hiotisa

[hiotisa]

STUDY MASTER-POST

• Making a schedule

• Every schedule is different. You shouldn't feel the need to make every second productive just as long as you find enough time to finish what you need to for the day.

• Make sure to sort your to-do list first. Start from the things that are the most urgent and important. After you do this, you can choose to either start with the hardest task so that its out of the way. Or you can start with the easiest so it gets your momentum going.

• When you make your schedule, give extra time for yourself to finish a task. Suppose, if you say you will take 40 minutes to finish a summary, schedule it down to 60 minutes so even if you end up procrastinating in between or if you take an extra break, your entire schedule is not throw into a mess.

• Account for breaks. Always. Take regular breaks between every task. Don't make it too long, 2-5 minutes for a small task and 15-20 minutes for a big task.

• Once you're done with your to-do list, make a schedule with a set amount of time for each task. Try to start exactly when you planned you would.

• Make sure to do tasks in chunks of 20-60 minutes, whatever works for you. Because humans suck at focusing for more than 50 minutes in general.

• Take a small 5 minutes break after one chunk of 20-60 minutes. After you finish 4-6 chunks of 20-60 minutes, reward yourself with a long break, like 20-60 minutes depending on how much work you have left and what time you can spare.

• Getting stuff done

• Break bigger tests into small chunks so it's easier to get into. So rather than saying "I will completely this chapter today," you can do "I will finish 5 pages of this chapter now and then 7 in an hour. I will finish the remaining 9 pages, 4 hours from now." That makes the work smaller and you also feel more productive.

• Most people have a problem with starting. So just start the task and say you will do it for 5 minutes without getting distracted. Once you get through the first 5 minutes, you should have no problem getting through the rest of the task.

• If you still can't get yourself to work after 5 minutes, the problem is not you, its the task. See what's bothering you about the task. Do you not understand a concept? Or do you not have all the required resources for it? Look into it. If you can't find the problem with the task, move on and get to the next task. You can deal with this later.

• Your work space

• Work space can make or break your momentum. You can be the person who works best with all your materials sprawled on the bed. Or you can be the person who gets work done best in a library. Don't try to make things fits for you when they clearly don't.

• You could be the person who gets more work done at the evenings or in the mornings so don't feel pressured to get work done at the set time everyone says you should do at.

• Remove things that distract you. If you get distracted by the internet, I'll link some things that can help you out in the resources section down.

• Don't over crowd your working space, keep it to a minimum so you don't get too distracted.

• Self care

• The most important thing, no skipping this. Sleep well, everyday. For a minimum of 6 hours no matter what. You can break it up if you can't sleep for long hours in a strecth but make surr you get that sleep.

• Get fresh air and move around. For a minimum of 30 minutes everyday.

• Make sure to eat at least two full meals a day. Try to eat as healthy as possible and snack in between meals.

• Make time for the hobbies/interests you love. Let yourself explore and have fun. You deserve it, you're beautiful.

• How to avoid burnouts

• Break works into small chunks as I mentioned earlier. So rather than saying "I will completely this chapter today," you can do "I will finish 5 pages of this chapter now and then 7 in an hour. I will finish the remaining 9 pages, 4 hours from now."

• Make sure to reward yourself. Doesn't have to be anything big. Give yourself a nice cup of tea or bake a cake from time to time. Reward yourself.

• Do shower and change into a new set of clothes every single day. It really helps. Seriously.

• Make sure to at least work for 30 minutes a day on days you don't feel motivated enough to work so that you don't slip into leisure mode.

• Make sure to maintain a school-life balance. It's a very thin line so make sure to finish your important tasks before going out and doing something fun.

• Resources

• This chrome extension blocks websites.

• This blocks websites for the Mac book users. (This is free but there's also paid verified alternatives here.)

• This website gives alternatives to any software or website, paid or free. Mac or PC or LinusX compatible versions.

• This lets you print any website without all the clutter in it.

• This lets you highlights parts of a web page and lets you share it.

• This checks your writing for grammatical and spelling errors.

• This is also for checking your spellings and voicing in anything you write.

• This lets you convert URLs into QR codes/ shorten URLs.

I'll add more but I gotta dash to class so just these for now.

Have a nice day. ^^

[hiotisa]

Best Advice for Succeeding in School (I learned it the hard way)

In high school, I was considered a pretty average student. I knew that I was more than that, but I prioritized my extra curricular activities to have a fun experience in high school. I also thought being “well rounded” would make up for the fact that I had A’s and B’s and once a C. When it came to my Senior year, I realized I screwed myself over by inflating my ego and getting rejected by my dream school.

I was always put into advanced classes in grade school, but this is not something that I want to brag about. It actually hurt me because it inflated my confidence giving me a false sense of self. From this point as a student, I thought I was given the natural ability of intelligence and I learned to never study for tests and exam (except for science which was my achilles). My grades in grade school were A’s and A-’s.

This habit carried on in high school. I had an ego in which I was intelligent enough to not put in any work. The people around me often didn’t seem as bright as me, so I settled to stay in classes in which I felt comfortable being at the top.

I didn’t realize that making myself uncomfortable by putting my self in more difficult classes would have made me smarter. I didn’t want to compete with the smartest students in the class because I didn’t want to feel dumb.

I never studied for my AP Bio or AP US History exams. I loved History so I felt that there was no need for me to prepare because I knew I would get a good grade. I thought my “natural intelligence” would help me pass. I hated AP Biology because I just didn’t get Biology. I never asked for help because I thought I was too smart for help.

I ended up getting 2′s on both of the tests. Because of my inflated sense of intelligence, I never studied for the ACT. I did extremely poorly, and it was too late to fix by the time I applied for college. 

It was time for me to change as a person. I needed to stop pretending to be “naturally gifted” and actually work towards my goals. Upon going to Indiana University, I realized that I needed to make the best of my experience there. I met people that were a thousand times smarter than me and my former colleagues in high school.

I lost my inflated sense of intelligence. I started studying for my quizzes, tests, and exams. I started engaging with my professors when I needed help. While I never really needed actual help, I ended up connecting with a lot of professors. They would give me a lot of inside information on how to succeed just because I was being vulnerable and asking for help. The classes in which I performed the worst were a product of me not going to office hours or asking for help. 

Stop thinking of yourself as intelligent in the academic sense. Nobody cares except for you. Outsmart the smartest people by dedicating time and energy into resources that are helpful. Engage with people that are willing to help you, and don’t engage with people that want to compare themselves against you. Additionally, step out of your comfort zone when it comes to classes and work. You will learn a lot more when you are put in an unfamiliar environment as opposed to a familiar environment. Once you feel comfortable with the work you are doing, that becomes dangerous slipper slope for stagnancy in your learning and growth as a person and academically.

[hiotisa]

Best Apps for School (Mac, Chrome Extensions, and iOS)

Something that I have loved doing is keeping my school work digitized throughout my entire high school and college experience, and there is a method to my madness! First of all, in the real world, as much as your teachers say that writing helps you learn more, for me, I have learned it to be a tremendous waste of time. When you work for organizations or you do personal work, it is more common than not to perform at a digital level. It is personally more effective and more efficient for me to digitize my life. Although hand writing notes and doing handwritten homework may scientifically make you learn more, I have learned that there are ways to expedite the process so that you can save time doing other things and save time by being focused on the computer.

______________________________________________________________

1. To-Do Microsoft (Mac, Chrome Extension, iOS)

This application was formerly Wunderlist, but it is a pretty convenient app. If you work best using and checking off lists, this is a highly functional tool in which you can not only make lists, have deadlines, reminders, etc., but you can also share lists with your peers. This can be an effective way in getting group projects done and delegating tasks.

2. Notability (Mac, iOS)

This app consistently comes out as a winner. You know why? It can be shared across platforms (ios and mac) and it also has the capacity to color code your notes, maintain organization for classes, insert pictures to abbreviate notes.

3. Zotero (Mac, Chrome Extension, iOS)

This app saves lives. I never did a single bibliography in college because I had this app as well as the browser extension. Not only will it do a works cited at the click of a button, but you can also do in-text citations easily in a word document or google doc. There is a function in which you can link your google docs or Word documents, and it will completely transform your life. Stop wasting your time on doing bibliography and in-text citations!

4. Kindle App (Mac, iOS)

Some of you may be wondering, why would you put the kindle app? First of all, even though you may like physical text, you read quicker on technology. It saves you time in the long run from doing some of those dreaded reading assignments for textbooks. Also, it is easier to interact with text through the Kindle App. Highlighting functions, note-taking, and other functions of this app make it very easy for students. You can make flashcards from your note-taking, and you can easily export annotations. Additionally, in college, a lot of professors require textbooks. It is often cheaper to rent or buy kindle book even for some high school lit classes. Plus, something that nobody tells you about is that your local library often has e-copies of books that you may read in your literature classes etc in which you can access through your kindle app.

5. Forest (Chrome Extension, iOS)

This is buy far one of my most used apps in college. It helped me stay productive by not using my phone. It is the only thing that kept me from not using my phone. It costs $1.99, but it is the best money you will ever spend to stay distracted from your phone. The concept is that you plant trees every time you stay focused for a certain period of time. You earn coins to grow different trees or you can put your coins towards planting real trees! Super dope if you ask me. You can also be productive with your friends by downloading the app together in a mode called plant together. It’s very aesthetic and lovely. You can also listen to different sounds like in the forest or you can just listen to the music of your choice.

6. Momentum (Chrome Extension)

This is an absolutely free extension in which is aesthetically pleasing, but it is also very functional. It gives you the ability to form a to-do list, customize your opening page, connect your accounts, and set daily goals. I really love this browser extension because it keeps me organized for my personal life.

7. iStudiez Pro (Mac, iOS)

This is a game-changing app. It does so many things for you for free like show your weekly schedule, create teacher information profiles, put due dates on your homework etc. Not only did this app keep me organized, but it enhanced my academic experience. I was able to know my teachers office hours from th click of a button. I could anticipate deadline more frequently. I am a physical planner girl, and it takes me forever to organize my work because I like to color-code everything. Plus, planners are expensive, so students on a budget will find this app extremely refreshing from this perspective.

8. Your Local Library App (may vary)

If you don’t have a card with your local library, the time is now. Save money on so many things like books, movies, and audiobooks. My library app let’s me access pretty much anything! If the resource isn’t available online, you can always place a hold and pick an item up at the library. I wish I had used this resource more often in high school, but I used it more often in college and it saved me a lot of money. Also check with your school or local library because they often have textbooks or can order textbooks that you may need for school!

______________________________________________________________

I hope this list can help in virtual learning as well as in-person learning. Just because your teacher or parent doesn’t teach you about these awesome resources doesn’t mean that you should make your life any harder without these tools! Good luck and happy studying!

[hiotisa]

Graduation and New Chapter

Hello! I have officially graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Management with minors in Spanish, Urban Planning, and History. Even though I don’t get to celebrate the traditional way, I am still excited for this new journey. My account will be transitioning to a studyblr geared toward the GRE and a Master’s program. I want to receive a Master’s in Environmental Urban Planning. My productivity will restart, and I will be focusing on something completely new!

[hiotisa]

Read More, Read Better

Many of us are looking for more ways to enjoy our time at home in these stressful circumstances. Some of us have turned to books. But how can we make sure we get the most out of them?

Keep reading

[hiotisa]

An Overview of Note-Taking Styles

Note-taking is one of the most essential skills a student should master. It allows you to record and review information to be used in the future. But what’s the best way to do so? Here’s an overview of note-taking styles that can help you maximize your learning!

[hiotisa]

hi friends! i actually did my junior and senior year of high school online and i learned wuite a few things along the way. when i was able to find a routine that worked for me it resulted in me graduating a year early. i know covid has sprung digital education on so many of us, i want you to know that if you need help navigating the difference im here and i would love to help! im so proud of you!

[hiotisa]

Best Advice for Succeeding in School (I learned it the hard way)

In high school, I was considered a pretty average student. I knew that I was more than that, but I prioritized my extra curricular activities to have a fun experience in high school. I also thought being “well rounded” would make up for the fact that I had A’s and B’s and once a C. When it came to my Senior year, I realized I screwed myself over by inflating my ego and getting rejected by my dream school.

I was always put into advanced classes in grade school, but this is not something that I want to brag about. It actually hurt me because it inflated my confidence giving me a false sense of self. From this point as a student, I thought I was given the natural ability of intelligence and I learned to never study for tests and exam (except for science which was my achilles). My grades in grade school were A’s and A-’s.

This habit carried on in high school. I had an ego in which I was intelligent enough to not put in any work. The people around me often didn’t seem as bright as me, so I settled to stay in classes in which I felt comfortable being at the top.

I didn’t realize that making myself uncomfortable by putting my self in more difficult classes would have made me smarter. I didn’t want to compete with the smartest students in the class because I didn’t want to feel dumb.

I never studied for my AP Bio or AP US History exams. I loved History so I felt that there was no need for me to prepare because I knew I would get a good grade. I thought my “natural intelligence” would help me pass. I hated AP Biology because I just didn’t get Biology. I never asked for help because I thought I was too smart for help.

I ended up getting 2′s on both of the tests. Because of my inflated sense of intelligence, I never studied for the ACT. I did extremely poorly, and it was too late to fix by the time I applied for college. 

It was time for me to change as a person. I needed to stop pretending to be “naturally gifted” and actually work towards my goals. Upon going to Indiana University, I realized that I needed to make the best of my experience there. I met people that were a thousand times smarter than me and my former colleagues in high school.

I lost my inflated sense of intelligence. I started studying for my quizzes, tests, and exams. I started engaging with my professors when I needed help. While I never really needed actual help, I ended up connecting with a lot of professors. They would give me a lot of inside information on how to succeed just because I was being vulnerable and asking for help. The classes in which I performed the worst were a product of me not going to office hours or asking for help. 

Stop thinking of yourself as intelligent in the academic sense. Nobody cares except for you. Outsmart the smartest people by dedicating time and energy into resources that are helpful. Engage with people that are willing to help you, and don’t engage with people that want to compare themselves against you. Additionally, step out of your comfort zone when it comes to classes and work. You will learn a lot more when you are put in an unfamiliar environment as opposed to a familiar environment. Once you feel comfortable with the work you are doing, that becomes dangerous slipper slope for stagnancy in your learning and growth as a person and academically.

[hiotisa]

Best Apps for School (Mac, Chrome Extensions, and iOS)

Something that I have loved doing is keeping my school work digitized throughout my entire high school and college experience, and there is a method to my madness! First of all, in the real world, as much as your teachers say that writing helps you learn more, for me, I have learned it to be a tremendous waste of time. When you work for organizations or you do personal work, it is more common than not to perform at a digital level. It is personally more effective and more efficient for me to digitize my life. Although hand writing notes and doing handwritten homework may scientifically make you learn more, I have learned that there are ways to expedite the process so that you can save time doing other things and save time by being focused on the computer.

______________________________________________________________

1. To-Do Microsoft (Mac, Chrome Extension, iOS)

This application was formerly Wunderlist, but it is a pretty convenient app. If you work best using and checking off lists, this is a highly functional tool in which you can not only make lists, have deadlines, reminders, etc., but you can also share lists with your peers. This can be an effective way in getting group projects done and delegating tasks.

2. Notability (Mac, iOS)

This app consistently comes out as a winner. You know why? It can be shared across platforms (ios and mac) and it also has the capacity to color code your notes, maintain organization for classes, insert pictures to abbreviate notes.

3. Zotero (Mac, Chrome Extension, iOS)

This app saves lives. I never did a single bibliography in college because I had this app as well as the browser extension. Not only will it do a works cited at the click of a button, but you can also do in-text citations easily in a word document or google doc. There is a function in which you can link your google docs or Word documents, and it will completely transform your life. Stop wasting your time on doing bibliography and in-text citations!

4. Kindle App (Mac, iOS)

Some of you may be wondering, why would you put the kindle app? First of all, even though you may like physical text, you read quicker on technology. It saves you time in the long run from doing some of those dreaded reading assignments for textbooks. Also, it is easier to interact with text through the Kindle App. Highlighting functions, note-taking, and other functions of this app make it very easy for students. You can make flashcards from your note-taking, and you can easily export annotations. Additionally, in college, a lot of professors require textbooks. It is often cheaper to rent or buy kindle book even for some high school lit classes. Plus, something that nobody tells you about is that your local library often has e-copies of books that you may read in your literature classes etc in which you can access through your kindle app.

5. Forest (Chrome Extension, iOS)

This is buy far one of my most used apps in college. It helped me stay productive by not using my phone. It is the only thing that kept me from not using my phone. It costs $1.99, but it is the best money you will ever spend to stay distracted from your phone. The concept is that you plant trees every time you stay focused for a certain period of time. You earn coins to grow different trees or you can put your coins towards planting real trees! Super dope if you ask me. You can also be productive with your friends by downloading the app together in a mode called plant together. It’s very aesthetic and lovely. You can also listen to different sounds like in the forest or you can just listen to the music of your choice.

6. Momentum (Chrome Extension)

This is an absolutely free extension in which is aesthetically pleasing, but it is also very functional. It gives you the ability to form a to-do list, customize your opening page, connect your accounts, and set daily goals. I really love this browser extension because it keeps me organized for my personal life.

7. iStudiez Pro (Mac, iOS)

This is a game-changing app. It does so many things for you for free like show your weekly schedule, create teacher information profiles, put due dates on your homework etc. Not only did this app keep me organized, but it enhanced my academic experience. I was able to know my teachers office hours from th click of a button. I could anticipate deadline more frequently. I am a physical planner girl, and it takes me forever to organize my work because I like to color-code everything. Plus, planners are expensive, so students on a budget will find this app extremely refreshing from this perspective.

8. Your Local Library App (may vary)

If you don’t have a card with your local library, the time is now. Save money on so many things like books, movies, and audiobooks. My library app let’s me access pretty much anything! If the resource isn’t available online, you can always place a hold and pick an item up at the library. I wish I had used this resource more often in high school, but I used it more often in college and it saved me a lot of money. Also check with your school or local library because they often have textbooks or can order textbooks that you may need for school!

______________________________________________________________

I hope this list can help in virtual learning as well as in-person learning. Just because your teacher or parent doesn’t teach you about these awesome resources doesn’t mean that you should make your life any harder without these tools! Good luck and happy studying!

[hiotisa]

Graduation and New Chapter

Hello! I have officially graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Management with minors in Spanish, Urban Planning, and History. Even though I don’t get to celebrate the traditional way, I am still excited for this new journey. My account will be transitioning to a studyblr geared toward the GRE and a Master’s program. I want to receive a Master’s in Environmental Urban Planning. My productivity will restart, and I will be focusing on something completely new!

[hiotisa]

Loggia Della Signoria in Florence, Italy

Photograph by Berthold Steinhilber, laif/Redux

[hiotisa]

 8/100 days of productivity

I am really missing Italy at this time. I was having such a wonderful time studying abroad, but now I am learning about Florence at home in Cincinnati. It really sucks, and my motivation to do work has been low. Currently, I am quarantina mode with my family since I had left a couple of weeks ago. This is a coffee shop/bookshop in Florence called Todo Modo. This place was so wonderful, and I am sad I wasn’t able to revisit it. 

The majority of my homework that I have left to do is History, but I honestly don’t want to read about a city I am not in. It makes me miss Italy even more which makes me even sadder. I didn’t even experience culture shock there except me missing my family and some foods. I really had a smooth transition to the country, and I was stripped away from something so beautiful that I will never be able to experience it in the same way again. Any moral support will do, but I don’t even really have that because I don’t get to see my friends at this point in time.

More of my abroad coffee shop finds will appear on this feed if you are interested. I will also show some of my adventures in infamous stationery stores and some unnamed and lovely just the same. I hope to get my feed going again which is why I am picking up where I left on my productivity count. Since the coffee shop environment is gone, I am going to try to set up a cool and organized workspace.

If anybody has any tips and tricks to stay motivated in a time like this, feel free to let me know!

[hiotisa]

7/150 days of productivity

Merry Christmas! To those not celebrating Christmas, happy holidays! I hope everybody is enjoying time with their families and friends as we wrap up the end of the year. I am officially finished with school and getting excited about my abroad adventures. Currently, I am practicing my Italian language. I don’t speak Italian, so I know that it will be hard for me to adjust the first few weeks when I live in Italy. I do speak Spanish and Greek, so I am hoping that those language structures will help me in my studies.  I hate that not knowing a language can be a weapon to you when you are in a foreign country, so I try to learn a little of every language for the countries I travel to.

Currently, I am just trying to get my housing taken care of before I go to Florence. We are living in apartments throughout Florence, so I am trying to figure out what I need to be bringing and how I will survive 4 months of living there! They say not to bring too many clothes because we will buy so much, but I am not so sure that will be the case for me since I am a poor college student. Any tips or tricks for traveling would definitely be appreciated! For know, ciao and buona notte!

[hiotisa]

5/150 days of productivity

Although I finished my last exam, I still have my last paper to write. It is about this class I took on Freedom Summer for my history minor, and I had to watch 2 movies on it to write this paper. I am taking a break right now, but I thought that my study space at home looked so festive and wonderful that I had to share.

My coffee of the day was a salted carmel mocha. I have had to stop going to Starbucks because I am beginning to realize that I can not afford to keep draining my bank account for over-priced coffee. However, I am continuing to explore my local coffee options.

Currently, I am trying to figure out gifts for various people in my family. I am excited about the holiday season, but I also feel pressured to give people really great gifts. My older brother is really hard to shop for, so being creative is an essential task. I can’t believe that Italy is just weeks away, and I am ready to take it on! I am getting some fun travel things to better prepare for my trip because I know that I will not have a lot of time to really think about it until I actually board my flight!

[hiotisa]

by Xenie Zasetskaya

[hiotisa]

4/150 days of productivity

Today it snowed in Bloomington. The ilex (or winter berry holly) looked quite lovely today in contrast with the snow and the limestone. I had a white chocolate mocha today to match the outside aesthetic in a coffee shop called the Pourhouse café.

This is my very last night at Indiana University, and I am excited to move onto a different chapter in my life. My final tomorrow is for Hispanic Literature, and I am completely unprepared. I can’t wait to finally go on winter break and leave studying and work alone. My break will very likely consist of reading books about urban planning or books about Italian culture. 

It still hasn’t hit me that Italy is a few weeks away. I still have lots of Christmas shopping to do, and it will hit me hard this weekend. Busy lives and busy seasons!

[hiotisa]

3/150 days of productivity. I haven’t been really posting here recently because I have busy with my studies. Italy is only about a month away, and I am very excited. But for now, I am stuck in Bloomington, Indiana doing group projects and studying for finals. This is a picture of how I access my courses at Indiana University, and I am doing my homework at a café in Cincinnati called Sitwells.