quick disclaimer : i'm not writing this post to encourage someone to do ANYTHING, i know that what im about to share might be a little bit extreme but this is what works for ME. i respond well to these and i do all of these in moderation! i put the word "unhinged" in the title for a reason...💬🎀
PRETEND LIKE YOU'RE COMPETING WITH SOMEONE ;
listen, i know the only person we're in competition with is ourselves but sometimes it helps to create competition in ur head. it doesn't even have to be with an actual person. i just think of myself when i did something i was SUPER proud of, and then im like "out-do her" and it kind of pushes me to be better then the me i was when i did that thing.
or i make up a person in my head to compete with. im a naturally super competitive person and sometimes having a little fire under my ass helps me to push myself further then i think i can go, and i end up doing something great,
FAKE DEADLINES ;
i hate rushing to complete assignments before the deadline, it literally sucks the life out of me. to make sure im never in that situation i set something called a ghost deadline, where instead of putting the actual deadline in my agenda, i make up a deadline 1-2 days before its actually due.
that way im ahead of all my assignments, and im not scrambling to submit something at the last minute because it stresses me out and completely disregulates my nervous system.
WATCH PRODUCTIVITY VLOGS ;
listen... those rednote baddies are so fucking PRODUCTIVE. and i know that this is very carefully curated and highly probable that it's not their actual everyday routine, but seeing someone carry out such meticulous self care and productivity is incredibly motivating.
when im not feeling motivated, i watch the rednote baddie productivity vlogs whether it's studying, doing self care etc. it always motivates me and gives me a good example.
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sometimes we get caught up in trying to memorize all the material rather than study and learn the material. we also may come to realize that the way we currently “study” isn’t actually studying at all. i’ve fallen into this way of studying, but i’ve learned some really helpful tips and tricks to make sure that i actually learn and understand the material and get it to stick rather than memorize it just to forget everything later.
let’s begin …
୨ৎ — incorporate study methods
there’s a variety of different study methods that have been proven to truly help students learn the material and have productive study sessions.
some study methods:
active recall - retrieving information from your memory
some active recall techniques include…
practice tests/questions
flashcards
summary sheets
teaching others/Feynman Technique (more on this later)
take notes with questions related to the topics
whiteboard recall: write down what it is that you’re learning on a whiteboard while using as little words as possible; summarizing
record yourself explaining the material & listen back to it, be sure to make note of what you missed in your recording
blurting method (more on this later)
eat the frog - completing the most difficult task first
how to eat the frog…
start by identifying your most difficult task. whether it’s a chapter you’re struggling with the most or an assignment that might take you longer to complete.
finish that hardest task first. focus on it, understand it, complete it, and get it out of the way before reviewing any other chapters/topics.
make sure you have a full grasp on whatever it is that you’re studying before moving onto something easier!
pomodoro method - working for a set amount of take & taking breaks in increments
25 minutes of working/studying , 5 minute break
50 minutes of working/studying , 10 minute break
set timers for both the time you study & the time you take a break!
the two options i provided don’t have to be what you decide to do! choose whatever time limits you want and will work best for you!
feynman technique - teaching others the material
how it works…
start by choosing what material you want to teach to someone else (that ‘someone else’ doesn’t have to be a real person! honestly, if my cats were all sitting somewhere or near me, i’d pretend my cats were my ‘students’!)
without reviewing your notes and going based off your memory, begin your “lecture”
fill in any gaps in your memory by going back to your notes and make note of what you’re struggling to recall/teach so that you can review it again later
remember to keep your “lectures”/explanations simple! as a medical student myself, i try to stay away from using medical terminology so that my “students” can also understand. reteaching the material in layman’s terms will also help you better understand the material!
blurting method - an active recall technique
how it works…
start by reading through your notes, textbook/lecture slides, etc. & try to remember all that you’ve read
once you feel like you’ve got all the information in your head (or as much as you can! don’t feel like you have to memorize it all!) close your notes, textbooks, lecture slides, etc.
on a separate sheet of paper or a whiteboard or anything that you can write on, write down everything you remember from what you just read and reviewed
after, review what you blurted out onto that separate sheet of paper and reopen your notes/textbook/etc. & see what you might have missed and note what it is that you still need to work on
୨ৎ — work in a beneficial environment
they key point here is that where you decide to study needs to be beneficial for you. meaning that your environment needs to be an area where you feel like you can study and work at your full potential. if you need a quiet place, maybe you might want to go to a library. if you need a brighter study environment, maybe you need to open up your curtains & blinds to let sunlight in or you need significant overhead lighting. if you need something more calming in your environment, maybe you might want to have soft and calming background music playing and maybe a nicely scented candle lit with dimmed lights.
figure out what it is that you need to study productively without any distractions and without the feeling of discomfort. your study space should allow you to focus completely!
୨ৎ — study groups
study groups are extremely helpful! i’m usually one who wishes to work independently, but recently i’ve been connecting with my classmates to form study groups and have a session together! i’ve found it to be extremely beneficial and i thank the study groups i’ve been in for my success during the semester!
you don’t have to work in a big group! most times i worked with 1-2 other people, and that was enough for me! study groups allow you to share your own study techniques with others while also learning some new strategies yourself. it also helps to have someone who’s also learning the same material so that you guys can quiz each other or incorporate that teaching method with one another. also, having others there to study with might also give you some more insight on different topics! you might be struggling with one topic, but whoever you’re studying with might be close to mastering it and vice versa! as a group, you can review and share notes and helpful tips & tricks!
୨ৎ — other resources
i want to share a few posts that i, and others, have created that i feel might help with studying effectively!
my posts:
stop procrastinating: school edition
this post is pretty self-explanatory from the title, but i just go over a few things that help to get rid of that procrastination habit!
coming out of academic burn out
i feel like this is an important post to mention because studying can cause a lot of stress and lead to burn out! i highly recommend reading this to help prevent that from happening for you!
my personal study methods
i posted this earlier this month, and while i believe my study methods will be changing for my incoming spring semester, i feel like this would still be helpful to look at! it might give you some insight on how others might study and their successes with their methods!
other bloggers’ posts:
posts by @glowettee —
preparing for next semester series
one of my wonderful mutuals, mindy, has created a series on preparing for a new semester! it’s a great series filled with really great information from school supply guides to note taking secrets! definitely recommend this series for those who are still preparing for the new semester!
executing your comeback plan
this is a post from another one of mindy’s amazing series about getting yourself back up from a bad grade (because that does happen, and god this series was so helpful and reassuring!) this post that i linked specifically talks about getting back into the grind and provides really helpful tips!
posts by @glowup-princess —
how to study like hermione granger
i’m personally a huge Harry Potter fan, so this one caught my eye when i saw it on my dashboard (and honestly, i’ve always admired hermione for her educational prowess) so if you need something inspiring, then this is it! lila’s also got other posts similar to this one on her page inspired by other iconic it-girls in the academic world!
how to romanticize study
we all want to romanticize our lives in one way or another, and so why not start by romanticizing your studies? this is a great post with helpful tips on how to do so!
youtube videos/podcasts:
how to study effectively - The Zach Highley Show
study tips that got me through pre-med, mcat, and phd in immunology - GinnythePoooh
become a top 1% student - StudyToSuccess
୨ৎ — final notes
this is one of my lengthier posts, and if you read through it all: 1. thank you so very much for reading! i really appreciate it! and 2. i hope this helps you in your studies! i know we all want to be the best students we can be and receive high grades and achieve great things in our academic careers. it’s important to stay motivated and to have confidence in yourself! you will succeed in your schooling, i just hope you remember to believe that for yourself!
Habits that are helping me have balance and peace ୨୧
! Waking up at and sleeping at the SAME HOUR and ON TIME → Evade procrastination, feel more energized
! Have a morning and night routine and complete them at the STABLISHED time → Evade procrastination, feel good by maintain my personal devotion, achieve healthy habits as normal activities
! Stopped listening to music, podcast, overall background sounds → Have more silence, stop distracting myself and stop overconsumption
! Have a healthy diet of 4 daily meals, drink water only, one fruit at least and cut sugar and junk → DEFINETLY more energy, helps with my gain weight journey, feel good by feeling healthy
! Use less than 3 daily hours my phone by using timers and only using it for emergencies or academic activities → Less headaches, evade procrastination and focus on better and healthier activities with that time
! Read 10 pages atleast of a book daily → Acquire more knowledge, helps me gain concentration and reading skills
! Plan and reflect monthly, weekly, daily and use a habit tracker → Keep myself organized and helps me focus on my goals, habits and desired self
! Have a power nap of 30 minutes - 1 hour → Helps me feeling energized, better than wasting it scrolling
! Prioritize my studies: do my homework and assigments right away at college and study when possible → Not having to do these tasks at home, more free time, keep myself responsable and top student
! Prioritize investing time doing things I like → Helps me with having fun and feeling good, have a "not everything is about work" mindset, feel lighter throughout my weekly schedule (productivity wise)
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2024 was such a blur for me, and I feel like I wasn’t really taking in the present moments as much as I should have. I don’t want to repeat the same thing in 2025, here’s a little few ways i’m implementing living slower in 2025.
SHOWER MEDITATIONS. Each time I’m in the shower, I just focus on rinsing, soap, rinsing then I get out. While its a small thing to consider, as someone who has a lot of thoughts especially during school mornings, it's a nice way to ground yourself.
If you’d like you can start off with a little prayer, thanking him for access to clean water and a bathroom. Let the water take all the struggles and stresses you have down the drain, use soap to renew yourself of yesterday for the new day and focus on how the water feels on your skin. Then, you can end it off with a prayer as well.
TAKE THE TIME TO BE IN THE SUN OR NATURE. Perhaps you can read a book, listen to a playlist or just soak that time spent in nature. It's completely up to you, but I wouldn’t do anything that's too distracting like studying or scrolling.
SAY THANK YOU, FOR NO ONE. Each time you get to sleep in your bed, say thank you. Each time you eat a meal, say thank you. Each time you get to have access to water, say thank you. There are a lot more opportunities to say thanks, but it just allows for daily appreciation of things that we do without thinking.
UNATTACH YOUR PHONE FROM TASKS. Certain tasks, you do not need your phone. For example, cooking. When you cook and perhaps you’re waiting for something to boil, wash some dishes instead of opening instagram. Sometimes it doesn’t even have to be a task, when you’re in a car, don’t look at your phone, look outside at the window and observe the people or the cars you see.
NO SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE MORNING OR EVENING. Social media is meant for quick consumption, but because it's so quick, we underestimate the time that we spend on it. Only 10 minutes can easily turn into an hour. I would avoid using it during these times because this is probably when we’re the most easily influenced by fads, products or misinformation.
REST IS A TASK. Take the time out of your day to rest, because you need it. It doesn’t have to be a singular session daily either, it can be regular small intervals throughout the day. Use this time to reflect on how you’ve spent your time earlier, then do whatever you consider to rejuvenates you.
LISTEN TO YOURSELF MORE. While the self improvement community does perpetuate the idea of ‘following the plan, not the mood’, (and i agree to an extent) but being miserable while trying to be productive is not ideal. If you’re sad, take the time to calm yourself down. You’re angry, then channel it into something high energy but not necessarily productive.
In a way, being able to recognize these feelings and acknowledge them is a skill that is developed overtime and will be useful.
i love having a sense of purpose yk. a drive. a reason to get up in the morning. a task in hand. a motive. lil bit of impetus. a resolution. a resolve. an aspiration. an ambition. a dream. a song to sing. to help me cope with anything.
