lisie

physical organization - this includes stuff like binders, folders, anywhere that you keep any papers received for classes. i personally prefer folders over binders just because it's a lot easier to take out of your backpack when you need to put a paper away, while you need to lug out a huge binder for just 1 sheet.

i used a binder last year and let me tell you, half of my papers ended up getting stuffed somewhere in my backpack. so i got 5 folders for each of my classes (honours chem, honours ela, apush, honours alg 2, and french). i have them based on colour (e.g. red for algebra, green for chem, etc) which makes it easier for me to know which one to pull out.

digital organization - now, i'm entering my sophomore year of high school, so there isn't much for me to organize online just yet. but what i do use is notion. notion is truly my holy grail for organizing test dates, what i need to do for the day, important events, and also just allows you freedom of creativity !!

here are some screenshots of what my notion looks like and how i use each part of it ~

notion can definitely be difficult to grasp, but there are many helpful tutorials on youtube that can help you get started !!! you can just search up "notion tutorial" and there are many popular ones <3

PT II - STUDYING ;

obviously, you all know how important it is to study, but what you see on studytok is not how you need to study. you will see people pulling all nighters (i still love you kay chung) or studying for 6 hours straight. THIS IS WHAT LEADS TO BURNOUT. i used to think that i needed to study 3 hours everyday to pass my exams. and yes, maybe some people do need to, but we need to be able to work smarter, not harder.

oftentimes what people end up doing is just reading the material or just memorizing it. but this doesnt stick with you long term. i'm sure youve heard of active recall - its really everywhere in the study guides that you see on youtube or pinterest. but its for good reason. active recall is literally scientifically proven to help you remember things long-term.

you can use this by teaching others, flashcards, just anything that requires you to search your memory and look for the answers. this solidifies your memory and makes it easier to call back up.

study methods - the main study method i use is the pomodoro technique. you've probably heard of this before, but this really helps me out (as i have a really short attention span). it's basically 25 minute bursts of hard focus and 5 minute breaks in between. this happens 3 times until the 4th round where you get a 15 minute break.

this allows you to not get burnt out from the intense work and lets you focus for a longer period of time. during homework time and daily studying i usually do the 25/5, but during exam season i do 45/15. ive used this ever since 8th grade and it doesnt let me down !!

i also love the feynman technique. its literally just active recall. it was made by richard feynman, a renowned american physicist. it's basically just choosing a concept, teaching it to someone, and going over any parts that you missed. it helps with locking in the information well. i would say that topics such as science and history are good with this.

PT III - ROMANTICIZING

now comes the fun part: romanticizing your academic lifestyle !!! this is literally how i survive school - i just make it fun. "but, bee, how can school be fun??" well, i'll tell you !!!

for school, i just add little things that make it more enjoyable. for example, i'll bring a book with me to read between class, during lunch, or when i finish all my work in class. i can bring my own coffee to school (or buy my own drinks at my school since we have vending machines). i get cute stationery that makes me want to study or do my homework.

another tip is trying to embody a character from a show. popular ones are rory gilmore (obvi), elle woods, hermione granger, spencer hastings, paris geller, and more. personally, i try to embody rory gilmore because she still succeeds in school while still having a social life. she knows her priorities and has her academic life on check.

now, for romanticizing studying, there are so many fun things you can do !! you can go to your local coffee shop and study there. i have one in my downtown area that i absolutely love, and their dirty chai is my go-to every time i go. but if you cant, light a candle while working at your desk !! it makes it more cozy (bonus if its a scented candle !!).

remember to switch up locations so that your mind doesn't get bored! the library, the cafe, your desk, the dinner table, the living room, hell, even the floor is a good study spot. this keeps your mind active and lets you stay focused.

i hope that this guide helped you out a bit for the new school year ! ive spent a lot of time learning how to study the most effectively, so i want to share my knowledge with you. but remember that you dont need to be productive everyday !! take care of yourself as well :) farewell my academic weapons, and i'll see you next time, angels ~