annabel

FEB 24 / 21

*click for better quality* (transcript under the cut)

My other masterposts: • extensions pt.1  • study sounds • dealing with failure • how to gain traction • how to study when you’re struggling

with good time management, anything is possible in your preclinical years. 

you can never know all the anatomy, all the parasites, and all the drugs. you just can’t. settle for learning common mechanisms of action and muscle groups and leave it at that. 

sometimes, a disease is just a disease. there’s not always an underlying condition or a welfare issue or an error in judgement. 

unlimited wine at christmas ball is a double-edged sword. when you’ve been both sides of the line (so to speak), you’ll understand what i mean.

dominos heals all wounds. tequila causes them. there is no deviation from this rule. 

exams shouldn’t become second-nature, no matter how old you are; continue to treat them with reverence and fear. 

go to the parties you’re asked to. make a good impression. be funny, witty, charming. don’t be a drunken idiot. and, if someone offers you a dildo, don’t take it. you don’t know where it’s been. 

go on your sports club tour while you still can. i can’t explain how much i regret not going this year, even though i went in first year. 

horses are always different from the norm.

related: anything that can go wrong will go wrong but only in horses.

related: colic is a symptom, not a condition. 

it’s possible to revise ten hours a day and still fit in five episodes of the office before you go to bed. but is it advisable? no. 

☆ an oldie but a goodie ☆

29.4.17

Time to start prepping for finals. I only have one written exam but I have so many other things to do! And so many papers! :(

Good luck on finals everyone!

● Seize time opportunities. If I have 15 minutes until your next class, I sit down and do homework in the hallway. If I have a long commute, I’ll do flashcards. This works because you most likely won’t have anything else to do anyways, so it’s easier to get your work done.

● Start something. When I get a lab report assignment, the first thing I do is pull up the directions and at least start the cover page and pull up some research links. It takes 5 minutes but it gets the ball rolling and makes it more likely that you’ll finish what you started.

● Auto-mode. When I procrastinating, it’s usually because I’m too busy thinking about what I’m going to do. Instead, I like to pretend I’m in “auto-mode” and just get started as fast as I can. auto-mode means shutting out distracting thoughts or pleas to watch one more funny cat video and forcing your hands to open your textbook. Works every time.

● Personally, creating time schedules don’t work for me because if I fall out of time, the whole schedule falls apart and I usually give up. Instead I use time games. I’ll tell myself something like “work as hard as you can until 11:00 sharp and if you finish, you can have a break”. This is great for developing self discipline because it’s in the moment so you can be more realistic and flexible.

● I don’t like writing down earlier due dates in my planner because it’s confusing so instead, it’s good to have some sort of mental rule. for example, my mental rule is to finish everything at least two days before the due date. following through with that will keep you on track.

● Do a little bit every day. If you have a big project, chip at it within a week rather than stressing out 2 days before it’s due. the same goes for studying for an exam. if you review lecture notes and attend office hours after class + work on flashcards throughout the week, then do a final review at the end, you’ll be well prepared and won’t need to cram. It’s a good habit and you won’t get stressed. Two birds with one stone.

● Use mornings too. I’m not really an early bird, but using mornings to get some work / chores done is great because it gives you a productive start to the day, which makes you feel proud of yourself for knocking out half of your tasks in the a.m. 

a. Lay out your lecture notes / worksheets on the table the night before and open your work tabs on your computer so they’ll be the first thing you see when you turn on your computer.

b. Put your computer far away from your work space and go to sleep.

c. When you wake up, the first thing that you’ll see is your ‘paper’ work, so get it done first. then start on your ‘screen’ work (you’ll be less likely to get distracted if you do your ‘paper’ work first). when you open your laptop the first thing you’ll see are the work tabs you opened the night before. Your job is to go on auto-mode and get started.

Handmade quilt