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Preparing for a Long Study Day

Preparing for a Long Study Day

Hi gorgeous reader,

For the majority of people, starting a six-hour study day can be extremely daunting. However, there are steps you can take beforehand to make beginning easier and the whole day much more productive. It took me personally a long time to get into a good study routine, for many reasons. One is that I was so exhausted from school, I didn’t feel like doing extra work. Another was…

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How To Find Your Perfect Study Space

How To Find Your Perfect Study Space

Hi gorgeous readers! So, you’re ready to study. You’ve got your stationery, your textbooks and the mindset to go with it. You’re ready to knuckle down and work, but for some reason when you start, you just can’t get into it; your focus is anywhere but on your work and nothing is getting done. Never fear – this might have a simple solution. Your problem might be that you are studying in the wrong…

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ADVICE NEEDED

Hi!

I want to start a proper blog. I have begun one on wordpress but it seems the more popular platform is tumblr for study blogs. However I am not very confident with using tumblr as a blogging platform as I am new to it.

Which platform should I use: WordPress or Tumblr?

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Hi gorgeous reader!

Study with Me: April 10th 2018

I started off my today by waking up at 10am and making myself breakfast. I always try to make sure I have breakfast because without it my focus will fall much faster than it should.

10:30

The first part of my inorganic chemistry homework was to go through the whole of chapter 4 in the CGP notebook and answer all exam questions. I started this yesterday, so this only took me about an hour to finish! All together it came to 6 sides of work.

11:30

Next I completed the second part of my inorganic chemistry homework. For anyone who doesn’t do chemistry at A-level in the UK, alongside the chemistry specification we have to complete a practical endorsement to show competency with chemicals and such. For the assessment I was writing up today, we had to identify 5 unknown compounds using a series of tests for ions and flame tests.

In the assessment I wrote down all my observations of each experiment and today and used those observations to work out what the test was meant to be and identify each compound. I used the CGP textbook to help me with this and eventually managed to work them all out!

12:00

I took a break from homework and moved to blogging. I took some time to make final edits to my blog post Ways to Study and finally posted that! Admittedly, I was (and still am) a little nervous about the feedback I will get, but I’m positive you will all be kind and constructive!

After I was sure it was all correctly published, I promoted the blog on my instagram.

1:00

I took a break for lunch and spent a bit of time going through other wordpress blogs and leaving comments for others. We are all here to share and network, after all!

Side note: if you would like me to check out your blog, link me your latest post in my comments and I will check it out and leave a like!

1:30

I went on my laptop after lunch to make a new set of Quizlet cards – a small set on AS Biology Chapter 1 section 2, nucleic acids! After I was happy with them I spent a little bit of time revising them using the test feature on Quizlet.

  3:00

Most of my homework for the Easter holiday is already done, but I still have one piece left which is a Maths statistics and mechanics test – one of the subjects I struggle most with. Because I know I find it so hard, I took my time with the questions I did, going over the theory behind it, which meant I didn’t get as much done as I would have liked, but I was confident with the work I had done!

At 4:00 I was starting to get a tired and I could feel my focus slipping more and more, so I decided to give myself a (guilt free) rest from studying. My theory is that if you force yourself to continue working when you know you’re pushing yourself too far, then you will burn yourself done and end up being less productive than you would have been with a break!

6:00

I took time before dinner to go over my Quizlet Biology sets for chapter 1, which is mainly coming on well. Most of my revision for the next few weeks will be Biology based, as the only external AS exam I am doing is in Biology; the chemistry and maths tests I am sitting will be internally marked so are less important.

7:00

After eating I continued with my maths paper so that the whole of the statistics section was completed. Because I still wasn’t confident, I went through the relevant pages in my textbook to refresh myself, but I really need to make some notes on them (a task for another day!).

8:00

I wrapped up my study day by making more textbook notes on biological molecules. In all honesty, I’m worried that I’m behind on where I should be so that I can have the whole AS course covered by my exam, so I’ve planned to schedule more Biology sessions, particularly in my free periods once I’m back at school!

On that note, would you guys be interested in seeing a post on how to efficiently use your school free periods? I’ve gathered a few tips of my own (and had plenty of unproductive free periods too) that I feel could benefit others!

That was all for today’s study session! Personally I felt it was quite productive despite taking quite a long break in the middle, but it was also necessary otherwise I doubt I would have had the energy to come back and continue working after dinner.

What did you guys think of my first Study with Me? Leave your suggestions down below and let me know!

Loz

Study with Me: 10th April 2018 Hi gorgeous reader! Study with Me: April 10th 2018 I started off my today by waking up at 10am and making myself breakfast.

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Biology revision❣ NEED ADVICE I have a wordpress study blog, but would it be smarter to run the blog on here instead?

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#bujo💛

hey!! I already have a bujo for over two years and am also a student so I developed some things to make bullet journaling as easy & productive as possible as a student. I hope I can help some of you!

PROS:

looks nice, you can post pics of it

(creative) freedom, you can structure / design it like you want

a place for your creativity

you have space for study plans, to do lists, essay planning

increase your productivity

it’s fun

CONS:

can take a lot of time & work

your not always motivated to do all your spreads yourself

get discouraged because it doesn’t look like you want it to

not really made for planning in the long term

you can get more focused on the ∼aesthetic∼ rather than the productivity of your bujo

so think about it: is a bujo really smth for you? don’t feel pressured to have one just because of the studyblr aesthetic! do what’s best for you and if that’s a planner than that’s fine!!

SET UP

yearly overview

this is the most important thing to keep me organised. basically I just make a calendar where I write down all dates for my exams, deadlines, holidays etc.

grade tracker

you can search for a printable or just make a table yourself. I write down the subject, date, type and my grade. this is super helpful at the end of the year when you want to know your final grade. a friend even noticed a mistake our teacher made (the teacher wrote down the wrong grade) so don’t forget to track your grades!

timetable

explains itself I think? I mark this page with a post-it so I find it quickly when I want to know what period I have next.

goals for the school year

it’s important to set goals and keep them in mind. but be realistic! for example I know I won’t get straight a’s but I try to keep my average above a b. some examples for goals: have x grade in x subject, do my homework the day I get it, start studying x days before sthe exam, wear what I want to school etc.

weekly spreads

I tried different methods for how to write down my homework and assignments. what works best for me is to just include them in my daily to do list & appointments. for example when I get math home work I just write down M: p.45/3 and when I did that homework I just tick it off. this way I don’t have to do some complicated layout and also see which homework I still need to do.

TIPS:

don’t focus too much on the aesthetic

find out what works for you, I like to plan out my spreads on sundays, other people just go with the flow

write everything down! even if you don’t have strength to make it aesthetic simply just write it down

try to be consistent with your bujo otherwise it doesn’t help much

have fun!!

OTHER IDEAS FOR PAGES THAT HELP WITH SCHOOL:

study plan

what you need to study for an exam / test

deadlines

essay planning

motivational quotes / motivation to study

ideas for outfits

supplies shopping list

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For those of you (like me) studying A-level maths!❣

One of my A-levels I am studying for is Maths. My college uses the exam board Edexcel and my modules I took this year are C1, C2 and S1. Next year I’ll be taking C3, C4 and S2. I will get my AS result on 17th August and will let you know what I got!

So, how do you achieve a good grade in maths? For me, the key is understanding why you’re doing something. If I don’t understand a topic, I’ll struggle thinking about how to solve the problem and I’ll have a mental block about it. However if I take five minutes to think about why I’m doing a series of steps to reach the answer and I understand what to do, it becomes second nature to me. So understand why you’re doing something and you’ll be able to do it!

The next step to excelling at maths is practising a lot. Do any homework that your teacher gives you, finish any exercises you don’t complete in class and do extra work from online or the textbook. For example, to save time in class we may only do the first column of questions from a textbook exercise, so when I get home I try to do the second column by myself for some extra practise. Use: MEI Integral, Physics & Maths tutor and Solomon Papers.

Now to some people this may seem like a waste of time, but personally I like to take notes for maths. These notes tell me what to do for different question types, give a few example questions and provide a resource that I can easily check if I’ve forgotten something. It also helps consolidate my knowledge at the end of a chapter and helps me to see if I do understand everything (see my first tip).

This one may seem obvious, but look at recent practise papers. Look at the previous few years and try to find questions that come up a lot! Then, practise them. Also, always mark your own papers (when possible) so you can see what examiners will look for from the mark scheme (what degree of accuracy to give your answer to, how to layout your answer, etc.). This gives a deeper understanding of a) what grade you’re working at and b) where you’re losing your marks.

Tying all of this together, sometimes when I’m doing practise papers, I’ll stop and think ‘why am I differentiating xxx’ to test myself on my knowledge and understanding of the topic. This gives a really thorough test of what you know!

Good luck for any upcoming maths exams you have and let me know what you think of these tips and if you think I missed out anything!

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Follow the link to my latest blog post, ways to study to achieve top grades!

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Ways to Study to Achieve Top Grades

Ways to Study to Achieve Top Grades

Hi gorgeous reader, The way you revise can be the make-or-break of your final grade. Different methods work for different people, so it is important to find the method that works best for you in order to make the most out of your revision. Below, I’ve summarised 5 ways of studying that will help you, no matter what subject you’re revising for! Some of these might methods work for you and others…

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50 Healthy, Productive & Fun Things You Can Do Without Looking at a Screen

It’s time for a screen cleanse! Get away from your phone, computer, or TV for just a minute if you can. Here are some ideas:

Cook a meal

Have coffee with a friend (alone is fine too)

Annotate a magazine article and feel very smart

Walk your dog

Cuddle your fur baby (whichever type you happen to own)

Take yourself for a walk and really notice things in your neighborhood

Journal or morning pages

Feng shui your home

Write a crappy or amazing poem (by hand)

Try out a new sport

Get your laundry done

Cull and organize your wardrobe

Make a mind map of the novel you want to write

Take a bath with salts or a bath bomb

Decorate your planner or bullet journal

Really groom yourself

Daydream

Yoga stretches

Adult. Coloring. Books.

Meditate for at least one minute

Find flowers and/or herbs to press in a book and/or dry

Go for a drive and blast your favorite songs

Treat yourself to a nice bottle of wine

Find a shady spot under a tree and just BE

Walk along the beach and look for shells

Swim in a crystal clear lake

Hike in the woods

Follow an essential oil recipe

Poke around the curios in a local new age shop

People watch

Visit the library & enjoy the serenity

Make your own matcha latte 

Rearrange your furniture

Write up a bucket list and try to check some items off

Buy a newspaper and challenge yourself to the crossword puzzle

Draw/sketch

Make flip book animation

Teach yourself to shuffle playing cards

Find an artistic medium you’ve never tried before

Play a board game

Pick wildflowers to put in a mason jar on your desk

Make new lists in your bullet journal

Organize your desk

Wash your sheets & make your bed

Wander around a museum for an afternoon

Shop at a farmer’s market

Repurpose old clothes (e.g. make a bag from old jeans)

Listen to vinyls and dance your pants off

Sort through your books and movie collections and donate titles you’ll probably never read/watch again

Have lunch somewhere with just a book or magazine as a dining companion

I hope some of these help free you from the ball and chain of technology! Now put down your phone or shut down your computer, and get out there!

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Welcome to: Ivory Study

Hello curious reader, If you’ve stumbled upon this blog, it’s likely that you share the same passion for all things stationery like I do. If you love aesthetic notes, stunning themed bujo spreads and productive study tips, then you’ll be at home at Ivory Study. There are tons of successful study vloggers out there, but I found there lacked any dedicated study blogs that I could sit down and read.…

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Hello gorgeous❣ My name is Loz and I run the Ivory Study blog. I'm an A-level student from the UK, studying Biology, Maths and Chemistry. I've started this study blog to document my A-level journey and my (eventual) transition to university, while being able to spread motivation and advice to anyone else doing exams of any kind. My blog, ivorystudy.wordpress.com, will include a range of posts such as Study with Me's, the best study advice to reach top grades, reviews of my favourite stationery products and more. I also have this instagram, a twitter and Tumblr account where I will be sharing pictures of my progress, like my note taking and completed tests, and promoting my blog posts as they go up. I am reallt excited to start producing content (the first three blog posts are already in the works!) for you all to read, but I am equally as open to any suggestions from you guys. My introductory blog post will be going up tomorrow, followed by my first official post - methods of studying - scheduled for a few days later. If you like what you hear, pkease check out the blog and click the follow button at the bottom of the home page - it would be greatly appreciated! Loz x

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link to the blog above - check it out for study with me's, study tips and advice, stationery reviews and more❣