Get Better With Me

This is basically a huge list of books. Summer is already over, but you can read these during any free time you have.

Fluent Forever by Gabriel Wyner

“The ultimate rapid language-learning guide!…At thirty years old, Gabriel Wyner speaks six languages fluently.  He didn’t learn them in school – who does? – rather, he learned them in the past few years, working on his own and practicing on the subway, using simple techniques and free online resources. In Fluent Forever Wyner reveals what he’s discovered.”

Moonwalking With Einstein by Joshua Foer

“Moonwalking with Einstein recounts Joshua Foer’s yearlong quest to improve his memory under the tutelage of top “mental athletes.” He draws on cutting-edge research, a surprising cultural history of remembering, and venerable tricks of the mentalist’s trade to transform our understanding of human memory.”

What If? by Randall Munroe

“Serious scientific answers to absurd hypothetical answers.” The humor and information in this book reignited my interest in science after a tiring school year.

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Maria Kondo

“This international bestseller featuring Tokyo’s newest lifestyle phenomenon will help you clear your clutter and enjoy the unique magic of a tidy home—and the calm, motivated mindset it can inspire.”

How to Become a Straight-A Student by Cal Newport

“Real straight-A students don’t study harder–they study smarter… "How to Become a Straight-A Student” reveals for the first time the proven study secrets of real straight-A students across the country and weaves them into a simple, practical system that anyone can master.“ 

Make It Stick by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, Mark A. McDaniel

“Drawing on recent discoveries in cognitive psychology and other disciplines, the authors offer concrete techniques for becoming more productive learners.“

A Mind For Numbers by Barbara Oakley

“ Whether you are a student struggling to fulfill a math or science requirement, or you are embarking on a career change that requires a higher level of math competency, A Mind for Number soffers the tools you need to get a better grasp of that intimidating but inescapable field.“

The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp

“Creativity is not a gift from the gods, says Twyla Tharp, bestowed by some divine and mystical spark. It is the product of preparation and effort, and it’s within reach of everyone who wants to achieve it.” 

Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

“Remember the last time that you were so focused, so motivated that you felt at the absolute top of your form – alert, energized and free of self-consciousness? Chances are you were experiencing flow – an almost euphoric state of concentration and complete involvement.”

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

☕️ Drink some tea while studying or maybe have a fiber bar. Give your brain the energy it needs, especially if it’s a late night of studying.

📚 Throw on a cozy sweater or fuzzy socks. You might as well get comfy while getting the knowledge you need!

📚 Listen to some music without lyrics that’s calming or maybe before studying, listen to some of your favorite songs to get in the mood to study.

📚 Take a 20 - 25 minute nap and once you wake up, Drink some caffeine to wake your brain up.

📚 If you’ve been studying for quite a while, Get up and move your legs and arms. Stretch your body and what not. Sitting at a desk studying for long periods of time can cause strain on your neck and make your body sore so it’s best to get up once in a while to stretch.

📚 Take some deep breaths if you’re feeling anxious about it. Trust in yourself that you’ll work hard. Nothing is impossible, Apply that to this. Getting good grades is not impossible, studying hard is not impossible.

📚 If you can’t seem to focus, Write down everything going through your mind so you can clear your thoughts out. Perhaps even meditate so you can really clear out your thoughts.

📚 After a long night of studying and reading, Treat yourself because why not? You’ve been working hard. Perhaps try throwing on a face mask, do your nails and watch your favorite film or tv show and have a small treat.

1. Try not exhaust yourself while working. Breathe.

2. Try new ways to study and make them fun as possible.

3. Get out of the place that your study, study in new places ( library, coffee shop.. etc.)

4. Make time to forget about everything else and just focus on yourself ( appreciate yourself and your efforts and value your old self and think of ways to improve yourself)

5. Include in your routine a specific time to have some fun, meet somebody, doing something new.

From personal experience, life is hard and stress hits you like a tonne of bricks. Exams are coming, deadlines are forever nearing and you feel like one thing is coming at you after another and you can’t possibly finish all this in time to the best of your ability but omg everyone will be mad or disappointed if you don’t and AHHHHHHHH

Stop that.

When you are overwhelmed by stress and believe you cannot possibly succeed, face that shit objectively. Write your stress source down or talk it out and belittle it as much as you can.

For example: “holy shit I have to sit an A Level in Maths and I’ve been learning the content for less than a year all on my own. I don’t have many practice materials and that shit looks hard. I will run out of time because I also have 4 other A Levels to sit and I will fail.” (Me irl bc I’m crazy)

Becomes: “It’s a few questions on a sheet of paper. All you have to do is work on your weaknesses. You should make a timetable to prove to yourself you have time. It’s not A* or bust - do your best.”

Because that’s all it is. Take the emotions away from the problem. Temporarily take everything that’s riding on that one thing away and strip it right back to what it’s really about. Make yourself believe that it is not above you. Once you convince yourself you can do it, actually doing it becomes a hell of a lot easier.

these are small things you can add to your day to be 10% more productive with the estimated time it’ll take! these are things i do (or try to do) most days. they’re small enough to feel manageable, and i for sure don’t use all of them but i find that when i use at least 2-3 in a day i feel a lot better about the material.

retype notes in google docs (10-15 min/1 hour lecture)

Utilize pomodoro technique for at least one subject (25 min work/5 min break. total 30 min)

Look over notes before class (5 min)

Look over notes after class (5 min)

Make notecard summary after class (i find this one especially useful for calculus!) (10 min/notecard)

Explain short concept to a friend (10 min max)

write down to-do list of tasks (5 min)

Go over concepts in your head on your walk to class (absolute FAVORITE because of my daily calculus quizzes within the first 10 minutes of class) (as long as your walk is!)

Hello, Zani here, and I wanted to give some advice on how to deal with failing. 

I want to start off by saying that it is okay to get a bad grade on a test, and you shouldn’t let it decide your entire self-worth. As long as you know that you did your very best, IT IS OKAY. 

1. Just because you didn’t do as well as someone else, it doesn’t mean that you are stupid. 

I’ve been in a place many times where I have failed and started to compare myself to others. It makes you feel like crap and can make you feel not good enough, which is not fun. Try to remember that everyone is different, and we all have different learning style’s and some things are more challenging, but that does not make you incompetent. 

2. Think about what you need to work on

After seeing the things that you missed figure out how you can improve them. If it’s practicing more math problems, re-reading a chapter, or even talking to your teacher for help, do it. It’s okay to ask for help, and you should never be ashamed of it. While re-reading a chapter, if you took notes, I suggest looking over them as you read through the chapter, and add stuff that you seemed to miss. Finding a practice test to take after you have gone over it, or getting a prep book can also help with these things. 

3. Let it go 

As a high school student, it’s a given that I have to do a lot of tests and assessments. Some are to prepare for my GCSEs, some are to test my knowledge and understanding of the topic I’ve been studying and some are compulsory for my school year. Either way, I strive for high marks on every test I do. Here are a few tips on how to revise well for tests and ensure high grades.

Don’t procrastinate. I learnt this one the hard way. You can’t cram all your studying into one evening. It’ll certainly affect your score negatively, as it won’t be ingrained into your mind and you’ll probably forget all the information by morning.

Practise, practise, practise! Ask a teacher for some past paper questions or just practice questions. This is something I’ve done for years; it always helps me to understand how questions will be formatted and worded. Reading the mark schemes also helps majorly, and helps you understand what information needs to be included and what you need to eradicate from your answer.

Revise what you learn as you learn it. Don’t leave it all until the weeks leading up to the test. Make mind maps, flash cards etc. as soon as you’ve learnt something. By the time exam season rolls around, you’ll know most of your topics. Even if you know your topics, keep revising all the way up until your test to keep it fresh in your mind.

Keep yourself healthy. When it comes to passing your exams, sleep is essential. Teenagers need eight to ten hours of sleep per night, but most teenagers struggle to get enough sleep. Lack of sleep causes a decrease in your ability to learn, concentrate, listen and solve problems. This will greatly affect your grades in a negative way. If you have an irregular sleep pattern, establish a bed time and waking time. You should also drink lots of water, eat (no junk food!) and get an hour of exercise at least three days a week.

Don’t be afraid to take breaks! To study effectively, you have to take breaks. These breaks must be taken after fifty to ninety minutes of studying and must last between fifteen and twenty minutes long. During these breaks, you need to relax your brain. You should avoid screens, shift your attention to something else, maybe take a walk or do a small bit of exercise and most importantly, stop concentrating. Your break is your time to relax, so use it wisely.

Study in a quiet area. The best place to study is a room with minimal background noise. Some good places to study are the library (as it’s always quiet) and your room (as long as you don’t share it with siblings or anyone else.) If you listen to music while revising, especially music that you’re familiar with, it can prevent learning. It’s much easier to revise with no distractions, it’ll help you learn more in a shorter period of time.

Motivate yourself and remain motivated. I have trouble motivating myself to study, and often get distracted. My most effective ways of motivating myself include buying cute stationery and thinking of my future, as I have a massive phobia of failure. My methods may not work for everyone. Find what’s best for you.

Ah yes. Spring semester. Thought it was over? Nope. It’s just getting started. Burn out is REAL and it’s very easy to fall prey to. Here’s some things that helps me fight burn out.

1-sleep. Sleep. S L E E P. Please sleep. I know it can be so hard, especially when finals start rearing their heads. Our bodies regenerate during sleep, and it gives our minds time to sort through the information that’s been given to us (or rather shoved down our throats from time to time).

2- eat. You gotta refuel. It’s so basic but even having some bread after not eating for a while will help. Candy will help for a little while, but make sure to munch on an apple or something.

3- get yo body up and moving. Dance to your favorite songs, walk around the block, play with your cat, roll up in a blanket on the floor and pretend you’re a worm. Anything that will stretch you out and help circulate your blood.

4- baby wipe powers. I don’t know what it is, but wiping my face with baby wipes or makeup remover makes me feel clean and awake. Is it the best for my skin? Probably not, but it helps keep me awake. It’s a good substitute if you can’t bring yourself to shower too.

5- breathing. Taking a break from studying and crying over textbooks feels amazing. I like the box method personally; breathing in for five, holding for five, breathing out for five, hold for five. (Get it…it’s kinda like a box 😉) you can also do the 4:7:8 method, anything that brings your attention to your body.

6- crying. Yep. It’s a catharsis. Crying helps me feel better. Just let it all out. It’s okay to cry. Make sure to stay hydrated if you go this route.

7- being a vegetable. My brain feels mushy after a while of just studying. When it gets to this point, I know I won’t be able to retain anything more, so I often just watch Netflix. Or take a nap. Naps are nice.