ohleaf

[ohleaf]

the way i grip my pens when i write gives me hand pain but ive noticed its not as bad when i use pens that have thicker bodies (barrels?? idk the word for it) so if anyone has any recommendations for thicker pens that are <0.5mm or maybe some nice ergonomic grips pls lmk!

[ohleaf]

welcome, spring ☀️

ig: holopuns

[ohleaf]

Study Smarter Pt. 2!

(From a cognitive psychology student’s notes :D)

I know it’s finals season for a lot of us, so I thought I’d share some more studying tips! Some of these are ones you may have already heard of, but I added the cognitive explanations for them, for those who might be interested.

Actively interacting with the information you’re trying to retain

For example, visualizing information or creating associations between new and prior knowledge, possibly by skimming a text before you read it in-depth

(This is called elaborative rehearsal, a way we encode information, storing it in our memory. It typically results in better memory than maintenance rehearsal, which simply involves repetition without much consideration of the meaning.)

Relating new information to yourself

(This is called the self-reference effect--we tend to remember things better when we can relate them to ourselves.)

Generating material yourself rather than passively receiving it

For example, teaching your materials to someone else

(This is called the generation effect, and it enhances learning and retention.)

Organizing information to be remembered

For example, creating diagrams or mindmaps or sorting your flashcards

This can help to reduce the load on your memory.

As you’re actively organizing the information, you are making items become meaningful, therefore engaging in elaborative rehearsal.

(Our memory organizes information by grouping similar items together, and when we retrieve information, it’s easier and faster for us to access items that are grouped together.)

Testing yourself!

You remember things better when you test yourself on them over and over!

Keep testing yourself on items that you get correct in previous times! It does still produce a significant increase in performance, so don’t think you don’t still need to review old vocab words that you put into the “already know” pile.

(This is called the testing effect, and it enhances performance due to retrieval practice.)

Take breaks

Study in short sessions separated by breaks.

Memory is enhanced if you sleep right after learning.

(This is called the spacing effect. It enhances consolidation.)

Take notes in your own words

The reason people say laptop notes aren’t as effective is because we typically just copy down information word for word, while we tend to summarize and synthesize handwritten notes, often just because we write slower and our professors are talking too fast! 

If you take digital notes in your own words, you’ll be just fine.

Avoid illusions of studying

Rereading textbooks improves our fluency and familiarity with the text, so it feels like we know it better as each reread is smoother and faster. But that doesn’t necessarily improve our memory or help with retrieval of the information from the text.

Highlighting material as you read a text doesn’t help your memory at all just by itself. Make sure you’re going over the highlighted parts again and reviewing them. 

Some other fun facts: 

When we match the conditions of encoding (when we are memorizing) and retrieval (when we are remembering what we previously encoded), we perform better. 

When we match the physical location of studying and testing, there is a small but statistically significant increase in performance. Same goes for other conditions, such as background noise, mood, or even the type of processing we use (maintenance or elaborative).

This doesn’t produce a very immense increase in performance, though, so I wouldn’t worry too much about sneaking into your testing room to study the day before!

[ohleaf]

*doesnt check my academic email* everythings OK

[ohleaf]

some short stories i’ve read/re-read over the past year that you might enjoy: 

‘100 Years of the Best American Short Stories,’ edited by Lorrie Moore

‘The Love of a Good Woman,’ Alice Munro

‘The New Woman’s Broken Heart,’ Andrea Dworkin 

‘Her Body And Other Parties,’ Carmen Maria Machado

‘The Hour of the Star,’ Clarice Lispector 

‘Two or Three Things I Know For Sure,’ Dorothy Allison

‘The Tell-Tale Heart,’ Edgar Allan Poe

‘A Good Man is Hard to Find,’ Flannery O’Connor

‘Complete Stories,’ Franz Kafka

‘Dubliners,’ James Joyce

‘Interpreter of Maladies,’ Jhumpa Lahiri 

‘Something Childish But Very Natural,’ Katherine Mansfield 

‘The Garden Party,’ Katherine Mansfield

‘People Like That Are the only People Here,’ Lorrie Moore

‘Good Bones,’ Margaret Atwood

‘Murder in the Dark,’ Margaret Atwood

‘Singing My Sister Down,’ Margo Lanagan

‘Difficult Women,’ Roxane Gay

‘The Lottery,’ Shirley Jackson

‘A Haunted House & Other Stories,’ Virginia Woolf

[ohleaf]

try replacing “i wish i was” with may i be

may i be content

may i be kind to myself and others

may i be resilient 

while we’re at it, try to replace “but” with and

i am trying hard and i can do better

i am anxious and i will get through it

sometimes i feel like giving up and i keep going

[ohleaf]

🌼🌻study smarter🌻🌼

(here are some study tips straight from my psych notes)

1. interest: the brain prioritizes by meaning, value, and relevance so u remember things better if ur interested

find a study partner

do extra practice or research

teach it to someone else (this works so well!)

2. intent: be actively paying attention. very little learning actually takes place without attention

use a concentration check sheet (every time u get distracted, put a check on ur sheet. this is supposed to program ur mind to pay attention)

while u read, talk back to the author

ask questions during lectures (this is scary ik!! but do it!)

3. basic background: make connections to what u already know

preview and skim the material before u read it. or google it!

write out a list of vocab words before a lecture and leave some spaces between them to fill in during the lecture

read ahead of lectures

watch crashcourse tbh

4. selectivity: start by studying whats important

look for bolded words, graphics, pictures, chapter review questions in ur readings

listen for verbal clues like emphasis and repetition during lectures

make urself a study guide as u read and write down questions for urself to answer later as review (kinda like cornell notes)

5. meaningful organization: u can learn/rmr better if u group ideas into diff categories

apply vocab words to ur life

make flashcards and sort them (try not to have more than seven items in one category!)

use mnemonics

6. recitation: saying ideas aloud in ur own words strengthens synaptic connections! when u say something aloud u r forcing urself to pay attention

after u read, ask urself questions

talk abt what u learned w/ classmates outside of class

again, teach someone else

7. visualization: ur brain’s quickest and longest-lasting response is to images

convert info into a chart or graph

draw it out

make a mental video of a process

look at picture/video examples

8. association: memory is increased when facts are consciously associated w something u already know. memory = making neural connections

ask urself: is this something i already know?

9. consolidation: give ur brain some time to establish a neural pathway

make a list of what u remember from class

review notes at the end of the day, every day

stop after reading each prg to write a question in ur notes

make ur own practice quiz

10. distributed practice: we all know cramming doesnt work but we do it anyway! but yeah short and frequent study sections work better

make a daily/weekly study schedule

create a time budget/time tracker (track everything ur doing for a week and see how u can be more efficient w/ the time u waste)

divide the reading/vocab by the number of days before an exam and do a little bit each day (u can use sticky notes to divide ur reading)

other tips:

stop stressing! this sounds stupid and it isnt going to be easy, but anxiety causes u to lose focus. try ur best to think positively. sleep a lot. minimize ur caffeine intake. take a walk maybe

when u need to remember something, look upward or close ur eyes (when ur eyes are open ur using visual parts of ur brain that u might not need to be using)

find a rival! (like the person right above u in class rank) secretly compete w/ them (envy can improve mental persistence bc it makes u focus more intensely) but dont overdo it! 

walking and sleeping build memory storage in ur brain

eat flavonoids! (grapes, berries, tea leaves, cocoa beans make neurons in the brain more capable of forming new memories + increase blood flow to the brain)

obstacles force ur brain to try harder, so space learning lessons apart or create a puzzle to solve or change ur physical setting

[ohleaf]

THERE IS A FONT THAT IS DESIGNED TO MAKE U REMEMBER EVERYTHING

I don’t usually share a whole lot but THIS IS INCREDIBLE 

http://sansforgetica.rmit/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Sans_Forgetica&utm_content=Launch_Video

[ohleaf]

[ohleaf]

5:11 [favourite stationery] anything from muji, mildliners and tombow brush pens…a bit of mt washi tape doesn’t hurt either💦

[ohleaf]

The Signs as Japanese Words

Aries: 風光る(Kaze Hikaru) A warm spring breeze which follows the winter. Spring’s cherry blossom breath flushing over your face. A warm spring kiss after the freeze of winter air.

Taurus: 雅 (Miyabi) Elegance, refinement, sophistication. Graceful manners. Courtliness. Eliminating anything vulgar. 

Gemini: 本音 (Honne) & 建前 (Tatemae) Ones true self (honne), true soul and the facade, the mask they wear in public (tatemae).

Cancer: なつかしい (Natsukashii) The feeling of nostalgia. Desiring and missing something. Happy memories of the past. Transcient state of mind recollecting the best of the past.

Leo: 花笑み (Hanaemi) A flowering smile. a smile as beautiful as blooming flowers, opening up their lush petals. inspiring people to be happy.

Virgo: 真面目 (Majime) A personality possessed by one who is hard-working, earnest, punctual, honest. A reliable person who will get things done without causing a ruckus, good morals.

Libra: 逢りば兄弟 (Ichariba Chode) Meeting someone and instantly considering them a friend, or even like a sibling. Instantly harmonizing with another.

Scorpio: しのびなく(Shinobi Naku) To shed silent tears, to hide your tears from others. Like a ninja or warriors cry.

Sagittarius: 幽玄 (Yugen) An extension of feeling “awoke”, an awarness that there is more to this universe beyond temporal existence which triggers deep, mysterious feelings. A philosophical feeling, close to touching a profound reality which underlines our extistence.

Capricorn: 頑張る (Ganbaru) Working hard, going above and beyond, reaching your full potential beyond belief. Perservering through tough times.

Aquarius: 合縁奇縁 (Aienkien) An unusual couple, brought together by some sort of “quirk of fate”. Strangely united but happy together. 

Pisces: 鏡花水月 (Kyoka Suigetsu) “Flower in the mirror, moon on the surface of the water” Something you can see, but cannot touch, like a mirage. Beautiful dreams that are unattainable. Beauty that can only be felt, not touched.

[ohleaf]

if anyone feels sad tonight please hold this thought for a minute:

the bees in my yard are now so familiar with my walking pace and usual route that they sometimes stop and wait for me to pass when our paths intersect.

polite bees.

[ohleaf]

🌿how to get work done🌿

(tips from lavendaire & the war of art by steven pressfield. aka surprisingly helpful tips for people like me who struggle with even the simplest tasks)

1. taking action: what is the smallest, easiest next step to take to bring yourself closer to your goal? start by taking the smallest baby step possible. for instance: open your book, turn on your laptop, open your word document, type in your header, or open the tab you need to start your research

2. setting time: tell yourself you will take a small, specific amount of time to begin your work. say 30 minutes, for a start, and promise yourself you will dedicate that 30 minutes absolutely to your task. once you start, you begin building momentum, and often you’ll find that you’re already in the flow of things by the end of the 30 minute time slot, and you won’t even want to stop working! ride your wave of productivity as far as it’ll take you :) (the goal here is to reach your flow state/deep work, but it’s fine if you can’t always reach it; you’re off to a good start!)

3. set the mood: create your ideal environment for working! play instrumental music without lyrics, make a clean desk space, light a small candle, have fruit and water nearby, use the forest app, lock your social media, etc. make your space suit your needs as much as possible, but don’t overdo it and fill it with distractions! (stay minimal but aesthetically pleasant)

4. set the intention: journalling/meditation before you work can help clear your mind and know exactly what you want to accomplish before you get started

[ohleaf]

KonMari

 I’m really happy with the way my home has become lighter. Things that caused me anxiety or were somehow connected with guilt or stress are mostly gone. I spend MUCH less time on cleaning, and somehow gravitate towards hyggelig activities which I have neglected for years.

I actually (re)discovered Hygge through Konmari. 

Konmari is about comfort, not minimalism. It’s about a wholesome home that inspires you to live well. It’s about having the right amount of things that make you happy. It’s about removing the rest of the stuff so that your favourite things can shine. Also I found the books soothing, and even though the approach is Japanese and not nordic, it’s still very hygge.

For the uninitiated, Konmari is a method of going through your possessions in a specific order, and keeping only those that spark joy (give you a good feeling in the gut, which means that they are aligned with who you are right now and with how you want your home and life to be).

What does not spark joy is stuff that you own because of attachment to the past or fear of the future. The method is explained in the books The Life Changing Magic Of Tidying Up, and it’s follow up Spark Joy.

[ohleaf]

Concentration Tips

I actually learned in psychology that it was better for your memory if you learned in short bursts constantly throughout the day, but honestly, that doesn’t always work out. Sometimes we are short on time or large on information we have to go through. Sooo for those long hours of studying, here’s some concentration tips!

Clothing and location matter! Choose places that are free of distractions or that motivate you to work. My bedroom is fairly quiet, but it’s easy to be distracted by it. Sometimes it’s better for me to work around other people so that they keep me from just sitting back and texting my friends haha whoops. Also choose comfortable clothing, since likely you’ll have to sit in the same place/position for long stretches of time.

Take breaks at appointed times. When you’re studying for long periods, it is so so so so important to take a break! You brain needs to rest, my friends! Pomodoro your way to success.

Change your study location around. Sometimes staying in the same place can be boring as well. Give your mind some variety.

Have a specific plan. Before you start studying, make a list of all the topics you want to cover and the tasks you want to complete. This gives you a clear game plan.

Get enough sleep. This is so important! The less sleep you have, the easier it is for your mind to wander. Although I’m more of a night owl, because I am well rested in the mornings, I concentrate much better.

[ohleaf]

a snapshot of my bullet journal (january 2018) ahhh i miss all the blues and i liked all the experimenting that i did with the formatting in that month :”)

from my ig !!

[ohleaf]

make art even if it’s ugly. write down your feelings. sing so loud to the radio you can only hear yourself. laugh and laugh and laugh. cry if you need to. sleep if you need to. do nothing if you need to. the world is still here and so are you.