marianas studies!!

14 - high key thespian who loves aesthetic looking notes - feminist af -Scorpio and gryffindor af also - I’ll follow #gryffsarebrainytoo

[haylstudies]

study tips from someone who has already been there

here are a few things i’ve learned along the way. in case you’re asking for credentials, i have an honours bachelors of arts in sociology with a concentration in criminology and am currently in the last year of my second degree in public health. these are some of the most important things i’ve retained over the years in terms of studying/finals/midterms/etc. 

start studying early: when i say early, i don’t mean like 2 days before the test. i mean like at least a week before the test. even better, look over your notes after each class for a little bit to get a grasp of what was said. 

go to review sessions: if your TA or professor holds them. they usually give away some valuable tidbits about the exam and go over all of the relevant content that you should know. 

actually do the readings: it’s a lot easier to do them during the semester than it is the night before the exam. so keep up with them. 

use online tools: my favourite for studying is  . it works wonders when you have a class that’s heavy in memorization. i usually add all of my terms in and them print out tests to practice. i do this multiple times. 

invest in a whiteboard: yes. such a simple tool but oh so effective. whiteboards help you to visualize what is in front of you. mind maps on paper are great but on a whiteboard, even better. 

use your friends for help: engage in study groups. believe it or not, there are some people out there who know more about a particular topic than you do. this is effective when you hate the class. 

prioritize: try and figure out where you should be devoting the majority of your brain power. coordinate lecture notes with readings and see which content overlaps. this = goldmine. 

use office hours: professors do so much more than just stand in front of the class and teach. can’t tell you how many times i’ve gone and sat with my professors and just chatted about what was going on. build rapport. this also helps later on with grad school letters or references. 

go to class: just do it. 

[encephalonisworking-deactivated]

Introduction

My name is Liba and I am from India. I am joining the studyblr community to get some motivation. Stationary and productivity are my things. Currently I am preparing for my 11th year entrance exam that is just 4 days away. I hope I clear the entrance exam so that I get into the majors (bio, chem and physics), I want for the next 2 years.

I’ve been into the study community (studyblr, studytube, studygram) since past one year and thus, finally thought to start my own studyblr. I hope I do well !

[studyandstorms-deactivated20250]

New studyblr! Everyone go give a follow and do what we do best: encourage each other.

[mashable]

Is work stressing you out? Feeling a bit unmotivated lately? You’d be surprised how fast the little things can turn your day around. So, here are 10 simple things you can do to stay happy at work :)

[studyquill]

38/100 days of productivity - nov 9, 2016

notes about solving for roots

tiny flash cards about weather and seasons

[cincodemayonaisee]

WARNING: ANIMAL CRUELTY

Apparently people have been adopting dogs and either killing them themselves or dropping them to a kill shelter (and one even said they were flying them to poor Asian areas to be eaten) under the Twitter hashtag #pitbulldropoff

This is completely cruel and evil and word needs to get around about these demons so everyone knows what these demons are planning to do to dogs once they get ahold of them.

If you know someone or if you yourself is planning to give away a pitty by craigslist soon, DONT and wait for awhile!!!! They act like they’re going to adopt them and act all nice then they get rid of them, don’t be fooled!!

DM me for uncensored names!!!!!!!!

[cisnowflake]

Someone should tell these people I will fucking end them.

[blightout-deactivated20210117]

What the actual fuck?!? This is outrageous and disgusting!

[blightout-deactivated20210117]

BOOST THIS even if it doesn’t match your blog theme please

[deaconmcsexypants]

Yeah I’m crying this is really sad

[rogue-snorunt]

What the actual fuck. Is wrong with people

[doinbetter]

workout & self care plan week 1

im gonna do a series of what workouts and other productive things i’m doing each day each week, you all are welcome to follow along w/ me

every day: 

-make your bed right as soon as your feet hit the floor

- cook at least one fresh meal with no processed food

- brush your teeth and wash your face every morning and night

- make a to-do list

sunday: 

- first thing when you wake up! do this 20 min yoga video 

- do your laundry/ vacuum/ wipe down counters with disinfectant/ any other looming chores

- head to the grocery store and get just enough food for the week (u don’t want it to spoil!!) 

-get any work done that you’ve been putting off

- shower and do your full hygiene routine, whatever it is

monday: 

- run / walk in 1 minute intervals for 20 minutes and do 30 crunches, 30 second plank, 30 squats, 30 lunges each side, and lots of stretching

- finish your to-do list before going on your phone/social media/tv/etc. 

- face mask monday! the best part

- make plans with a friend or family member for this weekend 

tuesday:

- do this 10 min ab workout and this 10 min leg workout  and stretch!!

- set only 3 main goals for this day, see how productive you are without overloading yourself. 

- write in a journal about anything you’re thinking / feeling

- make a new playlist w/ ur current favorite songs

wednesday: 

- run 1:30 min and walk 1 min for 8 reps (20 minutes) and do 30 crunches, 30 second plank, 30 squats, 30 lunges on each side, 15 pushups, and lots of stretching 

- only drink water 

- go to the craft store and pick up a project/ look on pintrest for something fun and artistic to do (i like to go to michaels and get a bird house/other wooden object and grab some $2 paints). keep it or give it to a friend/family member as a gift

thursday:

- do the same workout videos from tuesday and stretch!! 

- finish any work you would have to do over the weekend (if you have time) 

- write in your cute journal again and make your own daily to-do list (for example, mine is 1.) finish studying before social media & as soon as i get home 2.) get some workout in 3.) tidy my room 4.) do full skincare & dental routine morning and night) 

friday: 

- yoga video from sunday

- go out w/ that friend/ family member if you scheduled it for today!! 

- finish any weekend work before your plans (if you can, but you can always do this spread out over f, sat, sun) 

saturday:

- run one mile, you can walk if you need to but try to run for as much of it as possible!! stretch lots! you can also bike or swim today if you don’t want to run, but get some cardio in

- paint your nails/ trim them

- look at your finances for the week and make sure you’re sticking to a budget- if you don’t have a budget, make one

[academically-booked]

Things I learned this semester

1) Do. Practice. Problems.

In class everything would make perfect sense, I could do the problems and would think “oh I don’t need to practice any of this” WRONG! I could do the easy in class examples but when it would come to homework I would get more lost and by the time the exam came around I would be struggling to finish it because I didn’t have any idea on how to do the problem. So DO practice problems.

2) Go to office hours.

I tend to be too introverted to actually ask for help because I think I should know it and asking for help will make me look dumb. But avoiding asking for help for this reason is what is making me dumb. If you don’t understand ask for help. It’ll help you in the long run. Avoiding will only hurt you more. This is something I have to work on and get much better at.

3) It’s OKAY to fail!

I tend to have this idea that I must be perfect and with this it means no failing. When I do fail at anything assignments/quiz/test/activity I will get so upset with myself. Be in tears, stressed, breaking/shutting down. It’s not fun. It’s bad. And it normally ends up leading to me being too stressed to even focus on anything else leading to more failure. Something that’s important to remember for myself and everyone reading this is IT’S OKAY!!! REALLY!! You can fail. And it happens. You take this failure and turn it into a learning experience. Figure out what went wrong and come up with a plan on how to fix it and avoid it happening again. If that plan fails, tackle it a different way. It’s okay. You will be okay. You will make it. This isn’t the end of the world. You got this and you will survive! So breathe. Cry if you need to but don’t let it control you!

4) Have a network of people.

My first two semesters I didn’t make any friends. I hung out with my boyfriend and just did my own thing. I was very miserable. I love my boyfriend and we’re still going strong but sometimes you just need other people in your life to also rant to. Now that I’m finishing up my fourth semester I have a group of people and am much happier in the social department. It’s just nice having other people around to get homework help, rant, go and do things with. It makes being in college a lot nicer and more enjoyable.

5) Take your own notes.

Don’t just copy down what’s on the board. Add stuff to that. Add the comments that the professor/teacher is verbally saying but not writing. You’re not going to remember it so don’t use that excuse. Write it. It will help you in the long run when you look back at the notes before the test and avoid wasting time trying to decode it.

[stillstudies]

like any community, I know the studyblr community and mindset can be super flawed. but I just want you to know that the intention of this community is not to put an even heavier pressure on perfection than you already get as a student anyway. you don’t have to be a perfect student to be a part of this community- you don’t even have to be a good student. lots of us aren’t, anyways- that’s why we’re here. you don’t have to know how to take and edit pictures and you don’t have to buy fancy supplies (unless of course, you want to). all you have to do is want to get better at what you do. seek some motivation. learn how to stick to a productive routine. improve your mental/physical health. take care of yourself a little better. forgive yourself. be a better you for you, and no one else but you. I hope that if anything, that’s what you hope to get out of this community. because success that’s defined as perfection is overrated.

[parisgellerstudy]

MASSIVE list of book recs

plays

death of a salesman, arthur miller

macbeth, shakespeare

a streetcar named desire, tennessee williams

hamlet, shakespeare

a raisin in the sun, lorraine hansberry

a midsummer night’s dream, shakespeare

antigone, sophocles

king lear, shakespeare

the glass menagerie, tennessee williams

othello, shakespeare

pygmalion, george bernard shaw

the tempest, shakespeare,

much ado about nothing, shakespeare

as you like it, shakespeare

the taming of the shrew, shakespeare

the merry wives of windsor, shakespeare

the merchant of venice, shakespeare

oedipus rex, sophocles

an ideal husband, oscar wilde

who’s afraid of virginia wolf, edward albee

our town, thornton wilder

waiting for godot, samuel beckett

fantasy/fairy tales

the ranger’s apprentice, john flanagan

harry potter series, j.k. rowling

inkheart by cornelia funke

throne of glass, sarah j. maas

the chronicles of narnia, c.s. louis

the lord of the rings, j.r.r. tolkien

the hobbit, j.r.r. tolkien

percy jackson and the olympions, rick riordan

eragon by christopher paolini

the bartimaeus trilogy, jonathan stroud

howl’s moving castle, dianna wynne jones

the wonderful wizard of oz, lyman frank baum

the books of bayern, shannon hale

ella enchanted, gail carson levine

the princess bride, william goldman

the raven cycle, maggie stiefvater

the sisters grimm, michael buckley

the spiderwick chronicles, tony diterlizzi and holly black

the alchemist, paulo coelho

forgive my fins, tera lynn childs

alice in wonderland, lewis carroll

the faerie path, allan jones frewin

the school for good and evil, soman chainani

the grimm legacy, polly shulman

the sweetest spell, suzanne selfors

the tales of the frog princess, e.d. baker

the wide-awake princess, e.d. baker

once a witch, carolyn maccullough

the silver bowl series, diane stanley

the emily windsnap series, liz kessler

fairest, gail carson levine

the fairy realm series, emily rodda

the water mirror, kai meyer

the two princesses of bamarre, gail carson levine

non-fiction

the seven habits of highly effective people, stephen covey

the seven habits of highly effective teens, sean covey

mencken’s chrestomathy, h.l. mencken

yes please, amy poehler

is everyone hanging out without me? (and other concerns), mindy kaling

audrey hepburn: an elegant spirit, sean hepburn ferrer

how to be lovely: the audrey hepburn way of life, melissa hellstern

how to win friends and influence people, dale carnegie

how to win friends and influence people for teen girls, donna dale carnegie

#girlboss by sophia amuroso

14,000 things to be happy about, barbara ann kipfer

choose to matter, julie foudy

the little book of skin care: korean beauty secrets for healthy, glowing skin, charlotte cho

where stylists shop: the fashion insider’s ultimate guide, booth moore

the girls’ book of glamour: a guide to being a goddess, jeffrie sally

the girls’ book: how to be the best at everything, juliana foster

the girls’ book of excellence: even more ways to be the best at everything, sally norton

the life-changing magic of not giving a f*ck: how to stop spending time you don’t have with people you don’t like doing things you don’t want to do (a no f*cks given guide), sarah knight

bossypants, tina fey

we should all be feminists by chimamanda ngozi adichie

behind the scenes: or, thirty years a slave, and four years in the white house, elizabeth keckley

the pillow book, sei shōnagon

eat pretty: nutrition for beauty, inside and out, jolene hart

eat pretty every day: 365 daily inspirations for nourishing beauty, inside and out, jolene hart

narrative of the life of frederick douglass, frederick douglass

narrative of sojourner truth, sojourner truth

12 years a slave, solomon northup

night, elie wiesel

poetry

the flowers of evil, charles baudelaire

a season in hell, arthur rimbaud

she walks in beauty, lord byron

shakespeare’s sonnets, shakespeare

we real cool, gwendolyn brooks

poems of emily dickinson

poems of robert frost

leaves of grass, walt whitman

the raven, edgar allen poe

poems of edgar allen poe

milk and honey by rupi kaur

the sun and her flowers, rupi kaur

the princess saves herself in this one, amanda lovelace

romance

romeo and juliet, shakespeare

emma, jane austen

ever, gail carson levine

pride and prejudice, jane austen

eleanor and park, rainbow rowell

sense and sensibility, jane austen

jane eyre, charlotte brontë

landline, rainbow rowell

madame bovary, gustave flaubert

to all the boys i’ve loved before, jenny han

love in the time of cholera, gabriel garcía márquez

the sun is also a star, nicola yoon

young adult

fangirl, rainbow rowell

great expectations, charles dickens

aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe, benjamin alire sáenz

when the moon was ours, anna-marie mclemore

the goldfinch, donna tartt

looking for alaska, john green

we were liars, e. lockhart

the wrath and the dawn, renée ahdieh

little women, louisa may alcott

palace of spies, sarah zettel

the clique series, lisi harrison

the finishing school series, gail carriger

eyes like stars, lisa mantchev

the ever after high series, shannon hale

along for the ride, sarah dessen

girl online, zoe sugg

keeping the castle, patrice kindl

stargirl, jerry spinelli

stir it up, ramin ganeshram

prom and prejudice, elizabeth eulberg

the summer i saved the world…in 65 days, michele weber hurwitz

pink and green series by lisa greenwald

six of crows, leigh bardugo

the catcher in the rye, j.d. salinger

the house on mango street, sandra cisneros

turtles all the way down, john green

under the lights, dahlia adler

geekerella, ashley poston

simon vs. the homo sapiens agenda, becky albertalli

it’s not like it’s a secret, misa sugiura

the idiot, elif batuman

the outsiders, s.e. hinton

everything leads to you, nina lacour

a wrinkle in time, madeleine l’engle

dumplin’, julie murphy

historical fiction

the great gatsby, f. scott fitzgerald

the scarlet letter, nathaniel hawthorne

a tale of two cities, charles dickens

the song of achilles, madeline miller

the last of the mohicans, james fenimore cooper

the constant princess, philippa gregory

the count of monte cristo, alexandre dumas

les misérables, victor hugo

war and peace, leo tolstoy

a mad, wicked folly, sharon biggs waller

manor of secrets, katherine longshore

to kill a mockingbird, harper lee

uncle tom’s cabin, harriet beecher stowe

atonement ian mcewan

the unbearable lightness of being, milan kundera

things fall apart, chinua achebe

ophelia, lisa m. klein

the god of small things, arundhati roy

gothic fiction

frankenstein, mary shelley

dracula, bram stoker

the picture of dorian gray, oscar wilde

wuthering heights, emily brontë

parody/satire

catch-22, joseph heller 

candide, voltaire

don quixote, miguel de cervantes

animal farm, george orwell

the importance of being earnest, oscar wilde

science fiction

the city of ember, jeanne duprau

1984, george orwell

the handmaid’s tale, margaret atwood

brave new world, aldous huxley

the lunar chronicles, marissa meyer

the time machine, h.g. wells

the fourteenth goldfish, jennifer l. holm

fahrenheit 451, ray bradbury

twenty thousand leagues under the sea, jules verne

the extraordinary voyages series, jules verne

epics

beowulf, author unknow

the odyssey, homer

the iliad, homer

the bhagavad gita, vyasa

the mahabharata, vyasa

inferno, dante alighieri

miscellaneous

the bell jar, sylvia plath

the secret history, donna tartt

swann’s way, marcel proust

the art of war, sun tzu

the awakening, kate chopin

moby dick, herman melville

anna karenina, leo tolstoy

the canterbury tales, geoffrey chaucer

the crucible, arthur miller

one flew over the cuckoo’s nest, ken kesey

the antichrist, friedrich nietzsche

sew zoey, nancy taylor and chloe zhang

the candymakers, wendy mass

my sister the vampire series, sienna mercer

eight hundred grapes, laura dave

their eyes were watching god, zora neale hurston

the adventures of huckleberry finn, mark twain

the adventures of tom sawyer, mark twain

a christmas carol, charles dickens

the old man and the sea, ernest hemingway

to the lighthouse, virginia woolf

utopia, thomas more

a spy in the house of love, anaïs nin

crime and punishment, fyodor dostoyevsky

the assistants, camille perri

a room of one’s own, virginia woolf

the joy luck club, amy tan

sputnik sweetheart, haruki murakami

the namesake, jhumpa lahiri

a thousand splendid suns, khaled hosseini

crazy rich asians, kevin kwan

save the date, morgan matson

neuromancer, william gibson

thanks for reading! i hope this helped some of you out. hugs, mel ✨✨✨

[eintsein]

Hey guys, so I’m nearing the end of my senior year, and it’s been great so far! I accomplished my academic tasks efficiently and didn’t burn myself out, and I think the main contributor to my success as a student is my organization system. This system has been refined throughout my high school years, but I think now I’ve finally found the most effective methods.

Please remember that this isn’t the only organization system you can adopt; this is just the one that works the best for me, and I hope that by sharing it with you, you’ll gain a new perspective on how to stay organized as a high school student.

The first thing I wanna talk about is my notebook system, which I briefly mentioned in my Guide to Note-Taking.

My notebook system comprises three types of notebooks: the Everything Notebook, the subject notebook, and the revision notebook.

The Everything Notebook

The first stage is in-class notes. I only bring one notebook to school every day. I call it my Everything Notebook, and this is where I write down all of the notes I take in class. This way, I don’t have to lug around six notebooks where I’m only going to use a few pages in each of them that day.

Subject Notebooks

At the end of the day, I would revise my notes and compare them to the syllabus so I know where we are in the learning process. I would then transfer my class notes from my Everything Notebook to my different subject notebooks. This is stage two. I also start to jazz up my notes because I use the notes in my subject notebooks to study for tests.

In addition to my class notes, I include material from my teachers’ notes that they might not have elaborated on, as well as points in the syllabus (I’m currently taking A2) that were only glazed over briefly, or not at all, in some cases. (Note: this does not mean they completely skip a chapter or topic; it’s more like they missed a few bullet points that should be in my notes but aren’t. An example would be if we’re learning about phenol reactions and the teacher forgot to mention the use of FeCl3 as a test for phenol.)

Revision Notebooks

Stage three comes a little later, when exam week is just around the corner. Essentially, I rewrite and improve my notes from my five different subject notebooks into a single revision notebook or binder. (Recently, I’ve opted for a revision notebook because they’re lighter and easier to carry around.)

Because my teachers don’t always teach in the order of the syllabus, the first thing I do is organize my notes according to the syllabus. I would then fill in any other missing gaps in the material that hadn’t been filled in stage two.

When compiling material for my revision notebook, I use as many sources as possible: my own notes, my teachers’ notes, youtube videos, online sites, and my favorite, the mark scheme! I add in some answers from past papers (explanations only, so no calculations) mainly to secure marks. It’s safer to memorize definitions straight from the mark scheme than from the textbook or from handouts. I also do this to ease my memorization, especially for topics that require lengthy explanations. It’s a lot easier to remember the 6 points I need to explain the principles of NMRI than to remember everything in the four-page handout my teacher gave me.

Folders and binders are essential to organizing your papers. Some people keep a single accordion folder for all their papers, but for me it’s just too heavy to carry around all the time. The same goes for subject folders that are brought to school every day.

Instead, my binder/folder system comprises my Everything Folder and my subject binders.

The Everything Folder

The folder I carry with me to school every day is this A4 folder I got from Tokyu Hands. It has 5 pockets, one for each day of the week, so all the papers I receive on Monday will go behind the first divider, and so on.

Some people also keep blank papers in their folders; I don’t because my school has its own lined paper and graphing pads that I keep under my desk that I use if a teacher asks us to do an assignment on those papers. If I do work at home, I prefer to just use a plain A4 paper or a legal pad.

Subject Binders

At the end of the week, I’ll sort my papers into my subject binders. Sometimes I’ll keep some papers in the folder if I think I’ll be needing it the next week. This usually only applies to worksheets because all my teachers’ notes are available on Google Classroom, so I can access them even if I don’t physically have them.

Each of these binders have sections inside them:

Physics: 1 for handouts, notes, and tests, 1 for Paper 4 (Theory), 1 for Paper 5 (Practical Planning). I included extra tabs to mark the different topics in the handouts section.

Chemistry: same as Physics.

Economics: 1 for Paper 3 (MCQ), 1 for Paper 4 (Case Study and Essay). A lot of my Economics material is online, though.

English: 1 for Paper 3 (Text and Discourse analysis), and 2 for Paper 4 (Language Topics, which includes 1 for Child Language Acquisition, 1 for World Englishes). Past papers, handouts, and notes all go under their respective topics.

Mathematics: I just keep everything together because I never revise math and just constantly do past papers.

This makes it easier for me to revise each subject because I can just take one binder with me instead of a messy folder with everything just shoved in there.

I keep a magazine file for each of my A-Level subjects (English and Mathematics are combined). All my textbooks, revision guides, and subject notebooks are kept here, so if I need to revise one subject, that’s the magazine file I’ll take out.

These magazine files prevent any small things (like my book of flashcards) from being shoved to the back of my bookshelf, or materials from different subjects from getting mixed up.

In my senior year, I mostly plan using this app called Edo Agenda. It syncs across all my devices for free and has all the features I need: a to do list to organize tasks, monthly and weekly calendars to organize events, a journal to organize notes and memos.

I used to bullet journal regularly, but it takes too much time during weekdays, so now I just bullet journal for the therapeutic effects it gives me, and I use an app for organizing tasks and events. Sometimes at the end of each week, I’ll transfer my tasks to my bullet journal and then decorate the page, but again, this is just for its therapy.

Organizing your school supplies is just as important as organizing your papers and notes. With a more organized backpack and pencil case, you won’t waste time looking for your things at the bottom of an abyss.

Pencil Case

I don’t find it necessary to bring so much stationery to school unless I plan on making notes at school (usually during revision week).

Backpack

Because we’re already in the revision term, I don’t really carry a lot of things in my everyday backpack, just the following:

Pencil case

Everything Notebook

Everything Folder

Revision notebook

Kindle

Phone

Wallet

Earphones

Calculator

Speaker

Drinking bottle

A pouch with things like a hairbrush, pads, and lip balm

And that’s all for now! I hope this post will help you organize your school life (if you haven’t already) or at least provide some useful insights on some ways to stay organized as a high school student.

[nececitystudies-deactivated2020]

like/reblog for a cute motivational message

Let’s spread the love before exams!

[sillydaisies]

study tips that helped me get back on my feet after a year of unmotivation

>>> set a little bit to do each day!! homework, study, anything! ik you have a lot to do and it seems like a whole heap of impossible at the moment, but once you do that little bit you’ll find it easier to keep on going. if not, then that’s okay, you’ve already done your small bit of productivity and you can go again for the record tomorrow.

>>> put your goal up somewhere you can see it everyday. every time you think of procrastinating, see it and remember it and how much you want to achieve it.

>>> get the app forest for iOS/android. it’s only $3 and its well worth it for all the time you’ll save that you’d be otherwise looking at your phone. also the free chrome extension so you don’t procrastinate on websites you shouldn’t be on.

>>> start your assignments the day you get them!! i can’t stress this enough. you don’t have to do a whole heap, but it’s so much easier once you’ve done the first bit to keep on going from where you left off, especially on off days.

>>> pick the topic of your assignment first up. this overlaps a bit with the last one, but personally, this is the hardest bit for me – i’ve spent so many weeks trying to pick a topic, just to do it a few nights before. once you’ve picked your topic, every time you hear something on it, your brain will subconsciously save and gather the information for you, and you can use that for your assignment.

>>> play ambient noise in the background! tide is really good, and so is relax ms, both available on iOS for free (you’ll have to check for android). there are also heaps of other noise apps, just search them up (i usually search sleep noises). i normally play music to study to, but on days where i just can’t concentrate, i usually just end up singing along. ambient noise really says, you’re here right now, and this is what you’re gonna do.

>>> take! care! of! yourself!! there’s no point in doing assignments if you are literally too tired to focus, or too hungry to think, or even just stressed about your day at school/uni. take some time out. sleep, eat, meds, water, and if it helps, put on a face-mask and do some journalling. get all the bad vibes out.

note: these tips worked for me but everyone is different. i really hope these tips help you and if not, i still believe you’ll get there! <3 if you are having a lot of off & unmotivated days for no apparent reason, make sure to see a doctor. ily!

[xtinastudiesmusic]

How to Make a 15 Minute Practice Session Count

You can get a lot of shit done in fifteen minutes. If you don’t have a lot of time but you still want to get something done on your instrument today, consider sitting down really quickly and crossing just one thing off of your musical to-do list. Here’s how: 

Have a plan. Knowing exactly what you’re going to do will help ensure that you actually get something done with the little time that you have. 

Do a quick warm up, and make it relevant to the goal you’re trying to achieve. For example, play the scale from the key of the thing you’re working on. 

Your goal should be something measurable and attainable. Learn one measure at a certain tempo could be one. Add articulation in a certain passage could be another. It all depends on what you need to get done. 

An example of a 15 minute practice plan should look something like this: 

Goal: Learn chromatic passage at measure 53

Warm-up with chromatic scale long tones and exercises (5 minutes)

Play four notes at a time accurately starting at 60 beats per minute

Play 8 notes at a time accurately

Play 12 notes at a time accurately

Play 16 notes at a time accurately

Bump up the tempo five clicks than repeat

After fifteen minutes, you’ll have learned one measure more than you did before. This is just one example. You can apply this to any piece of music with any type of practice technique. 

[howtosucceedinschool]

How to Plan Your Day Realistically: The 1-3-5 Rule

Have you ever planned a to-do list for the day, only to feel frustrated at the end by how few tasks got accomplished? Chances are, you overestimated the amount of work you could get done in one day. Heck, we all have overestimated our capabilities at one point. Some days we wake up and feel on top of the world! On these days, I feel like I can do anything! However, realistically, there’s only so much time in the day, no matter how optimistic or productive we are feeling. Recently I learned a new strategy for planning a productive day. This strategy is called the “1-3-5″ rule. It’s so simple and easy you won’t believe you never thought of it!

Step 1: 1- The One stands for one big task. Obviously, big, medium and small are pretty subjective. So it may take some time to figure out what tasks fall into these categories. 

Here are some examples of “big tasks” in my life: writing a rough draft of a paper, studying for an upcoming test, completing an online training module for my job, cleaning my room.

Step 2: 3- The three stands for three medium tasks. I define a medium task as things that take significant time, but not the majority of the day.

Examples of medium tasks in my life: laundry, dishes, reading assignments, shopping and meal prep.

Step 3- 5 The five stands for five small, easy to accomplish tasks.

Example of small tasks from my life include: answering a quick e-mail, scheduling an appointment, taking out the trash, planning for tomorrow/next week, and papers less than 3 pages in length. 

Basically, the goal is never to expect to accomplish more than 9 tasks with this breakdown. If you are in an optimistic mood, or have a surplus of free time and want to try to do more than 9 tasks, you can, but be careful of burn out, and also of any other negative feelings that could result from setting unrealistic goals for yourself.

[tiny-personal-university-thing]

How To Get Motivated to Write That Paper

First try cleaning your room or tidying up your study area a bit - you might find it easier to concentrate on the task at hand

If you’re dreading it - work on it first. There’s a quote by Mark Twain: “Eat a live frog every morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” 

Work on it little by little so you don’t have to do copious/insane amounts of writing/research the night prior to it being due

Read up on similar topics to see how others in the field are crafting their arguments

Have everything you need to focus close by so that you aren’t constantly getting up (i.e. snacks, sweatshirt, etc.)

Put your paragraphs into Google translate to break up the monotony of just writing. Have Google read it to you so you can catch any mistakes that your own eyes have become desensitized to.

Have a friend read it! Writing to impress may help you find your stride.

Remember the end goal: an awesome grade!

Make an outline first

Follow a thesis that focuses on “triplets.” T is your thesis, reasons A, B, and C will give your reader an idea of your body paragraphs. So, “T because A,B, and C.”

Change up your setting. Go to a coffee shop or library if you find it hard to focus at your desk or the distraction from your bed is too much.

Turn on some jams if you work better with music.

Light a candle to help you relax.

Work at a time that is best for channeling your creative energy.

[the-sapphic-desk]

school is here, i’m shaking with fear, and i’m still queer. but i have been preparing for this school year by finding and organizing apps to help me study that i would love to share. so lets hop right in, shall we?

studying and school

my study life. oh, how i love this app. a perfect way to keep track of tasks, exams, and classes all on your phone. i really hate planning apps but this one is worth checking out. once again, easy to use and is perfect for high school and college students.

quizlet. at this point, we all probably know quizlet quite well as it’s an essential in education these days. quizlet is a lovely flash card app that has saved my spanish grade time and time again. easy to use with a clean execution.

socratic. don’t know an answer? don’t have a review guide to check from? never fear, socratic is here. this beauty scans questions or has you type them in and will give you full length responses explaining answers. they provide multiple different resources from the internet to best explain the answer to you.

photomath. math, our archenemy. well, like socratic, photomath will scan your math problem and give you an answer with an explanation. extremely helpful when you’re stuck and need a bit of help. one unfortunate drawback is that photomath sometimes isn’t able to answer extremely complex math problems, but it is still a savior.

evernote. like quizlet, evernote is another essential. a note taking app in which you are able to leave voice memos, scan documents, draw, etc. once again, very simple and beautiful.

language learners

duolingo. i feel like i hardly need to explain this one, but i shall. a simple language learner that takes you section by section through learning a language. a fun app that can be difficult to keep track of sometimes.

memrise. a cute little app that takes language learning slower than duolingo. this app also has sections and is well put together but can be hard to keep track of.

babble. this language learner is a bit different from the rest, it focuses a lot on conversation which is a great idea. the others lean heavily on vocabulary and spelling while this one puts what you learn in real life situations. another well put together app that allows you to skip ahead to the section best suited for your learning. in all, i would recommend having babble and one of the other apps to learn as much as you can: vocab, spelling, speaking, and conversation.

focus apps

tide. this app is a free one with no ads that sets a timer, plays some white noise for you, and has different, beautiful backgrounds each day. although, this app only has five different sounds but the timer is what we’re really here for. another disappointment is that you can still leave the app and not have your timer be broken which can allow for you to stray from the task at hand.

forest. oh forest, another know one that i just must repeat. this app provides rewards for keeping on track and working hard. each session you set a timer and plant a tree. if you leave the app the tree will die. over time, you’ll begin to plant a forest and receive rewards. the only drawback, it costs two dollars.

other useful apps

motivate. ever in a slump? wanna give up? this app will provide you with quick motivational speeches to get you moving. new videos keep getting uploaded and are a great joy to watch.

h2opal. water. we need it and sometimes we just tend to not drink enough. h2opal is a water tracker that is simple and fun to use. the design is beautiful and the water graphics have kept me entertained for hours. this app shows you whether or not you’re on track for your water consumption and is easy to insert data.

[abby-studies-art]

In honour of the new school year!!

[levevis-deactivated20190626]

How To Have A Good Morning - Habits Worth Starting

Wake up early : Running late isn’t cool. Wake up at a reasonable hour so that you have time to get ready,eat a healthy breakfast,exersice etc.

Make your bed : You should start your day by doing something productive. Something that ‘’gets you going’’ . Making your bed is a great option.

Try yoga/meditation : Take some time to reflect and de-stress. You can do this by trying yoga and/or meditation. There are several yoga ‘’flows’’ in pinterest and great meditation apps to try out! 

Gratitude Journal : Happiness is about wanting the things that you already have. Take some time of your morning to write down the blessings that you’re grateful for. Learn to count the small wins in life.

Plan / visualize : Write down a simple to-do list with all the tasks that you want to finish that day. Visualize your short or long - term goals. Whether they are monthly or yearly goals. Remind yourself what you are working towards.

Affirmations : It could be just a simple phrase like ‘ I am powerful ‘ or ‘ I am healthy’. Affirmations are those little (or long) phrases of positivity (like mantras ) in present tense that motivate you throughout the day.

Breakfast : I MUST include this to the list.Make yourself a nice breakfast. Don’t have to be big just something healthy. It is the most important meal of the day. Don’t skip it!! 

Take care of yourself : Do your hair,put on some comfy clothes that make you confident or out on makeup if you feel like it. Other acts of selfcare can be : taking a shower, having a skincare routine, brushing your teeth. 

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