#cs studyblr

[stringeddoll]

studying for a midterm i have on system analysis tomorrow !! :3

[ar-ithmancy]

it’s been a while! here are some notes.

i got a starter fountain pen and i have been really enjoying using it on legal pads (the ink doesn’t bleed through!)

[salty-desk]

advanced algorithms notes // my most difficult class T o T

[cs-blr]

How I Use Notion To Organize My Life

I discovered notion last year after falling down a YouTube rabbit hole, and I cannot believe how perfect the tool is for me. I constantly have a million thoughts in my head, and on-going tasks to track. Notion has simplified that process immensely, and made it possible to make a fully customizable portal that suited my preferences.

First, I have my dashboard. Notion is the first app I open on my computer every time I use it, and this page serves as my hub to everything else that I use on a regular basis. (Forgive the alignment since I screenshot this on a tablet - it’s perfectly spaced on desktop!) Everything here is either a link to a website that I need regularly, or linked to a page where I can record / track more information that I need to remember.

I also have pages like this where I keep track of long term goals and larger scope projects. I use the toggle feature to take notes on topics that I want to remember quickly, databases to organize meeting minutes and resources, and to-do buttons for goals I may have. This page in particular tracks the personal projects that I undertook last semester. My favorite part about this is how easy it is to move everything around, and how I can move all of this to its own toggle once I start the new semester. Out of sight, out of mind, and a cleaner overview.

I will also sometimes create pages to break down my revision for exams by topic. When a class is especially difficult, this helps me keep track of how many topics I have left to review, and I can shuffle the order in which I want to study them with ease. I also have separate pages for my reading and watch lists, where I add tags based on the genre. People are constantly recommending content for me to consume, and it’s easy for me to pull out my phone and enter it like this so I don’t forget. The tags allow me to filter my database based on my mood, and make the decision making process much easier.

Lastly, my favorite part about my notion is my to-do list tab. Before you laugh, yes I am a computer science major using a kanban board to track daily tasks. It’s highly effective lmao, don’t come for me. Whenever a new thought about something I want to do crosses my mind, I add it to the not started column. I add the essential tasks for the day (based on my google calendar) to my in progress column. Whenever I start a task, I also move it from not started to in progress. When something is fully complete, I move it to the completed column. I display the date that each task was last updated so that I can keep track of how long it has been since I have seen that entry, which helps with accountability. Lastly, at midnight everyday, the completed column automatically resets, and so I wake up to a blank canvas of tasks waiting to be completed everyday. Tasks completed in the past are stored in the backend, in case I ever need to reference them. I literally love this system so much, and it has increased my productivity immeasurably.

And that’s about it for my notion. I’ve barely made a start to what I really want to do with it, especially with the release of the notion api recently, so this is bound to evolve soon. However, I am super proud of her, and I hope that it inspired you all as well. Love, M :)

[x-cyb3rgrl-x]

intro post ~

hi studyblr!

my name's yara (she/her), im 19, and im a second year computer science student from the US.

i've been a lurker on here for years at this point, but since i've largely quit all other social media ive been craving engagement from this app. so im hoping to get to posting my own content on here and engaging a bit more with the studyblr community!

some of my hobbies and interests:

listening to music - i am huge alt/indie music fan. some of my fav artists are paramore, björk, charli xcx, and phoebe bridgers, but im always keeping up with current releases and looking for new stuff

reading

journaling

visual art - ive been experimenting with digital art lately, but my heart lies with traditional mediums tbh

currently studying Japanese in college, so expect some japanese study content!

i do a lot of tutoring work on the side, and i especially like to work with underprivileged kids - educational inequality is an issue very close to my heart

currently im on winter break, so im studying in preparation for the next semester. it's not something i normally do, but i want to take a course on AI next semester so im taking an udemy course on object oriented programming which will (hopefully) prepare me for that. and i need to keep up with my japanese as well.

give me a follow if you'd like, and if you're a studyblr ill be happy to follow back <3

[snakes-and-riddles]

on: introductions

hey, i'm maddie, and this is my new studyblr!

some things about me:

my name is maddie

my pronouns are she/her

us; east coast -> west coast

college sophomore (soon to be rising junior)

studying computer science; minoring in data science

adhd (primarily inattentive)

interests/fun facts:

i like coffee even though it doesn't keep me awake

reading (including fanfiction) + writing

i'm a novice, but i really enjoy bouldering!

i don't believe in astrology, but i'm a stereotypical capricorn

my favorite color is green (both mint and dark green)

i love the dark academia aesthetic, but i'm too chaotic

i bullet journal, sometimes, and brush letter, a lot

stationery addict

i've been collecting enamel pins recently

what to expect:

100 days of productivity

study tips / inspiration

potentially internship / research-focused posts

aesthetic notes

code??? & programming memes

reblogs from other studyblrs / relatable content

... expect nothing and you won't be dissapointed?

anyways, yea, if any of this seems like your vibe, feel free to follow! my posts will probably be relatively dark academia/ green in terms of aesthetics, but we might mix it up depending on where i am and how feasible that aesthetic is!

[incipitinterpreter]

So I’ve spoken before at length about burnout on my last studyblr, but as I am rarely on this account due to actually trying to scrape by, I’m just going to leave it at this:

I have been skating by. Absolutely skating. Bare minimum survival. If I have energy, I put it toward myself, not my studies. Which is definitely fucking me up, but what can you do.

Now, that slightly downer thing aside, I flew a little too close to the sun with the self care this weekend (a sad thing to have to say, considering I REALLY needed the break and the enrichment, but what can you do). So I have to do the last ten problems of my CS Problem Set by midnight tonight. Except I have a thing from 5:30 - 10. So uh. By 5:30. It’s currently 10 to 1:00.

So this is an accountability post! feel free to add your own goals for the day or own experiences with last minute procrastination. This one is 100% a symptom of my worsening ADHD/lack of coping mechanisms for it so I’m going to try to combat my complete lack of desire to do it by turning off all unnecessary devices/closing unnecessary tabs. Hopefully you’ll only see me when I take a break between problems.

I’m hoping to go two at a time? But anyway. This got very long. accountability post: 4 hours to do 10 problems. In theory I should be able to do this, in practice, I’m very nervous.

[studywithsushi]

Life Lesson learnt whilst studying CS : Backtracking

“Backtracking is an algorithmic-technique for solving problems recursively by trying to build a solution incrementally, one piece at a time, removing those solutions that fail to satisfy the constraints of the problem at any point of time”

Today I was solving backtracking algorithm related questions and I realised just as we in CS solve problems using this technique incrementally, we must emulate that same pattern in life to ensure our intended results. Just as a rat in a maze doesn’t stop moving and adjusts their direction, we in life must see all rejections as redirections. 

Consistent redirections without losing enthusiasms is what led the proverbial rat to the end of the maze. 

But, there is a catch here. The rat remembers its past moves and builds upon them. Even though it may lead to an imminent stone wall, the rat moves with equal enthusiasm till the end of the road. The rat systematically weeds out failed routes, remembers them and moves with the same conviction to find the route that gets it to the end of the maze. 

Just like the rat, we must be mindfully making logical decisions and going about our days in a systemic fashion.

Backtracking can be defined as a general algorithmic technique that considers searching every possible combination in order to solve a computational problem. 

Search every nook, every cranny. Knock on every door. Do what needs to be done. But NEVER give up.