iplayhardandstudyharder

[iplayhardandstudyharder]

Well it’s definitely been some time since I’ve made a post, and so much has changed!

I had my daughter, got married, moved, changed programs and schools and may still even change again!

I’m now in second semester of Business Marketing ! It’s all online and asynchronous so last semester was a bit hard to get my footing but I think this semester with adequate planning (and trust me I have it all mapped out) I should be more successful than before!

[iplayhardandstudyharder]

Studying...

School Starts in about a month and a half! Super excited, gonna do some preliminary studying in the next month or so to prepare, because well law can be difficult. 

Tonight though I am studying for my drivers license exam (again...it expired and now I gotta do it over) but its okay because this time I can move on to the next step without waiting, so once I retake drivers ed I can just get the driving test done and by a car!

Super exciting things are coming up (like potentially moving to a better apartment with my S.O., without a roommate, school starting again, continuing my bilingual job and buying a car!

I am so thankful for progress and can’t wait to document it on here as a way to keep motivated.

[iplayhardandstudyharder]

[iplayhardandstudyharder]

7-7-17 my spread a few weeks ago features pastel pink theme which i love, it’s so femme! nowadays, i’m creating art and cuddling with my dog and cat. 💕

Best dentist? Maybe someday!

[iplayhardandstudyharder]

stop and think for a moment. breathe. let yourself feel. go drink a glass of water, stretch a little. 

[iplayhardandstudyharder]

Learning never exhausts the mind.

Leonardo da Vinci (via purplebuddhaproject)

[iplayhardandstudyharder]

If you should be studying clap your hands

*clap clap*

If you’re on tumblr “refreshing” clap your hands

*clap clap*

If you’re trying to do well

but you’re in procrastination hell

If you should be studying do it now.

[iplayhardandstudyharder]

This week is quite busy for me so Im going to be of the grid until next Monday! Good luck to everyone that has exam periods now! We can do this!!

[iplayhardandstudyharder]

IF LEO CAN GET AN OSCAR YALL CAN GET YOUR SCHOOLWORK DONE WE CAN DO ANYTHING

[iplayhardandstudyharder]

[iplayhardandstudyharder]

{66/100} Sorry I haven’t been very active recently, I’ve been sicker than normal and sadder than normal. Bought a bookshelf today, and moved a lot of the clutter off my desk into the bookshelf, which I’m oddly very excited about 😄 I hope everyone is well and happy ☺️

[iplayhardandstudyharder]

Could you please give me any advice for recovering from an all-nighter? Mainly on how to survive the next day? :(

tbh i have not had to pull one in a while but here are some things that saved my ass back in undergrad:

the REM cycle nap. 90 minutes. take one, if you can. all-nighters have a tendency to fuck up your sleep schedule for days, so i usually tried to get through my morning as best i could, take a 90 minute nap sometime in the afternoon, and then force myself to stay awake until ~10 that night. 

do not overcaffeinate. it’s tempting, and also you’re so tired that you’re essentially drunk, so it’s easy to make bad caffeine choices. do not. you will feel sick and miserable. drink the amount of caffeine that you usually drink, and no more. no crazy energy drinks, no caffeine pills. 

take breaks during your classes. i used to go and do jumping jacks in the bathroom when i felt like i could not physically keep my head off the desk. it’s not dignified, but it works.

take a shower. i usually do this at the beginning of the “new” day, but it’s up to you. sometimes it tricks your body into thinking that things are totally normal! nothing to freak out about! you are tooootally fine. on a similar note,

get dressed. like, real-people dressed. you don’t have to be pageant-ready, but things like real pants and something that isn’t a hoodie will send your brain the message that you are a Functional Human. wash ya face. put some mascara on, if that’s your thing. maybe some undereye concealer, idk, i’m not your mom.

don’t make important decisions. or have complicated conversations. just pretend mercury is in retrograde and avoid all serious/sensitive decisions until you’ve had some time to sleep on them.

up-tempo music. rock that beyonce, that marina, whatever it takes. 

eat some damn fruit. it’s tempting to just carb up and accept your fate, but fruits and veggies will give you a little more energy. i like smoothies especially, because they’re cold, which tends to keep me awake more than hot drinks. up 2 u. 

okay that’s all i can really think of rn! be gentle w yourselves!!

[iplayhardandstudyharder]

Guide on How to Catch Up in Your Classes

I often see master posts and tips about how to become organized and have better study habits but not about what to do when you have essentially messed up. I just wanted to share some of the things I do when I fall behind and how I recover. Unfortunately, this is an experience I am very familiar with but I am actively working on changing.

Please do NOT use this guide as a justification to fall behind. This is a guide for those who for whatever reason are already in this predicament and need help ASAP!

1) List everything you have to get done. Absolutely everything, down to the smallest detail.

For example, do not write down “readings for class X” but rather list out every chapter, and if you want every subsection of that chapter. This makes it easier to gauge how much time you need for every assignment and will motivate you when you check them off!

I like using apps like OneNote and Momentum to make my to do lists or just standard sheets of paper.

2) Calm down.

If you are anything like me, after you have made your long to do list you will start to panic. (I do, every single time!) Do your best to calm down, a calm mind is a sharper and smarter mind!

Personally, I like taking a moment outside to just concentrate on taking deep breaths of fresh air. This helps bring my heart rate down. (It’s something a bit similar to meditating)

For meditation, stretching, yoga, exercise, and power-naps you can use the app Fabulous (I use it often during the day for these purposes.)

Do not use this time to procrastinate! Try to find a relaxing activity that is not time consuming (i.e, DO NOT watch an episode on Netflix, play a video game, or anything that can easily feed into your procrastination) Although, these can all be relaxing activities, you will unconsciously negatively reinforce your habit of procrastinating to relieve anxiety and, thus, will consistently want to procrastinate when you are distressed or overwhelmed by your classes. Essentially, creating a cycle of procrastination. 

Ex: I am behind and am experience a lot of distress and anxiety. Watching Netflix (i.e. procrastinating) gives me temporary relief by distracting me from my responsibilities. Once my episode finishes, however, I feel the anxiety from my workload again and will decide to watch another episode etc. etc. It’s an endless cycle.

3) Plan out your week and dedicate each day predominantly to one class.

Now we have all the assignments and studying you have to do for every class and you are calm. Make sure to pay extra attention to due dates and plan which days you will be dedicating to each class. Plan a whole week and remember to plan wisely!

Prioritize by amount of weekly workload and proximity of due dates.

Does a class have assignments due every week? That class is most important since small assignments can eventually add up to a big portion of your grade. These assignments are due the soonest and, therefore, need to be done ASAP. Dedicate the whole day to just that class.

For example, for my Life Science course I have weekly quizzes and clicker points during class. If I am behind, I will dedicate a whole day to doing readings for that class first.

Have two different assignments for different classes due on the same day? Plan in advance so that you will still dedicate a whole day to each class rather than working on both assignments the same day (which would most likely be the day before, am i rite? ;) -> No, seriously don’t do this.)

If it is utterly necessary to do both assignments on the same day, then do split up your day.

4) Plan out your day. Every single hour. Seriously.

I literally will make a list of available times for each day and will schedule in assignments, meals, breaks, interviews, everything.

Try to be realistic! (I struggle with this a lot.)

Estimate the amount of time for an activity and then add a few more minutes to that.

Do not forget to schedule in essential personal care time. You need to eat, you need to take breaks, you need to shower, and you need to sleep. By doing this, you will be able to curve fatigue and to overall be in a better mental and physical health which is important for productivity.

Interweave your studies/assignments for a class.

What I mean by this is that you are behind and need to not only do the assignments but most likely need to learn it QUICKLY for the upcoming exam.

So an example of interweaving would be actively going back and forth b/w reading a chapter and your lecture notes. When I am behind I will take notes on the chapter I am currently reading and add those notes to what was said in lecture. Therefore, I am catching up but also making sure I am understanding the readings in terms of what is being taught in class. This saves time and you are learning!

Re-plan.

Some assignments will take longer than expected or a day will simply not be as productive as you thought it would be. It’s okay. Do not get discouraged. Simply, re-plan, adjust your days and continue moving forward! In order for this to work, you need to be flexible and learn what are the most important assignments you should be spending your time on.

5) Do not procrastinate!

I know this is easier said than done, but you (and I) are behind so we really have to stick to this one. Procrastinating may feel good at the moment but you will feel terrible about it later.

Here are some tools to help: Self-control (for macs), and Forest (for phones and computers.)

6) Go to the library or a quite isolated space.

Go. Go now.

Studying in your dorm room or at home gives you too many opportunities to be distracted and you simply do not have the time to take the risk. Food and people are my main distractions!

Also, being in a space where others are working will motivate you to do the same.

Get hungry while on campus? Pack your lunch AND dinner when you go to class and just spend the rest of your day in the library.

If you are starting to feel mentally fatigued, go somewhere else, take a small break, and continue. Go to a cafe, a computer lab, a grass field, anywhere. A change of scenery while studying can help you feel refreshed!

7) Give yourself rewards for accomplishments

I prefer to keep my rewards small. They tend to be having a small talk with my roommate, experimenting while making coffee, making myself a really nice dinner, or pressing flowers.

Do not over extend or continually take breaks. Again, do not reward yourself with something that you associate with procrastination or could procrastinate with!

8) SLEEP!

Last one! I know everyone and their moms say this, but sleep is very important for learning and (if your cramming) retention. After a certain point your brain will be too fatigued and will not retain anything you try to cram into it, so why not spend that time doing something better? Like sleeping!

Before I even start studying, I give myself a cut-off time. This is a time when I will stop, no matter how much work I have gotten done, and will prepare to go to sleep.

I wake up at 8am, so mine tends to be around 12:00am.

Your cut-off time should be strict and should give you at least 6-8 hours of sleep, so plan wisely!

Consistency is the key to success.

Studies have shown that inconsistent sleep affects your learning retention and academic abilities the next day. So, really try to stick to this one, if anything!

Again, the Fabulous app can help you stick to your cut-off time and maintain a regular sleep pattern.

I could go on and on about this but this post has already become more lengthy than I had anticipated!

Remember these are the things I do when I am behind (usually severely), this does not consist of my daily study habits when I am caught up. Therefore, some of these tips aren’t efficient for long-term learning but are definitely better than cramming (in my opinion and experience.) Catching up is by no means fun, therefore, once you are caught up, please try to implement better time management and daily study habits. (If anyone is interested in tips for those, let me know and I can make a post about it!)

Lastly, you can do this! I mean it. I do not know you personally but I have seen people do the most astonishing things in the face of adversity. So please trust me when I say, I believe in you wholeheartedly!

Good luck!

Jessica

Fri, Jan. 29th 2016 | 12:00pm

[iplayhardandstudyharder]

breakfast & some roman literature.

[iplayhardandstudyharder]

Words of wisdom

[iplayhardandstudyharder]

{17/100 Days of productivity} A day full of studying! (And enjoying some delicious sushi!)

[iplayhardandstudyharder]

Drink more water! Healthy study snacks! Keep school work organized!

Me, a chronic procrastinator who is severely dehydrated and has eaten nothing but hash browns for 3 days (via real-life-annabethchase)