Hey dearies! A lot of friends here on studyblr have found themselves procrastinating or trudging through revision for finals because of difficult subjects or boring course material. I have several techniques I use to get through tough sections, so Iâm sharing them with you! If you find these helpful or think someone else might, consider reblogging.
1. The Reward Systems
Regardless of learning type, many find these to be helpful because of our natural desire to get to the fun stuff before the hard stuff! Here are some ways to look forward to finishing the material if nothing else.
Candy Trails: if doing textbook readings, leave/set out a piece of candy of your choice for each section (not paragraph!) you read. This should be a small type of candy like M&Ms and gummy bears. Please donât eat a Snickers for each section, youâll get sick. If youâre on a diet or donât like chocolate, try fruit pieces, trail mix, or other assorted snacks like pretzels.
Pomodore Technique, but with rewards:Â every time you finish a 25 minute productivity session, spend the 5 minute break doing something active. Stand up, stretch, then pick a thing to do. Read for 5 minutes, draw a quick doodle, update your bujo, watch a Youtube video. When itâs time to get back to it, you wonât feel so braindead from nonstop Boring.
Goal-Oriented: Every time you hit a big goal (an hour of note taking, 30 minutes of Calculus, etc) that youâve been reaching for, make sure you have a bigger reward for it. Watch an episode of your TV show (just make sure itâs no longer than 45 minutes and you only watch one!), play with your pets, do something with a parent, call your significant other, dance to your music, do a bujo spread.Â
Meditate:Â Use your breaks to refocus and let any negative energy or bitterness flow out of you. Itâll leave you refreshed and ready to continue. Make sure itâs short, no more than a half hour.
Study something else you actually like: Been wanting to practice Italian vocabulary but school is getting in the way? Use it as a reward for studying different topics. Itâll keep your brain in the work-mood without being ready to move to Antarctica so youâve at least got a reason for being frozen.
Take a shot of water:Â A half cup of water or tea (please avoid coffee unless entirely necessary!) every time you finish a section. This ensures you stay focused, hydrated, and it keeps you from being irritable.
2. For Visual Learners
Pretty pictures: Draw a picture representing your work! I like to take notes... but in the form of fashion! I have two little books I was bought when I thought I wanted to be a designer and I now create beautiful dresses out of Biology and Math theorems. You donât have to have something that professional, but just see where the writing takes you.
Diagrams and mind maps: draw out the paths of concepts and thought processes. Even if itâs a subject that doesnât need to be diagrammed, create symbols or use school-sponsored aids like Venn Diagrams and Fish Bone Diagrams to help you.
Comics: If youâre artistic (or even if youâre not, but it helps), you can draw little comics reenacting events, telling stories back to you, or otherwise explaining information.
3. For Auditory Learners
Sing me a song: Find a song online or make your own in order to remember certain facts or sequences.
TTSReader.com is an amazing program that speaks documents you upload or text you type back to you. Just make sure youâre actually listen to it instead of getting distracted!
Create a playlist: one that reminds you of what youâre studying. I do alternative rock when Iâm studying history, and Shakira when Iâm studying Spanish. Make sure it isnât a distraction.
Crash Course by John and Hank Green are amazing for learning a lot of material while also inserting humor and light-heartedness into complicated topics. Beware, they speak quickly.
4. For Verbal Learners
Play the teacher: Ask a friend, sibling, or study buddy (you can always come to me!) to listen as you teach them a concept. Listening to yourself teach is one of the best ways to make sure you firmly grasp a concept, and is the highest form of knowing one.
Acronyms: Tell me you donât still remember PEMDAS if youâre American. I personally still use WEIRDO to remember the types of verbs that mean I need to use the subjunctive conjugation in Spanish.
Word association: Summarize a concept or fact with a single code word. Want to remember that Lyndon Johnson was president when the all-time high number of Americans on Vietnamese soil was a thing? Code word: Escalation. Bonus points if you act like a secret agent speaking across the radio to your partner.Â
Playback: Record yourself speaking on your phone and listen to yourself explain while checking to make sure you didnât make any errors. Bonus points if you modernize it/paraphrase it to be funny, like for instance, âYeah, Midas was a greedy old man, so he was like, âYes, I Want To Touch Things to Gold,â and Dionysus was like, âUh, dude, thatâs cool in theory, but could you like, think about -â âGOOOOLLLDâ âWhoops okay alright your wish is granted have fun trying to get dressedâ.â
5. For Kinesthetic Learners
Stress ball or slinky: Roll something around in your hands as you work. Donât bounce it off the walls or let it distract you.Â
Stuffed animal: Touch a stuffed animal of yours. Bonus points if you teach it the subject.
Silly putty or play-doh: Same concept as the stress ball, but you can mold it into shapes that help you remember the material.
Chew gum: Choose a flavor of gum youâre not used to for each subject. Chew it whenever you want to recall the information or youâre doing another study session.
Dance:Â create moves or gestures that help you remember the material.
If you need advice or help of any kind, drop an ask in my inbox. Thank you for reading, lovelies!!
