Park Morgan 1 - Bae Ta Mi 0

10:43 AM | breakfast + yesterday’s journal entry

my most recent blog post

i feel extremely productive today! i got some shopping done and am currently working on my graduation cap design. i started reading some haruki murakami again and it’s been so nice. 😌🌿

%%% hello everyone! i finally posted again after a. while. took me around a year to get back but i’ve learnt lots through that time. i’m finally getting back on track. 🎐

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*  made by downtownlocks  ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Adjust your posture

Get a drink of water or some food if you haven’t ate/drank lately

Take your meds if you forgot to

Do something nice for yourself and/or someone else

Check to make sure you set the phone/clock alarm you needed

Take the chicken/pork chops/whatever out of the freezer

Make sure your pets/plants have fresh food and water

Put on some lip balm/chapstick

Do at least part of the assignment/reading/task you’ve been putting off

Schedule that appointment you needed

Do your skincare routine

Toss out any expired food and make a note of what you have to restock

Take any dirty dishes or empty cans/water bottles out of your room and wash/dispose of them accordingly

Call in that prescription that you need to get refilled

If you’re like me you might be familiar with that strange sense of anxiety that you feel every sunday night : tomorrow a new week will start, you’ll have plenty of stuff to accomplish and you’re just here thinking about all of this and getting more and more anxious ! 

Even if I think  that we all experience that and that it’s completely normal, here are some few things you can do on sundays for you to face the new week ahead in the best way possible : 

Do something productive : this could be finishing some assignments, cleaning your sheets or going for a walk !

Pamper yourself : I think sundays are the best days to do this ! Wash your hair, take a bath, put on a face mask or paint your nails, you’ll feel better after taking care of yourself :) 

See some friends, go take a walk together or hang out in some coffee shop! Seeing people is a good way to distract yourself a bit from everything that’s making you anxious 

Plan your week : fill your bullet journal, right down the important appointments/deadlines you have this week 

Meal prep : I’m not really good at cooking, but when I do it, I know that it relaxes me a lot and I actually have fun when doing it! Try some new recipes, watch some cooking tutorials. I absolutely LOVE watching PickUpLimes videos because they are so simple and super healthy! 

Meditate : really a big life changing habit for me, I just put on Headspace app and go for a 5 min meditation just before bed! 

Read : On sundays I like reading a few chapters of the current book I’m on, like inspirational books about medicine or self-help! Fictional books are also a good option if you like them! It’s a good way to relieve your anxiety and gives you that little kick to get you through the week 

Also, try going to bed at a reasonable hour : this one goes with n. 6 and 7 points. Getting a good night of sleep will actually make you feel more refreshed the day after and will help you start the week in the best way possible :)  

Don’t be too hard on yourself : and I think it’s the most important. You binge watched 25 episodes in a row on Netflix? It’s ok, maybe it was the only way for you to unwind that day! If you feel bad after doing it just get up and do anything on the list above! It’s ok and IT HAPPENS ! Don’t blame yourself, it will only stress you more and that’s not what we want on a sunday ;) 

So what did you do today? Do you have other tips? I would love to know more of you guys! Feel free to send me an ask telling me something about you :) 

Hope your weekend was good though ! And sorry for my imperfect english grammar, I try to do my best! 

good night X 

aka why tf am i procrastinating on The Thing (more like a flowchart, actually)

lots of people who have executive function difficulties worry about whether they’re procrastinating on a task out of laziness/simply wanting to be a jerk or mental struggles. this checklist might help you figure out which it is at any given time! (hint: it’s almost never laziness or being a jerk.) (obligatory disclaimer: this is just what works for me! something different might work better for you.)

1) do I honestly intend to start the task despite my lack of success?

yes: it’s a Brain Problem. next question

no: it’s shitty to say one thing & do another. better be honest with myself & anyone expecting me to do the task.

2) am I fed, watered, well-rested, medicated properly, etc?

yes: next question

no: guess what? this is the real next task

3) does the idea of starting the task make me feel scared or anxious?

yes: Anxiety Brain. identify what’s scaring me first.

no: next question

4) do I know how to start the task?

yes: next question

no: ADHD Brain. time to make an order of operations list.

5) do I have everything I need to start the task?

yes: next question

no: ADHD Brain lying to me about the steps again, dangit. first task is ‘gather the materials’.

6) why am i having a hard time switching from my current task to this new task?

i’m having fun doing what i’m doing: it’s okay to have fun doing a thing! if task is time-sensitive, go to next question.

i have to finish doing what i’m doing: might be ADHD brain. can I actually finish the current task or will I get trapped in a cycle? does this task really need to be finished?

the next task will be boring/boring-er than the current task: ADHD brain. re-think the next task. what would make it exciting? what am I looking forward to?

I might not have enough time to complete the task: ADHD brain wants to finish everything it starts. (if task is time-sensitive, go to next question)

i just want to make the person who asked me to do it angry: sounds like anxiety brain trying to punish itself, because I know I’ll be miserable if someone is angry at me. why do i think I deserve punishment?

no, I seriously want to piss them off: okay, i’m being a shithead

7) have I already procrastinated so badly that I now cannot finish the task in time?

yes: ADHD brain is probably caught in a guilt-perfection cycle. since I can’t have the task done on time, i don’t even want to start.

reality check: having part of a thing done is almost always better than none of a thing done. if I can get an extension, having part of it done will help me keep from stalling out until the extension deadline. i’ll feel better if I at least try to finish it.

no, there’s still a chance to finish on time: ADHD brain thinks that I have all the time in the world, but the truth is I don’t. 

reality check: if i’m having fun doing what I’m doing, I can keep doing it, but I should probably set a timer & ask someone to check on me to make sure I start doing the task later today.

8) I’ve completed the checklist and still don’t know what’s wrong!

probably wasn’t honest enough with myself. take one more look.

if I’m still mystified, ask a friend to help me talk it out.

I decided to share my notes taken from this amazing 1 hour Youtube lecture by Marty Lobdell. i really liked him and his tips, i think they are super effective and cover a lot of situations! i highly recommend it!!!!! wow

but here are the tips and examples Marty mentions, so if you don’t have the time to go through the full hour, you can just scroll down. hope this helps somebody!

Break your study time in chunks with breaks

most students lose focus at 25 minutes

it’s a mistake to keep going once you do, since you won’t actually learn anything and you’ll hate every minute of it

so when you start losing focus take a 5 minute break

do something nice like talking to someone or listening to music

it’s something you practice so with time you’ll be able to work for more time without losing focus

in the end of the study session have a big reward you look forward to

Create a study area

environment highly affects the way you act. Bedrooms are for sleeping, kitchens for eating: you’ll feel sleepy in your bedroom and hungry in the kitchen. So if you have a study area, it’ll be easier to start studying and staying focused.

study in a specific room like an office or school library if you can

if you have to study in your bedroom use a specific object you only use for studying: a lamp/desk. Make it a no-distraction, away from your bed, blank walls area.

 The more active the learning, the better

80% active learning 20% passive

ask yourself: is it a concept or a fact?

learning a concept: understand/grasp/know it

put it into your own words

really think about the meaning of it

relate it with something you already know

teach somebody else. Recapitulate what you’ve learned. Talk out loud even if you don’t have anyone to teach - talk alone. Or at anyone that listens.

learning a fact: memorize it

use mnemonics

Acronyms (e.g. colours of the rainbow RoyGBiv – red orange yellow green blue indigo violet)

 Coined sayings - anything popular or sayings you’ve heard since you were a child.

Interacting images – work even better if they’re weird. Creative associations make you never forget specific details. (e.g. 1 gram of fat has 9 calories: picture a fat cat – each cat has 9 lives)

any time 2 things are highly similar but not the same you will get maximal interference!! USE mnemonics!! (e.g. afferent vs efferent neurons: SAME - Sensory Afferent Motor Efferent)

Be a part of  study groups

others can help you in ways you never thought before

Recognizing VS remembering

never confuse the two

while reviewing a chapter you may recognize concepts but not actually know them

and when you get to the test you won’t be able to remember any of it

so quiz yourself without looking at it

or stop in a page of your notes/textbook and ask yourself what is the concept immediately after and before it

Get your REM Sleep 

get ~8 hours so you don’t undo your studying

this is how your brain stores permanent memories

without it you’re ability to remember seriously decreases

most people don’t even begin to take the advice but it’s simple: sleep better. Do better.

There’s 162 hours in a week. There is time.

reflect on what you are doing with your time and what activities you have to prioritize to succed as a student

Taking notes is vital.

right after the class take 5 minutes to expand everything you’ve jotted down, give it depth.

NOT hours later. You won’t remember half the things you wrote down.

Ask your questions to class mates and teachers.

teachers want you to succeed and it’s more than ok to ask your question in the teacher’s office or in the next class

How to use a textbook: SQ3R technique

Survey Question Read Recite Review

Survey: skim through the entire chapter in a couple of minutes.

Raise questions: e.g. what is osmosis? What is this graphic about? What is a prototype?

it causes you to look for answers and you’ll find the information better once you actually study it after. If you intend to find something you learn it better.

Start studying for tests early.

don’t undo yourself. You should only be reviewing the days before the test. don’t leave it till the last minute!