how i study when my energy is low but my goals are high
i no longer wait to feel motivated.
as someone who's goals are super high, like becoming a doctor, living in a new york penthouse, going to an ivy league med school.
i don't have time to wait for motivation to start working on attaining my goals. some days i want my goals more than i have energy for them.
⋆ what “low energy” actually means for me
my low energy isn't random, it comes from thinking all the time, consuming all the way, always having something open in my mind. even when i'm resting, i'm still processing. what i actually need in these moments is predictability. like familiar routines, gentle structure that tells my nervous system, "hey, you're safe enough to focus"
⋆ how i study when i feel drained
i lower the activation energy.
♡ — books already open, i like setting this up because it's the first step to surrounding myself with what i need to actually start
♡ — tabs preloaded. one of my favorite tasks. organizing my tabs into groups and naming them help me stay organized and make it less-distracting.
♡ — notes half-started. the date, time, topic, energy level etc
♡ — i start before i feel ready. i immediately start my Pomodoro timer. (i use flocus, but most of the time i like to use ambient/music Pomodoro's on youtube. and i just start, no thinking, no planning. just start
♡ — i keep sessions short so my brain doesn't panic. not 45 minutes, not 60 minutes, just 20-25 minutes and a 5-minute break always.
the goal is to make starting stupidly easy
♡ — one topic only. i have this strange addiction to multitasking. like right now as i'm writing this blog post, i'm also planning other parts of my brand, planning my study schedule tomorrow, and rebranding myself for 2026. yes.... but when it comes to studying, i choose one topic only,
♡ — i also set one clear outcome for each study session. like read, review, rewrite, finish ___ chapter. etc
my brain relaxes when it knows there's an ending, and a goal at the end of the session
i also like to keep my study environment more intimate during my low energy days
♡ — for my lighting choices, i hate using overhead lights when studying, so i like to use my desk lamp, or warm fairy lights
♡ — when i'm reading something i like everything silent, but sometimes rain ambience is really nice to listen to.
♡ — i loveeeee warm drinks, homemade coffee + caramel macchiato creamer. plus, i like setting the temperature to be cool, not too cold, not too warm.
i also don't like to change my study system during these days. i choose gentle study methods like
♡ — rereading with a pen in hand to annotate
♡ — active recall, but only a few questions
♡ — i also explain concepts out loud.
i learned to stop before i'm depleted. i end sessions while i still have a little energy left. i also leave something unfinished on purpose, so i can slowly return back later before the end of the day. this is how i build trust with myself.
i do not support toxic motivation, i will not push myself until i burnout of fall into depression. i stop when it feels kind.
⋆ what i don’t do anymore
♡ — i don't wait for motivation
♡ — i don't compare my pace to high energy days, because that isn't fair
♡ — i do NOT romanticize exhaustion
♡ — i stopped studying past mental saturation, never force yourself to consume information when you're depleted.
♡ — i no longer force long sessions, like i mentioned earlier in this post. i keep it to 20-25 minutes only, nothing beyond that.
♡ — i also don't turn one low-energy day into a story about failure. i used to do this a lot.
how i measure success now
♡ — i touch the material daily, at least once
♡ — i don't avoid the subject, even if i hate it
you do not need to suffer to be serious. these are all little reminders and tasks i've been doing this winter to just enjoy studying more. winter has always been a low-energy season for me, so keeping all this in mind whenever i focus on my academics has really changed a lot for me.
