#studycxlture

So I’ve listed out a couple study tips that have personally been useful to me over the years. Things like these are personal, things that work for me may not work for you and that’s okay!! Please don’t try to adopt a method or tip that doesn’t work for you just for the aesthetics (me and mindmaps).

Two notebook method

This really changed my note taking game. What this method essentially is, is you take two notebooks. Designate one of them to be your school notebook and keep the other one at home. At school, as your teacher speaks, make quick, hurried notes in the school notebook and write questions in the margins, just make these as detailed as you want them and don’t worry too much about colours and aesthetics. Then, at home, open up the school notebook alongside any study materials like printouts or a textbook, and start making cleaner, more organized notes. In the second notebook, you can add in points you might have missed from the textbook as well as use different colours. Usually, trying to make neat notes at school doesn’t end well, because we often don’t have the time to switch out pens. 

Post-It Notes everywhere

If there’s ever information I need to memorize instead of learn, I just put it on a vivid post it note and stick it on the wall opposite my bed. What this does, is it makes me see the post it every single morning and night as well as multiple times in between, thus, I remember the information. During exam season, my entire wall is covered with post its and it’s extremely helpful. You can also post them on a mirror, in the dining room and next to your television!

Colour coding chapters

This is a life saver. What you do, is you designate a colour specifically for a chapter. For example, if I was making notes for Law of Demand and Law Of Supply, I’d use a separate colour pen to write both. The body of my notes are always black, but the highlighter and the terminology I often write in a different colour will differentiate the chapters. During an exam, you can try to remember the colour of the notes pertaining to the chapter. This is really helpful for those individuals who have issues memorizing! 

Write write write

Instead of reading over and over again, try to write the information a few times. This is far more effective. If possible, write in different colours too!

Reading text thrice

Here are some of my favorite apps I use for studying and productivity and they have been lifesavers for me. Many of these apps are common or self-explanatory but I added them to the list anyways. Also please reblog or comment with some of your favorite study apps to help fellow studyblrs!

Khan Academy- This is an amazing way to learn concepts for almost all subjects. Their videos explains topics in detail and are easy to comprehend. They also have practice questions that are great for testing yourself, especially in math. Their SAT and other standardized testing practice is extremely useful.

Quizlet- Quizlet is not your average flashcard app. You can create your own sets or find sets that others have already made. There are many different modes for studying such as writing, dictation, matching, testing, games, etc. It’s UI also makes it super simple to use.

Socratic- Socratic allows you to scan text on paper using the camera, type in information, or type in math problems so that it can scan the internet for all possible related content. It will quickly bring up many different sources online and perform a Google Search.

GoodNotes- I use this app on my iPad to take handwritten notes with my Apple Pencil. It’s really easy to take notes on here with many different paper templates. Their zoom window feature also makes it simple to write legibly. GoodNotes allows you to convert text to handwriting and easily write on other documents. One feature that it does not have but it’s competitor Notability does is the ability to audio record with the notes but you can still record at the same time with the iOS built in voice memos or another recording app.

Forest- Forest is a focus timer app where you plant a “tree” for a set amount of time to stay focused and cannot leave the app. If you do, your tree will be killed symbolizing that you didn’t finish the session. Earn coins for each tree that you plant and you can spend those coins to plant a real tree somewhere in the world! You can also do group room session where you do the same and plant a tree with friends. (If you aren’t ready to spend for the app Flora is a similar app although I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure what it’s like)

Slader- Slader provides detailed answers for many textbook questions. It’s written by people who submit answers so they may not always be right but usually are. Math related problems have detailed step-by-step solutions which are very helpful.

Wolfram Alpha- This app is great to use for high level studies. It helps you solve complex mathematical problems or find detailed information in STEM topics. It has an abundance of content as is definitely worth paying for.

LitCharts- I haven’t used LitCharts that much yet but it’s much like Sparknotes with detailed chapter summaries, character descriptions, quote analysis, and more. I personally like this app more than Sparknotes because it doesn’t have many distracting apps.

Todoist- Todoist is great for keeping track of tasks and organizing them in categories. They email you with your tasks everyday to stay on track and keep track of daily completed streaks. Sadly most of its other features can only be used by paying for their premium subscription such as notifications or completed tasks.

Desmos- This graphing calculator is beneficial for me when I forget my calculator at home. You can easily type in an equation and it will be graphed immediately. Clicking on the points will allow you to find the coordinates. It can sometimes be difficult to graph more complicated equations but overall a great app.

Google Calendar- I've been using Google Calendar to plan out my daily schedules for many years. It’s easy to add an event and can invite others by email to it. The app allows you to add details like locations and specific times so it can notify you when needed. I also add other calendars to my own such as my volleyball team’s schedule and biology teacher’s class schedule. Basically almost all of Google’s productivity apps are really beneficial.

Varsity Tutors- Varsity Tutors has apps specific to different AP subjects and standardized tests. Each has various question regarding all aspects of the tests. They also have a couple diagnostics test, full length tests, and flashcards with questions.

Motivate- Finding inspiration and motivation can be tough but this app has uplifting motivational videos and speeches to get you started. They constantly upload new videos often as well.

hello, I am back again with another post that nobody asked for! since I have a little over a month left before I officially start my college career, I figured it would be a good time to get back into my routines. sooo, I decided to share with you guys what I do to get ready for a new week!

1. Shower

I usually start my unwinding process with a nice shower. this way I give my hair plenty of time to dry before I go to bed

2. Face mask

once i’m done w my regular shower routine, I go ahead and put on a face mask. I like doing this on sundays especially because it gives my skin a fresh start for the new week.

3. Meal prep

although I am not as consistent with this as I should be, I do enjoy meal prepping because it takes away the stress of having to make a lunch everyday

4. Smoothie

idk abt yall but i love starting off my day with a nice berry smoothie! I make this every night before I go to bed so it’s ready for when I have breakfast. I usually do this instead of coffee because for some sad reason my stomach decided that I can’t have coffee in the mornings

5. Plan 

this includes everything from what I am going to wear to what I have to do after work everyday. I usually plan out my week in my planner and then based off of that I decide what to wear and I set it out on my bed or on a hanger for quick access in the morning

6. Sleep!

an obvious one, ik. I do try to get to sleep as early as I can, but as many of you know that’s not always that easy! I am definitely putting more effort into sleeping early tho, as the school year is coming up quickly

i’m back on Tumblr to check in with my inner motivation to learn and study.

since the induction of this blog years ago, the goal has always been to motivate myself to learn and to study—acceptance into a university has always been a side goal. sometimes I get too lost in the college application decisions numbers statistics, and I need to take a step back and reevaluate. 

hello december, goodbye november.

my november bujo spread. how was last month? it was super hectic for me. also, my exam scores are kinda disappointing, but i’ll try my best for the next exams. i hope everyone’s enjoying the first day of the snowy month (although it isn’t snowy here). december, please be good!  (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ

september 22, 2017

fall is here friends, and i’ve never been happier ! this is last week’s spread, and i’m quite happy with how it turned out :)