in the washer.

8:00 - LEISURE TIME!!! Watch TV, connect with friends online, read a book, play video games, go see a movie. (Probably stream it. You don’t need to include travel time, that way.) Maybe do a bit of exercise. Hey, if you have an exercise bike or similar tool, you can combine exercise and TV! Or use this time to work on writing your novel so you can become a Famous Author and not need a day job. (Note: Do not give up your day job.)

10 to 10:30 pm: Go to sleep.

Weekends: do serious food shopping for the week, do laundry, clean kitchen & bedroom, yardwork if needed, and so on. Plenty of time to do that and still meet the gang on Saturday afternoon for a movie or lunch/dinner or going to that festival that’s in town.

See? No problem. After 40 years of that, you can retire! Of course, if you get sick or injured, or are trying to take classes in the evening, or a friend needs help, or your car breaks down, or any of your appliances breaks, you’ll fall behind. And there’s really not a lot of “catch up” built into that schedule.

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