#study system

In the beginning, I was a C student. I only studied when I felt motivated or when exams were very close, sometimes even the night before an exam. I struggled a lot and didn’t know what kind of student I could be: a B student or an A student. I didn’t have anyone to guide me or give me advice. At that time, there was no ChatGPT or advanced AI to help.

So I started organizing my studies using just a notebook and a pen. I wrote down all my assignments and everything I needed to finish during the week. Then, every Sunday, I rewarded myself with the thing that gave me the most pleasure and dopamine, back then, it was watching anime.

That simple system started working. Year by year, I began to see real progress. When I got to high school, it was an amazing period of my life. I achieved grades I never thought were possible, and I was doing much better than before.

Later in high school, I discovered Notion. At first, it felt extremely complicated and overwhelming. Every time I tried to use it, it seemed impossible. But I knew how powerful it was, it could organize your entire life in one place. So I decided to learn it from scratch.

After two years of learning and experimenting, I built the same study system that helped me succeed, but this time inside Notion. Now, I’ve turned it into a system designed for high school and university students, made to feel like playing a video game in real life.

oh the tumblr peeps were not lying when they said to have a system. i made something similar, but i think i'd describe it more as an algorithm?

i wrote down the normal barriers i face (most self made) while trying to study and also wrote multiple solutions for each barrier.

there are a few main ideas that this system goes by, and i mainly try to optimise the time i have and make sure the time i spend studying is focused

1. Treating school as a 9-5 - Compartmentalising my obligations

Having set boundaries between 'study/work' and 'play' allows more purposeful and intentional use of time. Boundaries like WHEN and WHERE helps to establish a clear work/play mode.

Together with the 4 hour rule, I will try to incorporate this into my days. On weekdays, I will work towards a total/maximum of 4 hours, in 1-2h blocks because it's difficult to have a solid block of time. Also because I think my attention span will fail me.

On weekends, I will try to keep it to 9-5, about an 8h day, where 4 hours are delegated to homework each day and the other 4 to revision.

Another thing with this time blocking system would be the website blocks I set. Instead of going with 24h blocks, I will try setting the block for that task I am doing. E.g. if I am doing math for 1.5h, I shall set the block for 1.5h

This is so that the time I block distractions for is intentional too, and not just a general 'no distractions' rule. It might also help with being more purposeful and having a clear goal in mind, to finish the task within that block.

I plan to use a time log, inspired by an article I read online, so that I have a even greater sense of officiality to this 'job'

2. Practice based revision

Content can be learnt through application, and I can become more familiar with it through applications. By doing application I will be sifting through what I know in my head and fitting it to the question - the exact skill that the exam tests. After doing many many times, the content just sticks and I will know how to apply content in different ways to different questions.

Lit, GP: Essay based subjects: Do many essay plans, at least 1-2 every 2 weeks, sometimes I could write the actual essay. Practice the PBQ/Essay/Compre

Other subjects Bio, Math, Chem: No more copied notes, rather, memory notes after going through the content, adding on things that I missed out in another colour. Anki flashcards too

3. Recap, beating the forgetting curve

The forgetting curve is quite well known but I think I haven't been making use of it very well, and I want to follow this even better so that my scheduled revision blocks are more effective and work more towards long term memory.

I plan to go by 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months

Every day: recap what was learnt within 24 hours (but if it is too short, recap the next day instead)

Every week: Recap content learnt. Since we are going by the 9-5 system, maybe try to keep

Every month, every 3 months: schedule what's necessary by looking at the revision log and time log

On Sunday night every week, leave about 45min to an hour to schedule what is due for recap

This is an overall look into how I plan to revamp my study system, starting soon when I get back into the groove of doing work. In the meantime I will take the well deserved and necessary break, and go forth with this new study system with much enthusiasm. I don't know how well it will work, but I'm interested to find out. Overall, from this, I hope to enjoy studying a bit more, by having these boundaries and guidelines that I exert on myself. Hope it'll go well. Stay productive :)

Every time we try to tell our teachers that it is very difficult for us to access pdfs or buy incredibly expensive textbooks for the second time because we've left our books elsewhere (lockdown), they bring up the story about the people in Flint or Haiti and how they don't even have clean water or housing or internet and yet they're still studying while we (the privileged) keep complaining

That it doesn't matter we don't have access to books. It's no excuse to postpone exams.

My question is why are the underprivileged teens in Flint or Haiti having to study through this pandemic?

Why aren't classes cancelled for everyone in this pandemic? Why is everyone having to cram up and give online exams in the middle of this pandemic? Don't even get me started on the offline exams.

The study system literally has the power to postpone all studies for 6 entire months but they won't do it.

Instead they will guilt trip us, they will say that "ohh there are so many more people less privileged than you who are studying"

They don't even realise the fact the less privileged shouldn't have to exhaust their resources on studying like this. They won't even provide the less privileged with books or food or help. They will use the less privileged as a tool to further their own disgusting agenda.

Teachers have given us twice the amount of assignments than they would normally give us because "you're at home all the time". What about the children with abusive parents? What about children with no parents? What about the teens who are the sole bread earner of the house after their parents got sacked because of the pandemic? What about the people who don't have access to the internet?

Has the study system done anything to fix it? No why would they?

Protected: Life update number 2: A month into grad school, and a few important takeaways

  Hi! Here I am, writing this post whilst sick. No worries, I’m feeling slightly better, but not yet in perfect working condition. So, I have taken the time to write this little update. And tonight, whilst writing this entry, I realised that it’s been a month since I started graduate school. To use a cliche–time really does fly. And with that realisation, there are other things I have learned,…

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