#*academics

parents: get a degree and then you can fall in love and have a partner

you: get the degree, and still no partner bc you're aro

parents: surprised pikachu

Now, before you throw your outdated iPhone 4 in the trash and dip, all I ask for is a chance. Tada! That’s it! A chance is all I need to prove that math can truly be fascinating (did reading that make you puke just a little?)

Frankly, I’m not very good at intros. But I am good at math, so let’s jump right in, shall we?

The logic behind the dislike of math is actually ridiculous. It’s a myth. A bigger one than Medusa. Well, at least she had an excuse - those cringey snake hair (tbh, I'm more turned off than scared by them).

And usually, more often than not, this myth has been passed down through our grown-ups, be it parents, a sibling, or some random guy eating burnt popcorn (the guy version of me) at school, because of which they are even the more accepted.

“Math is boring.” “What’s dx, dy anyway? Since when does the alphabet mix in with numbers? They smashed?” Here. Pause and take a moment to think about why you hate math. And also what kind of people you're hanging out with.

Your answer might be something like “because I don’t understand it”. But that’s not the ONLY reason. It’s more of something, say, you never made the effort to understand it. And why was that? Because, heck! Our seniors told us math was going to suck before we even began doing it. They have to be right, RIGHT?

The hate has been coming down since generations. Do you realize now who is to blame? Not math. It’s Adam. He got stuck at 3+3 and started all this drama. Geez, Adam.

In order to truly enjoy doing math, learn to respect + love it. Or, at least have sympathy for it (math has suffered enough, mate. He deserves to get laid too).

All the love, respect, and eye-roll provoking stuff automatically comes when you break a false belief, create a new one in its place, and take hell-bent-for-glory kind of action. This, in fact, is one of the most popular ways in the self-help department of bringing out your inner conqueror (see book recs: here) but we’re going to use it for math. Yay!

To not freak you out, let’s break it into three itsy-bitsy steps. Three steps to loving math, I got you homie. (Also, welcome to the clickbait life, we killin’ it out here.)

STEP ONE: BREAK YOUR LAME-ASS BELIEFS ALREADY, EMILY.

Here’s stepping into psychology 101. The subconscious mind, which began interacting since the moment you were born, picks up beliefs that may or may not be true. It isn’t the judge (perhaps the reason why we are effed up). Your conscious mind, the real judge, only becomes fully mature when you hit puberty and become a desperate hoe. But unfortunately, it’s late to the party. By that time, your subconscious mind is already the prom queen.

Cutting this short, the beliefs that the subconscious mind gathers, they become our truths. Even when they really aren’t. It’s sad but true.

For instance, if you saw your father struggling with accounts or your sis forgetting what tables were, then your subconscious mind might have assumed: ‘math is difficult’, ‘math needs memorizing’, ‘math leads to crying and pain’, ‘eff math’.

Taking action:

Here’s how to get rid of these false beliefs. Journal subconsciously. This means without a stop, without cuts or edits, in a flow. Next, take up each belief and understand that it was just there for providing comfort and safety (yes, we only hold onto beliefs if they give us something in return. Saying math was difficult probably gave Em an excuse not to take action. It generated sympathy and the teacher might’ve offered his free time for extra coaching).

Then, thank those false beliefs (DO NOT turn this into a self-loathing assignment) for providing that comfort and do that “shoo” motion with your hand. It’s time they ran along. Sounds absurd and simple right? It is that simple. Once you make the decision to let go of your old, fake beliefs, they really do leave you for good. Try it out.

STEP TWO: WELCOME THE NEW-NEW, SHINY BELIEFS.

Next up, we go belief shopping. I assume that if you’re reading this, your conscious mind has already come into play. If not… well, hello there kiddo! The shopping cart is not a go-kart, so please stop swinging it around, and yes, Santa is real, you get to keep that belief, but all the other ‘truths’ mommy spoon-fed you? They may or may not be. Finding out is your homework for today (welcome to my class. I teach life, sons).

Taking action:

In this step, you take up each notion and mould it into something newer, truthier (yes this is an actual word even if it sounds like Greek), and shinier. Say, for example, Emily got sick of flunking math and decided to take action (thank you for doing that, Emily. Honestly). Here’s what her journalling would look like:

“I feel dumb while doing math. It’s too difficult for me.”

This becomes: “I’ve been holding a grudge against math since childhood which blind sighted me. This time I'll give it a chance.”

“Math involves difficult calculations, which is way out of my league. For me, getting that Cali guy's number would be easier than pulling up my math grade.”

This becomes: “Through action, and not screwing around, any shit is possible. A math grade is nothing.” Also, I heard, that guy, Liam? He’s gay. Might as well go on a date with math.

This practice does sound a bit silly, but trust me, the more willing you are, the more easily will you be able to conquer math. #SaveMath.

STEP THREE: TAKE HELL-BENT-FOR-GLORY ACTION

Now that the belief breaking and making part is over, here’s the most important one. To do the goddamn math. *Drumroll*

See, nothing comes without the good ol’ hard work. That’s a fact. In the words of Lilly Singh (who is a total queen and an appreciator of cute puppies and good memes) - “The universe respects your changing of fake values for better ones. However, it respects a good hustle even more.” To get better at math, it’s important to actually do it.

Who’s excited?! *crickets chirping*

Ahem, ok. Here are my tips to get better at it:

Practice.    

Math doesn’t even require making notes. Instead, it requires continuous practice. Set aside time to do, say, 10 sums every day, and build up on that. Turn it into a habit so it becomes second nature.

Understanding which way works better.

The fun part about math is that a single sum can be done in ten different ways. 2+2 can be either done by adding two choco chip cookies with two more, or you can just multiply 2 with 2 [ as 2(1+1) = 2(2) = 4 ]. Obviously, the latter works better when you have huge numbers because I know you’re broke and can’t afford cookies (same) and are way too old to go hunting for the cookie jar in your mom's kitchen. Plot twist though, this understanding, again, only comes from practice. So get down to it already.

Increase your speed but don’t compromise on accuracy.

It’s exactly what the title says. What fun is it if mom takes up the entire day to count out the cookies? And then ends up giving you one less cookie than you wanted? It’s the same with doing math. This again comes from practice so…*evil laugh*

Other quick tips (because I like tiny bullet points):

 Don’t use calculators. Stop depending on it and use your mind for once (assuming it isn’t already filled with cat memes).

Get yo’self a timer. Compete with time. If you’re a highly competitive person like me, this will motivate you to work harder and get better.

Every time you see two 2 digit numbers at the same place, (say a car’s no. plate: 2312) add, multiply, and subtract the numbers IN YOUR HEAD. This will improve your basic calculation speed. So 23+12= 35. 23-12=11. 23*12=276. [ as 23(10+2)= 230+46 ].

You can find other tips about math by scrolling through my math tag: (x) (x)

Practice. There’s really no way around that.

Here are some related masterposts if you want to read more:

Conquering biology by yours truly

The math masterpost by @acadehmic

Math resources and links by @ashleigh-studies

Want instant motivation? Here’s my #ThursdayPickup!

Well, it’s a wrap! I post new articles every week (the schedule’s here) so you can follow me if you are into killing the game & conquering life. I’ll do my best to help you in the tough yet amazing journey called life. ✨

If you want to go thru my blog, I would rec picking your choice of post from my masterpost list! Or, if you want to read something insightful on your cosy afternoon while chilling under blankets, I would rec reading one of my interviews. Feeling spoilt for choices? Here’s another! If you want to implement the ideas I share in my masterposts by taking action, take on one of my challenges! + you can also request a blog post! For that, leave your question in my ask box.

I hope you are well, stay strong and conquer life, you conqueror.

hello peeps!! as everyone knows (or not) my originals are mostly masterposts and a few of you have asked me ‘how to make a masterpost’ so this masterpost is all about that, hope this helps! :^)

basics :

what is a masterpost? consider a masterpost as an article. it consists of your advice and tips about a particular topic in an organized manner.

how do I make a masterpost? the rest of this masterpost is all about that, keep reading!

why should I make a masterpost? well, because you want to. they are quite fun to make and most importantly, masterposts are a great way to get your blog out there because people love™ reading about your techniques to stay productive and stuff like that.

making a masterpost :

step one : pick a topic

there are two general ways of doing this -

look into yourself (does this make sense) and find out your flaws. Maybe you’re bad at time management or you tend to procrastinate a lot. pick any one of those flaws and write a masterpost on it!

ask people. personally I do this once every two months. you can just go on Tumblr and be like, “hey guys, I’m thinking about writing articles soon so what are some topics you would like to see?” and I’m pretty sure your followers will give you ideas!

step two : writing about the topic

some general tips about writing an article -

start with an introduction like you would when writing a essay. this can be just a simple greeting or just explaining the topic in a few words. (in this article, the introduction is the basics portion)

now move on to the content portion! about the content, here are some stuff to take notice of -

always write stuff you believe in. do not put down points you haven’t tried out and have just heard about from somewhere.

don't​ copy from other articles please!

the masterpost shouldn’t be hella long or hella short. it should be just hella perfect.

we really really really like numbered shit. this is a pro tip, write your article in points; it’s easier to read and we just like it that way.

you’re almost there! let’s do the conclusion now!

end on a positive note always. it makes your article a more pleasurable experience! an example - “hope this helped you! I hope you are doing well, stay brilliant love!”

it’s really helpful to link your other masterposts down your article. mainly because people might want to check your blog out and having your articles is a huge help!

you can also link your about to the ending line so that people can get to know about you.  an example -

 love, xyz (and link your about to the word 'xyz’)

some pro hacks *wink wink* -

you might not want to bold the headers of your articles like some people do, eg: on a article about productivity, let’s suppose one point is about waking up early and then you go on to explain that tip. Now dO NOT bold 'waking up early’!! why you ask? this is because lazy folks like me will just read the headers! we’ll skip thru your article and now we don’t want that, do we?

making a graphic for your masterpost is also really cool (shh i just use MS Paint lmao)

write in points as I earlier said because we love numbered shit.

be consistent with your masterposts!! personally, I love when someone comes out with helpful masterposts on a regular basis and I definitely follow them. And they’ll def follow you if you are a regular at this!

always, always, always edit and recheck your masterposts. it is sure as hell full of grammatical errors and misspellings. dO CHECK YOUR ARTICLE!! THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!!1! (this is honestly the most important tip. I have hella experience with it for once I wrote, 'sit’ instead of 'site’ rip ;;)

dO NOT write your article directly on the Tumblr site. Tumblr sucks, everyone knows that, and it will mess up your masterpost, I give you a 200% guarantee. Instead type out your masterpost first in a doc or word file, heck just use the notepad option on your phone, but never try the Tumblr site, okay?

and that’s it of this huge rambly article, it’s a wrap! I hope this helped you in some way, remember to stay wonderful love! :’) x

if you have any questions regarding anything I said up there, feel free to send in a message!

go check out my other masterposts here and you can always sent in a request for a masterpost as my ask box is always open!!

hELLO lovelies, it’s taylor and I just survived finals, 2 of which I gave while I was sick. while I was sick, I decided to make my own masterpost on surviving exams without having to take on coffee and aspirin every hour and now I’m finally done with it! hope this helps :’)

I’m going to list down a huge list of tips, categorized into certain categories - and let’s begin!

general health –

get enough sleep, your body is already tired bc of being sick so it is important to rest, a lot.  Try to get at least 8-10 hours of sleep.

TAKE!! YOUR!! MEDS!! If you’re like me, and you keep forgetting when to take meds, set alarms for it!! It is super important to take your meds at the right time, so that you get well fast!

shower. I know you don’t feel like it, but it helps trust me. It will wash of germs and also cool down your body if you’re down with fever. (also, bc hey personal hygiene)

exercise! yep, I mean it. Being down sick make your mind sluggish and foggy, so it is essential you do some light exercises to stay awake.

eating and drinking -

eat proper food. by this I mean a healthy diet, which is self explanatory by itself.

drink fricking water!! stay hydrated!! set alarms again, if you keep forgetting to drink and also keep a water bottle by the table.

workout -

dont do any hard core, intense training. instead go for light exercises, yoga and dance workouts. here’s some small workouts that you can try out -

a 5 minute yoga session

the famous 7 minute workout

a 10 minute cardio dance workout

but it is important that you do workout (tip 4 of general health) so just do it for god’s sake.

studying -

prioritize, lets be real no one wants to study for 10 hours with a bad headache.

use the pomodoro technique, this is for real going to save your life.

listen to audio lectures! this especially helps if you’re a auditory learner + plus, listening is much easier than studying out of a textbook and not understanding anything.

dont study for long stretches, it just sucks and it hurts your head.

try focusing a little more on the exam styles and techniques, but still put emphasis on memorizing the content bc hey, its for the exams and you have to know the stuff.

do NOT cram, the info just isn't going to remain in your brain. instead, try understanding the concept, so that you can answer in your own words.

leave your phone alone; study, just study in that little time you’re actually studying.

enjoy the time you’re studying. you make it harder to study if you’re just dreading the look of your textbooks.

Check out my other masterposts ->

how to : study better not just harder

how to : enjoy what you’re studying

how to :  take control of your time

how to : score more + study better

how to : have a positive mindset

strategies for effective studying

beating procrastination

words for better writing skills

20 ideas for being kind

note-taking methods

how to : study biology

making a study routine during exams

how to : maintain a bullet journal

the complete guide to a study routine

Hope this helps! If you are sick currently, i hope you get well soon, love! :^)

+ you can always send me requests for masterposts since my ask box is always open! (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡

     -------  A complete guide to a study routine -------

Hey heh everyone it's Tay and here's a masterpost to become a disciplined individual because that's what we all lazybones dream of but here's how to make it come true! ( "•√•" )

                           ------- Making a study routine ------

Check how to make a study routine during exams here.

Step 1.  Write down all the subjects you have on the basis of their difficulty level.

here’s how - If you find a subject difficult or if it has a lot of memorization portion give it 3 points. If you are having any difficulty in a particular topic of a subject, give that subject 3 points too until you understand that topic. I put history here because is has lots and lots of pages to be read and stuff to be memorized. When study? You are going to have to study these subjects every single day the sun shines.

Next, give subjects which are easy to grasp with little bit of understanding, 2 points. Put the subject with the different topic here too after you understand the topic because if you can't understand a particular topic, it means you're not fully confident about the subject itself. I put maths, since it needs regular practice,  plus biology and chemistry here. When study? You are gonna study these subjects every alternative day or every day for a short amount of time, say 30 minutes each day.

Finally, give subjects which need very little time to be understood or those which you can do during the free time in class, a single point. I put Sanskrit, Hindi  and English literature here. When study? You can study these on every weekends and holidays or as said earlier, during the free time in between classes.

Step 2. Boxing in the stuff.

When you are done making the list, use this cute printable by @cmpbls to box in time for every subject. Make this REALISTIC and on the basis of your learning speed. Leave in space for sleep, eating, shower, pee ( joking joking ;; ), chores, school/college, running/ fitness etc. Don't forget recreation because your mental health is important too. These can be going out for movies, watching TV shows, creating art, checking social media, making yummy deserts for yourself, getting a long long shower, a picnic with friends and the list goes on.

Step 3. Done making it?

Then start using it! See if you left out any important thing or if your time limit for each subject is a bit less or a bit more. Write all these down somewhere and continue for a week. At the end of the week, adjust your time for any subject you found uncomfortable with or add any chore which you forgot. Refer to step 1 for this again. Then make a new routine again. Make sure this is perfect because c'mon you don't want to keep making schedules, do you?

So you're done making a routine. But what happens after a month or so, can't seem to maintain it? Keep reading then!

                        ------ Maintaining a study routine ------

Step 1.  Make it real. If you ask me to do 10 hours of study each day, I won't be able to do it since I'm not use to it. Just like that, knowing your own learning capacity, make your routine so that you're actually able to put it to use. Put in breaks, shower time, pee time (joking, I was making sure you're listening haha) and all other chores and stuff. Make it normal and not some idealistic thing which you can't follow at all. However, if you do want to improve your learning capacity, go baby steps! For that, increase your study time and decrease your breaks in between proportionally. Then message me about your success! ;)

Step 2. Burnout baby? Make sure your not just studying and studying 24/7. Putting in breaks is super important as it helps in keeping your focus and determination consistent. Having burnouts will not only decrease your productivity but will also lead to unwillingness to follow your routine. Remember, mental health is as important as your academic status! Go out in the sun with your friends and enjoy nature in its purest form ok?

Step 3. Enjoy, let go a little bit. Please dont just keep studying 24/7. Have some relaxing days where you take out time for yourself and your pet (yes) and do some self care! Go for a walk, pet a pet, read a book, take a long shower, go out with friends and have fun!

Check out my other masterposts ->

study better not just harder

how to enjoy what you’re studying

how to take control of your time

how to score more + study better

positivity masterpost

strategies for effective studying

overcoming procrastination

words for better writing skills

20 ideas for being kind

note-taking methods

studying biology

making a study routine during exams

maintaining a bullet journal

Hope this helps! You can always send me requests for masterposts since my ask box is always open! :^)