[5/26/17]

flashcards for my French exam ig: rhubarbstudies

Chemistry references!!

15/4/17

government notes + some cute stationery my friends dad bought me from korea! ahhh i wanna visit seoul so bad :’)

Hi! For taking notes, my tips would be:

always add a title and dates to your notes - Knowing when you learnt a particular topic can be handy for when exams are coming up and you need to study or when you need to organise your notes. Dates can also give you an indication of when you should be revising the material to ensure your remember it. Have a look at this post, it outlines the curve of forgetting and can help you determine when you should start studying.

read the textbook/reading material prior to your class - This helps give you an outline of the material so you can summarise and shorten your notes. You also have the opportunity to clarify anything you might not have understood from just reading.

use the layout of the textbook or syllabus to organise your notes - I found copying the headings and subheadings really helped simplify my notes and helped to ensure I was learning each section. If this is not for you, use the titles given by your teachers as mentioned before!

include different ways to show the information - Use mindmaps, bullet points, graphs, flow chats and symbols to help visualise the content. This also helps break up large blocks of text which can be boring to read. If you are like me and a bit of perfectionist, do these on a post-it note so it doesn’t have to be perfect or take up a lot of room!

remember to (try to) write legibly - It sucks having to spend ages trying to figure out something you wrote so find a writing style that is comfortable for long periods of writing. If you want to change your writing, check out this post I made!

have a small colour coding system - An extensive colour coding system is tricky to use in fast-paced classes where the teacher is quick to move on. Using a mixture of black, blue and red pens can help differentiate parts of your notes without having to change your pen constantly. My colour coding system can be found here.

make note of what your teacher is saying - They’re knowledgable in your subjects so be sure to pay attention to what is being said and not just what is on the board or powerpoint. You can use small post-it notes for this kind of thing!

add your own personal touch - Draw doodles, acronyms, ribbons and abbreviations in your notes. You can check out this and this as inspiration. Also this masterpost has some links to help illustrate your notes.

avoid distractions - Whilst in class it’s obviously best to be focused. Try sitting where you can see and hear well, put away your phone and only use your laptop if necessary. Chatting to friends can also make you miss important information so if you don’t help but talk, sit away from them.

don’t be shy - If you don’t understand something, raise your hand and ask! You’ll be able to add to your notes and understand more deeply if you thoroughly know what you’re learning. If you struggle to speak up during class, ask your teacher after the lesson has finished or send them an email!

For studying:

review after class - Use a binder or folder to organise your notes in order after you’ve finished. Remember to review your notes after class, highlight them and add any extra information you have. Also compare your notes with friends or a study group!

make your study space productivity - make sure it is bright, clear and organised! Gather all the things you need so you don’t have to get up every 5 minutes. Also, if you can try to study away from your bed. You’ll be more inclined to sleep if you on it. Keep a glass of water and tissues close by.

set yourself up with a routine - this is how I prepare to study! It is a little weird but works for me. You’ll be able to develop your own!

pick out your top priorities - if you’re easily overwhelmed by long to-do lists, pick out the top three or five things that need to get done and focus on them. 

remove all distractions - if you can reduce the amount of time you spend on homework, there is going to be a better chance of fitting in half an hour or hour of actual studying! My top tips for removing distractions include: using Forest to stay on task and not use my phone - you can see a post with lots of time management/productivity manage apps here; have a “brain dump”/“procrastination page” where you write down anything that bothers you during a study session!

don’t multitask - yes it is so tempting but it’s going to ruin your ability to focus on the actual class. Josh Kaufman says that with multitasking, you’re basically asking your brain to bring whatever you’re doing into working memory. By multitasking, you’re making your brain load and reload contexts over and over. Diverting your attention over and over is just going to tire out your brain and therefore, equal a loss of focus. 

develop your discipline - this is the best way to get yourself into the habit of studying. By doing something each day, rewarding yourself and getting positive reinforcement you’ll be more inclined to study and not feel such strong resistance.listen to some music - I know it’s recommend to listen to instrumental music or soundtracks but honestly the music you enjoy is going to put you in a good mood. Blast it for a little bit, get hyped up! Then turn it down but have in low in the background. As long as it’s not taking over, there isn’t a problem having it playing quietly.