you can do it!

Mostly masterposts // katie // junior // speech // French

[intellectys]

Here’s some weapons for your essay writing arsenal!

Hemingway Editor Calmly Writer  The Most Dangerous Writing App Purdue O.W.L. One Look Thesaurus JSTOR Google Scholar

Reply with your favourite or other great websites I didn’t include!

[lifehacksthatwork]

[love-this-pic-dot-com]

[yournewapartment]

Masterposts

10 Gift Ideas for The Broke Person: Gift giving can get expensive. Here’s how to work it into your budget. Click here.

Adulting: I make weekly “Adulting” posts that cover food, cleaning, saving money, and living on your own. Click here.

Balancing a Checkbook: How to balance a checkbook (and some relationship advice). Click here.

Budgeting on Minimum Wage: Some tips/tricks to living off a minimum wage budget. I also offer example budgets based on full time and part time minimum wage salaries.  Click here.

Car Insurance: Looking into car insurance but unsure where to start? Click here.

First Apartment: Learn how to look for apartments, set up your utilities, plus general first apartment advice. Click here.

Gym memberships: My weirdly popular post about gym membership. Click here.

Jobs: My post with helpful links to cover letter and resume writing. Click here.

Living on Your Own: Transitioning from a roommate situation to living on your own for the first time? Click here.

Living on Your Own (With Cats): My personal favorite post, detailing how to live on your own with cats and not loose your mind. Click here.

Long Distance: Advice on long distance relationships. Click here.

Meal Tips: My quintessential guide to feeding yourself on a student or small budget. Click here.

Paper Organization: Learn how to keep your important documents in order. Click here.

Renting vs. Student Housing: Weigh the pros and cons of renting off campus and living on campus. Click here.

Storage: I get so many storage related questions. Here are some thoughts on storage in small apartments and dorm rooms. Click here.

Tomato Sauce: Here’s a post entirely devoted to making tomato sauce. It’s cheap, easy to make, and so delicious. Click here.

[taichi-kungfu-online]

Workout For Daily Life

[chitarra10]

Reblogging for the neck pain ones… whoa Nelly, do I ever get the most killer neck pains.

[harrywantsababy]

I just watched a kid break down in the bookstore because his books for the semester totaled $600 and that’s the american university system in a nutshell

[therainbowprogrammer-deactivate]

I was on the verge of tears when I got to the cashier so yeah, that’s messed up

[nihilisme]

Go here and just, don’t waste any more money okay?

[songscloset]

While I entirely support following that link, I also suggest going to Abe Books or Book Depository or even eBay to see if there are inexpensive print versions of books you need. I haven’t paid full-price for any of my texts while I’m in school… because that would DOUBLE the cost of school. I use the ISBN of the require books and search the cheap sites for them. Good luck out there, guys!

[shadesofmauve]

Paging FenrisLorsrai! Come work your resource magic on this post!

[rainydaypaperback]

I HAVE BEEN SUMMONED. (but I’ll post on my actual bookstore account)

Quick anddirty meta search for books: Addall. it’ll crawl 40+ book sites at once including ABE, ALibris, Amazon, Half in both domestic AND foreign versions.

Meta search #2! GetTextbooks.com which focuses specifically on textbooks. It omits some foreign sites that AddAll includes, BUT it also includes a whole bunch of rentals as well.  Renting is probably the most cost effective method overall.

NOW, HOW TO SEARCH!

First determine a few things:

Make sure you have the ISBN

IF IT IS A BUNDLE: Determine if you need a software key/CD/workbook/lab book or not.  Many times you do not.  Math classes increasingly NEED the software key, but more on that later

ASK THE PROFESSOR: If this is not the first edition of the book, can you use a previous edition?  One edition back is generally half the cost of current, two is generally about 1/8th the cost.  Generally you can get away with this if its material that doesn’t change rapidly. Your course on the Civil War, you can probably use two editions back. Your computer programming class on latest greatest language… you probably need newest edition.

FOR LITERATURE CLASSES: determine if you book is from before 1929. If it is, its in public domain, you can almost certain get a free copy online.  If they want a SPECIFIC copy for an essay bundled with book, see below.

Now, run your search by ISBN using the two metasearch sites.  Open them in separate tabs.  

gettextbooks shows you WITH the shipping, Addall does NOT show you the shipping.  keep this in mind when you’re comparing.  You’ll see a lot of duplication.  GetTextbooks will also show you SOME variants.

Now that you have those open, open two more tabs.  Run a second search on same two sites using the author and exact title you picked up from search #1.  This will show you all the international editions and weird bundles that don’t exactly match the ISBN of the bookstore

WHAT THE HELL IS AN INTERNATIONAL EDITION: its a paperback version of the US version with an angry notice on the cover saying “NOT FOR SALE OUTSIDE INDONESIA”. Its the same book, but way cheaper.  ignore the angry warning, the US Supreme Court has your back. NO, REALLY. Right of first sale, baby!  ignore the angry warning and you basically have same book, it just isn’t printed with ink made from student tears and unobtanium.

Now filter results based on whether you need any Extra materials or not. 

IF YOU DO NEED THE EXTRA MATERIALS: this is where it gets tricky. an intact bundle is generally the most expensive option or near top end of price curve.  If you NEED the other materials, you may be able to get them cheaper in pieces.  and you can buy mismatched pieces!

Say for example you need a math textbook, but need the software key for the math problem program.  The professor said you can use older book.  Buy a math book that one or more editions back and then buy the software key separately from the SOFTWARE manufacturer.  You’ll find the software keys on booksites all by themselves, but they’re generally way more expensive than buying the key direct from software manufacturer. and no shipping then!

NOW A WORD ON LITERATURE: sometimes profs want you to get a specific edition of something to read a specific essay in the book. You have about 50/50 odds that the essay is in the front of the book. IF IT IS, you may be able to read the essay on Amazon by going to that books page and clicking on the “look inside”.  They generally preview between 10-30 pages of books and that often means its the essay you needed, not the actually BODY of the book.  So you can look up the specific copy of Frankenstein on Amazon, read the essay, then download a free different version from Project Gutenberg.

FOR RECENT NONFICTION, make sure you have an up to date library card for your HOME library and the LOCAL city library where your college is.  Many have digital loans available, where you can check out the ebook for free and popular nonfiction is frequently available that way.

IF YOU CAN GET YOUR BOOKLIST BEFORE GOING TO SCHOOL: shop for the mundane things locally first.  There will be 50 people in CollegeTown looking for that book, you may be the only one in your home town.  supply and demand, if you found it in collegetown, it may be 10X price of your local bookstore.

and check you local library as well!  You may be able to check out some of those books from your local library and take them to school with you and renew them online one or more times, depending on how in demand they are.  There will be NO copies in CollegeTown library because there’s 50 people asking for it.  But your HOME town, you may be able to renew it twice since its low demand. Write on your calender when they’re due or need to be renewed.  Renew them OR tuck the whole pile into a Priority Mail flat rate box and send them home to your folks.  The cost of the priority box to send several library books home is probably way less than what you’d pay for them. (or if its stuff you know you need AFTER a break where you’ll be home, request a hold from school, pick up at home)

ONE LAST WORD BEFORE YOU BUY…

You determined you HAVE to buy a book and you’ve narrowed it down to a few choices of source.  Run a search for “coupon + Sitename” what looked like the lowest priced may not if you find a coupon for the 2nd or 3rd lowest priced option. Gettextbook will generate some automatically, but you may be able to find even better ones.

So make yourself some food, get a beverage, put on some tunes and compare prices!

and if you’re reached point of wanting to curl up in a ball and die, you can send us an ask with the ISBN for your book and answers to questions aobe (extra materials, previous edition, etc) and we’ll send you back an note with a link to the cheapest one we can find.  I do this for a living, send an ask and I’ll get it done usually within about 12 hours.

[shadesofmauve]

WHOOP WHOOP MASSIVE EXCELLENT RESOURCE ADVICE ABOVE!!!!

[gravelyhumerus]

In my experience avoid purchasing the textbook before you hear the words in person from your prof. I found out that I needed a specific edition AFTER I bought the textbook I thought I needed. 

For Arts kids check out [university/college name] + textbook exchange on facebook, a lot of the time theres upper years selling books to you, so you usually get them for at least half price. This is always a cash deal where you meet the student on campus.

For science / engineering kids, talk to some upper years about what textbooks you’re actually going to need. I have a friend in second year applied math engineering who didn’t purchase any textbooks this semester because all the content was on KahnAcademy 

The on-campus libraries almost ALWAYS have your textbooks. If you’re really strapped for cash, borrow them. For me they’re on a 3 hr loan, but sometimes if you try to check it out right before they close you can take it out overnight!

[maharani-to-be]

For future reference

[unstudyness]

KEY: *available as a website and an app // **app only

essay help

hemingway: basically a spell checker but for sentence structure, it’ll help make your essay more concise and give it better flow

paperrater: literally grades, corrects, and checks your essay for plagiarism for you!!

spellcheckplus: a grammar and spelling checker

printable essay planner 

essay checklist 

how to write a thesis statement

tips for writing in-class essay exam questions: { x }, { x }, { x }

math help

*symbolab: if you’re stuck on a math problem, this will solve it for you and show you the steps so you learn how it was solved as well!!! { ios // android }

**malmath: an app similar to symbolab!! { android only }

languages help

bonpatron: a french grammar and spell checker

spanishchecker: a spanish grammar and spell checker

languagetool: grammar and spell checker for an assortment of languages, some including: japanese, italian, russian, chinese, german

*memrise: learn languages such as korean, japanese, russian, chinese, + lots more!! { ios // android }

**lingvist: french vocabulary builder { ios // android }

**vocabulary builder: english vocabulary builder, good for studying SAT, TOEFL/english learner, and GRE words { ios // android }

self learn korean

french resources

lingvo: learn about european languages and linguistics!!!!!

studying help

notetaking methods

taking notes from a textbook { video }

alternate method to flash cards { video }

how to illustrate notes masterpost

different study methods

how to mindmap

how to annotate: { x }, { x }, { x }, { x }, { x }

how to take notes

how to study like a straight a student

how to take class notes + study for tests { video }

another note taking { video }

note taking system

note taking printables

study planner printables: { x }, { x }

how to prepare and review

health + relaxation

avoid a breakdown during the school year

cheap but delicious recipes to make!!!

head-to-toe self care

another self care masterpost

when you’re not having a good day

skin care tips

healthy snacks

5 minute breakfast recipes { video }

easy breakfast, lunch, and dessert roll-up recipes { video }

*librivox: relax to a free audiobook of your favourite classic book!! { ios // android }

crashcourse { video }: relax and learn something at the same time!!

365 day journal challenge

100 books everyone should read before they die

wattpad: ok wattpad is actually a great place to read unpublished, original stories!!! some of my faves: { completed }, { completed }, { ongoing }, { completed }, { ongoing }, { completed }, { completed }, { ongoing }

productivity

*habitica/habitrpg: improve your habits and motivate yourself to complete tasks by inputting them into this role-playing game!! { ios // android }

**focusnow/forest: using the pomodoro technique, this app will help you stay away from your phone while studying while planting trees and other plants in your virtual garden!!! { ios // android }

momentum: a chrome extension that everyone seems to have, it looks like this { chrome store }

**dreamdays: customizable countdown app with reminders { ios // android }

*trello: a customizable, digital bulletin board { ios // android }

*dropbox: store your photos, videos, documents, and files for access on any device { ios // android } 

how to be more productive

organization

bullet journal system

bullet journal masterpost

organizing schoolwork { video }

organizing notes

organization tips 

more organization tips

another organization tips post

diy

notebooks + pencil case { video }

no sew pencil case { video }

another pencil case { video }

more notebook videos: { x }, { x }

10 diy back to school projects

25 back to school diys

portable first-aid kit roll

no sew taco pillow { video }

room organizers { video }

[fatalitum]

Self Improvement Masterpost

Time Management

Waking up earlier

Stop staying up all night

Wasting too much time on a certain website?

Top 10 Reasons for Lost Time

29 Time Wasting Activites

General Time Management Guide

Creating an effective schedule for your day

How to stop being late to things

Easy to prepare healthy recipes

Make time for your hobbies!!

Making School Suck Less

Prioritization

…what if everything is a priority?

Studying methods

Strategies for students with ADHD

Strategies for students with learning disabilities

AVOIDING BAD PROFESSORS

Dealing with difficult professors

Preparing for competitive exams

Quick and healthy snacks that are good for focus

Finding cheap textbooks

Relationships and Sex

How to tell if someone genuinely likes you

Why relationships fail

Putting yourself first when you need to

Eight differences between healthy and unhealthy relationships

Know the difference in protective and possesive

10 things to know before you start being sexually active

Maintaining a long lasting HEALTHY sex life

Considering a friends w/ benefits relationship? read this!

Money Management

Are you spending too much money on ____?

10 Tips on Saving Money

Steps to take in starting a budget

Mobile apps for budgeting!

Buying a car

Tips for buying a house

…and apartment

25 Wastes of money

Even savvy savers make these mistakes

Getting / Keeping a Job

Interviewing etiquette

Creating a resume

Starting your career before you start your career

Workplace etiquette

Shitty boss?

Waking up with a hangover…

Getting ahead in the workplace

Physical Health (Diet and Exercise)

General Men’s Health website

General Women’s Health website

Gym Etiquette

Micro changes for macro results at the gym

7 foods to help trim belly fat

How many calories should you be consuming?

No gym? Try these at home work outs

Great diets for men

Great diets for women

Miscellaneous (Better you…)

Stop forgetting things

Stop cursing

Keep your car stocked

Stop smoking

Deal with the police responsibly

Love yourself

Know when to shut up (This is from a Christian outlook btw but it would probably still help)

Stop talking shit about people

Let me know if any links stop working, even if this only helps one person in a small way it was worth the effort i put into finding good sources! - Keaton

[eintsein]

HOW TO APPROACH CLASSES A guide to getting the most out of your classes and lectures

By Eintsein

Design inspired by this post by @journalsanctuary

[nephena-studies-blog-deactivate]

[08/09/2017 09:43]

Color coded swatches of my favorite pens 💖

//these gained about zero recognition on instagram due to the shadowban so I suppose I can try here :)

[simplyelsa-blog1]

Some useful transitional phrases I collated when writing any type of essay!

[howtomusicmajor]

How to Handle Having TOO MUCH To Do

So let’s say you’re in the same boat I am (this is a running theme, have you noticed?) and you’ve just got, like, SO MUCH STUFF that HAS to get done YESTERDAY or you will DIE (or fail/get fired/mope). Everything needs to be done yesterday, you’re sick, and for whatever reason you are focusing on the least important stuff first. What to do!

Take a deep breath, because this is a boot camp in prioritization.

Make a 3 by 4 grid. Make it pretty big. The line above your top row goes like this: Due YESTERDAY - due TOMORROW - due LATER. Along the side, write: Takes 5 min - Takes 30 min - Takes hours - Takes DAYS.

Divide ALL your tasks into one of these squares, based on how much work you still have to do. A thank you note for a present you received two weeks ago? That takes 5 minutes and was due YESTERDAY. Put it in that square. A five page paper that’s due tomorrow? That takes an hour/hours, place it appropriately. Tomorrow’s speech you just need to rehearse? Half an hour, due TOMORROW. Do the same for ALL of your tasks

Your priority goes like this:

5 minutes due YESTERDAY

5 minutes due TOMORROW

Half-hour due YESTERDAY

Half-hour due TOMORROW

Hours due YESTERDAY

Hours due TOMORROW

5 minutes due LATER

Half-hour due LATER

Hours due LATER

DAYS due YESTERDAY

DAYS due TOMORROW

DAYS due LATER

At this point you just go down the list in each section. If something feels especially urgent, for whatever reason - a certain professor is hounding you, you’re especially worried about that speech, whatever - you can bump that up to the top of the entire list. However, going through the list like this is what I find most efficient.

Some people do like to save the 5 minute tasks for kind of a break between longer-running tasks. If that’s what you want to try, go for it! You’re the one studying here.

So that’s how to prioritize. Now, how to actually do shit? That’s where the 20/10 method comes in. It’s simple: do stuff like a stuff-doing FIEND for 20 minutes, then take a ten minute break and do whatever you want. Repeat ad infinitum. It’s how I’ve gotten through my to do list, concussed and everything.

You’ve got this. Get a drink and start - we can do our stuff together!

[allydsgn]

WOAH THIS SOUNDS HELPFUL. I’M GOING TO TRY THIS IMMEDIATELY. Also, I made a chart for myself, but if anyone else wants it for reference (or if this is wrong and I misread you can tell me) here it is:

[pharmstudies]

It’s that dreaded time of the year again! I probably should’ve done this way earlier but here’s a masterpost to help you guys study for all the AP exams there are. The subjects are listed in order of the schedule and I combined the similar ones together. If any of the links is not working please kindly inform me. Good luck to everyone taking the AP exams!!

AP Chemistry Chemistry Resources by @study-well AP Chemistry by @etudiance The Ultimate List of AP Chemistry Tips SparkNotes Chemistry AP Chemistry Notes

AP Environmental Science AP Environmental Science by @apbymichelle The Ultimate List of AP Environmental Science Tips APES Review Sheet APES Math Tips APES Exam Tips

AP Psychology Masterpost of Psych Notes by @fuckyeapsychology AP Psychology by @studyign AP Psychology Vocab Flashcards The Ultimate List of AP Psychology Tips AP Psychology Test Tips

AP Computer Science AP Computer Science Masterpost by @theapresource AP Computer Science by @studyblu Computer Science/Engineering Masterpost by @algorhythmn The Ultimate List of AP Computer Science Tips Be Prepared for the AP Computer Science Exam

AP Spanish AP Spanish Resources by @intellectus AP Spanish Language & Culture by @howtopolyglot AP Spanish Tips by @rocketeercody The Ultimate List of AP Spanish Tips Ultimate Guide to the AP Spanish Literature and Culture Exam

AP Art History @aparthistoryreview-blog AP Art History Tips by @cavetocanvas How to Study for AP Art History Writing Tips and Strategies Khan Academy AP Art History

AP Physics How to Study for AP Physics by @365text AP Physics Tips by @sootudying Tips and Strategies for the AP Physics I Exam The Ultimate List of AP Physics 1 & 2 Tips How to Study for AP Physics C: Mechanics

AP English Essays Basics for AP English Lang & Lit by @novanovelist AP English Rhetorical Analysis Strong & Weak Verbs by @gryfhindor AP Literature Analysis, Terms, and Tips by @ap-madness   The Ultimate List of AP English Language Tips AP English Language and Composition

AP Japanese @japanese-tips-and-lessons Japanese Resources by @somestudy Japanese Masterpost by @elkstudies Japanese Resources by @mujistudies Guide to AP Japanese Language

AP US Government AP US Government and Politics Review Masterpost by @scholasticwhimsy AP US Gov Advice & Resources by @intellectus The Ultimate List of AP US Government Tips AP US Government Concepts The Ultimate Student’s Guide to AP US Government

AP Chinese Mandarin Chinese Resource Masterpost by @floernce Tips on Learning Chinese by @tiantianxuexi Mandarin Resources by @languageoclock Guide to the AP Chinese Exam AP Chinese Language and Culture Course and Exam

AP Seminar AP Capstone by @pixelated-dong How to Craft a Strong Research Question AP Seminar Presentation Tips AP Seminar Last Minute Tips AP Seminar Links

AP Studio Art How to Survive AP Studio Art by @shadowtravel Samples of AP Studio Art Successful Concentration Ideas AP Studio Art Tips from a Student Who Got a Six Ultimate Guide to the AP Studio Arts Portfolio

AP German German Resources by @athenastudying Learning: German by @languageramblings How to Study for AP German Langauge AP German Flashcards How to Score a Five on the AP German Exam

AP US History @apushresources AP US History Masterpost by @theapresource APUSH DBQ Tips by @abelstudies AP History Multiple Choice Strategy The Ultimate List of AP US History Tips

AP Biology AP Bio Masterpost by @studnt Biology Resources by @study-well Biology Resources The Ultimate List of AP Biology Tips AP Biology Free Response Writing Tips

AP Music Theory AP Music Theory Exam Strategies AP Music Theory CourseNotes AP Music Theory Online Resources AP Music Theory Flashcards AP Music Theory Resources

AP Calculus Study Tips for Calculus by @studyforyourself Remember for the AB Calc FRQs by @octanakin How to Study Calculus The Ultimate List of AP Calculus Tips Study Guide for Calculus AB

AP French French Verb Masterpost by @studypuddles French Masterpost by @areistotle A French Masterpost by @organisaticns The Ultimate List of AP French Language Tips AP French Study Tips

AP Italian Italian Masterpost by @studybowie Italian Essay Transition Words & Phrases by @langsandlit Italian Masterpost by @shelbys-advice-blog Italian Resources Masterpost by @graphis AP Italian Flashcards

AP Macro + Microeconomics AP Economics by @apbymichelle Macroeconomics Cram Packet Microeconomics Exam Study Guide The Ultimate List of AP Macroeconomics Tips The Ultimate List of AP Microeconomics Tips

AP Comparative Government and Politics The Ultimate List of AP Comparative Government Tips AP Comparative Government Exam Strategies Review for the AP Comparative Exam AP Comparative Government Flashcards AP Comparative Wikispaces

AP World History AP World History by @studyign AP World History Review by @scholasticwhimsy AP World History Essay Tips by @ohbrilliant-notes AP World History Cram Packets and Review Sheets The Ultimate List of AP World History Tips

AP Statistics AP Statistics Tips  by @sootudying AP Statistics by @apbymichelle AP Statistics Cram Packet AP Statistics CourseNotes The Ultimate List of AP Statistics Tips

AP Human Geography AP Human Geography Notes by @ohbrilliant-notes AP Human Geography Masterpost by @academla The Ultimate List of AP Human Geography Tips AP Human Geography CourseNotes The Complete Guide to AP Human Geography FRQs

AP European History AP European History Masterpost by @theapresource AP European History Resources by @fuckyeahapeuro AP European History Masterpost by @easyeuro The Ultimate List of AP European History Tips AP European History Essay Writing Guide

AP Latin Learning Latin by @learnal Latin Resources by @wonderful-language-sounds Learning Latin by @studyplants   How to Study Latin AP Latin Flashcards

[teenietots]

Nothing can stop you.

You are doing great and life will only get better.

[determinationandcaffeine]

Memorization Tips

Hey guys! Here’s a collection of all the tips I use on a regular basis to help with memorization. Three things before we start. One, keep in mind that this is mostly geared towards both visual and auditory learners. Two,, I’ll use Biology examples, but these tips can be applied to a variety of subjects. Three, when I talk about drawing, 5-year-old level doodles will do just fine. So, I hope you find these helpful!

Draw pictures of what you have to remember – break up whatever word you need to remember, associate each part with something, draw that something. Ex: thermogenin, you draw a thermos and inside of it, you draw a gene (as in, you draw a chromosome and shade a small part of it). This is my ultimate foolproof method for remembering vocabulary.

Make each page memorable. You can use colors, draw little arrows, make doodles, even if they are irrelevant to the subject you’re studying. Making each page unique will stimulate your visual memory and you’ll be more likely to remember things (this is why I personally include pictures of structures if I’m rewriting my biology notes on my laptop, otherwise, it’s pages and pages of text blocks and it all blurrs together in your mind)

Test fonts. Times New Roman in size 12 is the easiest font for our brain to process. There are studies that show that information written in fonts that are smaller and harder to read is actually more likely to be remembered. If you’re a visual learner, this is probably not true for you, I, for example, remember info best in Times New Roman 12, so that’s the font I print all my notes in. Try printing three paragraphs of information (two different pieces of information that you’ve never gone over and that is easy to understand, needing only memorization) in both styles and test yourself to see which one you remember better.

When you have to learn a process, visualize it, picture it in your mind, you’ll understand it a lot better than just repeating the steps in words. If a proteín is recognized by the cytoplasmic membrane and then enters in through a pore, imagine it happening. If you can’t picture something, such as structures, look them up on google images.

Sticky notes. Need to memorize a formula? Write it down on a post it note, stick it on the cover of a notebook/book and force yourself to recall the formula whenever you have to use said notebook. Check whether you got it right. If you didn’t, look at it, repeat it out loud. Try again next time.

Highlighter and annotations symbiosis. Don’t stop using highlighters, you still want them to mark important parts of the text. However, if what you want is to stay present while you study, the best method is to go through a paragraph and then write in the margin whatever you understood. This is not really useful in subjects like Biology (because you basically can’t summarize all that much, everything is important) but it’s perfect for more logical subjects like math or chemistry. I find it especially useful in summarizing formula deductions - instead of writing the steps in numbers and symbols, write them out in words, you’ll remember it much better.

Get the whole picture. Every time you come across a piece of information that relates back to something you’ve already learnt, recall that whole other topic. It’s a great way to review.

Rewrite your notes, don’t recopy them. By this, I don’t mean “put it in your own words” because you probably have already done that in your original notes (if you just copy what comes out of your professor’s mouth word by word in class, don’t, it’s not doing you any good). What I mean is, if you’re taking the time to rewrite them, you may as well reorganize them. Have to memorize a bunch of facts about a type of cell? Group them together. Which ones refer to its functions, which ones are related to its shape and size and contents? Put those together. If you don’t know how to regroup them just by looking at your notes, read through these and underline facts in the same category with the same color. You’ll be surprised. 

Try to link facts or concepts when rewriting your notes. Ex: Don’t write

“-Meristematic cells primary function is to divide.

-They have little cytoplasm.

-They have few organelles.”

But: ”Meristematic cells primary function is to divide. That’s why they don’t need to have a lot of organelles or cytoplasm.“

Following this same line of thought, when highlighting, highlight only the ‘main’ point. The consequences or everything related should stem from there.

Say it yourself This method consists of reading two/three paragraphs, making annotations if necessary and then repeating these paragraphs to yourself OUT LOUD. You’re not repeating things like a parrot, you’re putting the information into your own words. This is the main method that I’ve been using since I got my first textbook and I was honestly so shocked when I saw that people usually study in silence. It makes the information stick so much better, but forget about libraries and oh boy, when you get to college be prepared to get creative with your study spaces if you have a roommate.

Make flashcards of vocabulary. If a month from now you’re asked to explain a theory or a process you’ve already studied, you’ll probably be able to recall the main idea. If you’re asked to explain a certain term/vocabulary word, the chances of you remembering it are… well, slim. So, even if the moment you’re studying it you’re convinced you will remember it, make the flashcard anyway. Oh, and remember the ‘drawing pictures for vocabulary’ thing? Draw those on the back of the flashcards.

Other masterposts

How To Stop Procrastinating

Skincare 101

Tips on Organic Chemitry

Taking Notes in College

[amer-s]

42 Practical Ways To Improve Yourself

42 Practical Ways To Improve Yourself

Books are concentrated sources of wisdom. The more books you read, the more wisdom you expose yourself to. What are some books you can start reading to enrich yourself? Some books I’ve read and found useful are Think and Grow Rich, Who Moved My Cheese, 7 Habits, The Science of Getting Rich and Living the 80/20 Way. I’ve heard positive reviews for The Tipping Point, Outliers and The Difference Maker, so I’ll be checking them out soon.

Learn a new language.As a Singaporean Chinese, my main languages are English, Mandarin and Hokkien (a Chinese dialect). Out of interest, I took up language courses in the past few years such as Japanese and Bahasa Indonesian. I realized learning a language is a whole new skill altogether and the process of acquainting with a new language and culture is a totally a mind-opening experience.

Pick up a new hobby. Beyond just your usual favorite hobbies, is there something new you can pick up? Any new sport you can learn? Examples are fencing, golf, rock climbing, football, canoeing, or ice skating. Your new hobby can also be a recreational hobby. For example, pottery, Italian cooking, dancing, wine appreciation, web design, etc.  Learning something new requires you to stretch yourself in different aspects, whether physically, mentally or emotionally.

Take up a new course. Is there any new course you can join? Courses are a great way to gain new knowledge and skills. It doesn’t have to be a long-term course – seminars or workshops serve their purpose too. I’ve been to a few workshops and they have helped me gain new insights which I had not considered before.

Create an inspirational room. Your environment sets the mood and tone for you. If you are living in an inspirational environment, you are going to be inspired every day. In the past, I didn’t like my room at all because I thought it was messy and dull. A few years ago, I decided this was the end of it – I started on a “Mega Room Revamp” project and overhauled my room. The end result? A room I totally relish being in and inspires me to be at my peak every day.

Overcome your fears. All of us have fears. Fear of uncertainty, fear of public speaking, fear of risk… All our fears  keep us in the same position and prevent us from growing. Recognize that your fears reflect areas where you can grow. I always think of fears as the compass for growth. If I have a fear about something, it represents something I’ve yet to address, and addressing it helps me to grow.

Level up your skills. If you have played video games before especially RPGs, you’ll know the concept of leveling up – gaining experience so you can be better and stronger. As a blogger, I’m constantly leveling up my writing skills. As a speaker, I’m constantly leveling up my public engagement abilities. What skills can you level up?

Wake up early. Waking up early (say, 5-6am) has been acknowledged by many (Anthony Robbins, Robin Sharma, among other self-help gurus) to improve your productivity and your quality of life. I feel it’s because when you wake up early, your mindset is already set to continue the momentum and proactively live out the day. Seth recently wrote a waking up early series which you should check out to help cultivate this habit.

Have a weekly exercise routine. A better you starts with being in better physical shape. I personally make it a point to jog at least 3 times a week, at least 30 minutes each time. You may want to mix it up with jogging, gym lessons and swimming for variation.

Start your life handbook. A life handbook is an idea I started 3 years ago. Basically, it’s a book which contains the essentials on how you can live your life to the fullest, such as your purpose, your values and goals. Sort of like your manual for your life. I started my life handbook since 2007 and it’s been a crucial enabler in my progress.

Write a letter to your future self. What do you see yourself as 5 years from now? Will you be the same? Different?  What kind of person will you be? Write a letter to your future self – 1 year from now will be a good start – and seal it. Make a date in your calendar to open it 1 year from now. Then start working to become the person you want to open that letter.

Get out of your comfort zone. Real growth comes with hard work and sweat. Being too comfortable doesn’t help us grow – it makes us stagnate. What is your comfort zone? Do you stay in most of the time? Do you keep to your own space when out with other people? Shake your routine up. Do something different. By exposing yourself to a new context, you’re literally growing as you learn to act in new circumstances.

Put someone up to a challenge. Competition is one of the best ways to grow. Set a challenge (weight loss, exercise, financial challenge, etc) and compete with an interested friend to see who achieves the target first. Through the process, both of you will gain more than if you were to set off on the target alone.

Identify your blind spots. Scientifically, blind spots refer to areas our eyes are not capable of seeing. In personal development terms, blind spots are things about ourselves we are unaware of. Discovering our blind spots help us discover our areas of improvement. One exercise I use to discover my blind spots is to identify all the things/events/people that trigger me in a day – trigger meaning making me feel annoyed/weird/affected. These represent my blind spots. It’s always fun to do the exercise because I discover new things about myself, even if I may already think I know my own blind spots (but then they wouldn’t be blind spots would they?). After that, I work on steps to address them.

Ask for feedback. As much as we try to improve, we will always have blind spots. Asking for feedback gives us an additional perspective. Some people to approach will be friends, family, colleagues, boss, or even acquaintances, since they will have no preset bias and can give their feedback objectively.

Stay focused with to-do lists. I start my day with a list of tasks I want to complete and this helps make me stay focused. In comparison, the days when I don’t do this end up being extremely unproductive. For example, part of my to-do list for today is to write a guest post atLifeHack.Org, and this is why I’m writing this now! Since my work requires me to use my computer all the time, I use Free Sticky Notes to manage my to-do lists. It’s really simple to use and it’s a freeware, so I recommend you check it out.

Set Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs). I’m a big fan of setting BHAGs. BHAGs stretch you beyond your normal capacity since they are big and audacious – you wouldn’t think of attempting them normally. What are BHAGs you can embark on, which you’ll feel absolutely on top of the world once you complete them? Set them and start working on them.

Acknowledge your flaws. Everyone has flaws. What’s most important is to understand them, acknowledge them, and address them. What do you think are your flaws? What are the flaws you can work on now? How do you want to address them?

Get into action. The best way to learn and improve is to take action. What is something you have been meaning to do? How can you take action on it immediately? Waiting doesn’t get anything done. Taking action gives you immediate results to learn from.

Learn from people who inspire you. Think about people you admire. People who inspire you. These people reflect certain qualities you want to have for yourself too. What are the qualities in them you want to have for yourself? How can you acquire these qualities?

Quit a bad habit. Are there any bad habits you can lose? Oversleeping? Not exercising? Being late? Slouching? Nail biting? Smoking? Here’s some help on how you can quit a bad habit.

Cultivate a new habit. Some good new habits to cultivate include reading books (#1), waking up early (#8), exercising (#9), reading a new personal development article a day (#40) and meditating. Is there any other new habit you can cultivate to improve yourself?

Avoid negative people. As Jim Rohn says, “You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with”. Wherever we go, there are bound to be negative people. Don’t spend too much of your time around them if you feel they drag you down.

Learn to deal with difficult people. There are times when there are difficult people you can’t avoid, such as at your workplace, or when the person is part of your inner circle of contacts. Learn how to deal with them. These people management skills will go a long way in working with people in the future.

Learn from your friends. Everyone has amazing qualities in them. It’s up to how we want to tap into them. With all the friends who surround you, they are going to have things you can learn from. Try thinking of a good friend right now. Think about just one quality they have which you want to adopt. How can you learn from them and adopt this skill for yourself? Speak to them if you need to – for sure, they will be more than happy to help!

Start a journal. Journaling is a great way to gain better self-awareness. It’s a self-reflection process. As you write, clarify your thought process and read what you wrote from a third person’s perspective, you gain more insights about yourself. Your journal can be private or an online blog. I use my personal development blog as a personal journal too and I’ve learned a lot about myself through the past year of blogging.

Start a blog about personal development. To help others grow, you need to first be walking the talk. There are expectations of you, both from yourself and from others, which you have to uphold. I run The Personal Excellence Blog, where I share my personal journey and insights on how to live a better life. Readers look toward my articles to improve themselves, which enforces to me that I need to keep improving, for myself and for the people I’m reaching out to.

Get a mentor or coach. There’s no faster way to improve than to have someone work with you on your goals. Many of my clients approach me to coach them in their goals and they achieve significantly more results than if they had worked alone.

Reduce the time you spend on chat programs. I realized having chat programs open at default result in a lot of wasted time. This time can be much better spent on other activities. The days when I don’t get on chat, I get a lot more done. I usually disable the auto start-up option in the chat programs and launch them when I do want to chat and really have the time for it.

Learn chess (or any strategy game). I found chess is a terrific game to learn strategy and hone your brainpower. Not only do you have fun, you also get to exercise your analytical skills. You can also learn strategy from other board games or computer games, such as Othello, Chinese Chess, WarCraft, and so on.

Stop watching TV. I’ve not been watching TV for pretty much 4 years and it’s been a very liberating experience. I realized most of the programs and advertisements on mainstream TV are usually of a lower consciousness and not very empowering. In return, the time I’ve freed up from not watching TV is now constructively used for other purposes, such as connecting with close friends, doing work I enjoy, exercising, etc.

Start a 30-day challenge. Set a goal and give yourself 30 days to achieve this. Your goal can be to stick with a new habit or something you’ve always wanted to do but have not. 30 days is just enough time to strategize, plan, get into action, review and nail the goal.

Meditate. Meditation helps to calm you and be more conscious. I also realized that during the nights when I meditate (before I sleep), I need lesser sleep. The clutter clearing process is very liberating.

Join Toastmasters (Learn public speaking). Interestingly, public speaking is the #1 fear in the world, with #2 being death. After I started public speaking as a personal development speaker/trainer, I’ve learned a lot about how to communicate better, present myself and engage people. Toastmasters is an international organization that trains people in public speaking. Check out the Toastmaster clubs nearest to you here.

Befriend top people in their fields. These people have achieved their results because they have the right attitudes, skill sets and know-how. How better to learn than from the people who have been there and done that? Gain new insights from them on how you can improve and achieve the same results for yourself.

Let go of the past. Is there any grievance or unhappiness from the past which you have been holding on? If so, it’s time to let it go. Holding on to them prevents you from moving on and becoming a better person. Break away from the past, forgive yourself, and move on. Just recently, I finally moved on from a past heartbreak of 5 years ago. The effect was liberating and very empowering, and I have never been happier.

Start a business venture. Is there anything you have an interest in? Why not turn it into a venture and make money while learning at the same time? Starting a new venture requires you to be learn business management skills, develop business acumen and have a competitive edge. The process of starting and developing my personal development business has equipped me with many skills, such as self-discipline, leadership, organization and management.

Show kindness to people around you. You can never be too kind to someone. In fact, most of us don’t show enough kindness to people around us. Being kind helps us to cultivate other qualities such as compassion, patience, and love. As you get back to your day after reading this article later on, start exuding more kindness to the people around you, and see how they react. Not only that, notice how you feel as you behave kindly to others. Chances are, you will feel even better than yourself.

Reach out to the people who hate you. If you ever stand for something, you are going to get haters. It’s easy to hate the people who hate us. It’s much more challenging to love them back. Being able to forgive, let go and show love to these people requires magnanimity and an open heart. Is there anyone who dislikes or hates you in your life? If so, reach out to them. Show them love. Seek a resolution and get closure on past grievances. Even if they refuses to reciprocate, love them all the same. It’s much more liberating than to hate them back.

Take a break. Have you been working too hard? Self-improvement is also about recognizing our need to take a break to walk the longer mile ahead. You can’t be driving a car if it has no petrol. Take some time off for yourself every week. Relax, rejuvenate and charge yourself up for what’s up ahead.

Read at least 1 personal development article a day. Some of my readers make it a point to read at least one personal development article every day, which I think is a great habit. There are many terrific personal development blogs out there, some of which you can check here.

Commit to your personal growth. I can be writing list articles with 10 ways, 25 ways, 42 ways or even 1,000 ways to improve yourself, but if you’ve no intention to commit to your personal growth, it doesn’t matter what I write. Nothing is going to get through. We are responsible for our personal growth – not anyone else. Not your mom, your dad, your friend, me or LifeHack. Make the decision to commit to your personal growth and embrace yourself to a life-long journey of growth and change. Kick off your growth by picking a few of the steps above and working on them. The results may not be immediate, but I promise you that as long as you keep to it, you’ll start seeing positive changes in yourself and your life.

42 Practical Ways To Improve Yourself

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