shuge luo

18.11.18 //  studygram: alimastudies

2.12.18 // studygram: alimastudies

this also applies to high school in a lot of ways, esp in organization and involvement

I read this book by cal newport called “how to win at college” in prep for my freshman year & u should definitely read it yourself because there are lots of important points i don’t cover in this post, but if you don’t want to, this is my summary of what I think were the most important points he made. 

STUDY HARD, BUT YOUR GRADES DON’T MEAN AS MUCH AS WHAT YOU LEARN OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM. he prioritizes getting vital experiences such as

- joining a club and eventually taking responsibility in it and becoming a leader

- apply for scholarships every year (he said 10 a year) 

- volunteer, but not for your resume. do it to learn and become a better person. 

- get involved in research, and get involved in your major department (like go to the events and lectures, even if they aren’t mandatory)

- write outside of class regularly because writing is super important (example- submit to your school newspaper) 

STAY ORGANIZED AND ON TOP OF YOUR SHIT

- he really really REALLY emphasizes not procrastinating and studying / starting papers well in advance of deadlines. his rules are to 

- - >start long term projects immediately after they are assigned and continue to work on them by following a reasonable schedule (he says to finish early, revise, then finish again), 

- - > take 3 days to write shorter papers (aka you have abt 2 weeks to work on them and they range from 2-15ish pages) (aka make preparations pre writing, then write a rough draft on the first day, revise and focus your writing on the second day (make sure your arguments are very clear!), and polish your paper on the third day), and

- - >take 2 weeks to study for an exam. study in shorter blocks during the first week, like maybe an hour or so each day. over the weekend, add more hours. the few days before the test, study in 2-3 hour chunks to really cement the already familiar information. 

- get a filing cabinet for your papers instead of just piling them on your desk and having to search for them later. 

- have a HIGH QUALITY notebook and a folder for each class (or whatever stationery keeps you organized) and keep all your folders/notebooks/binders neat and organized. 

- empty your inbox and organize your emails 

- schedule your free time- aka have specific times that you choose to relax and spend with friends rather than unintentionally relaxing during work time, or worrying about work during relaxation time. 

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF

- you NEED sleep, you NEED healthy food, and you NEED exercise. you really shouldn’t put anything ahead of these things. 

- NEVER pull an all nighter. if you’re studying ahead of time, this should be easy. all nighters aren’t glamorous, they’re unproductive, really stressful, and unhealthy

- keep in touch with old friends, and remember to call your mom

- make sure to spend time with new friends and take care of them. be there for your friends. 

- keep your room neat and make your bed!! 

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

The best way to improve your self-control is to see how and why you lose control. – Kelly McGonigal

DEVELOPING CONSISTENT HABITS

Habits are behaviors that become automatic in our daily lives, like brushing our teeth. To form a habit, three steps are necessary:

1. Reminder – the reason why you’re starting a habit;

2. Routine – the habit itself;

3. Reward – what you gain from doing it.

WHAT IS STOPPING YOU FROM STARTING A HABIT

1. Mindset – the mind gravitates naturally towards negativity, and that is why you must train your brain to become more naturally positive.

2. Energy – it’s not necessarily willpower; you must have the energy to act, and if you’re too tired, you’ll never be in the mood to take action.

3. Willpower – it helps you maintain consistency and discipline in the long run.

TIPS

1. Do the easy things first. Say you want to be a writer – if writing scares you or seems to take up too much of your time or energy, write for a minute a day. As the days go by, you will realize that you can do more and better; action comes first and motivation second.

2. Write down what you will do. That way, you are more likely to do it. It’s not mandatory – you can tell yourself mentally what you are going to do on a specific day.

3. Attach the habit you want to implement to a behavior you already do every day. For instance, have a morning and a before bed routine.

4. Focus on developing a habit that improves various aspects of your life.

ENERGY BOOSTER

1. Breathe in slowly for 3 seconds, breathe out slowly for 6 seconds

2. Healthy sleeping schedules

3. Exercising

4. Eating healthily

5. Meditation

6. Pre-Routine – when you don’t want to exercise, or work, including a pre-routine in your habits may help you with getting things done

7. Empowering self-talk – replace “can’t” with “don’t”. “I can’t” is limiting, “I don’t” is more empowering

8. 5-Minute Rule – to avoid instant gratification and urges, wait five minutes before you take what you’re craving. After that time, if you still want it, then go get it – if not, you are able to think about your decisions

STOPPING DISTRACTIONS

1. Decide what you’re going to do when you sit in front of your computer;

2. If you decide to check e-mails or social media, set a timer and commit to it. Reward yourself so you know you’re taking control of your behavior;

3. If still you get distracted, pause and tell yourself that ‘just a bit longer’ is not going to satisfy the craving you feel. Remove yourself from the computer, if needed.

COMMON DISTRACTIONS and SOLUTIONS

1. Internet – Block addicting websites (StayFocused, Norton Family, Qustodio, OpenDNS);

2. Cellphone – put the cell phone on silent or on airplane mode and in another room;

3. Hunger/thirst – Have a water bottle with you at all times;

4. Ideas/Thoughts – Always have a piece of paper to write down your ideas.

Don’t forget that your diet, exercise, and sleep are the foundation of your focus.

HOW TO UNSTUCK

1. Set a time limit – sometimes you feel overwhelmed because you’ll have to spend a lot of time doing a task, so set a timer you feel comfortable with;

2. Do the easiest things first – it can drive your motivation. Those ‘easy wins’ will make your brain want more;

3. Plan your day the night before – prioritize tasks in order of importance. It’s not important that you get all the list done, as long as you do the first big task for as long as you need to.

DEALING WITH FEAR OF FAILURE

hello and congratulations to all you people who got into uni this year!! with september fast approaching, I thought I’d make a quick list of things that I’ve found a lot of freshers forget to pack for uni :)

spare charger leads - most people bring one but it’s great to bring a spare to keep in your bag for emergencies between lectures or in the library!

weighing scales, a sieve, a large mixing bowl, measuring jug, a whisk, etc. - these are essentials for baking, making pancakes, and loads of other things but can often be overlooked; I was the only person out of 10 in my flat who bought them to uni and we used them all the time! (especially for late-night cookies!!)

a small measuring cup - this is great for measuring out spirits for pre-drinks and also for baking/cooking.

a drying rack/clothes horse - washing your clothes at uni is expensive enough so bringing a clothes drying rack is a great way to save money by avoiding paying for the tumble drier!

AN EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE!!!!!!!!!! - please, please, please bring one of these and back up your work onto it regularly!!! I know people who have had their laptops with all their work on stolen, people who have lost or broken their laptops just before major deadlines, and people who have just accidentally deleted all their work!! it’s seriously worth paying £40 or so to buy a hard drive - it’s worth it compared to the £200+ that companies charge to recover lost data!!!! 

a door stop - very handy for propping open your bedroom door or the kitchen door to make your flat feel more open! they’re also very useful when you’re moving in.

plenty of towels - if you’re lazy like me and only want to do a towel wash every few weeks, it’s best to make sure you have at least 3 large towels to keep you going between washes!

a washing basket - you can just use a big bag for life but it can be handy to have a washing basket for dirty clothes - you can also just use it to carry clothes directly to and from the laundry room.

blu tac and push pins - very useful for decorating your room!

hole punch and stapler - these are just really useful to have, especially in exams season when you’re sorting out practice papers and notes!

a keyring - you’ll often be given tonnes of free keyrings in freshers week but so will your flatmates! therefore it’s great to bring a unique keyring to help distinguish your keys from others

gaffa tape - again this is very useful for decorating your room and the kitchen - we used a lot of gaffa tape to help stick up things like posters, tinsel and wall tapestries in our living area.

a black sharpie - these come in handy a lot so are great to have lying around!

alcohol, mixers, plastic shot glasses, paper straws, etc. - if you’re into drinking and going out, these are a must for freshers week!! I bought alcohol with me but managed to forget mixers so had to use tap water and lime cordial with my vodka on the first night as my new flatmates only had cola (which I hate) - so make sure to bring your fave mixers with you! 

photos from home - pictures of your family, pets, friends, etc. are great to decorate your room with so make sure you chose your favourites and print them off before you come to uni! 

passport and other important documents!!! - it’s really important to have your passport in case you apply for any jobs, and also to have things like your bank details, NHS and national insurance numbers to hand in case you need them for the mountain of paperwork you’ll do in freshers week!

medicines - make sure you get a small first aid kit but also bring things like paracetamol, cold and flu tablets, berocca, cough sweets, etc. - these will save your life when you fall victim to freshers flu (it is real and you will get it!!!), also berocca is great for hangovers!