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hey guys!! so many of us want to do well in our education but we don’t have the motivation to do it so we end up procrastinating but here i’ll give you some reasons why you should get off your butt + start working!!!

why should i study?

100 reasons to study

so you can get the job u want when you’re older

to help other people

stop finding excuses not to

that tv show/film/game/whatever can wait till your exams are over

to get the $$$$$

to grow

for success

to be the best you can be + a little effort will lead you to it

to continuously make progress

for more confidence

the result will be worth it in the end

studying doesn’t suck as much as failing

important quote

some nice positive stuff

keep trying

your current situation is not your final destination

you will get there

believe in yourself

you can do it

i believe in you

so far you’ve survived 100% of your worst days; you’re doing great!

quitting is not an option

don’t keep thinking about that mistake you made, be kind to yourself. after all, you’re human too!

you’re making progress. keep it up!!!

you are valid

stop comparing yourself to others and be the best you can be

stay determined + positive

everything will be very good so soon so hang in there + don’t worry about it too much!

calm down + focus

you’ll be surprised how much work you can get done in half an hour if you just focus

keep moving forward

you can do anything you want to

what you are going through right now will be over soon just remember to take care of yourself first

your imagination is wonderful!

you can + you will

shout-out to you for trying your best!!

+more

what if i fail?

it’s okay, you can always retake the exam

my love chris evans’ words of wisdom

failure is simply the opportunity to begin again; this time more intelligently.

doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will

failure is your teacher, not your judge

don’t confuse a single failure with a final defeat

self care for when you don’t feel motivated

have a bath

light some candles [be careful]

go flower picking

tidy your desks

write in a journal

listen to some nice music [take a look at my 8tracks]

go outside and just breathe

do some exercise

climb a tree

find a free local event + go to it

visit an animal shelter

pets some pups

doodle

call a friend

take a nap

watch some animal videos

eat some chocolate

head to toe self care

talk to me if you want to??

other links

what am i going to do with my life?

my motivation tag

my positivity tag

+ my masterposts

notes, studying, and self-study resources

self-study resources

supplies

igcse resources

literature masterpost

organisation

aesthetically pleasing notes

annotating

studying a foreign language

really great apps

math

college + uni

biology

space!!!!

chemistry

physics

summary writing

the discursive/argumentative essay

the narrative essay + the descriptive essay

the ultimate english masterpost!!

stress relief

what i’ve learnt throughout my years of being a student

how to stay productive during holidays

bullet journals

melodic studying

philosophy

stay sated whilst you’re motivated

shakespeare

summer productivity

+ more

hope this helps you guys + if you need anything ever please don’t hesitate to talk to me!!! i love you all xxxx

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Shake it off, write it down. Put on some music, any music, music that you like even if no one else likes it, this is about you. Sad, happy, loud, soft, popular, unknown, listen to the lyrics, sing them, lose yourself in them. Stay away from things that trigger you, get off facebook and any social media, stop looking and comparing yourself with others. Crawl into bed, hide yourself under the blankets, give yourself a moment to just be. Close the curtains, don’t feel forced to be social if you want to be alone. Don’t take this moment away from yourself. Eat a piece of fruit, drink some water, just do it, hydrate. Eat some comfort food, but try to keep it healthy. You are what you eat and this body of yours is so beautiful, take care of it. Shower, wash your hair, feel clean. Put on lotion, take care of yourself. Look into the mirror, and for once don’t look at those features you perceive as imperfections. Look at your eyes and see them for the miracle they are: you can see with them. Do you know how incredibly complex your ears are? Your nose, and how it catches molecules to smell them? Your mouth, and all the tastes, so many of them. Your skin, how it protects you against so much, this soft armour. Look at your hands, your hands, think about all the things you have done with them, all the things you have touched, held, reached for. How faithfully they have served you all these years. If you have anyone you trust enough to tell them what is going on in your head, no matter how scary it is, go for it. But do not mistake this for an obligation. Only if you want to, only if you are ready. Find things that make you laugh: google a feel better list of kitties pretending to be liquids, snapchats of crazy dogs, what if animals could text. Read a book, a story, watch an episode (or two) of your favourite show, live the life of someone else. Write about your dreams, your fantasies, and if you really don’t believe you deserve the world, write as if you were someone else until you feel like you do. Be here, in the space and moment. Focus on what you are touching and doing, eating or drinking or just your saliva, what you are hearing. For one second, don’t think of the past or future. Just be. Give yourself time. Today it is okay to not be okay. Today I’m going to sleep and be unproductive and cry a little. And tomorrow? Tomorrow is another day. And no matter how scary or dark it seems, it is and always will be a blank slate. A new beginning. A new chance.

shamelesslyradiant, writing prompt #71: Write 5-10 things you can do to make yourself happier every day. (via wordsnquotes)

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it’s important to take care of your studies, but you need to take care of yourself! focus on little every day things that will keep you happy and relaxed! 

1. drink water. hydration will keep you healthy, alive, and functioning to your best ability! in between studying, make sure to continuously drink water. this will make sure your brain is active. if ever you feel really dull, wash your face and chug a glass. you’ll feel rejuvenated immediately.  (but do not drink too much water or you’ll deplete yourself of important body resources.)

2. eat fruits. even a simple banana or apple will do the trick. rather than drinking the sugary juices you can buy in stores, cut up a fruit and eat it while you do something. this will not only prevent you from munching on unhealthy snacks, but your skin will become fresh! don’t overeat the snacks that are full of calories. studying requires being pretty much physically inactive while our brain does all of the work. eat fruits, get your vitamins and important nutrients, stay healthy, and keep your skin glowing!

3. keep moisturized. drinking water will do half the trick, but make sure to apply some form of moisturizer. some acne breakouts are due to allergy, but most of them are due to dry skin. dry skin will force the face to make more oil which will clog the pores and cause a breakout. however, if you are already moisturized, your face will not produce extra oils. Make sure to wash your face at least three times (moderate based on skin type) a day aside from your shower to keep any grime from sticking to your lotion/cream. coconut oil is an amazing alternative that will keep your skin glowing, eyebrows healthy, and eyelashes long. (not for everyone)

4. smile. smiling will relax your facial muscles and make you feel (somewhat) better. you’ll feel positive and others will feel nice by looking at you too! radiating a smile from inside will project a good feeling outside, keeping you motivated at all times. try to be positive! 

5. keep organized. organization will make you feel less cluttered and stressed both outside and inside. you will get the feeling that you have your life under your hands and be able to find everything-do everything-you want. organization will create great habits for your future, too. try to follow a certain aesthetic (colour, furniture, etc.) that you love and this will guide you to a more organized, beautiful, and neat environment.

6. do things that make you happy. studying all the time will only get you good grades, which does bring some level of happiness. but pursuing a hobby will make you feel a lot better as well. take care of your plants, knit a sweater, go jogging. be active outside of studying, especially while doing something you love. meet someone nice, call a friend, hang with family. or just chill by yourself! all of this will cumulate into a healthy lifestyle.

7. think about you! think about your past, present, and future. worry about the things you haven’t done and comfort yourself with a plan to fix the problems. think about your goals and try to set them in place. plan and focus. remember all the great things that have happened and continue down the road of goodness. this, no doubt, will keep you always happy! and remember, do not stress. just breathe and think things through.

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Some motivation from the doctor.

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Here’s how you stop being average: When you wake up in the morning and need to brush your teeth, and you have that thought, “Oh, I should actually floss too,” then floss. When you go to make yourself breakfast and you have that thought, “Oh, I said I was going to eat healthier,” make the healthy choice instead of the unhealthy one. When you go to head to train for work and you have the choice between taking the stairs or the escalator, and you hear that voice in your head that says, “Oh, I said I was going to be more physically active,” take the stairs. When you get into work and you sit down in front of your first task, and you have that thought, “Oh, I said I was going to work on being more productive,” turn off all distractions and get to work—instead of browsing Facebook, for example. When you leave work and you’re exhausted and you have that thought, “Oh, I said I was going to work on my book this week,” don’t go to the bar. Go home and work on your book. When you get ready for bed and you feel like winding down, and you have that thought, “I said I was going to read more instead of watching so much Netflix,” pick up a book instead of opening a web browser. Being average is a choice—that’s what a lot of people don’t understand. You know what you need to do. And a tiny, faint voice in your head reminds you of what you need to do, or what you had said you were going to do, a lot more often than you might realize. Start listening to that voice.

Nicolas Cole (via smallmitgirl)

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Concept: I finish school. The job I work isn’t my dream job but I enjoy doing it greatly still. It pays enough to cover everything I might need. My bills are never overdue. Money is not a thought in my head. I have a place to live. So do my dogs. It is nice and warm, I have some plants, my bookshelves are full, my sheets are always clean. There is time to read at the end of a day. I read a lot. Thinking is a good thing. I meet up with friends regularly, old and new. They love me. We make memories. I have nothing to be ashamed of. I travel a few times a year, always different places. The places I see steal my breath away. The people I meet teach me of life. They are good. There is no war. The sea calls to me and pay visit. I am independent. I am content.

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when you don’t know what to do or say next, pause, take a deep breath, be grateful for the moment, and go with whatever flows from there. you have boundless potential. i know you can do it.

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reblog if school has actually made you cry

like the stress, the pressure and everything ya know. everyone keeps saying like ‘school makes me cry’ and stuff but has it really made you cry bc i cried a lot of times tbh

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List of Non-sexual forms of intimacy

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I love how straight people will say girlfriend and boyfriend when referring to straight couples but whenever it’s a gay couple they break out “partner” like I’m not a cowboy

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Why did you start? With what purpose you get out of bed every morning?

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I hope you wake up early up enough in the morning to put on your favorite outfit and make your favorite breakfast. I hope you find your skin clear and hair healthy. I hope you’re content with the way your body looks. I hope you find happiness in small things today. I hope that, even with your ups and downs, you are content with yourself. 

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40 Study Tips & Tricks

I thought to write down the “script” to one of my most viewed videos, with 40 study tips & tricks. It’s easier to read them and pass on the word!

Organization Tips:

1. Incorporate homework and classes in you daily planner – that will give you an overall glimpse of how your week will be about and how much time you need to spend in your studying sessions!

2. Color coordinate classes – be it notes, your planner, your textbooks or binders, pick a unique color for each class and work around the hues of that color to get more organized!

3. Make your own syllabus – if your professor doesn’t provide a syllabus for your class, try to make one before the school year working around your given textbooks or other given material.

4. Make study guides – make a study guide from your syllabus and draw before each topic two boxes: one for a midtest and one for the final test. When you have one of these tests, check the boxes when you’ve finished studying the chapter so you won’t miss anything!

5. Reference your material throughout – most of the times, we students work with in-class notes, textbooks and a syllabus. Since we get small bits of information here and there it’s important to reference every page throughout all your material so you can quickly access your information without having to flip endlessly through pages!

6. Keep a dashboard nearby – Whenever you use a notebook or a binder, make a dashboard on the first page with post it notes so you can quickly scribble any questions, homework or page numbers. When you get home, you just need to open your dashboard and attend those notes.

7. Print any tests, exercises and exams you can find – keep those in the end of your binder. These are perfect to practice before exams and tests because they really reflect what you will be tested about. Set an alarm clock for the deadline and start working on those!

8. Condense – organization disappears when you have too many of everything. Working with more than one planner in your life will make everything chaotic. If you think you need a second planner because you don’t have enough space to write in the first one, it’s because you don’t have available time as well. Don’t fool yourself and set achievable goals!

9. Customize your textbooks – most of the times, textbooks are formal books where information is hard to come by. Make your own tabs and write every chapter on them so they stick out – flag any charts, tables or graphics. Everything needs to be incredibly accessible!

10 Print a special planning sheet before finals: Organizing your studying by chapters and/or topics before finals is tremendously important since it lets you organize the amount of time you dedicate to each subject,

Study Sessions and Time Management

11. Save at least one afternoon or one morning a week for intensive studying. These is your “life-saver” – when you get so full of homework and projects that you can’t incorporate them into your daily academic routine, one free afternoon to organize your school life will really come in handy! Make an appointment with yourself!

12. Prepare in advance – although most professors may not ask you to prepare a class in advance, if you have the means to, go ahead. Grab a sheet and make a summary of the chapter your class will be about. Write the major topics and key information and take that guide to class. When your professor repeats previously studied information, you will be able to understand everything much better!

13. Never leave something behind – Even if you have a more light class, where professors don’t request homework or any side projects, don’t let that fool you! Be disciplined and be your own professors! Make your own projects and learn everything you can so you can nail those finals when they arrive.

14. Write your questions – most of the time, in a heavy study session, we come up with tons of questions and sometimes we just leave them behind. Write them down in your dashboard or a small notebook and ask your professors (personally or via e-mail). You can also ask your schoolmates in a facebook group created for that purpose!

15. Set an alarm clock and reward yourself – even if you study during an entire afternoon your studying will be pointless if you don’t take regular breaks. Set an alarm clock for one hour/one hour and a half and then take a 15 minute break. Never study for more than 2 hours straight! Even if you don’t notice, you’ll get less and less focused.

16. . Make a list – before each study session I like to grab my notepad and write down everything that I need to do before my session ends: the chapters I need to read, the pages I need to go through and the homework I need to complete. Sometimes I even write theses lists when I’m in college so I’ll have more determination to complete those tasks once I get home.

17 Work on the least interesting thing first. There are always classes or projects that we like the least – and those are the ones that we need to tackle first. You will start your studying session concentrated, which will let you go through the worst tasks faster.

18 Print, print, print. try to print everything you can and never study from your computer. Having your PDF files printed at hand will let you concentrate better, highlight and write some notes in the margins. You can take these everywhere with you and even turn them into small guides for future classes!

19. If you finish ahead, don’t quit. Perhaps the time you’ve saved for your study session has come to an end way before you have planned. That doesn’t mean you should stop right now – Take that time to review what you’ve learned so far or prepare other classes ahead of time!

20. Study in an organized space – make your own studying corner – bring everything you will need, from textbooks, binders and notebooks, to a cup of coffee and your computer. Keep them neatily organized on your desk so everything is at hand and on sight. Put on some soft background music (links down below) and adjust the lightning.

In class notes

21. If your professor provides PowerPoint slides before each class, print them (six or four per page) and bring them to class. Write in the margins and more throughout information in the back so it’s all condensed and tight. This is where you’ll take your notes. If you prefer to write on lined paper, think about copying some ruled paper to the back of your printed slides.

22. If your professor asks you to prepare your class in advance, try to make a small guide for each class. Open the comments column in MSWord and print the pages with that column. When you go to class, incorporate the in-class notes in that column, next to the relevant information so everything is nice and condensed.

23 If you are in a information-heavy class, try to adopt the Cornell method, which is the best, in my opinion, when you need to be a fast writer. There’s a video right here on how to use this method.

24. If you are in a bits-and-pieces class, which is that kind of class where the professor just gives a few key points and then gives practical examples or makes you work in group, try to adopt the box method – you can draw these boxes yourself or make them with post it notes – these are way more visual and perfect to memorize information.

25. Write in-class flashcards – if you don’t have flashcards around, make tiny flashcards on the top of your notes, where you cover the definitions you’ve written with the name of the definition. Each time you open your notes, try to remember the hidden definition. Automatic studying, every time!

26. Participate in class – nothing better than to be actively involved in your class discussion. For most of us, shy creatures, participating can be dreadful – but once you get out of your box, you’ll see how participating really makes you understand the subject!

27. If you have any questions during class, raise your hand and ask them. If your professor doesn’t like being interrupted, write them down and approach them in the end of the class. Sometimes, the little things we don’t understand are exactly the ones that come up on the final exam!

28. Ask for examples. Examples are probably the thing that makes your brain connect the information faster. If your professor isn’t keen on providing examples, suggest your own and see if your answer comes up right. Sometimes, examples are the thing that really makes us understand our material and our definitions, since they transform formal information into relatable events.

29. Sit at the front. It sounds too straightforward but sitting at the front really makes wonders. You won’t get distracted by what you classmates are doing, you will focus on the professor, who is right in front of you and you will resist the temptation of going to Facebook and Instagram during a boring presentation.

30. Write a brief summary at the end of the class. During those five minutes where everyone is dismissed and leaving the room, write a brief summary of that classes’ key points in the back of a page – this is fundamental in the Cornell method but can be used in any other method as well.

Finals Guide

31 Skim through your material two times: at first, you should start by studying your material starting from the end. The last lessons will be fresh in your memory and it’s very important to reinforce your knowledge on these while you can. In the second reading, you should start from the beginning, as usual. It’s important to make these two readings so you can go through the information in a much more flexible way.

 32. Make a mindmap of each chapter. A mindmap is a chart that relates key words and important information, making it easy to understand the relationship and hierarchy between such key words. Use colors and images to memorize your material better. Oh, and don’t forget to check out my video on how to make mindmaps!

33. Read each of the titles and try to say out loud its contents, explaining each concept and the relationship between them. Imagine you are the teacher and are lecturing that subject to a crowd. If you skip any of the subjects, do it all over again. The more you repeat, the better you will memorize.

34. It’s time for some flash cards!  Write the topic or the title on one side and the meaning or the explanation on the other. Try to cover as many topics or titles as you can and go through your cards while memorizing as best as you can each of the concepts. Try to do it backwards if you have time to do so!

35. On the day before the exam, skim through your mindmaps and flash cards again and always try to study while talking. Saying your content out loud will force your brain to relate information in a much more cohesive way and you’ll memorize everything much better.

36. Read the entire exam from top to bottom. Underline or circle any important words that you think will be crucial in you answer. After that, calculate how much time you should spend answering each question: this simple calculation will take only twenty seconds and will help you organize your time. Try to save five minutes at the end for revisions.

37. If you are solving a written exam and not multiple choice, try as much as possible to organize each answer in a structured way, saving two lines just to present your line of thought and writing each different argument in a different paragraph. Draft a conclusion at the end to underline the centre of your answer. Sometimes softly underlining some keywords is important to make your professor notice that you’ve correctly given importance to certain concepts.

38. Use these symbols for each question: one dot if you aren’t sure of the answer, two dots if you are sure of your answer and a circle if you are completely unaware of your answer. Start by answering any question with two dots; after those are all answered, go on through the two dots question. Leave the circle questions to the end – and ALWAYS answer them! Even if you don’t know what they’re about, who knows if you will be able to come up with something right?

39. Review your test one final time – many times, we make a lot of mistakes under stress and now is when you should spot them and amend them. This can be the difference between a B and an A!

40. Don’t take this too seriously – school is an important aspect of our lives but it isn’t everything. Failure comes many times and these failures can even drive you away from something that was simply not meant to be. Don’t stress out because everyone goes through the same!

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Hey guys. I’m glad to be finally posting my “mental breakdown survival guide”. As you know I struggle a lot with mental health, and so I have been through a lot of breakdowns. So many that I actually dropped out of university after 3 weeks in 2016 and had to take the whole year off. Because of this, I’ve made it my mission to help others with mental health issues as much as I can, so you don’t have to go through what I’ve been through.

Anyway, here is my guide. I tried to keep it general, and actually useful. If you have any questions or additions please feel free to add them.

And as ever, if you want to talk to me about studying with mental illness or want to see a post on a specific topic, please feel free to message me.

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guide to being ok again

drink a glass of water

take a few deep breaths

you’re doing the best you can

that’s honestly enough

don’t compare yourself to others

(everyone has their own problems)

(nobody is perfect)

loneliness passes

everything passes

you are loved

stay safe

i love you

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When I study from textbooks, I go through the following steps:

Preview the content

Annotating the textbook

Taking outline notes

Making a short summary using index cards 

Preview the content

This is an important step since it allows you to have a clear outline in your mind on what the chapter is going to talk about. You could go to the back of the chapter because most textbooks should have a summary or a list of key terms, or you can go to the content page to look at the topics covered in that chapter. Quickly skim through the chapter also helps.

Annotating the textbook

This is a visual guide that I have posted recently on how I annotate my textbook. I colour code everything because I want to make sure different things stand out. Post-it notes summaries and small topics for each paragraph also allow me to quickly refer to certain paragraph when I need to, and of course, aid the process of note-taking.

Taking outline notes

After annotating the text, I would then do an outline notes for the chapter. I use Cornell note-taking method in OneNote, and here is the product (for the chapter I showed in the above visual guide).

Making a short summary using index cards

Next I will summarise the outline notes onto index cards. In this step I usually would cover my notes and try to write out all that I can remember. This can check if I actually understand and remember the content. Here is what I made after I have finished the above outline notes.

(I used Septcouleur File Note mini instead of index cards because I want to keep everything organised but it works the same)

I will only write out key words or important clue. The major function of this note card is to remind me of what the chapter is about.

Reviewing the chapter

When a test is coming up, I would first study my outline notes, and mark down areas that I don’t quite remember. I tend to focus more on lecture notes for tests so I usually just review my textbook notes once. On the day before the test, I would look at the summary on the index cards to check if I have forgotten anything.

link to my study tips series (strive-for-da-best)

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Stop apologizing. You don’t have to say sorry for how you laugh, how you dress, how you make your hair, how you do your makeup, how you speak. You don’t have to be sorry for being yourself. Do it fearlessly. It’s time to accept: this is you, and you gotta spend the rest of your life with you. So start loving your sarcasm, your awkwardness, your weirdness, your peculiar habits, your unique sense of humor, your voice, your talents, your everything. It will make your life so much easier to simply be yourself.