#studying advice

[chica-de-costa]

i truly can not recommend the break-down-method of completing difficult tasks, or very dreading tasks.

For me this is usually stuff like cleaning my room, getting ready in the morning, doing homework.

You just break these tasks down to the point where it seems almost stupidly easy

"Wow, i literally just have to pick up the clothes on my floor, fold them, and that's it. Wow that's so easy"

"I just have to grab my book and sit down and read it, i could do that upside down. I just need to make sure i understand it."

Like it just feels stupidly easy when you break it down into these points

not a to-do list, but just instructions

[ajokeformur-ray]

Hey girl! Hope you’re doing well! Hope to chat with you soon 😃 I’m just wondering, if you’re willing to give some advice on how to get back into studying and all that. Cuz your girl is struggling with studying at the moment lol(Only if you want too, you can tell me no if it’s too much) Thanks in advance! Hope you’re having a great day/night! Sending you lots of hugs 💜💜💜

Hey love!

I'm doing as well as I can in the circumstances, how are you doing?

I'm probably not the best person to ask for studying advice because it's 10.40pm and I'm planning to stay up late working on my assignment due tomorrow, but I'll do my best! Honestly, when it comes to studying, you gotta do what you gotta do, especially when you're balancing your studies with a house, a job, mental health etc...

Here's what I can think of, from the top of my head...

Make your study space as 'you' as possible - my desk is full of little trinkets which people have gifted to me over the years, it's got a little calendar on it, it's got all my studying essentials on it, the coasters I use have sarcastic quotes on them... make your study space as defined as you can with what you have, and keep it as your study space. Make it fun, fill it with things which bring you joy. Or don't - some people like clutter, some don't. The point is, make your study space yours. It's hard to study, you deserve/need to be comfortable while you're doing it.

Create a little routine which always starts your studying - for me, I always study with a litre of iced coffee to start, I always watch a study vlog to make me feel less alone in the process, I always make sure my hair is in a state I'm happy with, and I make sure I have something to snack on while I work. With all those little things in place, it's easier to sit and study because once the routine is complete and I found something I can watch while I study [which is usually some kind of horror film], I can focus.

Make a five minute rule. Or if that's too much, a one sentence rule. Starting is always the hardest part but once you have momentum, it's usually pretty easy to keep going. So study for five minutes or write one sentence of notes. Just do something because once you start, it'll be easier to carry on.

Reward yourself little and often. You wrote a whole paragraph? That's amazing!!! Give yourself something delicious, your favourite sweet treat if you have one, take a small break to listen to your favourite song, just something as a little boost for your productivity.

Take breaks when you need them. [I don't take breaks because if I do, I'll lose my Focus Zone, even if it's only for five minutes. I gotta keep going or I'll stop and won't be able to carry on studying for the rest of the day, which is why I can do twelve-fifteen hour study stints. If I don't do it like that then I can't do it at all. But I know this isn't healthy or ideal, so I'm being a hypocrite and recommending that you take breaks.😂]

Keep your promises to yourself so you build a good trusting rapport with yourself, which will make it easier to be consistent with studying in the long run because you'll trust you can do it, and you will. So if you say you'll study for twenty minutes and then go grab another coffee? You gotta do it!

If you can, keep in contact with other students to help you feel less alone in studying or ask your professors for help when you need it, even if you think it's something small and silly. My grandad always used to say that the only stupid questions were the ones you didn't ask, and the older I get, the more I realise that he was right! If you're asking for help when you need it, it's too late! Ask before you need it, and be honest if you're struggling. Most people are really understanding and will help you if you ask.

Don't be afraid to watch YouTube videos or go outside of the syllabus to help you understand complex topics, just use critical thinking to make sure it's a reputable academic source and isn't going to be full of misinformation. There are lots of teacher channels who explain things as they would in a classroom, and it's helped me many a time when my textbooks just won't let concepts stick in my brain.

Consistency is key! If you can only do five minutes a day, that's okay! Just be consistent - small and steady wins the race, and it's not how fast you get it done! It's quality, not quantity.

I hope something here helps - if you want something more specific, please let me know and I'd be happy to chat about it with you! I hope you're having a good day/night too, and I'm sending you cuddles!!!🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂❤️

[rigelmejo]

50% rule - half study, half have fun

I saw this article about the 50% rule linked on a language learning form. It is an article about art: how when you draw, try to draw 50% of the time just for fun. For yourself, for the sake of drawing and getting it to become something you enjoy and that can be imperfect. If you study, like in drawing that would be following lessons or utilizing references and trying to emulate something or practicing techniques, then try to only spend 50% of your time doing those study activities you aim to do "well" and improve with.

The idea of spending 50% just drawing for the fun of it, for the sake of creating something, not caring if it's that nebulous definition of "not good enough," it's really worth doing. For one, it's stress relieving and makes drawing something more enjoyable, and as humans it genuinely makes us feel good to CREATE things just for the sake of expressing ourselves. To get to create things, make whatever we picture and even if it doesn't come out the way we'd hoped at least it exists now? It's a release. It's letting your ideas and things you want, get a chance to really exist, when perfectionism otherwise might mean you avoid ever even trying. At least, to start to exist: because you might always try an idea again later, make it differently next time, make it again in a couple years when you're more capable. But the point is: try making it now too. Whatever you want, try, and enjoy the process.

(And as someone who's been drawing since I could hold drawing utensils as a toddler, to be honest with you a LOT of improvement in drawing skills naturally happen as you attempt to draw things you "can't" draw. Because at first, you can't draw anything. You have to draw a face, imperfectly, to figure out HOW to draw a face a little bit different the next time - and the next time - and the next time - and you start being excited how the outcome is closer to what you imagined each time. I didn't actually "practice" drawing until I was 9 and started looking at cartoons, trying to draw based on how a cartoon looks, and trying to get closer to that. Everything before that was just imagining stuff, trying, and it gradually getting closer to what I imagined. And even after learning how to look at references and try to emulate them, and learning techniques like shading, in the end a lot of drawing improvements still came from me going "I'd like to draw someone dancing/flying/holding someone/from an angle above their head" even though I 'didn't know how to' and had never tried before, so I tried, somewhat successful and somewhat not what I imagined, and then the NEXT time I tried? It got closer to my imagination, and closer, and eventually it was no longer hard to draw someone flying or holding someone. What I'm saying is: creating something just for the sake of it, even if you don't know how to make what you imagine yet, is worth it for many reasons).

The language learning forum linked this article, because the idea was "in language study, at least sometimes, just use the language" whether that's talking to a friend, reading novels, watching shows you like, podcasts, audiobooks, writing a journal and not correcting your errors. Spend at least some time using the language, while giving yourself the space to NOT stress yourself out about mistakes or gaps in understanding. That time can help you get used to using the language, just to use it, and just making a habit of using the language as a normal regular thing you do. I thought that was a great suggestion. Especially because I tend toward perfectionist, so reminders to "give myself space to BE imperfect" is always worth hearing.

The advice can also apply to writing too. (I don't if I've told you all I write, but I could post my writing in-progress rants on here if anyone's into that. Mostly I post the writing-progress-updates on @mejomonster under #mejo writing). Just the idea that: yes, 50% of the time you might be checking your grammar, or reading an author you like and noting their writing style and trying to brainstorm how to do some similar things, writing a story outline, writing a chapter and really draining yourself by second-guessing what style you're doing and what kind of narration you're aiming for and what you want the audience to know and thinking about the process a lot.

But the other 50%, or at least some of the time, try to just... write. Fanfiction of course can be a good outlet for this, because it's not for profit and not as high pressure due to that, and you can just think "well I'm writing for myself, if I want to write something wild and out of character that makes no sense and is unfinished and only 300 words then I can!" Also journals, and giving yourself permission to write poetry or songs that don't think about rules. But also just: you have a ton of stories in your mind, your imagination. It's okay to try and create them, even if you think you don't have the skills yet to make them that nebulous goal of "good enough." You can always try making that story again later, years down the road. But part of the skills of how to make it, you'll get BY trying to make it. And even if you don't ever try to make it again, it will be satisfying in it's own way to be able to say "this only existed inside me, and now here it is in words people can read, that I can reread if I ever forget this story idea I thought was interesting/fun/meaningful/cool/important etc., it exists beyond me now and it was fun just letting myself make it." I didn't know I could EVER write a long story until I wrote a long fanfiction, and then it taught me I could - and what parts I liked and didn't, and what parts of my writing I loved when I just let loose and let words come out like I was in a flow state. I have these scraps right now where I write one story idea I have like it's letters and journal entries, which is not my usual style at all, and it's fun to see what comes out when I try it.

[thewhimsicalarchives]

“it'll all be worth it in the end,"

[mythmagicetc]

crazy that eddie brought home chris and tía pepa to remind buck he has a family who loves him, and then pepa encouraged buck to embrace change so he tried to leave the 118. i need this to come up when buck is distancing himself next season like

buck: i’m just trying to embrace change! like pepa told me to!

eddie: so my aunt, who calls you evancito and treats you like my wife, told you to embrace change, and you interpreted that to mean you should move out of our house and into a separate apartment, which is the same way we were living for years?

buck: um. well it’s—it’s not—

eddie: there are SO many actual changes that you could embrace. like getting a new tattoo or getting rid of your awful couch or actually verbally responding when i say beautiful earnest things to you or kissing me on the mouth—i’m just spitballing here, feel free to interrupt me if—mmph

[louisa-gc]

how to start reading again

from someone who was a voracious reader until high school and is now getting back into it in her twenties.

start with an old favourite. even though it felt a little silly, i re-read the harry potter series one christmas and it wiped away my worry that i wasn't capable of reading anymore. they are long books, but i was still able to get completely immersed and to read just as fast as i had years and years ago.

don't be afraid of "easier" books. before high school i was reading the french existentialists, but when getting back into reading, i picked up lucinda riley and sally rooney. not my favourite authors by far, but easier to read while not being totally terrible. i needed to remind myself that only choosing classics would not make me a better or smarter person. if a book requires a slower pace of reading to be understood, it's easier to just drop it, which is exactly what i wanted to avoid at first.

go for essays and short stories. no need to explain this one: the shorter the whole, the less daunting it is. i definitely avoided all books over 350 pages at first and stuck to essay collections until i suddenly devoured donna tartt's goldfinch.

remember it's okay not to finish. i was one of those people who finished every book they started, but not anymore! if i pick up a book at the library and after a few chapters realise i'd rather not read it, i just return it. (another good reason to use your local library! no money spent on books you might end up disliking.)

analyse — or don't. some people enjoy reading more when they take notes or really stop to think about the contents. for me, at first, it was more important to build the habit of reading, and the thought of analysing what i read felt daunting. once i let go of that expectation, i realised i naturally analyse and process what i read anyway.

read when you would usually use your phone. just as i did when i was a child, i try to read when eating, in the bathroom, on public transport, right before sleeping. i even read when i walk, because that's normally a time i stare at my screen anyway. those few pages you read when you brush your teeth and wait for a friend very quickly stack up.

finish the chapter. if you have time, try to finish the part you're reading before closing the book. usually i find i actually don't want to stop reading once i get to the end of a chapter — and if i do, it feels like a good place to pick up again later.

try different languages. i was quickly approaching a reading slump towards the end of my exchange year, until i realised i had only had access to books in english and that, despite my fluency, i was tired of the language. so as soon as i got back home i started picking up books in my native tongue, which made reading feel much easier and more fun again! after some nine months, i'm starting to read in english again without it feeling like a huge task.

forget what's popular. i thought social media would be a fun way to find interesting books to read, but i quickly grew frustrated after hating every single book i picked up on some influencer's recommendation. it's certainly more time-consuming to find new books on your own, but this way i don't despise every novel i pick up.

remember it isn't about quantity. the online book community's endless posts about reading 150 books each year or 6 books in a single day easily make us feel like we're slow, bad readers, but here's the thing: it does not matter at all how many books you read or what your reading pace is. we all lead different lives, just be proud of yourself for reading at all!

stop stressing about it. we all know why reading is important, and since the pandemic reading has become an even more popular hobby than it was before (which is wonderful!). however, there's no need to force yourself to be "a reader". pick up a book every now and then and keep reading if you enjoy it, but not reading regularly doesn't make you any less of a good person. i find the pressure to become "a person who reads" or to rediscover my inner bookworm only distances me from the very act of reading.

[sunlandprincess]

10 things to do when you’re having a hard day or when motivation is down </3

Take a long shower/bath to cleanse yourself of your negative thoughts/feelings

Make your bed to get your motivation started

Do a quick workout to get your body moving

Write in your journal about how you feel and why, it might release some emotions and make you feel better

Drink water and put intention in it - decide that the water is going to cleanse your energy and it will!

Talk to a friend or a family member and if that isn’t available to you right now talk to an online friend or even a pet

Read a book (if you like reading, otherwise it might not be as calming)

Put on dancy music and dance around your room! Gets your mood up and your body moving

Take a walk, let the fresh air heal you

Put on makeup and a cute outfit because look good = feel good

xoxo, Hannah

[deepestdelulu]

How to be more organised ౨ৎ⋆ ˚｡⋆

Step 1 -> Clean up. ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡

Go through your emails, messages, photos, notes, etc.

Clean your room and find a place for everything.

Donate everything you don't need (clothes, old toys, books...)

Clean your makeup and throw away everything that might be expired.

Step 2 -> Structure. ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡

Get used to tidying up throughout your day to avoid creating a big and overwhelming mess.

Get a physical planner or calendar to write down important dates, exams, deadlines, and plans.

Be mindful about what you buy and remember: Quality >>> Quantity.

try meal prepping if you're often busy, this makes grocery shopping and hasty mornings a lot easier.

Step 3 -> Routine ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡

Make it a habit. Staying organised can be tough, but keep yourself accountable and stay on track, and soon, it will come naturally to you.

Work on finding a good balance between work/school, self-care/alone time, and your social life.

Take it slow, day by day, and don't overwhelm yourself with silly 30-point to-do lists... keep it attainable!! <3

As always, please feel free to share your own suggestions and tips in the comments!! ♡*̩̩͙❆ ͙͛

❆‧₊*:・love ya ･:*₊‧౨ৎ

[lamusedhermes]

Kind reminder that a degree will not get up one day and leave you, cheat on you, cut your funds, disrespect you or assault you. A degree will be worth a thousand sleepless nights and rivers of tears, because in the end it does matter more than anything else. A degree will make you an independent and undefeated woman, so stop belittling the importance of education nowadays. Every woman who studies is a woman who is ensuring a greater future for all women.

[possessedpasm]

I love your art so so so much I really think its gonna inspire a lot of future pieces of my own. The way you draw is just so wonderfully nostalgic, I'm young, but my dad had me watching old hanna-barbera on boomerang as a kid and your style is just so fun. Your posing is great! Could you give advice on what to study for body language, posing, shape language, and proportions?

OMG That makes me so happy to hear 😭 And YES!! Me and my dad would sit and watch the Pink Panther and Underdog and everything else they aired on Boomerang alllll the time-- so the nostalgia may be recent but it's Real

I'd be more than happy to share a few tidbits of my personal methodologies! I put together this quick little brainsoup page for u :)

[damian-lil-babybat]

They're judging their sibling's life decisions, and they are not impressed.

(And to think Jason and Dami have pit-madness in their system)

[luna-azzurra]

Regretful Gestures

"I wish I could take back what I said."

"If only I had listened to you sooner."

"I can’t believe I hurt you like that."

"I should have been there for you."

"I regret every moment I made you feel unloved."

"I should have appreciated you more."

"I didn’t realize what I had until it was gone."

"I’m sorry for not being the person you needed."

"I wish I could undo all the pain I caused."

"I’ve made so many mistakes that I can’t fix."

[glowettee]

memorization – the cheat code no one talks about ✧˖°

forget rewriting notes a million times. the secret to actual effortless memorization? make your brain fall in love with the information.

✦ attach every fact to an emotion. you don’t forget dramatic moments in your life. why? because emotions make memories stick. so, exaggerate things. make the information funny, shocking, personal.

✦ assign a song to every subject. pick a song (or genre) for a topic. play it only when studying that subject. your brain will automatically associate the info with the music. making recall effortless.

✦ create fake gossip about your topics. pretend the mitochondria had a scandal in 2002. imagine historical figures in a drama-filled group chat. your brain remembers stories better than lists. (this is so fun and hilarious, did this with my friend, we both got a's on our psych exam <3)

✦ argue with yourself out loud. explain the concept like you’re debating a panel of critics in your head. confidence in your explanation = instant memory retention.

✦ write in different accents & fonts. use cursive for history, all caps for math, loopy handwriting for literature. your brain loves patterns—give it something fun to attach to.

mindy’s personal tip:

use a signature color for each subject. psychology = lavender, physics = deep blue, english = soft pink. color association locks information into your mind.

xoxo mindy

[wonnieaura]

Getting your life back in 2024 (leveling up to the max)

♫₊˚.🎧✩｡

In 2024, leveling up your life involves a holistic approach to personal growth. Start by setting clear, achievable goals in various aspects of your life—career, relationships, health, and personal development. Cultivate a growth mindset, embracing challenges as opportunities to learn and improve.

1. **Define Your Goals:** Clearly outline what you want to achieve in different areas of your life. Break down larger goals into smaller, actionable steps.

2. **Continuous Learning:** Invest time in expanding your knowledge and skills. Read books, take courses, attend workshops, and stay curious about the world around you.

3. **Health and Wellness:** Prioritize your physical and mental well-being. Incorporate regular exercise, balanced nutrition, and sufficient sleep into your routine.

4. **Mindfulness and Self-Care:** Practice mindfulness to stay present and reduce stress. Incorporate self-care rituals into your routine, ensuring you take time for activities that bring you joy and relaxation.

5. **Build Strong Relationships:** Cultivate meaningful connections with friends, family, and colleagues. Invest time in building positive and supportive relationships.

6. **Financial Literacy:** Improve your financial knowledge and habits. Set a budget, save, and invest wisely to secure your financial future.

7. **Career Development:** Set professional goals, seek opportunities for growth, and stay adaptable in the ever-changing job market. Network and build a strong professional support system.

8. **Embrace Change:** Be open to change and view it as a chance for growth. Adaptability is a key skill in navigating life's uncertainties.

9. **Time Management:** Organize your time efficiently. Prioritize tasks, minimize distractions, and create a schedule that allows for both productivity and relaxation.

10. **Gratitude Practice:** Cultivate gratitude by reflecting on the positive aspects of your life. This mindset shift can enhance your overall well-being.

Remember, the journey of leveling up is ongoing. Regularly reassess your goals, celebrate your achievements, and stay committed to continuous improvement. As you evolve and grow, you'll find that your life becomes more fulfilling and aligned with your aspirations.

[christian-girlies]