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THE BENEFITS

taking notes physically has been shown to help improve memorization (01). another thing i’ve noticed for myself is that i tend to just copy when i take digital notes since there’s more space, but with physical notes i rephrase and consider the notes as i take them.

this venn diagram (taken from 02) shows some basic information about different ways of taking notes. paper is slower but generative; laptop is faster but nongenerative.

for me, i’m willing to make that sacrifice because long term retention is my goal, not quick memorization. but if it isn’t a class you’ll need for a long time (eg. my drama class) i think digital can work.

one last thing- when i’m studying, i have trouble going over my notes again bc i find it boring. with physical notes, this is usually when i highlight and make them cute, so it forces me to look over them again. speaking of which:

THE AESTHETICS

so fun fact: you don’t need fancy supplies for cute notes. i use a three ring binder from staples, some cheapy plastic dividers, office depot pencils and some pastel bics.

if you like pens, then def get some in cute colors! pentel are my holy grain, but they are sort of expensive. i had every color but most of them have run out of ink by now.

thin mechanical pencils >>> i don’t have any at the moment but i’m definitely getting more soon. love them. perfect for details.

good highlighters!! these are so important to me. i have pastel bics but i wanna get mildliners sometime soon.

cute bullet point shapes. i do hearts, stars, flowers, etc…

stickers sticker stickers! i put stickers on everything they are so amazing, they make everything cuter

if you wanna get fancy, try washi tape

also little cutouts are great!

sticky notes for trivia q’s and corrections and such since you can flip them up :) i have see through ones and they’re great

the action

set a timer for 10-15 minutes; enough time to get started, and tell yourself you'll only work that long. usually by the time the timer goes off i'm already in a flow.

similarly; do the same thing but with a tangible amount of work (eg "5 math problems" "1 paragraph of my essay" "one chapter of my book")

set out a treat for yourself (like a candy you like or something you'd like to do) for after you're done

this is more preemptive but set screentime limits! my password is one i use on literally nothing else and i always forget it, it's a hassle to look for it in my notes so i use my phone less and it makes me do other stuff

or, hide distractors from yourself. you fidget too much? remove that. on your phone? put it in a drawer. out of sight, out of mind

pomodoro timers never worked for me, but i get why they might :)

the words

remember the last time you put off this kind of work and how you felt afterwards. stressed, nervous, unpreprepared...

or, remember how you felt last time you finished a hard assignment. relieved, proud...

even if you mess up now, it's a failsafe. this is practice for the real deal. and if you don't practice now, then you can't get to the actual part.

practice how you play! if you treat school like this, then other things will be harder. self motivation is such a crucial skill.

if you're stressing over it now, why not just get it done with? that way you can stop being so worried about it

whatever you want right now (tiktok, video games, tv shows) will be there in the exact same quantity and value when you're done. but, if you put off work for long enough, the value diminishes- late penalties if it's accepted at all! always pick the urgent.

plus, imagine how nice school will be when you can relax with nothing extra to work on... (honestly? it's kind of boring, i do it)

Why am I offended? What does that say about me?

• this is the most difficult one and i’d like to open with it. this whole journey is about ourselves, right? so why did that hurt your feelings? what about it made you want to react, and what is that saying about YOU?

• if someone made an ironic tiktok about a type of person they don’t like, and your instant reaction was offense, you probably see yourself in that video. instead of becoming instantly upset, see an opportunity for growth. this is helping you become your better self.

2. If my best friend said it, would I care this much?

• be fully honest. if the original comment was a joke, then don’t say it was “fully serious”. if this was someone close to you, would you still feel inclined to bring it up? if the answer is no, then you shouldn’t here either.

3. How long into the future will this affect me?

• not “how long will your correction affect them”. we are talking about you. if it’s less than a month, you do not need to care.

• also consider how it might affect you. is causing a potential argument over this going to risk something- a disciplinary reaction, loss of a friend, etc? weigh those odds.

4. Think about the person. Will they change with your correction?

• some people never change. and i’m not saying to be upset with them for that too, but be aware. if they’re set in their place, you don’t need to waste time trying to change their opinion.

• online, check the comment section. is everyone else saying the same thing you want to? you don’t need to beat a dead horse. move on.

5. After deeply considering all of these points, do you even care that much?

• sometimes all it takes is a moment of consideration to realise “wow. this isn’t actually something i care about. huh.”