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Ways to increase your book smarts without being at school:

Download a flash card deck of SAT vocabulary words and learn them all. Improve your vocabulary and be able to understand more complex sentences.

Read non-fiction books on topics that interest you. Fiction is extremely beneficial for children, but as adults, being able to easily engage in fact-based text is more helpful when it comes to building brain power. You can still read fiction too if you’d like 😌

Take grammar tests and learn from your mistakes

Learn foreign languages

Learn to play instruments

Start playing chess, sudoku, and doing crosswords

Watch trivia shows like jeopardy and who wants to be a millionaire

Play math games

Watch critically acclaimed films and then watch video essays that deconstruct them so you can have a deeper understanding and more perspectives on the film

Take free online classes on anything and everything that interests you. Coursera, Udemy, and edX have so many amazing courses to choose from and you can even get a certificate if you’d like.

Watch history documentaries

Read financial blogs and magazines

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Today I started my journey on reducing my time on social media thanks to @2pretty.

These past months I've been reflecting, and I felt like Twitter took hours of my life, but something was holding me there. Today I finally started to break free.

Yesterday at midnight I deleted all gaming and social media apps (except for basics like WhatsApp and Mail). I woke up with the urge of checking Twitter, but I managed to stay away from it most of my day!

This evening was extremely productive. I finished my embryology research project 3 hours earlier than expected. I also noticed that I'm less tired, despite sleeping the same amount of hours, today I was able to stay up the whole day without feeling exhausted (even if I was tired and felt like giving up).

So yeah... social media was definitely ruining my life 🤥

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July 30, 2021

I'm SO happy!

Yesterday I had an appointment with a Doctor to manage my sleep problems. Today I had two appointments, one with a psychologist and the other with a nutritionist.

I decided to join the Literature club, I might go back to writing (even if I'm not satisfied with the end result) and I might join a sports club!

I'm regaining control of my life. I just need to push a bit harder, embrace the new habits.

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Weekly Progress

Health

I'm back to a more regular sleep schedule. I wake up at 6, and go to sleep before 12.

I've had to walk around a lot. I'm also feeling interested in doing a workout by myself. I'm going to start by doing 30 minutes everyday so that it becomes a routine.

I'm spending less time on Instagram. Now I only have to abandon Twitter.

Academic

I have so many resources to learn chemistry now. I just have to get up and do it!

All my books for first semester are here! I've flipped through them and read their first pages to understand how they've been designed. Now I just have to read them before classes start and understand the information.

I started reading philosophy. I'm reading and actively engaging with the material. I take my time to reflect on what I've read, its meaning, find examples that apply to my experiences, and research ANY concept that comes from another philosopher.

Social

I started to connect with three people who seem goal-oriented and focused on school.

I try to answer some of my classmates' questions on the group chat. If I know the answer and I can take the time, I'll do it!

Changes for the future

Be more active. I need to use my time carefully. Instead of watching a show for 40 minutes, I can use that time to read or study. All actions need to be aligned with my goals.

Stop. Criticizing. People. Seriously, I'm so tired of doing this. It's bad, it's stupid, it makes everyone miserable. I'll try to focus on the good qualities of everyone, if I cannot find them then that's none of my business. All my energy will go to myself, my goals and my loved ones.

Stop. Criticizing. Things. Very similar to the last one, but it's necessary. I cannot change every little thing that bugs me. Some things will have to stay the same despite the many flaws that I find. And that's alright. Again, my energy goes to myself. If I don't like something, I simply have to ignore it and refocus.

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Not too long ago I had an anon ask me how to fake it till she makes it in manifesting her luxury lifestyle. I gave a bit of advice (you should read that before finishing this) but I want to elaborate more on a certain aspect that is crucial to obtaining an ideal life: becoming your ideal self. That ask was focused on lifestyle, but what about the self glow-up? That’s where this guide comes in. I see a lot of guides where the OP tells you the type of woman you should become, and it’s usually based on their own idea of what is desirable. This is different. This is a barebones guide that requires you to think hard about yourself and what would satisfy you to live in your own skin. To no longer wish to be anyone else. To be the best version of YOU. Who is the the ideal woman you are aspiring to be?

Here’s how to start:

Step 1: describe your dream girl and create a list of 12 essential qualities/skills she has. Things that are controllable by a person themselves, not reliant on another person or location. (Good: she drinks tea every day. Bad: her boyfriend makes tea for her every day)

Step 2: make a list of how you can acquire those qualities

Step 3: dedicate one quality to each month of the year and for every single day of that month, cultivate habits that will make those qualities now belong to you. 30 days is a great amount of time to build a habit that you can continue on with even after the target date has passed. It’s not too long to feel scary but it’s long enough to make really good progress. Plus you won’t feel overwhelmed about doing all of these new things at once. Just one quality at a time :)

Step 4: after 12 months, you will have dedicated 365 days to your own personal growth and transformation and will now emerge a brand new woman.

To make this even easier on you, I will create an example using a mix of things that are about me.

My dream girl is: a beautiful and fit domestic goddess who speaks multiple foreign languages, plays instruments, is a wiz in the kitchen, and has a killer style

12 qualities to create her:

Takes expert care of her outward appearance

Eats healthy and works out every day

Speaks french

Speaks korean

Speaks spanish

Plays piano

Cooks a proper meal every day

Always dresses well no matter what

Keeps her home spic and span

Manages her emotions well to always be kind and composed to others instead of combative and volatile

Is a minimalist

Studies hard in school

(When you make your list of 12 qualities, don’t worry about making them perfectly correspond to a certain month just yet. First, just get them all written down and then you can rearrange it later. For the sake of this, let’s just pretend that mine are in a perfect order as is)

January: takes expert care of her outward appearance

For January, I will spend 31 days focused on beauty. Every single morning and night I will do my skincare routine, a face mask, use my serums and exfoliants (when necessary), and make sure to apply sunscreen. I will get a skincare consultation if needed, I will schedule a dentist appointment or do at home teeth whitening treatments. I will take a bubble bath once a day and always make sure that I’m exfoliated. I will always make time to shave/wax/epilate/whatever and maintain manicured nails and eyebrows. My hair care will be completely on point because my hair will always be deep conditioned, well moisturized, and styled to perfection.

(Keep a log and make sure to do this every single day. You will now be in the habit of taking care of your external appearance and will be used to looking and feeling a certain way)

February: eats healthy and works out every day

For February, I will find a list of healthy breakfasts, lunches, and dinners and make sure to use them as my eating guide. I will watch my calories and eat foods that nourish my body. I will cut out sugary drinks and extra sweets and do a workout for at least 30 minutes every day. I will watch a lot of content on health and fitness to keep me on track and make sure that I know what I’m doing.

(Keep a log and make sure to do this every single day. You will now be in the habit of making and eating healthy foods, have a 30 day workout streak, and will have a new relationship with your health and fitness. Because you have successfully committed a whole month to this lifestyle, it will be easier to keep it going to reach your body goals)

March: speaks French

For March, I will study french every day for at least an hour. I will watch french movies and tv shows, learn grammar and memorize vocabulary. I will always keep my flashcards on an app and study them frequently so that I don’t forget anything. I will find a french language exchange partner online and talk to them everyday so they can correct my mistakes.

(Keep a log and make sure to do this every day. You will now be in the habit of studying a foreign language for a dedicated amount of time each and every day. This will get you to a strong start and make it much easier for you to continue learning the language as time moves forward)

November: is a minimalist

For November I will focus on living a minimalist lifestyle and being intentional with the items I allow into my space. I will go through my whole house and declutter all of the things that I don’t need. I will not buy things this month unless they are essentials to me and my growth. I will watch/read a lot of content on consumerism and try to understand why I own so many things. I will have a better relationship with my possessions and take better care of the things I own so that I won’t need to keep buying new ones.

(Keep a log and make sure to do this every day. You will form a better relationship with your possessions and learn to let go of unimportant things. This will build the habit of being mindful of the things you allow into your space and allowing you to make better buying choices in the future)

You get the idea. So basically you will elaborate on each of the 12 qualities and make it very clear what your daily goals are for that month. The most important thing is to stick to it. You have to build the habit so that it becomes your new normal. This is how you acquire a new lifestyle and persona. You do it every day until it’s your default setting. You don’t call someone an a good student because they got an A one time, right? You call them a good student because they consistently demonstrate the actions that makes one a good student on a daily basis.

“But 2pretty! How can I stick to these things every day? What if I don’t feel like it sometimes?”

It’s all about discipline and consistency. Having your effort correspond to how badly you want something. Focusing on the big picture and sacrificing a little bit of comfort. Choosing to be your most excellent self rather than the easiness of staying the same. Growth is hard! But that’s what makes it worth it.

You all can sit here and read level up posts until you turn blue in the face but the fact of the matter is, The Ideal You can only emerge if you put in the work to become her. I believe in you.

I can’t wait to meet the new you in 12 months. See ya then.

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Elle Woods study motivation bc we all need it

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Is your daily routine leading you to the life you want?

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Oh God, I'm so sad.

The only thing that kept me going was that we would go to school once per week. Now we won't. I'll have a fourth semester completely online. I'm so tired of online school.

I'm so sad because families all over the world have suffered. I'm sad because the government prioritizes "economic regrowth" over our health. I'm sad because people think that bars and vacations are more important that their lives. I'm sad because vaccines are wasted, there's people who don't go get their shots and we have to wait WEEKS for the next lot. I'm sad because making friends will be hard.

These past two years have sucked a lot, and frankly, I can't do this anymore. I don't want to, I feel mentally unable, but I have to. I have to push through.

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Four things I need

Therapy. I know it'd really help me to find my toxic traits and properly work on myself. I also need guidance on setting boundaries and properly communicating. I feel like a lot of areas of my life need improvement and I don't know where to start.

Motivation. It's essential to keep going. I need to love myself and work towards my goals, but my drive is still low. I still struggle with getting up and doing things. I'm doing a little better, but it's not enough.

Financial stability. I don't want my family to struggle again. I'm tired of the tense environment that we live in every 6 or 10 months because we lose our only source of income.

Friends. I need a group of like-minded people, where we respect, appreciate and help each other. A group of people where everyone can work on themselves without being shamed for trying, failing or struggling. A group of people with similar goals and drive. I'm tired of feeling like all my relationships lack essence.

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🌻 junithena week, day 7 🌙

something about growth, sunflowers, and the comfort of it all

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I'm also very happy with the way I percieve myself now. One of my biggest struggles is constantly comparing myself to others, and getting negative thoughts from this (to the point where I lose all motivation and stop appreciating who I am).

This week I did compare myself to some of my classmates from med camp. But I didn't let it affect me. They're on a different journey from mine, we have different knowledge and skills. Eventually we will be at a similar level. I am working on myself on my own pace, I'm doing this for me.

I know I am worthy of love and praise. I am at this school for a reason. I have tackled obstacles in the past, and I'll tackle whatever comes my way. I will not burn myself out, I will enjoy this first semester, I will be an active student and I will learn. I will finally accept that maybe I'm not as lost as I thought. Maybe I'll see that my knowledge and skills weren't the problem, my problem was the way I approached and handled most situations. I'll do better for me. I'll become who I want to be.

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July 23, 2021

Today I:

Finished med camp. I went to ALL classes!

Signed up for a biochemistry and medicine course on EdX.

Actively read and annotated "The Expulsion of the Other" by Byung-Chul Han. This meets my goal of reading philosophy :D (I'm reading slowly, but that's because I take my time to fully understand the information, summarize it, interpret it and search how it applies on things I've seen/experienced)

Kind of made new friends who will also be at my med school.

Tomorrow I'll:

Study chemistry and biology for 4 hours (courses on YouTube)

Start the biochemistry course on EdX. Try to finish half a unit.

Keep reading "The Expulsion of the Other" as a break from studying.

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This past week I've gone to sleep before 12 a.m. I'm sooo happy, this is something I've been trying to change for months and I'm finally seeing results!!!

I do take naps on the evening, but it's mainly because I've had to walk a LOT everyday (something I'm not used to anymore because of covid,,,,).

My mental health really made me struggle with this but aaaaahh!!! I'm getting there :D

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July 20th, 2021

Today I:

Ate three meals!

Organized my phone calendar.

Wasn't afraid to ask questions.

Got a compliment (apparently I have "a good hand" for taking a person's heart rate and "I'm at an advantage").

Appreciated the nature that surrounded me (rain, animals)

Thanked and greeted almost every person I interacted with! :D

Tomorrow I'll:

Ask seniors about our university's mental health program.

Practice Math and Chemisty

Organize my bujo (this will be my break from studying)

Check out other leadership courses (the one I found might me incompatible with my school schedule :/)

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July 19th, 2021

Today I:

Focused on my classes.

Took notes.

Was confident while interacting with others.

Socialized with some of my classmates.

Bathed my dogs.

Tomorrow I'll:

Practice Math and English.

Study Chemistry.

Update my bujo.

Sign up to a leadership course.

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July 18th, 2021

Today I:

Got all my materials ready for school.

Painted my nails.

Prepared tomorrow's outfit.

Finished my nighttime routine at 8, and went to bed at 10.

Tomorrow I'll:

Focus on my classes

Take notes of EVERYTHING that is important

Be confident. I am here for a reason. I have worked towards this, and nothing will stop me. I am smart, hard-working, and charming.

Go out of my comfort zone, socialize with my classmates to find like-minded people.

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July 17th, 2021

Today I had to go out with my family because something came up. I couldn't follow my list of goals, but I still feel great and motivated!

I've barely interacted with my family these past months, so I feel like today was a great experience and I value quality time with my loved ones over tasks that were not urgent.

Today I:

Socialized (while being careful).

Spent quality time with family.

Appreciated nature.

Exercised for 30 minutes.

Tomorrow I'll:

Get all my materials ready for school.

Do my nighttime routine at 8, and try to sleep at 10.