#comfystudies

If you didn’t study as much as you wanted to, didn’t get as many questions right as you wanted to, or anything towards the lines of ‘you didn’t reach a certain goal you wanted to reach in a certain period of time’, don’t torture yourself over it. Let it go. Move on. Try again.

DO >NOT<, I said DO NOT do all-nighters. They’re so bad for your anxiety and for your depression, and can often trigger both of them. Don’t do it!!! Just take the time to write down everything you need to do and do it throughout the week, or the next morning. There’s literally no need to do it all at once if you’re going to feel so bad over it afterwards. 

If you didn’t wake up early, or as early as you wanted to, that’s okay, your day’s not wasted, you can still get a few things done, just adjust your day to the amount of hours you’re going to have. This one might seem silly, but lately with this whole productivity trend on tumblr and youtube, I feel sometimes like I have to wake up at 5am or 6am, like a lot of these people do,in order to get things done and start my day properly. Don’t get me wrong, waking up early is great and it does save you a lot of time, but it’s not essencial everyday - if maybe you were working late or you just slept in cause you were really tired/fatigued, just let it be, and then, like I said,  work with the hours you have. 

On that note: PRODUCTIVITY DOES NOT EQUAL HEALTH. Let that really sink in. You’re not a machine. You needing breaks and getting tired is what makes you human, so don’t judge those moments - and please, don’t advocate them either. Rest. And don’t ever feel guilty about it. 

Don’t advocate time for yourself. Always have a few hours each day to be in touch with yourself, to engage in some kind of spiritual/religious practice, or just meditate. Always have a day of the week where you can stop and digest everything that happened throughout the week, maybe write about it, journal, and a day dedicated to your next week, where you can get your shit together, clean the house, and do some planning. Which brings me to my next point: 

1. Give teachers a chance. Maybe two or three chances. Even if their subject or the way they talk etc. is boring. Most times, it’s worth it - it will make you more interested in their class and you’ll learn things better. 

2. If I’m ever stressed and need to chill, usually the things that work for me are: 

taking a nap

talking to a friend about it 

taking a hot shower 

watching a funny/silly/cute tv show (my favorites are friends, brooklyn 99, steven universe or some slice of life/shoujo anime/k-drama). 

3. always make sure you’re comfortable while you’re studying! I can never get through a long study session without having showered and changed into comfy clothes before starting it. Some people also like lighting candles and having nice snacks around, which are also always a plus! Just don’t put a lot of stuff into your ‘pre-study session’ routine; you’ll end up taking a lot of time to get ready and that can simply turn into procrastination and distraction. Just make sure you feel good enough to start and don’t forget to drink water! 

4. I’m even gonna make this a single topic cause!! water is so important and useful!! Not only it helps keeping you fresh (specially if you add some cucumber or strawberries in it!) and focused, it’s also great to keep you awake if you’re feeling a bit sleepy. The effect doesn’t hit you as fast as coffee, for example, but it lasts much longer. Also caffeine is bad for you!! Make sure to not over drink it. 

5. Always study keeping in mind how things are gonna fall on your test/exam. Make sure to write down the questions that your teacher asks while giving a class (and their answers, obviously) - these are quite often the things that will fall on your test and the teacher rarely ever writes it down on the board, so it might seem like it isn’t relevant, but it really helps you understand the thought process of the subject better. 

6. Speaking of writing down questions, the Cornell Method has always worked really well to me, specially in History classes. It’s also great for memorization and revising! 

7. This is something I’m still learning to do, but make sure to revise as much as you can! Doesn’t have to be a big revision; just looking through your notes at the end of the day/week (or even just after taking them!) helps a lot!

8. Please, please, always prioritize your mental health and sleep. You need energy and mental stability to study things properly. If you don’t, your brain won’t be able to select and properly learn all the things you’ve studied that day, you’ll feel super tired and dead inside and you will crash. It’s just not healthy. Don’t listen to the whole ‘you can go out/rest after you’ve passed your exams, it will be worth it’ or ‘my dreams are worth more than my sleep’ trend. Don’t do it!! It’s a trap. I know school usually makes you think you need to give your best at all times, but a) you really don’t; give yourself some slack once in a while, you need it, and b) your best doesn’t have to be working your as* off ‘til 3am everyday. It might just be studying for 4-6 hours everyday. Or eating ice cream and watching tv shows all day at least for one day. Your body decides. Let it be. 

9. Use actual flashcards when it’s a very difficult/new subject, not just online ones like quizlet!! (this is a tip I learned from this post)

10. eat well! also maybe try taking vitamins - especially if you’re a useless blob like me and you don’t play any sports! I’ve been taking goji berry capsules and they help me a whole lot, specially if I’m feeling sleepy. Actually any type of berry is great for boosting up your energy! 

🍒some rly good posts I recommend:

‘study smarter’ by @sleeptalkz

‘how I increased my productivity by 3x’ by @brbimstudying​ 

‘conquering math’ by @thestudyfeels​

‘bujo trackers for getting your sh*t together’ by @etudiaire​

‘types of breaks for every situation’ by @samsstudygram

🍒productivity/study life youtubers I like:

rowena tsai (love her, rly good tips on organization and just nice overall aesthetic)

ana mascara (I always watch her videos when I feel like I’m lacking motivation. Her videos talk a lot about that and discipline, and how you should always ‘be comfortable with the uncomfortable’; just 10/10 rly good motivational and actually useful videos overall).

I saw @teacomets talking about how she likes to study in the dark and was like ‘wait, what’, but then I tried it the other day and it’s actually really nice and relaxing! Specially if you’re a little overwhelmed like I was. I managed to discipline myself and get a lot of work this week though, even after getting sick and having a lot more downs than ups in terms of motivation, so I feel much better now.

🍓day one:  describe where you want to be right now (academically or otherwise).

(04/02/2018)

I was studying in bed cause I felt kinda tired; I guess my dog was too until she woke up and started asking me to play with her 💖 she’s too cute not to say yes

📸: pretty sunset + notes feat. kitten 🐱✨💫