this post can be summarized into links, reasons, and advice for 1) not procrastinating and 2) organization, with a stress relief section as a bonus. if this doesn’t interest you, press j on your keyboard now.
for when you need to focus / not procrastinate! everything here is free, or at least has some sort of free version. this is mostly ios / mac software, because that’s what i own. sorry! it’s possible these are also available for other devices — you can check, anyway.
if not, this post has some android apps to help with studying
this post has a bunch of nice windows apps, not necessarily study-related
focusnow [ios]: a classic! you set a certain amount of time for when you can’t go on your phone, and during that time, a little tree will grow. if you switch to something else in that time, the tree dies.
try chrome extensions like stayfocusd
to-do lists are really motivating because you can check things off and see how much you’ve accomplished! however, try not to be daunted by a long list of tasks you’ve got, and don’t feel bad if you can’t finish everything.
if you want something paper, try a bullet journal
to-do list software: [mac + ios] wunderlist // todoist [ios] timeful // glass planner // clear
i almost never finish everything i have on the day’s to-do list, and that’s okay. learn to prioritize, and make sure you have a margin — better to overestimate the amount of time it takes to do something than underestimate!
to help with prioritizing, try a system like this
lately i’ve just been using evernote’s checklist feature because evernote is good for everything
i also like fountainpen, a writing program with a backdrop feature, as a way to free myself of distractions because it blocks out my cluttered desktop, which is less stressful. would 100% download for the backdrop feature alone. (that, or you can use it as an actual writing program.)
speaking of freeing yourself of distractions, download isolator, which does a similar thing, except it makes the background completely black! (you can change the opacity if you want so that it’s more translucent)
lots of apps for focusing!!
if you’re just getting started, then it helps to get into a learning, scholarly sort of mood first, so start with small tasks — organizing the supplies you’ll need for your session, writing down what you need to accomplish
are you sleepy? (me too!)
do you normally have problems with sleep? here are some tips (not for insomniacs, but there’s a link for insomnia at the bottom)
consistency is super important. it’s better to study 20 minutes every day for a week than 2-3 hours straight on monday or friday and none for the rest of those days
speaking of that, the pomodoro technique is nice for this!! i dont use it personally but it can be really helpful, esp. when you’re so tired you can’t track the time or decide how to do this by yourself
what to avoid when studying
having a good study space is highly recommended because it’s basically like sitting down at this little island of learning knowing u are about to learn!! workspace tips [2] [3]
what to do during study breaks
oh, look, an organization masterpost
lil’ study tip about notebooks for classes
here is a list of 100 reasons to study
list of happy things to remember when you’re super stressed / anxious
some motivational wallpapers
methods to beat procrastination
more methods to beat procrastination
even more methods to beat procrastination
studying is fun!! if you are not convinced then know it’s at least incredibly rewarding. remember all the benefits you are getting from this, because there are many — better grades, better organizational skills, & (hopefully) a better outlook on life.
getting over a fear of studying
my own personal reason: to learn and experience more and to share this knowledge with the people around me
killing feelings of inadequacy
really important words of encouragement
how to stop being an underachiever
if u can’t find the motivation no matter what, try this
productive (and relaxing!) afterschool routine
developing self-discipline
routines also involve sleep. sleep is important. tips on waking up early here
try 100 days of productivity!! it’ll feel rewarding and you’ll develop a sense of consistency
i recommend starting small at first — establish your routine bit by bit, and don’t try everything at once. see what you like first; it’s different for everyone
more stuff about bullet journaling
i recommend waking up early, although i find it more important to wake up early on weekends than weekdays. my main reason for this is that i have more time to see the sun (my city is extremely polluted and it sets at around 6 PM), but overall, the light will make you feel like you’ve been awake longer and more productive. even if you haven’t done anything, you’ll feel like you’ve just seen — and done — more that day.
time management with post-it notes
more time management tips
an anti procrastination masterpost can u believe it
more self discipline tips
don’t beat yourself up if you can’t stick to your routine!! at the same time, don’t let not sticking to it become a habit. acknowledge you didn’t do it this time, be okay with that, and move on. forget about it, at least for now — in the future, you can look back and think about how you made a mistake (or a lot of mistakes), but you recovered from them.
ok im just going to warn you beforehand that these are mostly cutesy things for your study breaks
remember it’s okay if you can’t study for long periods of time, and you can only do 20 minutes to your friend’s 50 before you need to stop and take a break.
turn your stress into motivation!! i know that the fear of failing keeps me awake and working quite often, just don’t let this overtake you. stop & breathe.
also you should find incentives to study / work that aren’t just “what if i fail” — preferably positive ones [re: reasons to study]
ferry halim’s orisinal games are the cutest things ever invented and have such adorable music and graphics
if you’ve got time, list of things to do on a bad day
dealing with stress graphic
vanilla honey tea latte recipe // quick apple pie recipe // more study snacks
free your mind: a masterpost
feel free to add onto this post x
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