How to get good grades as a lazy procrastinator - doing the bare minimum
First of all sorry for being basically inactive for a few months. I have a hard time sticking to things and stay interested and honestly, school has been kicking my butt and mental energy and this blog have been the least of my worries.
I don’t recommend not caring about school and only doing the bare minimum but for some all this A+ studyblr community can put really high expectations which isn’t always healthy.
I wanted to make this post as a way to keep your grades when you are not able to put in as much effort as you would like or you simply don’t care enough. I talk about effort, motivation, procastination among other things. Personally, I don’t put in a lot of work in school and I basically do the bare minimum, at least my personal bare minimum. Which brings me to my first point.
Minimal Effort - what is yours?
Finding what you believe is the bare minimum is important. For me, it is paying attention in class and doing written homework and assignments - not reading. For others, it may be hand-in homework and easy reading to get a better understanding of the topic.
I have always gotten better than average grades (80-85%) in a school where getting top grades in all subjects is basically impossible and I won’t deny that I am just naturally good at school and some just aren’t. I am not naive.
Motivation - how to get/find it
I am the least motivated person (okay maybe exaggerating but still). My motivation is very linked to my own minimal effort. I do my homework because I view it as an obligation both to myself but also my teachers. However, I work best under stress and deadlines so I tend to do things last minute. But I don’t half-ass things (often ). I try and do my best and if it is urgent and just needs to get done I will put less effort into it. It is all about balance.
The most horrible thing about myself is that even though I need to work to get into my dream college it is not a motivator for me. My motivation is mostly short-term (like due dates, stress) and I wish this was a motivation. And it is on a higher level but in my everyday life, it sadly isn’t.
So find what motivates you and use it. Some like longterm goals and others it is as simple as one mark on one test. If you really can’t find motivation either just view as an obligation and something you have to do even if you don’t have to.Or the hard question, should you even be doing this if you have no motivation?
Paying attention in class
Paying attention in class often allows me to not do the assigned reading (be aware I am in high school not college or uni!!!!) as most of the things are covered in class. But paying attention in class can be very difficult for some students. And I am definitely not excused. Sometimes my mental energy is just too low or I am not presented with material that is new or challenging enough for my brain to want to pay attention. I know this sounds ridiculous, but I hate when teachers go through things I already understand because I feel like I am wasting time. So I am trying to take notes again to write down stuff I missed the first time. For my physics is the big problem here. We go through the same topic many times and it bores me.But try to keep paying attention. Rewrite your notes on the topic or ask questions. Do something to keep engaged.
If you tend to talk a lot during class - this used to be me, try and sit next to someone you don’t talk to much outside the school and the chances of talking about something unrelated to the lessons drops. If you don’t get even more bored by it, try and sit alone or next to someone you don’t talk to at all. I moved away from all my fellow student in my sophomore math class and it really helped. And it made my teacher realize I wasn’t actually the one talking all the time and it showed a willingness to fix the problem. This is actually my next point.
Homework and good impressions
Doing homework is a good way to learn, get good grades, and make your teachers like you and think of you as a good student. Getting good grades at the beginning of a semester and leaving a good impression can keep your grades up even if you start to slack later on when your motivation drops. Ask you teachers small questions after class to show you are engaged in the subject and class. If you get grades based on class participation and in-school work like me this helps boost your grades. I obviously don’t ask questions after every class but it is important to do sometimes.
Procrastination - how to battle it
I am a very big procrastinator and I have yet to rid myself of it and I never will. It is not going to happen. I am a procrastinator for many reasons. I have long days about 11-12 hours from when I leave my house to when I come back. I am very tired when I get home and often fall into the trap of going immediatly to my bed to relax. But I try to sit at my desk instead. Even if I am just scrolling through social media I am at my desk, and trust me it is a lot easier to start doing homework from your desk than getting out of your bed. I like to use the do not disturb function on my phone from when I am studying and need my phone but I don’t need notifications from social media. I will check them when I get a break not immediately as they pop up on my screen. I will not lie and despite knowing this I still go to my bed 7/10 times.
Get things done - how to plan your day
I have just started planning my days for my exam studying and it works very well. Write down time intervals and what you want to do in that amount of time. I use either a small piece of paper but I am currently trying out @emmastudies free daily planner printable and I am enjoying it very much - little tip: put it in a smooth sheet protector so you can use dry-erase markers on it. It makes it a lot easier to change your day if something comes up and it saves paper as it is reusable.
I will admit I don’t always stick to it (like now I am writing this post instead of studying) but it gives a clear overview and helps me stick to doing work. I do 30-45 minutes work and 15 minute breaks with a longer break for lunch and between lunch and dinner.
Music and Netflix - when to do what
I listen to music while I study rather than watching tv as moving pictures tend to take your attention. I listen to anything really but sometimes I will find a playlist I don’t know as it helps me concentrate rather that sing along to my favourite songs. Right now I am listening to The Pretty Reckless (one of my favourite bands of all time) but I haven’t listened to it in a while which was something I wanted to and it doesn’t distract me - win-win.
I watch Netflix sometimes when I study. If what I am doing is easy or I am rewriting notes. Not if I am doing hard problems or something like that. I also recommend watching something you have watched before. I watch B99 or friends mostly or even teen wolf as I have watched all those shows more than 4 times each. They work as background noise to cancel out the distracting sounds around me.
Thanks for listening to my ramble. I just wanted to post something here and I have been wanting to do a post like this for a while. If you want me to go more in depth about any of these points send an ask or message me and I will!
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