personal studyblr

Female Vampires + Homoeroticism

lots of green. everything is green. i don’t care, it’s my favourite colour and i’m going to surround myself with it

obsessively researching my latest favourite sea creatures

writing video essays at 2am because i don’t like formal essays but i want to infodump about squid

collecting bones and rocks from the beach and lining them up on my bookshelf

plants in the shower because i forgot to water them

fake leaves and fairy lights everywhere

paper butterflies hanging from the ceiling because i had two days of being completely obsessed with insects

‘hey did you know giant and colossal squid are two completely different unrelated animals?’

shut up about cephalopods shut up about cephalopods shut up about cephalopods

wearing the same brown jeans every day for a month because they’re comfy and they make me look more put together

my doc martens are absolutely knackered and older than i am but i like them so i’m not going to break in my other pair until they fall apart

ok my docs have literally fallen apart i might have to retire them to the back of my wardrobe

every mirror is covered in writing because it’s a good place to write notes

my room is becoming a jungle i cant stop buying plants

i absolutely cannot do my school work but i can research one species of really obscure squid for seven hours without a break

talking with my hands (not sign language just like i’m incapable of talking about something without waving my arms about)

the reality of procrastinating during reading week and now having three reports to write in a week…

2.9.2021 | 13/100 days of productivity

pictured: my italian + geography studies from yesterday

hello kids! this morning i worked at the arch lab, found some very intriguing rim sherds, then left for the day and worked on my discussion questions for geography. now, i’m preparing to tackle yet another archaeology reading before geography class. is my entire life geography and archaeology now? for sure. i wouldn’t have it any other way.

1. the Event

have something scheduled for the day, be it a class, club meeting, shift at work, going to a friend’s, whatever. you must get shit done before the Event. i’ve also done it where the event is my roommates coming home, and I tell them to ask me what i did so i feel like I have to do shit. get creative.

2. exist in a space in which you can easily hyper-focus

pretty obvious, go to a cafe, library, friend’s house, whatever works for you, and do your thing. also! cleaning your house can really help with motivation and focusing, so that too. 

3. “multitask”

"Teaching to Learn"

I worked with a doctor who was very open about her ADHD. She was fantastic to work with for a million different reasons, but what I loved the most in particular was that she was constantly teaching me. She'd explain the basis for and the science behind treatments she was doing, or how she came to a diagnosis, and even ask me questions to see what I've learned (in a good, non-intimidating way).

One day I told her that she was my favorite doctor to work with for this reason, and she said that although she does love teaching others about her passion, she mainly does it to retain the knowledge for herself.

Explain what you've learned out loud as if you were teaching it to somebody with no prior knowledge of the subject. It doesn't have to be to another person, it can be your cat, your reflection in the mirror, a stuffed animal, the wall, your fridge. (I personally pace back and forth in my apartment while my cat and bunnies stare at me like I'm a madman)

Additional tips for teaching to learn...

Try your best to refer to notes/other resources as little as possible. Your notes should be used as talking points, meaning they guide you in the direction of what you're supposed to be discussing, but you shouldn't just be reading off of them. (I like to use my prof's ppt slides just like they would in a real lecture)

Don't do this just one time. I suggest doing it right after you learn something/after lectures, then again a few days after you were introduced the material, then again a few days after that. Another good time to do it would be before an exam.

If one of your classmates is struggling with a topic, teach them. Even if you've got a good grasp on it, teaching them will really help solidify that information in your head. Also working through the material together if you're both struggling is really helpful.

Make sure what you're teaching is correct! After you're done, go back and make certain that you didn't say anything wrong. You don't want to get the wrong information stuck in your head.

there is no shame in asking for help

there is no shame in having a tutor

there is no shame in not getting As

there is no shame in not knowing what you want to study

there is no shame in having a job

there is no shame in struggling in a so-called "easy subject"

there is no shame in withdrawing from a course

there is no shame in changing your major

there is no shame in not taking a full load of classes in a semester

there is no shame in realizing your school may not be for you

4 ANTI-PROCRASTINATION TIPS

Countdown Rule: Count down from 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and on 1 force yourself to work. And no, you can’t stretch the countdown forever.

3 Minute Rule: Start working on the Thing for three minutes, which is barely the amount of time it takes to brush your teeth, and if by the end of it you still HATE YOUR LIFE then see what’s wrong. The hardest part is getting started- if you’re still struggling once you start, your problem isn’t procrastination.

The Absolutely Nothing Technique (TANT): if you’re scrolling on YouTube or whatever and procrastinating, stop and stare at the ceiling. Do absolutely nothing. Don’t pick up your phone, don’t sleep, don’t do anything but stare. Eventually you’ll realize how stupid this is and how you might as well work. verb: tanting ;)

Clean Your Room: similar to the previous one and very self-explanatory. Clean your room- if you don’t like doing it, eventually you’ll realize you’d rather just sit down and work. You’ll get a bit of your space clean as well!