just an annie edison wannabe

I saw that people post their favourite study playlists and thought I should share ones of my own. Hope they come in handy.

Fiction Ambience

Animal Crossing Music and Rain

Harry Potter Classrooms

Rainy Day at Hogwarts

The Shire

Aslan's Camp

Pride and Prejudice

Somewhere in Italy, 1983

Barbie Piano Instrumentals

Classical

Studying alone in the library at midnight

Dark Academia Spring Playlist

Dark Academia (8D Audio)

Classical music playing in another room + rain and thunder

Spring playlist

How to form habits that last

Click for better quality and zoom in.

Greetings! 💚 Here’s a little something I’ve been working on, which I hope you’ll find useful. :)

All text and graphics are created by me, Sal @blueplaidstudies.

Hello, lovelies! I’ve gotten a couple of asks about studying so I decided to condense them into one post for you guys! I’m trying to hit a bunch of different topics so if you need an even more specific post you can send an ask! Without any further ado, have some tips! My studyblr is @spacey-scholar​

Prep

First, you always need a good base for your day! Especially if you’re studying a lot.

Make a good full breakfast! Ex. Eggs and Toast, Smoothie and fruit, Pancakes and a cup of juice. 

How’s your hygiene? Do you need to shower, brush your teeth, wash your face, condition your hair? Do it! You’ll be distracted if you feel messy!

Get dressed like it’s a normal day. Staying in PJ’s is okay! But being ready for the day seriously helps focus!

Likewise, your space should be clean. A clean space is a clean mind! Remove dishes, trash, scrap paper, and extra items. Wide down your desk, organize your pens and books. Your space should feel like your space!

Now make a list of what you need to get done! What needs to be done Now, what needs to be done Soon, and what needs to be done Later? 

Order your list how you want your day to go, and don’t put super-tough subjects back to back, or subjects that are similar exercises i.e. reading thirty pages of two different books back to back is no fun.

The Studying

It’s important to buckle down with No Distractions! If you find yourself distracted put your phone away! If you need your phone, put it on Do Not Disturb until you’re done. I also do this at night for better sleep. 

Pick the best technique for you, Pomodoro, reward-based, group studying, etc.

Play music but only if it will not distract you! If you sing along or daydream it’s the wrong music! Classical, Lo-fi, and White noise are all good! My Spotify Here has some good ones.

Use a nice journal (I don’t mean expensive!) and pens/pencils you enjoy using. I like to have a specific journal and color dedicated to each subject. 

Take notes on recorded lectures and classes, if you’re doing online classes right now try to screen record or record the audio! That way if you space out you can play it later and take notes, and you can absorb the lesson better instead of being distracted.

Don’t worry about your notes, stationary, pictures, being beautiful and your grades being perfect. Life doesn’t always look the way it does on Instagram. And the people who spend hours trying to get a good photo of their coffee are not studying! 

Use flashcards! Quizlet is good if you need premade ones! If you can save up and buy them, Barrons AP Flash Cards are the best in my opinion. Very clean, not too long, very durable, and cover all subjects.

Feeling Distracted 

If you catch yourself drifting off and getting into your head, get up and take a quick walk, stretch, or energizer. 

It’s okay if this happens, don’t guilt yourself! practice affirmation. The best and smartest still get distracted. 

If you are drifting, why? Are you hungry? Tired? Thirsty? Bored? Get a snack and some water, take a break and rest, find a way to make your studying more enjoyable. 

Remember that Motivation and Discipline are different things. Sometimes we just won’t be motivated, we won’t want to do it and it will be rather frustrating. But the cure to this is not shaming its discipline. Remind yourself “This may be hard, and I may not want to do this, but I want to reach my goals and If this is what It takes I will make it happen. 

Always do just one more page of you’re tired. One at a time and oh you did it! Maybe just one more? One more? Eh, one more just to finish the train of thought, Oh just- I’m done? Nice!

If you really can’t focus just move on and come back to this subject, you can always ask for help.

Supplementary Things

There are so many apps you can use to study, for free! My favorites are Tide, Quizlet, Focus Keeper, Forest, Flora, Egenda, SpanishDict, Photomath, and Kahn Academy. 

You can also join a study group! You may know one, but if you don’t, there are a lot of online ones! I’m in a study Discord and have been for a while! it helps a lot and motivates me to finish my work!

You can make a studyblr, but don’t do it just for the aesthetics! It’s about studying, and sometimes that gets messy! Sometimes we fail a test, we spill our tea on our notes, we cry because we don’t understand the formula. That’s the part you don’t see!

Having cute stationery can really help, as well as nice organizers and decorations for your space! I don’t have much money so I get a lot of stuff on Amazon or FB Marketplace.

Health

Remember that no matter what you are good enough. It’s okay if you fail, it’s okay if you struggle.

It’s also okay if your path doesn’t go the way you expected! Maybe you go to a different school than expected! Or choose a trade instead! Maybe you take a gap year! Maybe your passion changes! Maybe it changes six times!

Your health is always more important than your school. If you are in pain, mentally or physically, if you are anxious, exhausted, burnt out, talk to your teachers about it! You matter more than a grade.

Your best is good enough! And your best doesn’t look the same as someone else’s best! Don’t compare!

Here’s my little guide how to glow up in your life:

First, get your life together:

Organise and clean your home -Having clean home will make you feel better and lighter and therefore you will be more positive.

Have a life admin day -Write down all the stuff that needs to be done, all the appointments you need to get and everything that needs to be fixed. Then schedule in a day every month or every two weeks when you tick off these thing off your list.

Do your damn laundry

Create routines -They can be long and strict or short and very opened

Fight procrastination in all the ways you can

Take your mediaction and have regular health check ups

Now it’s time for mental health:

Make sure you eat and drink water regularly

Get a therapist if you feel like you need/want one

Practise your hobbies or find new ones

Listen to your favourite music

Meditate

Create a happy atmosphere for yourself -Buy plants and flowers, let your favourite music play in the background, let in as much ligh as you can.

Warm beverages

Be as positive as you can

Try to complain less

Don’t talk shit about people, especially not behind their back -You spread negative energy and hurt yourself in the process.

Say nice things to people, compliment them as much as you can -Being nice to poeple will affect your own mood for the better.

Talk about what you love, not what you hate

Get enough fresh air.

Glow up your mind!:

Read more books -Does not matter the genre

Watch movies and series

Learn new language -Even if it’s just a few words

Watch documents

Talk to people smarter than you

Try learning random fact every day

Find a new hobby

Think of ways to make your life better and help your surrounding -Minimalism? Zero waste? Vegetarian? It depends on you.

Find a new friend

Help people

And lastly the physical glow up:

Find out how much sleep you need and stick to it -Usually 8 hours are the norm

Play around with make up -You will fail and it might look wonky from the beginning. And maybe you won’t even like it. I want you to experiment.

Make sure to go make-up-less sometimes if you wear it often

Drink water -It won’t magically clear your skin completely but it will get better.

Wash your face in the morning and in the evening, but no soap if possible

Use as little skin products as you can -Sometimes less is more.

Lip balm

Eat vegetables every day -Every. single. day. It’s the best thing I have ever done for myself.

Eat oatmeal -It did wonders for my hair.

Stretch regularly

Exercise -Find something you have fun doing and do it as often as possible.

Avoid food with too much grease and sugar -You can have it but try to reduce it.

Prepare your outfit the night before -It gives you time to think about what you’ll wear and it’s nice to have it ready in the morning.

Get clothes you feel good and confident in

Get your dream hair colour! -Get crazy if you want

Learn to be comfortable with your body

Don’t shower every day -I know, I know… but listen… It’s actually much healthier for your skin to shower every other day and wash your hair even less. Plus it saves a lot of water.

Get a perfume -Have a scent

Get enough sun -You don’t have to be tan but getting sun on your skin is very healthy and it’s visible in other ways than tan.

Smile and spread joy

If you’re happy, show it -It’s contagious

Remember that beauty comes from within. That is why I put these tips in that order.

Here is a list of some YouTube ASMR ambiences/soundscapes (they’re all hyperlinked, so click away!) Unlike traditional ASMR, these videos do not feature any people. Talented YouTubers have used software to create rendered environments with layered sounds, with many of these ambiences inspired from fantasy to others based in reality. I find music with lyrics to be distracting sometimes, but these are great background noises for focusing, studying, doing homework, and even for relaxing. Enjoy and good luck ♡

LIBRARY SOUNDSCAPES

1. Royal Library | Rain and Thunderstorm Sounds on Study Ambience with Crackling Fireplace 

By New Bliss 

2. LIBRARY AMBIENCE: Writing Sounds, Whispering, Pages Turning, Rain, Fireplace 

by Autumn Cozy 

3. Ambience/ASMR: Writer’s Library from the 1930s, 4 Hours

by Ambience of Yesteryear

4. Study Ambience / Library Sounds / 3 Hours #241

By Winter Whale ASMR

5. Harry Potter inspired ASMR - Hogwarts Library REMAKE - Animated ambient soundscape cinemagraph

By ASMR rooms 

CAFE SOUNDSCAPES

1. Rainy Day at Coffee Shop & Jazz Music | ASMR Ambience 4K

By Cozy Corner 

2. [ASMR/Ambience]cafe after closing on a rainy urban night

By Sound Forest 

3. Coffeehouse ASMR Ambience

By Miracle Forest 

4. 1 Hour of Tea Shop Ambience | Background Noise | Cafe Ambient Sounds

By Nocturnal House 

5. ASMR Increase Concentration Tokyo Cafe Study Ambience for Homework & School

By asmr soupe 

COZY SOUNDSCAPES

1. 🎧 Cozy Ambience Bedroom - Rain on the Windows of the Rainy Night View of the City 10 Hours | Sleep

By The Relaxing Town 

2. Cozy Cabin Ambience - Writer’s Room with 8 Hours of Rain, Thunder and Fire Sounds

By Calmed by Nature 

3. Bed Breakfast ☕ Snowy Morning [ASMR] Cozy Cabin Ambience ❄️️ Winter Day with Little Bunny friend 🐰

By ASMR Weekly 

4. Rain sounds | cozy cabin | Sleep, Study, Meditation 10 hours

By White Noise Tranquility 

5. Cozy Winter Cottage | Snowstorm and Fireplace Sounds | blizzard | 10hours

By dreamy sound 

INSPIRED BY SOUNDSCAPES

1. ASMR Mystical and Noble Atmosphere of Slytherin Common Room●Harry Potter 3D Ambient Sound

By asmr soupe 

2. Lord of the Rings Inspired ASMR - the Green Dragon Inn - Medieval Tavern Ambience and Animations

By ASMR rooms 

3. ⛩ Spirited Away’s Dormitory - 1 Hour - Ghibli ASMR Soundscape

By Vibrating Art 

4. Twin Peaks Double R Diner Ambience - 8 Hours of Smooth Jazz Music, Rain Sounds, & Cozy Cafe Ambience

By Calmed by Nature 

5. A Moving Castle Type ASMR Ambience

Hi everyone! It’s werelivingarts!

Depression is a very common mental disorder that can affect negatively on the way you feel, think and act. I think that giving some tips and strategies on dealing with depression while studying would be essential to some of you who might struggle out there to get started on assignments. 🙂 Hope that this can help you to fight against depression and embrace your positivity while studying! Remember that you are loved and you are enough ❤️💙💜

grab a cake to go on your way home from your favourite coffee shop down the street, leave a good tip to the waitress that has been nice to you since the first day, watch her smile as you leave 

smash the keys on the table with the content and tired smile, undress. open the wardrobe, take off your bra like a pro without taking the shirt off without no apparent reason, take off your shirt next. try to aim them both into the drawer, dance victoriously without shame

take a long hot shower with a strawberry shower gel, then put on the best sheet mask that you have been hiding for the “emergency” times, put on your favourite body cream, jump in the coziest pjs and breath out, letting go of all the stress and anxiety that has been buzzing in your mind for the whole day

open the windows and let the fresh air inside (+100 coziness if it’s been raining and you are letting in the after storm air inside - GODLIKE SCENT)

light the fanciest candle in the house, turn on the speaker and put on the comfy playlist, dance and hum graciously (no) while unpacking the cake 

make some strong and amazingly aromatic coffee that you bought in another cute coffee shop near your house - maybe too expensive for such a small package, but god damn you deserved a treat after finishing this hardcore semester

turn on whatever movie or video you like, you are alone at home so there is absolutely noone to judge if you are watching gilmore girls or a new pewdiepie video, everything is perfectly fine as long as you feel happy about it

eat and drink while watching, but stay present and enjoy every single drop and bite! remind yourself what a great deal of work you did today and how nice it is to be able to treat yourself like this 

curl under the coziest blanket on your bed and let yourself fall asleep if you feel like you need to (don’t forget to take off the mask tho).

text your loved ones to ask how was their day, invite a friend you haven’t seen for a while to grab some lunch together

Hi, I’ve been a foodie all of my whole lives and here are some of my best favorite snack recipes that help me to recover from energy drain. Also remember to reward yourself with snacks no matter how big or small your achievement is! 

Check all of your study supplies: Do you have enough pens, highlighter, pencils, erasers, sticky tape, etc.? Do you need any new folders or binders? Check your printer for ink and paper!

Try resetting your sleep schedule: If you’re like me, you have started waking up at 10 a.m. instead of 6:30 a.m. and are in bed several hours later. If you don’t want to wake up on your first day of school feeling like you’ve been run over by a truck, start waking up a bit earlier. Set an alarm for 9:30 a.m., then 9 a.m., etc. until you’re at least close to your usual routine.

Get used to studying again: If you haven’t really done work over the summer, the first week or two of being back at school can feel incredibly challenging. I’m not saying that you should use a lot of your time doing school work, but maybe looking through your old notes on a topic you studied last year or reading a chapter in your textbook can get you back on track again.

okay, so here in california precautionary measures against COVID-19 have become increasingly intense. most schools have closed and are preparing to make the transition to “distance learning” aka online classes. this is a big change for many of us – but don’t panic!

welcome to surviving online classes 101!

–

✐ self discipline

this is more of a warning than a tip. working from home means you will have to exercise a lot more self discipline. it can be a little bit boring or lonely at times. you cannot count on motivation from others (professors, classmates, friends, etc.), so you will have to learn some self discipline. 

✐ create your own classroom

a good way to make the transition is to try and mimic the classroom setting as closely as possible. something that might be helpful is to set up a space designated for work. try to avoid the temptation to work in your bed or on the couch. that trains your brain to be alert in those places and makes it harder to relax/fall asleep. at least during online lectures, try and eliminate distractions that wouldn’t be present in a regular classroom (like tv or netflix playing in the background, or having your phone out)

✐ dress for success!

dress in the way that makes you feel most productive. if you’re one of those people who usually rolls into class wearing sweats and still kills it, good for you! if you’re one of those people who needs to put on a full face of makeup to feel alive and ready for the day, do that! even at home!! i personally never wear makeup but if i try to be productive in pjs… disaster. i’ve also found that cute workout gear makes me feel badass while still being comfy.

✐ create a schedule

now more than ever you need to figure out how to manage your time. you can use a planner, bujo, google calendar, the forest app, whatever. just make sure you keep track of things like

due dates and TIMES

exam dates

lecture times

hours spent studying

meals (pls eat 3 if possible)

water intake

sleep schedule

✐ pack your bag like you usually would

i know this probably sounds so dumb, but when you’re done working clean up after yourself. pack everything up like you would at school, to sort of signal to your brain that academic time is over for now. and then unpack and set up when you’re ready to get to work again. this is just another way to trick your brain into that school mindset while you’re stuck at home.

✐ don’t overwork yourself

break up your studying into chunks. being cooped up all day can make us feel like we’re wasting time, but be sure to schedule breaks and reward yourself after a solid study session. i’m a big fan of the pomodoro method, and it can be customized really easily to allow for more or less study/rest time. 

✐ maintain a healthy sleep schedule

now is the time to develop that healthy sleep schedule we all dream about. staring at a computer all day is exhausting and hard on the eyes and brain, so make sure to give them enough rest and time to recover each night. also, consider investing in glasses that block blue light, even if you don’t usually use glasses. this will keep our eyes young lol. 

✐ communicate with your teachers and classmates

most of us are making this transition to online learning together. any time you have questions, email your professor. reach out to your classmates at the beginning and exchange emails/phone numbers/social media so you can build a support system. if something goes wrong, screenshot it immediately and reach out to your professor. technology isn’t perfect, and mistakes can happen, just communicate them.

✐ turn things in early

this is my biggest tip. when you are relying on online submissions for assignments and digital lectures, you always want to allow extra time to fix any errors you might encounter. your professor will also be much more willing to help you fix a problem two days before a deadline rather than two minutes before a deadline. eliminate that uncertainty by playing it safe with online submissions. 

–

Hi all, this is werelivingarts, a new post about time management method: TIME BLOCKING! Time blocking allows you to divide your day into big blocks and helps you to complete similar tasks in one-go without any interruptions! 

You can do your time blocking on:

Google Calendar (simple and easy to use)

Plan (drag your to-do list and organize them in blocks)

TickTick Premium (offer pomodoro timer)

1. don’t load your hardest classes in one semester. find out which classes within your major are rumored to be tough and divide them out throughout your time in college.

2. don’t show up to class earlier than 10 mins early. the class before yours will likely still be in there finishing up, and you’ll either walk in in the middle of a lecture or have to stand outside for a long time. just get there 5-10 mins early and you’ll be fine!

3. create a group chat for all of your classes. find a few friends from class and make a group chat! this can be either on imessage, groupme, or whatever is most popular to use at your school. this can be your go-to place to ask questions about assignments, due dates, etc. before asking the professor!

4. as for class participation, quality>quantity. in most college classes (with the exception of huge lectures) participation accounts for a chunk of your grade, and some professors take that grade very seriously. however, this doesn’t mean you should raise your hand and talk whenever you find the opportunity- your professor (and your classmates, for that matter) will appreciate you much more if your comments and questions are less frequent and have more to add to the class. 

5. the readings listed under a date in a class are due for that class, they are not homework for the next class. this is one of the biggest issues college freshman have at the beginning of their first semester. unless the professor specifically says otherwise, if the syllabus is set up to list each class individually with the readings underneath/beside the class, they are due for that class, not the next one.

6. make yourself known to your professor! this is especially important for a large lecture, where they won’t get to know you otherwise. stop by their office hours or go up to them after class and introduce yourself- making a connection with your professor can open more doors than you may know!

7. rate my professor is not always accurate. professors can get better or worse, and different people have different experiences. though it’s a great tool and you can still use it to see what people think, if you’re stuck with a professor that is ranked low, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have a bad time in that class.

8. sometimes it’s okay to just skim your readings. you’ll find out soon enough if your professor basically goes over exactly what the reading says every class. if so, you only need to skim it over and take light notes. don’t spend hours closely reading a textbook that your professor is just going to go over word for word the next day (unless it helps you- if so, do it!)

9. the guy in class that answers every question isn’t smarter than you. that’s it.

Feeling in a slump? In desperate need of refreshment? After exhausting months of studying for exams like me? Well I have this plan to get my life together again and I thought I might share with you!

📚 Week 1: Rest and prep

Spend 3 days resting

No planning and no routines 

Don’t do anything you don’t want to do

Sleep in if you want

Binge that show or play that video game

1 day of cleaning your space

Keep it small and surfice level

Clean the dust and the floors

Change your sheets and towels

Declutter the things around

Let in fresh air

1 day of mental health reset

Focus on yourself and your mind with meditating or journaling

Go through your full routines

Read or be creative

Do your favourite self care activities

1 day of social media detox -no social media allowed

1 day of dopamine detox

You have to get bored

You are allowed to go for a walk or work out (no music tho!)

You can journal and meditate

A little bit of cheating: if you feel to desperate you can read

💖 Week 2: Family, friends and love

Spend this week with others as much as possible

Make small gifts for others

Hang out playing games or just talking

Make sure to tell people what they mean to you

🍓 Week 3: Body detox

Make sure to change up things in this part depending on your goals, health and your body’s needs!

No meat, bread (and other pastry) and sweets

No fried food

Drink water only

Fast for 16 hours a day

Work out daily

Go for walks/jogging and spend as much time outside as possible

Take medications and vitamins properly

🧹 Week 4 and 5: Declutter and organise your space

Declutter and organise your closets and cupboards

Go through your clothes

Deep clean your space

Donate things you don’t want or need

😴 Week 6: More rest

3 days resting completely (like the first 3 days)

4 days of active rest

Follow routines

Be creative

Garden/clean/cook

Work out/go cycling/do yoga

Read or learn something new

🎨 Week 7: Be creative daily

Create something every day

📆 Week 8: Planning and new routines

Plan your future

Find new routines

Get into stable routine that makes you happy

In the last 3 months I reblogged a lot of tips etc. Sooo, I decided to organize them into different categories! Beware because this list is really really long and it took me ages to make it.

Life:

Waking up early and refreshed

Balancing sleep & education

Little things to do more of

Organize your laptop

How to eat well

How to eat cheaply

Tips for when you have abusive parents

Simplifying your life

Get yo’ life together guide

How to grow the fuck up (friendliness)

How to grow the fuck up – Guide to life (typesetjez)

Small ways to improve your life

Learn things for free

Top 50 online learning sites

Detox your summer

College:

First-time college student advice 

Tips for incoming freshmen 

Getting through your first year 

Morning habits worth starting in college 

Useful college tips 

How to approach classes 

How to get a 4.00 GPA 

How to be productive after school 

Backpack essentials 

Upgrade your workspace 

A Really Fucking Vulgar Guide to Not Losing Your Shit in College 

Trying party drugs 

Productivity:

Productivity 101

Productive things that aren’t studying 

How to be productive during the weekend 

Taking notes:

How to outline and revise using the stewart method 

Upgrade your notes masterpost 

How lentilstudies takes notes 

Studying:

How to gain discipline 

Real tips for studying 

Secrets to efficiently 

How to study like a boss 

Study tips for different learning styles 

Types of study breaks 

How to make a study plan 

Planning the perfect study schedule

Bizarre music study tip 

Study music/noises 

What to do when you don’t want to study 

How to study when you don’t want to 

Finals:

Complete exam study guide 

Study tips – finals edition 

Revise for exams 

Tips for doing well on your exams 

Relaxing during exam periods 

Learning different subjects:

625 words to know in your target language 

How to do well in physics 

Chemistry printables 

Studying for math 

Self care:

Self care tips for students 

App that helps avoiding self-harm 

Apps for your mental health 

Self care tips for when you hit rock bottom 

How daily affirmations can change your life 

Dealing with losing friendships 

Other masterposts:

Alistudys masterpost of tips 

Essential school masterpost 

Apartment hacks masterpost