That's Luminol, Darling

canines are foldy, foldy bois. (posting two days in a row? who IS SHE)

so far I think I’ve been okay? Like, I’m alive, and I’m starting to study slightly more. This is all progress. I think. I’ll let you guys know :p 

now i don’t see things the way i did before // dammit, i changed again // the offspring

rushed like 2 essays and a mindmap at school :")

Hamlet: I can’t I’m hiding a body

Ophelia: my dad isn’t home

680 | This is a kouign-amann and I eat them all the time because a friend of mine got obsessed with them after seeing them on the Great British Bakeoff and she transferred her obsession to me. Every time I eat one I can’t help but think of the John Mulaney quote “this is the height of luxury!!!!” 

1. Stop studying the day before. I usually stop at 5pm with all the studying. I do this because if I start cramming from then on, I’ll only get anxious. And at the end of the day, it’s no help for me to know the material if I’m gonna be so nervous and get a blackout. So I make peace with the fact that I may not know everything just so I can be relaxed when I do the exam. Which brings me to the next point. 

2. Get some sleep. Back in my high school days, I pulled several all-nighters. One of them was disastrous. I knew everything I needed to know but I was so tired, I worked very slow that day. And I could not finish the exam on time. That day I swore I was never gonna pull an all-nighter again. It’s just such a simple thing you can do to work efficiently, so it’s worth sleeping those hours. 

3. Have some fun. This might sound totally ridiculous, I know but hear me out. I cannot go stressed to an exam. When you’ve prepared well, then your priority should be not to panic and get anxious. Therefore, I like to do something fun to get my mind off the pressure and stress. I might go on YouTube and catch up on some videos, watch some anime, or just cook to distract myself. The point here is not to fall prey of negative thoughts.  

4. Prepare everything beforehand. After I’ve got some fun, it’s time to face reality back again. However, I like to introduce it slowly. I first start with showering, getting dressed, and especially packing my backpack. and double check that everything I need is in there. Those small little trivial actions actually give me reassurance because I feel like I have my armour on. And I won’t have to stress because I know I got everything I need.

5. Arrive a few hours earlier. This is crucial because I can make use of the empty classroom (most of the times) and choose where I can sit. When I’m doing an exam and I’m just under the AC, I would want to pee like crazy. So I love choosing my seat so I can choose a warm spot. Furthermore, I don’t have to stress because I’m late and I won’t be adding any more pressure on myself. This is all about making my life easier.  

6. Quick recap. Given that I will likely be alone in class for a few hours, I take my time to do a quick recap. Note: I said recap. I won’t be reading or learning any new things. I would just grab a pen and start writing everything I know from my head so I can identify what I might not remember that clearly. So I take my time to look for those things that are not as clear in my head and make a mental note to remember them. I feel like the pressure of the exam being so soon actually helps me remember it better. 

7. Meditate and avoid talking to your peers. After I’m done with recap, I just sit there and close my eyes. I get a lot of weird looks when I do that but it’s great because I can avoid my peers this way. The reason I say this is not because I want to be rude or anything, but I’ve realised that talking to my peers actually makes me more anxious. This happens because they are anxious, and seeing them like that makes me feel the same way. They also might start asing questions and get me all confused, so I prefer to just avoid all of that so my mind can be clear. 

8. Globally read the exam. After I get the exam sheet, the first thing I do is to read it globally. I do this so I can get a sense of how the exam is structured and what I will need to answer. While I’m at it, I highlight important commands. For example, if they ask me to give an explanation, examples or draw something I would highlight that so I don’t forget to do it. 

9. Shortly answer the questions with a pencil. When I start answering the questions right away, I sometimes get carried away and write more than I should. Other times, I might get stuck at one question and then I’ll start getting even more nervous and I’ll forget some of the things. So in order to minimize those risks, I shortly answer the questions right on the paper with a pencil using keywords. That way I know the main idea of what I want to answer. Plus if I’m short of time, it makes it easier for me to finish because I don’t actually have to think about the answers because I already know what I will be writing. It is an extra step that I take, but I’ve found that it works really well for me. 

9. Review your answers. Technically, I review my answers twice. First when I am wirting them with pen on the answers sheet and secondly when I’m done. I try to use the voice in my head, that way I feel like I can hear how my answers sound like. And it helps me see if what the professor will be reading makes sense. 

10.  Don’t discuss the exam with your peers. DONT. Do yourself a favour. This only makes it harder for me because I will start having second thoughts about what I wrote. The worse thing is that no matter how much I worried about it, there’s nothing I can do to change my answers again. So, it’s pretty useless and I know I will get worried for nothing and it will only give me more stress.

productivity can mean different things

summer productivity does not mean or have to mean that you are grinding everyday to get work done. being productive could simply mean self-care. productivity comes in all forms, from painting your nails to doing the dishes to reading a book. it could even be something along the lines of creating a new playlist or folding the laundry. it’s up to you.

first off, plan a little

write your lists down somewhere that you’ll check again (i’m using a google doc.) make three lists: daily checklist, short-term goals, & long-term goals. leave room for revision.

daily checklist

don’t pile on tasks on this. it is unrealistic to put like ten things on your list to do everyday, and it’s exhausting and can even be anti-productive trying to attempt to complete such a list everyday. pick two to three things to do everyday. for example, mine says, “1. do khan academy (for SAT prep) 2. check the DMV for available appointments (to renew my permit oops) 3. read a book or three articles.” the second one is subject to change because eventually i will get an appointment, so always leave room for revisions.

short-term goals list

this is the list where you put stuff that you want to accomplish by the end of the week, month, etc. for example, mine says, “finish ap government chapter one by friday.” these can be specific or general. like my short-term goals list also has my goal of reading three books every week.

long-term goals list

what do you hope to accomplish by the end of summer? do you want to re-invent yourself? be proficient in a language? have finished all your college apps? you define your goals here.

studyblr ways to be productive

read a book get ahead and look at your AP curriculums; make a study schedule watch TED talks watch documentaries listen to podcasts make study playlists visit museums

self care ways to be productive (these are nothing new, but just serves as a reminder that taking care of yourself is good and productive. it is in no way a waste of time, so don’t let anyone convince you otherwise)

take a bath or shower the simple hygiene stuff (brush your teeth, etc.) clean your living space delete apps you don’t use or need drink water journal, draw, make music do whatever makes you feel happy (if you don’t have anything, go a try a bunch of activities! do something that scares you, you might be surprised) exercise (it doesn’t have to be a whole lot, just walk around and stretch every once in a while) sleep, rest, take time for yourself

other ways to be productive