Nevertheless, She Persisted

A few tips from a broke neuro-divergent academic

Try and wake up early, and go to bed early too. I’m not saying get up at 5 (unless that’s you’re thing) but sleeping into noon is a productivity blackhole. I go for 8 or 8:30, generally, but that’s just what works for me.

Get dressed for the day. I’m not talking like, jeans and a business casual outfit, but a clean pair of sweatpants, fresh underwear, and a new shirt can really put you in the mood for a new morning.

Have a workspace. Whether it be the kitchen table, a desk, a spot on the floor with a lap desk, have a place that’s dedicated to your work. Have items that signify that workspace too, like your book, planner, laptop, lamp, whatever. It can help you get into the zone, being in that space.

Have a morning drink. I choose earl grey tea with honey and cream, but black coffee, herbal tea, lemon water, whatever works for you is awesome, as long as itll wake you up and start your day.

To do lists. To do lists and to do lists and more to do lists. I have three. One is a post it weekly planner deal (3.99 at a local grocery store). it’s a weekly spread already set up, and if you’re anything like me, its really hard to set up a weekly spread. Then I have an app called Ike. I have a daily to do list I write on that app, and then I have four more to-do lists of what I have to for each specific class.

Spread out your assignments. Don’t overwhelm yourself. If you’re professors are like mine, and have the due date for each module as Sunday at midnight. What I do is spread out all my assignments from Monday to Saturday, and I leave Sunday blank, so anything I didn’t do that week, I finish on Sunday. It works for me, it might work for you.

Have a folder for each class, and a notebook for each class. I hate spending money, I’m broke as hell, sono al verde as the Italians say, but a 0.99 cent folder and a 0.25 cent notebook can do wonders for motivating one to fill them up.

Study with a drink. Tea, water, coffee, whatever, but my go to is generally a warm drink. I cannot study if I’m cold, I get tired and groggy, so warm socks, a robe, and a hot drink really keep me going.

Take breaks. Make time for your hobbies, for something fun. Working without stopping absolutely destroys my motivation, and let me tell you, when I feel like that, an episode of Avatar and a snack gets me right back on the wagon.

Do self check ins. Does your back hurt? Are you sad? Stressed? Do you have to pee? Are you hungry? Never put your homework over your health. You won’t be able to get anything done well anyway if you’ve got those blocks.

Hi everyone! so I got my lc results yesterday and overall I’m happy. However, I may get 3 subjects appealed because I feel like I was downgraded in those subjects. I got a total of 541 points which I feel is great. My aim was over 550 but I’m still so grateful. In no way am I trying to brag or anything this is just for me to process my grades.

I got 2 H1s in chemistry and home ec - to be honest this really shocked me as I was expecting to get a H2 in these subjects and I was predicted H2 for UCAS.

I got 3 H2s in Irish, Biology and English - really happy with this, honestly thought I would get a H1 in Irish though since I was predicted this for UCAS. 

I got a H3 in Spanish - I think I’m going to appeal this one as I was predicted a H1 for Spanish, so we’ll see how it goes!

In maths I got an O2 - to be honest I was quite disappointed with this grade since I was getting O1s all year so I’m going to appeal this one too.

So that’s it, it’s been such a crazy ride! Now, I have got to wait for offers on Friday. 

just popped in to say that if you’re doing mocks or exams at the moment, remember to revise when you’re in a good headspace. If you’re not feeling up to it,,,, don’t do it !! take a break !! 

hey guys :) as promised, a january study challenge! I’m hoping this time I’ll be able to stick through the whole thing lol. don’t forget to tag it #stu-dna challenge so I can see what you guys post!

what did you achieve last year? what are you setting out to achieve this month? this year?

how are you balancing the holidays and your studies?

do you tend to make new year’s resolutions? how well has that gone for you in the past?

tv shows / movies you’re watching right now?

why did you choose your major, or if you’re still in the process of choosing (or if you haven’t even started), what’s your thought process in choosing one?

are you an early bird or a night owl?

after you’ve finished using your notes, like after the exam, what do you do with them?

opinion on snow??

how do you keep yourself awake when studying?

do you / can you study at home? how do you keep yourself focused?

~winter aesthetic~

do you listen to music when studying? show us your top 3 study songs or favourite study playlist!

how do you deal with stress?

show us how you keep cosy in the cold months!

halfway—did you make any / have you kept up with your new years resolutions?

what’s in your bag / backpack?

what does home mean to you?

food while studying?

show us your planning system!

favourite hot drink? recipe pls ;)

can you play any instruments? how long have you been playing?

do you use colour-coding? explain your system!

if you could travel anywhere, regardless of money or other limitations, where would you go? what would you do?

what’s on your desk? do you function best in a tidy or a messy space?

what’s your go-to study method? are there cases in which you wouldn’t use it?

what’s the hardest decision you’ve ever had to make?

study in groups or study alone?

do you like the cold? what are your favourite winter activities?

do you have any hobbies?

how do you plan for the next month? anything fun happening in february?

reflect on how it went & what could have gone better. have you improved anything about yourself this month?

Finish all your schoolwork by 11 pm each day

Limit yourself to one cup of coffee a day

Get at least a B in all of your classes (or set goals for individual classes)

Stretch for 10 minutes before bed

Read a book each month for leisure

Get at least 7 hours of sleep every night

Spend less than two hours on social media a day (or some other time limit, depending on where you are now!)

Journal every day

Leave for class 5 minutes earlier than you need to

Listen to podcasts or watch documentaries instead of binging Netflix or watching YouTube

Get at least 1 hour of exercise a week

Only spend money on things you really need (not just things you want)

Finish papers at least a day in advance

Spend 30 minutes a day on self care

Wake up an hour earlier than you currently do every day