#study accountability

this is gonna sound absolutely unhinged but i'm genuinely addicted to climbing the leaderboard on my study app and it's done more for my grades than any amount of parental pressure ever did.

let me explain lmao.

i used to open my textbook, stare at it, feel my soul leave my body, and then dissociate on youtube for three hours. studying felt impossible and lonely and like screaming into the void with zero feedback on whether i was even doing it right.

then leaderboards entered the chat and suddenly studying became a GAME.

every problem i solve gives me points. every lesson completed makes my rank go UP. that notification saying "you jumped from 156th to 98th!" hits SO different than any grade weeks later. it's immediate, it's visible, it's happening NOW.

and here's where it gets fun: i started recognizing usernames at the top. there's this person "ChemistryNerd2024" who's ALWAYS top 5 and honestly they're my nemesis slash inspiration. don't know them, probably never will, but their existence pushes me to do better. it's like having an anime rival except we're fighting with physics problems.

the app breaks leaderboards down by subject so i can see where i'm crushing it (english lit babyyy) and where i'm dying (math why do you hate me). instead of general anxiety i have SPECIFIC data on what needs work. vague dread becomes actual strategy.

oh and there are REAL PRIZES. weekly winners get free premium stuff. monthly champions win tablets. annual top performers get SCHOLARSHIPS. i'm not studying for some abstract future, i'm competing for stuff i can win TODAY.

plot twist: the app rewards consistency not cramming. it's not about one all nighter, it's about daily streaks and sustainable habits. i'm on day 47 and lowkey terrified of breaking it which means i study even on lazy days.

another plot twist: i've made friends?? there's a chat feature and some top students share tips and we've formed this weird supportive community. studying isn't lonely anymore it's actually... social??

101: What do sociologists study?

15 june - end of day update

A long day, but I’d say a good one! My table’s messy as hell but its okay, because I met my study time goal (350 mins) and I made good progress on my readings! I wasn’t able to count the number of pages because I decided to prioritize the more important topics (that are likely to come out) rather than going strictly by the syllabus. I made a lot of notes and I was able to start on my flashcards, which I think would be useful in memorization.

12 june - end of day update

I got enough study hours in and reached my minimum goal (at least 300 min) and made good progress with my readings! :)

Also, I think I’d be able to adjust with just staying in my room to study, instead of traveling downtown to study in cafes and libraries. I have a lot more control over my time and not a lot of it is wasted on traveling. Though I think I still have to listen to myself every now and then, and still go out if my room starts to feel suffocating.

I might have to put a pause on my Labor review for tomorrow, since I’m gonna take an exam for my Evidence (sit-in) class. I’ve already done some reviews on the subject so hopefully I can finish up the subject within the day and take the exam.

14 june - pushing forward (+ late end of day update)

I went out to make some preparations for my graduation, and then went to a cafe to study so I started late, and finished quite late. Not the prettiest photos but I really like walking at night where there’s less people, less traffic and less humidity. Its also a good way to destress after a long day.

Another day! I’m starting late today because I had to do some work first, but now I’m done I can finally focus on studying for the rest of the day.

I’m gonna try and maintain the same progress as yesterday, so hopefully I make some good progress on my readings. I’m also hoping to do some practice questions, but if I don’t have enough time today, I’ll make sure that I can answer them tomorrow.

goal: 100 pages

Today’s the exam for Evidence, and I’m just about to start finishing up my review (1st reading) and hopefully I have enough time to do a second reading before the exam starts.

Keeping it short today (bc i gotta kinda cram hehe). Good luck to me! end of day update: Done with my day! Unfortunately got caught up with reviewing, and my table (and room) was too messy for me to take some pictures. I guess I’m not cut out for that academia aesthetic, hehe.

I was gonna try and meet my study hours after the exam but unfortunately (I mean its good, but also not good) I had to do some work. 

As for the exam, I think it was good that I memorized some stuff, but it wasn’t enough :( I predicted that I would have to define some key concepts but!!! instead of memorizing it, I just... familiarized it. And it turned out that I’m right and its just a shame that I could’ve answered those questions probably if I had taken the extra mile to memorize them.

I really need to get over my laziness, because as much as I’ve read stuff in its entirety it might not be that much of a use if I can’t explain them properly and precisely.