yoyowstudies

[yoyowstudies]

I'm sorry I haven't been posting as much on here. Honestly, kinda struggling to find the right balance for my social and academic life. And I fold like a pretzel when stressed out. So I haven't been keeping up well with my academics. If anyone has any advice that could help please drop me some. I'm struggling(⁠༎ຶ⁠ ⁠෴⁠ ⁠༎ຶ⁠)

Anyway here's some notes I took today

[yoyowstudies]

Wrote some business finance notes today.

I'm picking up the slack caused by my impromptu break

It's okay to take a break sometimes as long as you cover the lost ground when you get back up

[yoyowstudies]

Finally got around to writing my computer architecture notes

I'm at the school's library today...got a lot done today. Well then...I'm off to my next class

[yoyowstudies]

So pretty

🌞 💮 Sunshiney studying today, featuring my daisy flower bookmark, and a babies breath flower AS a bookmark 💮 🌞

[yoyowstudies]

So I fell off for a little over a week but I'm back. There was a lot going on for me emotionally and I had a hard time trying to study so I took a few days to sort my stuff out and now here I am.

Here's today's study sesh. Doing some reading and an OOP assignment where I have to make a uml notation for a problem domain

[yoyowstudies]

Study tips that i learned through failures!

1. It's so important that you do a first read thru of the text as fast as possible. Stick to annotations and brief summarizing notes/outlines. Our brain is constantly making connections even when we're sleeping, so even if you don't understand something at first, getting stuck on it is a waste of your present time AND sleep time. Some things will click while you're doing chores because your brain is still working in the background! But it can't happen if there is nothing to click. Try to expose yourself to all the material as early as possible. [If you're studying math, skip the derivations and proofs in the first read thru and just do the example problems and focus on the underlying assumptions. Depending on the class/exam objective, you might not even be tested on the proof]

2. The breaks. Even if you know you can study 4 hours straight - don't. I used to do this especially when I was anxious, but it just burned me out. Even as quickly as the next day! If you're doing your first pom of the day and you feel really fresh to the point that you feel like you can skip that first break - dont.. it will pile up!

3. The water and the sugar!! This might sound really obvious, but studying burns up so many resources. On days I don't study, I might be okay with 60-70 oz of water, but on days I do, it's normal for me to hit 100 oz. I also ate way more food in general and ate more sugar too, and I think that's pretty normal.

4. Flashcards and practice problems > annotations > having nice notes. It kills me to say it, but the last exam I took (and passed!), I relied on my very disorganized notes/screenshots on my tablet. I didn't have time to organize and transfer them nicely onto paper in order even though every perfectionist cell in my body wanted to soo badly. Making your own textbook can be helpful but I seriously just didn't have the time. Focus on what will actually get you that pass score!

5. Find the note-taking app you like BEFORE your study period or exam season and practice using it! The last thing you want is to fight the syncing mechanism as you're trying to study. I like to use Flexil because of the split screen feature, the linked screenshots, and the cross-platform sync. If you are studying math, either learn latex over the summer/off period so you can use it in Obsidian/Anki or commit to manually written flashcards and notes the whole way. Dont try to switch halfway through because that will be a waste of your time. I personally think writing out the math is faster than typing it out in Latex, but it's your poison (they're both poison). (And if you study any type of math, I 10000% recommend using a tablet)

6. Unless you are studying for fun, orient everything around the class/exam objectives. Unfortunately, you're not gonna have time to be curious. If you don't think something will be tested, quickly cut it out and move on.

7. Figure out what your exam taking weaknesses are. Out of every 10 missed problems, I realized I'd miss a question solely because i input the wrong number into the calculator. Now I say the numbers in my head as I put it in, do it at a relatively slow pace, and break up large formulas into itsy pieces and make sure the output is close to what I expect it to be. I write out all the steps on paper sometimes to make sure every calculation is as expected. You only get once chance during the real thing, so it's important to come up with a policy to reduce risk and to stick to it every time.

[yoyowstudies]

important things to realise before it's too late for efficient studying.

1. decrease the length of per study time. (!!)

this is so important and as a senior i’m stressing about this because i’ve tried to sit in front of my desk for 9 - 12 hours straight studying because it's efficient when it's not. break down your study session into multiple parts.

for every 30 minutes of study session take a 10 minute break. study for an hour? take a break for 20 minutes. drink water every 10 - 15 minutes and keep yourself hydrated.

2. Increase in the number of study sessions per day

instead of studying once a day for a long time, try to study in the morning since it's active hour for the brain. try to write or complete notes in the afternoon/ evening and always try to revise before bed. no writing. no mugging up. just quick glance at what you studied this morning.

3. wake up early

to study effectively, try to get up early so that you have enough time to complete your studies in the morning. After waking from a good night's sleep, your brain is well-rested so you can focus, understand and remember information more easily, as opposed to studying at night when you are more likely to feel tired. as much as a night owl i am, I can't deny this is useful.

4. Schedule and prioritise your tasks.

If you have an upcoming test or you want to finish a certain amount of your studies by a certain date, schedule your calendar accordingly. Ensure that you plan every hour of every day, week and month to achieve your study goals. it's fine to procrastinate sometimes. but don't make it a habit !!

5. learning style.

you don't always have to read and cram the topics, TRY TO UNDERSTAND THEM, find a connecting link between each topic and subtopics so you know the next or previous things related to a particular part of your topic.

6. schedule for tests and exams.

for instance, if you are trying to gain an in-depth understanding of a topic, you are going to benefit from studying well ahead of time, whereas if you are studying for a test, it is useful to study a couple of days before the exam.

exam? study 1 - 2 weeks before

test? study 3 days before

7. difficulty in remembering topics?

When it has been a while since you studied something or solved a problem, revisit it and practise it again. This can refresh your memory and allow you to retain the information for long periods.

After you have read and understood a topic, it can be helpful to reiterate it to someone else and let them ask questions or point out any mistakes you made. This is a great way to revise and reflect on your own understanding of a subject.

[yoyowstudies]

I want to take a nap... And it's only 10 am

[yoyowstudies]

Hi guys, so I haven't been able to focus or bring myself to study for the past three days. I have tried but being on my period is taking its toll. Hopefully I'll be back on track tomorrow.

[yoyowstudies]

Had to finish up my business finance noted today morning in my first study session of the day. I'm trying to learn UML for my OOP class so that I have a basic idea down before I write this week's notes. Need a short break before I get into it though.

Also I had been studying in the living room earlier in morning because my sister was still asleep. I didn't like it one bit. I'm used to my study desk.

[yoyowstudies]

Wrote some notes before I head to class.

Its business finance today.

I'm looking forward to the class. What's your subject for the day?

[yoyowstudies]

Did some painting to decorate and they were cute so I put them in my study area and added some quotes to motivate me

I'll be getting back to studying in a few minutes.

Gonna be writing business finance notes this time.

[yoyowstudies]

Taking a break because my fingers hurt from writing.

Here's a short clip of my notes. Also I have started collecting these tiny toys that come with some snacks I bought. They make me happy...my inner child is getting fulfilled by these little toys

[yoyowstudies]

Study sesh 1 of the day. I'm writing notes for computer organization . I'll write notes for all units I'm doing except for french. When I'm writing my OOP notes I'll finish up on the coding assignment and submit it.

My question for you today is what small thing about your study session brings you happiness? For me it's using orange as my colour of choice in my note taking.

[yoyowstudies]

Hi guys,

So results for the last semester are out and my GPA dropped (T-T)

I'm down to 2.9 broo....that's high key demoralising. But now I am more motivated to do better this semester. I hate where I am now.

Also I was supposed to have my french class yesterday but the lecturer didn't come so I basically had a free day yesterday.

I really wasn't feeling upto studying today but I got off my Butt and got to studying.

Here's me learning java from youtube academy(freecodecamp has really good courses for programmers )

[yoyowstudies]

study methods

the second brain method

this method focuses on organizing the information you learn to maximize effectiveness. a common way of doing this is through the CODE method:

capture - be quick and efficient in how you receive the information

organize - organize the information in a way that works for you

distill - break the information down to its key elements

express - apply the information you’ve learned

* there is a ton of information out there about this method. if you struggle with burnout and knowing where to start, i recommend researching this method further to figure out what works for you.

the pomodoro method

the pomodoro method is a time management method. the most common expression of this method is to pick a task, work for 25 minutes on that task, then take a break for 5 minutes. then, repeat. if you’re planning to work all day, you may up the time spent studying. for example, after a while of this, you may work for 30 minutes at a time, then 40, then 45, and so forth. this method is particularly good for when you’re feeling unmotivated or having a hard time focusing. if you’re still not feeling it after a while, you may start to take longer breaks. for example, you may study for 30 minutes, break for 15, and keep going like that.

the 5 minute rule method

this method is good for when you have to do a shorter task, but you’re procrastinating doing it. this method requires you to dedicate only 5 minutes to do your task. after that, you may stop, but chances are, once you’ve started, finishing won’t be as difficult.

the blurting method

this method is particularly good for revision. the blurting method requires you to read over the content you are learning, then put it away and write down everything you know or can remember. then, check the content and revise everything you didn’t write down.

spaced repetition

spaced repetition requires you to spread out your study reviews over the period of a few days. this has been shown to improve memory. rather than studying one thing at a time, then studying something else the next day and so on, review the information right after you’ve learned it, then recall it after a few hours, then a few days, then a few weeks, and so on. if you’re studying something you will need to remember for an extended period of time, this method would be perfect for you!

active recall

this is my absolute favorite method! it’s been shown to improve your studying immensely and so many people have benefited from practicing active recall. active recall involves retrieving information from your brain, usually done through questions. a good way to do this is to explain the concept to yourself, to someone else, or act like you’re doing a presentation on the subject. after you’ve recalled all of the information you know about the subject, go over your material again and be sure you covered everything and explained everything the best way you could. if you didn’t, review everything you did not remember or got wrong, and go again. do this until you get everything. doing this can also be referred to as the feynman technique.

the SQ3r method

survey - skim your text and identify bolded text, headers, images, etc.

question - generate questions about the text based on what you surveyed. what are the key concepts in this text? what is each paragraph about? what information do i need to take away from this text?

read - read through the entire text and answer the questions you created

recite - summarize what you learned in your own words

review - recall the key concepts and answers to your questions

[yoyowstudies]

miscellaneous study tips

do all readings, even the ones that are 'suggested' but not required. they were suggested for a reason.

get to class early. getting to class early gives you time to be prepared and ready to study. review your notes from the day before, lay out all your supplies, ask the teacher any lingering questions about the material.

your feet feel cold? put on socks. you feel thirsty? fill up your waterbottle and leave it beside you. make yourself comfortable whilst you are studying, or you will hate it.

if you can't find the motivation to get to work on something, force yourself to pick it up for just two minutes. you're very likely to continue.