Trying to study

ok this is waaaay later than it should be, it’s already been a month since the new year but january was such a shitty month and there was so much going on that i haven’t found time to really reflect on the past year but here it is :’)

1. there will be people in your life that you can’t just cut out of your life even if they’re super toxic and bad for your mental health but that doesn’t mean you deserve to be treated like shit and your feelings invalidated

2. find yourself some upperclassmen/older friends that you can trust and not only ask for advice, but to confide in. they will save your life and it’s always nice to know that someone older and more experienced than you always has your back.

3. boys/girls can be dumb as fuck and 9/10 times they’re most definitely not worth wasting your time daydreaming/freaking/over-analyzing about. you don’t need a bf/gf, finding a bf/gf/SO is not more important than your goals, you are not an incomplete person without one. 

4. not everything is about you–sometimes you just need to get your head out of your ass and recognize that although you are important, you aren’t the world/the center of the universe. ask your friends how they’re doing once in a while instead of just ranting/complaining to them about your problems, get them a thoughtful gift, tell them that you genuinely appreciate them, etc. 

5. stop settling. sign up for that survey, register for that seminar, apply for that exclusive internship. you’re the only one who’ll make sure you get shit done, not your parents, your friends, or your teachers. 

6. wear whatever the fuck you want. people won’t care tbh, and the people who do don’t matter. clothes/makeup is meant to make YOU feel better, not for anyone else. an outfit is pulled together by your personalty and confidence, not by other’s opinions

7. don’t be afraid to let loose. party hard, but work harder. if you work all day and never have any fun you won’t have balance, and this will make you less productive. go to that party, get drunk with your friends, watch that movie, go to that concert, as long as you’re able to get back on track

8. prioritize your health. running clears the mind, yoga is calming, wash your hands, invest in that hand lotion, drink more water. you won’t be able to get anything done if you’re sick half of the time. you do good work when you feel good. 

having self-discipline while studying can be immensely helpful, and it’ll help you get over procrastination and motivation slumps. here are some tips for developing more self-discipline! ahhh this post was kinda hard to write because i’m still trying to build up my own self-discipline! hopefully, some of this will help you guys out!

remove all temptations

yes, it’s so so tempting to check tumblr and youtube and twitter and instagram and whatnot while studying. a simple way to fix that is to log off all of your social media accounts, put your phone away and out of your sight while studying, and setting up a website blocker if you need to. chrome has quite a lot of extensions regarding website blockers, so try searching for one that you like.

be ready to study

get all of your materials out, fill up a bottle of water, make yourself a study snack if you want to, make sure your work space is clean and ready to go, etc. it can be disruptive to your own work flow if you suddenly find that you desperately need something halfway across your house during your study session.

don’t wait for “the perfect moment”

waiting for “the right time” and “the perfect moment” can be incredibly detrimental to your own discipline. it’s nice to spend a lot of time digging through a motivation tag and you feel very light and happy to start working. however, that’s not helpful if you’ve spent too much time in that and not enough time to get your own work done. get a start on your own work and try to finish it efficiently so you can get back to whatever you were doing before :-)

don’t make excuses

this is kinda like the one before it, but stop making excuses to yourself unless they’re genuine. i know that other things in your life may come first, and that’s completely fine! just remember to be honest with yourself and stop making up flimsy excuses to push off something that you don’t want to do.

schedule things.

good time management = good self-discipline :) keep track of all the tasks that you need to do that day, and try to finish all of them in the same day as well. don’t overload your schedule though; be realistic in your planning. you don’t have to cover 15 chapters in one day!!

start whatever you need to do at that time

by pushing it off, you’re inviting yourself into the dreaded loop of procrastination. if you’ve already fallen into procrastination, force yourself to start the task for at least 10 minutes. after 10 minutes, check to see if you’ve gotten into a nice and steady work flow or if you’re still just worn-out and tired and don’t want to do it at all. if it’s the first one, smile and continue on! you’ve succeeded! if it’s the second one, maybe it’s because you’re too tired and worn out. take a 5 minute break and then try again.

finish what you start

it’s fairly simple: try to finish whatever you start that day. don’t push it off or wait til the next day to finish it.

make up your own deadline

by establishing your own deadline, you set yourself a time frame to finish something in. this pushes you to actually do the work in that amount of time. also, it’s really helpful especially when working on projects. you can split up the task into separate chunks and make deadlines for each “chunk.” it makes it a lot easier to handle too!

take advantage of mornings

i absolutely detest mornings, but waking up early can be a huge advantage. by waking up early, you’re strengthening your own self-discipline as well as gaining a large amount of time to study and work! besides, it feels great to have a whole night to yourself if you finish all of your tasks in the morning!!

remember to forgive yourself and remember to take breaks!

not everyone can be hyper productive forever. people have their ups and downs, and you’re no exception. don’t beat yourself up over not finishing x amount of tasks that day or for having too many long breaks or whatever. it’s good to shake yourself back into shape, but please please don’t go overboard and despair about your failures. it’s so easy to guilt yourself and spiral away from your built-up discipline ;; the longer you’re off, the harder it is to get back up and keep going. the key thing is: you are trying and your efforts are validated and you have made some progress with your self-discipline and studying. forgive yourself and move on.

remember: don’t get discouraged the longest journey starts with a single step (◕ᴗ◕✿)

30 Day Minimalism Challenge

Every year when January rolls around I have the urge to simplify – to start the new year fresh and clean and uncluttered. This doesn’t mean getting rid of everything (I’m faaaar from being a minimalist), just getting rid of the things that weigh you down. So, here’s the unofficial guide to simplifying without going full-on Marie Kondo. 

physical clutter

What’s the area in your room that stresses you out when you see it? Start there. A few quick tips on how to clean specific areas:

closet

Take allll your clothes out of your closet, wardrobe, or dresser

Put the things you know you’re keeping back in right away – your favorite jeans, that black dress you wear all the time, etc

Once you’re left with just the ‘maybes’, try every item on.

If you wouldn’t buy it all over again, it should probably go.

Don’t just toss what you don’t want, though! Donate it to a local thrift store, charity, or church with a community closet.

desk + shelves

Again, start by completely clearing off your desk and study area.

Go through your binders and make sure everything is in it’s correct place

Migrate materials from old classes into files out of the way if they’re important, or toss them if you won’t use them again.

 Make sure everything has a home – pencils should be in a bag or mug, papers in files or trays, and notebooks neatly stacked.

Make a point to clean your desk regularly!

If you have supplies you don’t need, donate them! Let’s be real – you have way more pens than you could ever use.

Books are also a wonderful thing to donate! Your local library or thrift shop would be my top pick. 

If you still have old textbooks laying around, list them on your school’s bulletin board to sell, since most thrift shops won’t accept them. 

under your bed

Let’s be real: most all of this can go. Grab a trash bag and toss anything that’s not important.

You can get one of those rolling tupperware under-the-bed organizers, or just stick what has to stay under there in a thin  cardboard box.

Be sure not to leave things loose under there, or you may end up with some unwanted pals living under there ~

digital clutter

I don’t know about you, but I feel like I have a lot of digital clutter. It’s so easy to build it up and forget about all that you have stored on your computer!

Go through your phone and delete photos you don’t need, apps you don’t use, and old messages. 

Do a major computer overhaul! Delete old files and programs so that you have more space.

Put all your files into folders so that they’re easier to find later on.

Take a look through your friends and following lists, and delete all those people that post negative things.

mental clutter

This is the big one. Mental clutter comes from all of the above, plus just living your life. Some tips for decluttering your mind:

Do a nightly brain dump. Before you get into bed each night, open up your journal and write down everything that’s on your mind. Once it’s on paper, you can let it go until the morning. 

Find relaxing habits to practice everyday: yoga, taking a warm bath, going for a run, etc

Practice mindfulness or meditation

Keep a planner!

Practice not letting yourself harbor bad thoughts

Stay away from negative people if you can. You don’t need negative attitudes to be adding your already stressful life!

simplify your schedule

Learn to say ‘no’ more – if you don’t want to go to your friend’s-cousin’s-niece’s dance recital, don’t.

Streamline your daily routine;

Get ready faster by nixing the makeup you don’t love to put on and finding quick and easy hairstyles

Make an outfit idea board on Pinterest and fill it with outfits that you can make from pieces you already have in your closet so you spend less time finding an outfit 

Cook meals in advance when possible, or stick an easy meal in the crockpot before you leave for the day

Tidy every room just a bit before you leave it, so that you don’t have to devote an hour to cleaning it later on

Make time for you each week

See if there are any chores that you can outsource (eg, some grocery stores will shop for you for free, all you have to do is order online and go pick it up)

Don’t feel like you have to participate in something you don’t enjoy. If you don’t love the sport, don’t play it

Masterpost 3 out of 50: Finals Guide 

I’m sorry right now I’m too mentally tired to think of a description //

Hi guys! Today I’m going to share with you some of the apps and websites I have come across/use myself. I divided them into categories!

All apps are free unless stated otherwise. I’ve never paid for an app in my life!! Anything marked with a * is a favorite of mine.

Calendar/Organization:

* Plan: amazing calendar app; syncs with Google Calendar; easy to use (iOS app; website); will probably make a whole post about this app

My Study Life: calendar app that helps with organizing your time (iOS; Android; website)

Wunderlist: list making; you can share tasks, etc; access literally from any device, even Kindle

Sunrise Calendar (iOS; Android; Mac; website)

Google Calendar

Productivity/Avoiding Procrastination:

Forest: not free, see free Chrome extension below (iOS; Android)

FocusNow: similar to Forest, but free (iOS; Android)

Pomodrone (iOS)

Pomodoro Time (iOS)

ClearFocus (Pomodoro timer for Android)

Self Control (Mac)

Cold Turkey (Windows)

Chrome extensions:

Some of these are mentioned in other categories

* Momentum

* Embark

Currently

* Lanes

* Forest

My Study Life

* Noisli 

StayFocusd

Language learning:

⇢ Multiple languages

* Duolingo: most major languages (iOS; Android; Windows Phone;website)

TinyCards: flashcards by Duolingo (iOS)

Duolingo test center: for English Language Certification; you can actually pay for a certificate; reviews say it’s very difficult (iOS)

* Memrise: most major languages; teaches programming languages (iOS; Android; website)

Conjuguemos: a few (mostly Romance) languages; teaches Latin verbs

Lingoda (paid): English, German, French, Spanish

L-Ceps: tons of different major languages; teaches Hindi, Malay, Burmese, Tagalog and Thai

Hello Talk: over 100 languages; learn with native speakers, and teach them your own language (iOS & Android)

Multilingual Books: a lot of resources for learning American Native Languages

iTalki (paid): literally any language you can think of; I’ll probably apply to be a teacher there soon

Radio Guide: listen to radio stations from tons of different countries

Babbel (paid): 14 major languages

* Forvo: a pronunciation dictionary for TOOOONS of languages

⇢ Specific languages (alphabetical order)

Arabic

Arabic alphabet

Learn Arabic Online

Holy Quran in Arabic

Al-Arab newspaper

Cherokee 

Rjholton

French

Bonjour

About French

@awesomefrench , a fellow blogger who teaches French

Watch the movie Paulette (2012), it’s absolutely hilarious. French is a bit tricky, so watch it with subtitles (in French, preferably)

France24 newspaper

German

Deutsch-Lernen

Learn German Easily

Spiegel newspaper

Hindi

Learning Hindi: link for beginners

Dainik Bhaskar newspaper

Italian

One Word Italiano

16 free Italian lessons

La grammatica italiana

Corriere della sera newspaper

Japanese

Guide to Japanese

Free Japanese lessons

Japanese-Online

Asahi newspaper

Korean

Learn-Korean

* Talk To Me In Korean (iOS & Android)

Korea Herald newspaper

Portuguese

Oneness 

BBC UK

Learn Portuguese with Rafa

Diário de Notícias newspaper

Russian

Learn Russian

Russian alphabet

Izvestia newspaper

Spanish

About Spanish

Watch the movie Chico y Rita (2010), it’s great and easy to understand! (I watched it in class)

El País newspaper

⇢ Sign languages

American Sign Language:

LifePrint

British Sign Language

MobileSign

School of Sign Language

Deaf Work Mate

Finger Spell

French Sign Language

Dico LSF (dictionnaire)

Web LSF Lexique

Terminologie scolaire

WikiSign

Multidico (lexique)

German Sign Language

WikiSign

Spanish Sign Language

Lenguaje de signos (libro)

Curso online gratis

Català y Español: WikiSign

Portuguese Sign Language

Escola Virtual LGP (inclui os básicos; só temos que criar conta)

Note taking:

Evernote (iOS; Android; website)

* OneNote (iOS; Android; Mac; PC; website)

Studying:

Quizlet: create/use other people’s flashcards (iOS; 

* Khan Academy: various subjects; basically a team of amazing teachers (iOS; Android; Windows 8/10; website)

* Crash Course: another team of amazing teachers; partners with Khan Academy; it’s a Youtube channel; see their playlists for different subjects

Shmoop (paid): courses, test preparation and learning guides

Brightstorm (paid): similar to Shmoop

Background noise:

* Noisli: you can choose between productivity and relaxation (apps aren’t free, but the Chrome extension is: iOS; Android; website)

* Coffitivity: you can choose between different ambiences (iOS; Android; website)

A Soft Murmur (Android; website)

Fonts:

Dafont

1001Fonts

* FontSquirrel

* Fount: for when you want to know what font someone is using on their blog/website

Stationery shopping:

Mochi Things

Jetpens

* AliExpress: ships from China; super cheap stuff, I mostly buy washi tape and stickers but they have everything there; make sure to filter your search by selecting free shipping and price low to high (they have the same exact products for completely different prices, depending on the seller)

Alright guys, that’s all the apps, websites and tools I have to share with you. I hope you find this useful!

Let me know if you have any requests for posts. Check out my previous masterposts:

Back to School: general tips and advice

hey! as a natural procrastinator and normally lazy student (thank you studyblr for helping me stay on track), i’ve noticed that i have the tendency to tell myself, “oh, i don’t really need to do that extra credit assignment,” or, “i can skip this one class,” and the worst form, “i can just do this later *never does it*”. here are some things that i do to remind myself that i should do the extra credit, that class matters, and i have to do my work.

when sleepiness is my excuse:

i organize my work, bookmarking readings and stacking things according to what order i want to do them in.

then, i take a twenty minute nap. it’s true that i’ll be no use for studying if i’m wiped out but it’s definitely not an excuse to forget school completely. 

or

if it’s too late in the day (or, rather, too early in the morning) and it’s just smarter to go to bed, i set my alarm for the next day earlier than scheduled. the time depending on how long the assignment will actually take.

you can also find time within your day to try and complete the exercise on time.

when stress is my excuse:

(meaning i’m thinking things like, “there’s so much! i can’t possibly do it all!”)

take a breather. sometimes, i’ll take a short break (no matter what my pomodoro timer says) and maybe do a session on headspace. 

when i return to my work, it’s good to be reminded that even though it may take a while, it’s 100% possible for me to do.

or

change the pace that i’m working at. if i’m working for an hour at a time with a short break, i’ll scale it down and have a break every half hour. 

i may also change how i’m doing my work. if i’m taking notes on a textbook (which notoriously stresses me out), i might switch to just highlighting if i can. 

when “lack of time” is my excuse:

put down the phone and reschedule. whenever i feel like i don’t have enough time, it’s almost always because i’m managing time in the wrong way.

a way to reschedule could involve making a study plan or something that can help you stay on track and tell you what to do when. this way (unless something unexpected happens), you know you’ll have enough to time do whatever is listed.  

or

i’ll let myself waste a little bit more time (because that’s likely what i’ve been doing up until this point) and then start work slowly. i find that if i try to throw myself into work from doing nothing, i’ll retain less and will be more likely to give up on the whole endeavor. 

i start working on easier things first just to get into the groove of work. also, it could be helpful to take more frequent, shorter breaks in the beginning and, as you continue, spread them out the longer you’ve been studying. 

when i just don’t want to do it:

if it’s a class, i have a look at the syllabus and see what is scheduled for that day’s class. i remind myself that if i miss out on this topic or exercise, i’ll be behind and that i’ll be doing a lot more work just catching up.

if the class that day doesn’t seem particularly important, i ask myself what i’d be doing instead. even if i’d only be learning minimal new information, i’d still be doing more than just playing on my laptop.

or

if it’s an assignment, i still apply the syllabus method but instead look at how much it could impact my grade just by ignoring it.

i try to break up the work into small parts if possible and work bit by bit so things don’t seem as overwhelming or tough. 

iMOVING INTO YOUR DORM:

Dorm Shopping & Moving in

College Packing List by kimberlystudies

Dorm shopping 101

Bed, Bath, and Beyond’s dorm checklist

Living with a roommate

GETTING ORGANIZED:

How to organize your desk/study space by @hellostudying

Back to school organization tips by megthomson

How I organize my school folder by diary-of-an-a-level-student

APPS TO HELP YOU IN SCHOOL

Essential productivity apps by postgraduatepurgatory

5 cool and free websites for students by packbackbooks

20 apps for a new school year by @elisetheviking

Best study apps for iPhone by apprecommendations

SCHOLARSHIP SEARCH:

Scholarships: the beginner’s guide

Scholarship tips by collegesmarts

HEALTH RELATED ADVICE:

Overcoming anxiety by studyrose

The ultimate guide to better sleep

SAVING MONEY:

Free microsoft word

Best website to buy textbooks 

Where to take advantage of student discounts

How to make and save money during college

GETTING A JOB: 

10 tips for interviews

Jobs and careers by study-well

The perfect resume for someone with no experience by businessinsider

Resume cheat sheet by pr1nceshawn

TAKING NOTES: 

How to make organized notes by mindofamedstudent

Good notetaking by @theperfectionistdiaries

How to take notes like a straight A student

STUDYING: 

How to study like a straight A student

How to study for finals

Studying: What to avoid by mariacharl

WRITING:

How to effectively write a lecture summary

How to write a thesis statement

PART ONE 

Nelson Mandela 

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

“After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.” 

“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” 

Tina Fey 

“Confidence is 10% hard work and 90% delusion.”

“It will never be perfect, but perfect is overrated. Perfect is boring.”

“It’s a burden, being able to control situations with my hyper-vigilance, but it’s my lot in life.” 

Roald Dahl 

“We have so much time and so little to do. Strike that, reverse it.”

“If I had my way, I would remove January from the calender altogether and have an extra July instead.” 

“So, please, oh please, we beg, we pray, go throw your TV set away, and in its place you can install, a lovely bookcase on the wall.” 

Michael Jackson 

“I’m just like anyone. I cut and I bleed. And I embarass easily.”

“The greatest education in the world is watching the masters at work.” 

“If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with.” 

Jennifer Aniston

“There are no regrets in life, just lessons.”

“Once you figure out who you are and what you love about yourself, I think it all kinda falls into place.”

“A relationship isn’t going to make me survive. It’s the cherry on top.” 

Salvador Dali 

“Have no fear of perfection - you’ll never reach it.”

“Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing.”

“Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings.”

Eleanor Roosevelt 

“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.”

“Women are like teabags. You dont know how strong they are until you put them in hot water.”

a burden: there’s a bucket of reasons why you should not feel like one. perhaps you’re overthinking, worried, or feeling down. but don’t ever feel like you’re being such a burden. you are part of the population. you are important. without you, this world would lose the opportunity to be changed in your own simple ways. you are necessary. you are loved and it’s okay to be your own priority.

a disappointment: you’re not! i’m proud of wherever you are right now. im proud of your progress; no matter how enormous or minute it might be. if you failed your test, it’s okay. if you didn’t win the competition, it’s alright. im pretty sure you did your best and it’s that part that will always matter. don’t let other people’s “what a shame” bring you down. YOU. ARE. NOT. A. SHAME. you are blooming in your own simple ways. and I am proud and happy for you. continue growing, aspiring, believing in yourself. i’m proud of you.

a weirdo: most definitely never a weirdo! if you like doing things that are quite different, that does not make you a weirdo. that makes you special and even more precious. it was such a perfect combination of atoms and dna that led to a beautiful creature that is you and oh dear god, you’re amazing. your way of thinking is creative and the way you do things is totally out of this world. you are beyond the things earthly. you are meant for greater things. and you are most definitely not a weirdo.

ugly: whoever said you were, should most definitely need to get their eyes checked. when was the last time they went to the eye doctor anyway? if there’s anything that i’d like to be, it is to be as beautiful and as bright as you, a total human version of sunshine. your eyes light up like a ray of sunlight, your lips are perfectly carved like cherries, and your noise is huge or small and it’s cute. most definitely cute like a button. and the world should be in awe every time you wake up.

not good enough: you are good enough. you should feel good enough. if somebody’s making you feel like you’re not, then that only means he does not deserve you, the brightest star light in the universe. you deserve to feel loved. your strength and your smiles make this world a better place. you are good enough: always have been, forever will be.

alone: i’m here for you, your dogs are there for you. your cats are waiting for you. your pets will always be at your back, giving sweet and soft head bumps to make you feel loved. your music playlist is there for you to blast when you’re feeling a tinsy bit down. you are never ever alone. we’re constantly caring, loving, and waiting for you. please stop frowning and crying, you are loved.

stupid: you are, as a matter of fact, really really intelligent and even smart! perhaps you’re having difficulty in understanding your math or chemistry lessons, but that’s part of the process! at least you’re learning. i’m pretty sure some people will not be able to understand it just like you. but that doesn’t equal to being stupid. you’re just learning. continue to crave for knowledge and continue to make your curiosity work. you are not stupid.

I  School Days 

1. Show up to class a little early. It’ll give you time to set up, read over some old notes, put your water bottle/thermos on your desk, fill out your planner if you couldn’t in the previous period(s), check your planner to see if you have something on that day etc.

2. Sit in the front or second row. I’m serious, you will definitely benefit. Write detailed class notes. Pick whatever system works for you. I usually write my titles in red pen, notes in black pen, underline points that are repeated/emphasised, highlight keywords at home

3. If you have time at school, do as much homework as you can. If you know you have commitments that day, please for the love of your education do your homework at lunch. I know you might feel awkward, but your friends will understand. 

4. When you get home, first list down all the homework received that day on a q card (cross off as you go). Then write the same tasks in your bullet journal, but as a daily spread. Use stayfocusd or self control for mac + leave phone in a different room. FINISH ALL OF YOUR HOMEWORK. If for some reason you couldn’t complete a homework task, write it on a sticky note and place it on your wall. After homework is done, write your revision notes (flashcard the info as well). Place the notes in your accordion folder/binder. If you have some loose sheets at any point, place them in a ‘To Be Filed’ box. Sort that out when you’re packing your bag for the next day.

5. Go through the flashcards made that day and the flashcards made on the previous days.  List out all assignments/assessments on another q card with their due dates. This will come in handy later.

6. Pack your bag the night before. Remember your accordion folder + make sure your ‘To Be Filed’ box is empty. Put water bottle in the fridge and make meals for the next day.

7. The next day, wake up early, complete any unfinished homework, go through flashcards again, read through revision notes, make lunch for the day, put laptop in bag, put food + water in bag, exercise (esp if you have commitments after school), shower, change, blah blah blah. Only do this if your schedule is packed, and in my case, this is a must.

II  Weekends

1. On Friday nights, first off, do homework. You will thank yourself for it. Whip out that list of assessments/assignments and allocate half days to knock off at least two of these little assholes. Work ahead, you will feel much better.

2. Do your readings. For English, knock off some wider reading novels, for HSIE, knock off some textbook unit readings (two units ahead), for science, knock off some more textbook readings. Write summaries of each page. Type these summaries. Print these summaries. Place in accordion folder/binder. Flashcard the info. Spend like half a day doing this lmao.

3. Spend 1-2 hours going through the flashcards you made that week for each subject. This counts as studying my friend. 

III Weekends When You Actually Have Assessments 

1. Due to your working ahead, homework completion and readings, you shouldn’t be panicking too much. Get those revision notes and slot in the textbook readings notes. Highlight, annotate, read aloud, go through flashcards and get someone to test you on the content. Make sure you know all terms, formulae, key concepts, vocabulary etc etc

2. As for assignments, again due to your working ahead just print them out and heavily edit those little asshats. Then type the edits into the doc. Repeat this process four times. Then get someone to read it. Make sure all your assignments are on your USB + email them to yourself because you never fucking know tbh. 

3. You’ll probs have to sacrifice your reading time but that’s chill because the teacher/prof will probably be focusing on prepping you for the actual assessment + you gotta do what you gotta do.

SUMMARY

Sleep is essential for refreshing your mind and aiding in learning, as well as for your general wellness and day-to-day function. Unfortunately, many students have trouble getting enough quality sleep. This post will offer practical tips to help you catch those ZZZs.

1. GET ENOUGH

The National Sleep Foundation recommends the following numbers of hours of sleep each night:

Ages 6-13: 9-11 hours

Ages 14-17: 8-10 hours

Ages 18-64: 7-9 hours

Every individual’s sleep needs will vary, but aiming for these general recommendations is the best way to start off. If you find yourself consistently sluggish, drowsy, or cranky throughout the day, you may need to increase the number of hours you sleep.

2. KEEP A CONSISTENT SCHEDULE

Sleeping/waking at around the same times every day regulates your body’s internal clock, helps you fall asleep more quickly, and improves sleep quality. So as tempting as it is, sleeping in until noon on Saturday mornings will likely only make you feel more fatigued and “jet-lagged”. Try to keep your weekend sleep schedule within an hour or two of your normal one.

During the night, you undergo several phases of sleep, ranging from light to deep sleep. If you’re woken up during a deep sleep phase, you’re more likely to feel groggy, and your attention, memory, and decision-making skills will be deficient for several hours. To ensure you’re not interrupted during deep sleep, use a bedtime calculator to find what time you should go to bed if you have to wake up at a certain time, or vice versa. Alternatively, use an app that will track your movements during the night and wake you up during your lightest phase of sleep.

It’s normal to feel sleepy in the afternoon, but taking long naps during the day can prevent you from falling asleep later at night. Limit your napping to a 15-20 minute catnap anywhere from 1-3 pm.

3. AVOID CAFFEINE

Stop drinking coffee, caffeinated tea, energy drinks, and soda 6 hours before bedtime. Use these natural energy boosters instead:

take a nap (my personal favorite; see above section)

drink a glass of cold water

listen to upbeat music + have a quick solo dance party!!

go for a walk

or even just stand outside and bask in the sun

eat a healthy, low-sugar snack

4. AVOID DIGITAL SCREENS

The blue light from the screens of your devices suppresses the release of melatonin, a sleep hormone, essentially tricking your body into thinking it’s daytime. Try to put away your phone/tablet/laptop/television 1-2 hours before bedtime. E-readers that don’t have a backlight, such as the original Kindles, are fine to use, but those that have lighted displays, such as the Kindle Fire, are not.

This often poses a problem for students, who usually work in the evenings and often have to use their devices to type essays and conduct research online. I’m not great at following this rule either (yours truly is typing up this blog post at 9 pm), but my tip is to finish the assignments that require a laptop earlier in the afternoon/evening, then devoting the later hours to math problems, worksheets, note-taking, and other paper-based tasks. If you must use your device close to bedtime, turn on the Night Shift feature on your iOS device and download f.lux for your other devices— these will limit the amount of blue light your screens emit after a certain time of day.

5. EXERCISE

Exercising during the day can help you fall asleep faster and sleep more deeply. During a scientific study, the National Sleep Foundation reported that 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity a week improved sleep quality by 65%. Even a quick 10-minute walk can benefit your sleep. However, it may take several weeks of an exercise regime before you begin to see improvement, so stick to it and don’t get discouraged!

6. IMPROVE YOUR ENVIRONMENT

Design a bedroom that’s conducive to quality sleep with the following steps:

Keep outside noise down with earplugs, a fan, ambient sound, or a white noise machine.

Keep the room as dark as possible (unless you like a nightlight) with curtains or a sleep mask.

Make sure the room is the right temperature for you. Most people sleep better in a slightly chillier room, around 65 degrees Fahrenheit or 18 degrees Celcius. If it’s stuffy, open a window to improve ventilation.

Get a mattress and pillow that are supportive and comfortable. Make sure your blankets aren’t too thick or thin. Wash and change your sheets regularly so they’re clean and soft.

An essential oil diffuser, humidifier, and stuffed animals are nice accessories to make you more comfy! :)

7. RESERVE YOUR BED

For most of my life, I kept my desk and my bed together in my room. Each night, I would finish my homework, walk literally three steps to the right, and collapse into my bed. I often had trouble falling asleep, because my mind would still be churning from all the work I’d just completed and the piles of unfinished assignments sitting just a couple feet away. I began to associate my bedroom with stress and schoolwork, a mindset I couldn’t switch off just by turning the lights out. But when I moved my desk from my bedroom into a separate room, my sleep immediately improved. I fell asleep faster, slept more soundly, and started associating my bedroom with peace and relaxation instead— all because I put a little bit of distance between my bed and the rest of my life.

Moving furniture into separate rooms isn’t always feasible for everyone, but you can take measures to help your brain associate your bed with sleeping. While in/on your bed, don’t study, check email, scroll through Instagram, or do anything else that will stress you out or keep you awake. Reserve your bed for sleeping only, and your brain will automatically go into a “sleep context” when you get into it every night.

8. PREPARE FOR THE NEXT DAY

Oftentimes, people have trouble falling asleep because they’re worried about the next day. Maybe you’re already dreading waking up in the morning or anxious about tomorrow’s test or your head is spinning thinking about all the things you need to do, want to do, ought to do. The best way to prevent worry and sleeplessness is to spend some time each night preparing for the next day, which could include:

packing your bag with everything you’ll need tomorrow

setting out tomorrow’s outfit in advance

doing a huge brain dump of everything you want to do or remember, so it’s out of your head and onto paper

updating your planner; cross off completed tasks and add new ones

visualizing yourself succeeding at everything you have to do tomorrow, so you feel confident and ready

telling yourself, “I’ve prepared as much as I could. It’s out of my control now. Whatever happens, happens.”

9. UNWIND

Relax, de-stress, and get yourself ready for bedtime with the following activities:

journaling

stretching

coloring

breathing exercises

taking a shower/bath

meditating

reading a book

listening to soft music or an audiobook

10. MAKE IT A PRIORITY

I can’t emphasize this one enough. So many people treat sleep as an optional activity, or even a luxury. It’s often the first thing to be sacrificed when life gets hectic. But sleep is extremely important to all aspects of your wellbeing, and you must prioritize your health. When you don’t get enough sleep, you have less energy, less focus, and less capability to learn. This can lead to a vicious cycle of sleep deprivation and poor performance, which have irreversible long-term effects.

So make your bedtime sacred. Take it as seriously as you would any other task in your planner. I have a rule: if it’s not done by 11 pm, too bad. I have to go to bed. Getting enough sleep gives me the energy to keep up with the next day’s classes and catch up on any work I didn’t finish the night before, if necessary. Make a conscious decision to respect your sleep schedule each and every day, and your body and mind will thank you.

Thanks for reading! If you have questions, feedback, or post requests, feel free to drop me an ask. To find the rest of my original posts, click here. :)

Hey guys! A little while ago, I decided to establish a study plan for myself, and I decided to make it into a master post. So..here’s my usual study plan. Enjoy!

Study Plan

Day 1:

make vocab flashcards

start writing/highlighting notes

read your textbook/chapter twice

Day 2:

review flashcards twice

read notes twice

read textbook/chapter once

create some diagrams

Day 3:

find a video about the topic

read your notes aloud once

read your textbook/chapter once

review diagram

Day 4:

try rewriting you notes from your memory

read notes aloud once

read textbook once

practice vocab flashcards

Day 5:

make a summary of your chapter/lesson

go over vocab

read notes

read textbook

find more videos on the topic

Day 6:

try to find an educational song about the topic(trust me, it makes concepts stick in your head)

review vocab

read notes aloud once

read textbook/chapter once

go over diagrams or try to redraw them from memory

Day 7

go over your vocab

watch another video

read aloud notes

read material

go over diagram again

get a good night’s sleep!!!