S T U D Y R V C L A W

The ABCDE Method: Accomplish Tasks more Efficiently

Or, For People Who Need To Get Work Done But Don’t Have Anyone Telling Them When To Do It

This can apply to basically any work that you need/want to get done: classwork, essays, exam studying, writing, trying to finish a project, etc. This is based off of a conversation I had with my mentor about how I was going to deal with approximately three months over which I have a dissertation and nothing else set to do (with the one caveat that I haven’t reached that time yet, so I can’t tell you yet how it works for me). It’s particularly for people who have executive functioning or time regulation issues, though it really can apply to anyone.

Schedule it like a job. No, seriously. Decide ahead of time what days/times you’re going to do the work and then do it at that time. It’s best if you pick the same days/times every week so you can set a routine.

Don’t do it every day if you can avoid it. Whatever you’re working on, you want to avoid burnout, particularly if it’s a long-term project, so you should give yourself breaks and days off.

Figure out what else you have scheduled/need to do ahead of time. I have a weekly thing, so my schedule will work around it. If I’m going to meet with friends, go do something, etc., I’ll figure it out beforehand and adjust my schedule accordingly.

Schedule other things. Particularly if the problem is that you struggle with unstructured free time, as I do, give yourself other scheduled things to do. My plan is to do a cultural thing once a week (go to a museum, see a sight, etc.). This way I’ll be filling a bit more of my time but won’t be doing work.

Schedule your work for when you work best. I work best in the afternoon and late at night. I’d rather not schedule work for late at night, so my schedule has me working in the afternoons. This means that I’ll be working while I’m most productive, while also leaving time to do whatever else I need/want to do.

the curve of forgetting describes how we retain or get of information we absorb.

day 1: you go into a lecture knowing 0% and come out knowing 100% of what you know (regardless of whether you know it extremely well or not)

day 2: you did not do any reviewing of your notes from day 1 therefore you have lost 50%-80%

and as the days progress we forget less and less

think about midterms! notice how around midterms when you’re trying to study for something (that you haven’t been reviewing for regularly) it feels like the material is VERY difficult and almost as if you’ve never learned it before

formula to reshape the curve

within 24 hours of your lecture spend 10 minutes reviewing the material

a week later: it will only take 5 minutes to REACTIVATE the same material

ultimately, you will reshape the curve  

day 30: by this day your brain will only need 2-4 minutes to recall

information on the curve of forgetting was taken from the university of waterloo (x)

my formula to reshape the curve using the information above

before class: spend 10 minutes PREVIEWING the material. 

after class: spend 10 minutes REVIEWING the material

do this regularly. this will be your preview/review system for each class.

a week later: try to review a week later. i know that school/life can get pretty hectic, but try to make sure you are reviewing regularly.

maybe record yourself saying some important details/concepts from your notes the night before and on your daily commute to school plug in those earphones and listen to it. i am an auditory learner and i find that listening to my notes before i go to bed and right when i wake up have truly helped me retain information. studies have shown that the best time to study is right before going to bed and right when you wake up.

a month later: after a month, review what you’ve learned so far in your class. trust me this will be a very very short review. everything will look very familiar to you and it won’t look as difficult as it used to.

basically your review schedule should be the following: 

1 hour before learning the material

1 hour after learning the material (or within 24 hours of learning it b/c i know we’re all very busy people)

1 day later

1 week later

1 month later

remember everyone learns, studies, and retains information differently!! my personal belief is that your technique is what matters most. it is not about your innate ability/talent. find a technique that works for you.

more suggestions:

active learning > passive learning

when taking notes use the Cornell method. it forces you to ask questions and summarize what you’ve learned.

set frequent, short, review sessions

test yourself constantly! there are so many resources online. 

people who are under stress have difficulty remembering things so CHILL OUT

don’t rush, take your time

repetition is key

practice MAKES PERFECT

group items together

fish, vitamin b12, and green tea can help w/ memory

If you have a choice between a morning quickie & some last-minute cramming for an exam (we’re talking like 5 minutes here), only choose the cramming if you haven’t already studied. Arousal of any kind boosts recall; sex relieves stress; stress depletes recall. You do the math.

If you find yourself losing focus in lecture, hold your pencil between your teeth. Facial feedback yields a more alert state. Plus, it makes you happier.

Always carry a toothbrush & travel toothpaste in your backpack. Nothing is worse than sitting through a long lecture with morning breath, and whether you were up all night studying in the library’s 24 hour room, crashing at a friend’s place, or simply running ridiculously late, this toothbrush will be your lifesaver.

If you get periods, consider investing in a diva cup. They’re more cost-effective than pads or tampons after 2-5 cycles (great for students who can’t afford to buy supplies every month or so); they can last you an entire day if necessary; you can put them in ahead of time, which means no more panicking about washing your sheets/pants/favorite underwear/favorite chair in the library; you’ll never be late to class because of an emergency tampon change again.

Morning classes are not the devil. Mid-afternoon classes are the devil. There’s a reason why many cultures have a designated siesta at that time of day! Yes, you’ll have to go to bed a bit earlier in order to get enough sleep, but overall you’ll be far more alert if you schedule your classes early in the day. 

If you have a mountain of work to do between 9pm and 9am the next day and you know you won’t have time to sleep, begin by alternating between readings and problem sets, then move on to writing, then move on to aesthetic tasks (finishing the setup of a presentation, sketching a design for a lab, etc). Frustration is often the largest impedance to getting work done when you’re exhausted, so if you get the big frustration-inducing tasks out of the way before you really start to get sleepy you’re good to go. Writing can be frustrating for sure, but it’s more of a “dammit why doesn’t this sound right” type of frustration than a “dammit why don’t I understand this” type of frustration, and in my opinion that’s way better.

If you’re feeling adventurous, don’t bring your phone to class. At all.

If you’re going to drink, stop studying a little while beforehand. Alcohol impairs memory retention; taking shots immediately after reading 100 pages of your textbook is basically shooting yourself in the foot.

Napping as a study break is actually a great idea, especially if you’re trying to memorize things.

there’s a lot of shit on here about lighting candles and waking up early to see the sunset and if we are being hella honest, no one actually does that. u probably don’t own candles or if u do there in a closet and the only time you wake up early all year round is never. so here’s a guide to actual human beings.

Starting a bullet journal - a tutorial

Tips for anyone who’d like to start a bullet journal but doesn’t know how/where to begin :)

- ̗̀ feb 11th 2017 ̖́-