Mysterious new brain cell found in people 

After years and years (or better said, weeks) I have finally gotten around doing my Japanese language masterpost. All links listed are resources that I have used to study for (and pass!) the N5 exam, but they are great for beginners as wel! I would also like to thank lovely Julie @designstudy for giving me the inspiration (and motivation) to finish this mp! So here we go:

►Books

→ here are the books I’ve used to study and fully reccomend to others as well (all are great for beginners too)

Genki

Minna no Nihongo

Kanji Challenge

Japanese for busy people: I, II, II

►Mnemonics!

→life is hard, Japanese is harder, do yourself a favor and use mnemonics

Hiragana

Katakana

Kanji

►Kanji, Vocabulary and Grammar

→even if you don’t plan to take the N5, knowing these will definitely give you a better grasp of the language

Kanji List for N5

Vocabulary List for N5

Grammar List for N5

►Practice, practice, practice!

→I cannot stress this enough. If you want to make any progress in studying this language or getting good scores on your exam, practice is vital! 

Reading exercices for N5

Grammar exercices for N5

Kanji exercices for N5

Listening exercices for N5

►Grammar help

→because the internet has a lot to offer and it’s a shame not to take advantage

Useful Youtube channels: here, here, here, here and here

Useful websites for grammar: here and here

The coolest Japanese dictionary out there

►Music

→some of my favorite Japanese artists, beacuse let’s face it: studying a new language is 900% better when you also listen to music in that language

Kenshi Yonezu

Daoko

Utada Hikaru

Mondo Grosso

Ichiko Aoba

Galileo Galilei

►Fun stuff

→for when you want to chill but also learn

Read short stories in Japanese with translation

Read raw manga 

Watch literally any anime out there

Watch J-dramas

Watch Ghibli movies

Watch Japanese movies

►Some tricky stuff

→these are actually very useful w o w

Wa vs ga

Shi or tsu?

All you need to know about counters

Ya vs to vs mo

►Cool Japanese studyblrs:

 → these are definitely worth to stalk/follow!!

@japanese-randomstuff @japanese-langblr @glotpoly @atejapan @japaneseblr @japaneseblr @japaneseblr @japaneseblr @japaneseblr @japaneseblr

…and on a final note, some tips:

Be consistent. From my experience, Japanese is a language that if not studied constantly, can be easily forgotten

Use separate notebooks/folders for grammar and vocabulary. You will thank me for this one later.

If you want your kanji/katakana/hiragana/whatever it is that you are writing to look neat, follow the stroke order ! ! !

Quizlet is your best friend when it comes to remembering vocabulary

Hope this helped someone!! Also if you have any questions/need some advice on where to begin, please don’t hesitate to hmu @japaneseblr

Marathon! Change your life!

How often do you say to yourself, “I’ll Start on Monday!“and still put off for later? Are you ready to challenge yourself and turn your life upside down, starting with small steps? Are you ready to be the best version of yourself? Ready to learn to go to your goal, to go to the end? Then participate! I suggest we start on Monday! //symbolic// Only this time, no excuses!

let’s Call it ‘Change your life’. Goal: Get a bunch of good habits.

What do you need for this? You need to print that wonderful sign in the photos, or draw yourself. It needs to be done today, because tomorrow we start. Next, you need to determine what habits you want to put in your life rhythm. Put them in the tracker. Thank u @emmastudies for this Monthly Habit Tracker!🍉 And you need motivation and persistence!

How do you keep motivated?

I thought about that too. We will motivate each other! Every day you can summarize on your blog using the hashtag #marathonwithstudypeachs . So all participants will be easier to find each other’s posts, and thus receive a portion of motivation and boldly go to the end!

And now let’s talk about those habits that should be in each tracker.

🌟 Wake up at 7:00 am!

🌟 Drink 2 glasses of water in the morning and drink plenty of water during the day.

🌟 Morning yoga. Exercises can be found online or replaced with normal charging.

🌟Read 30-35 pages of the book every day.Choose the book you got today)

🌟 Move 20 minutes per day. you can run, walk with friends, jump, swim, but not sit!

🌟 Hug at least one person a day!this is also important. Hugs will cheer you up)

🌟 Plan your day from the evening! Every night you will make a plan for the next day. This habit will help you become more organized.

🌟 Do not use the device during operation! You’d be surprised how much time you’ll have and how much productivity you’ll have.

🌟Take 15 minutes to develop yourself! you can watch thematic videos on YouTube or read self-development books, find useful sites and learn something new.

🌟 Read 1 random Wikipedia article every day!as a result, you will fit 31 articles in your head. And, if it becomes a habit, you will get knowledge from different areas and further, which will make you a versatile person.

🌟 Spend 30-40 minutes in a foreign language! have you been wanting to learn English or German, Chinese or Italian for A long time? Start now! Get closer to the dream every day.

🌟 Go to bed at 11:00 pm!you need 8 hours for a good rest.

Well, are you in? Will you challenge yourself?! I hope so.

As students in this day and age, it’s quite common for us to juggle rigorous academic responsibilities and overwhelming extracurricular activities. As a result, we might feel burnt out. But what exactly is burnout? 

Burnout is when you feel physically and mentally exhausted as a result of constantly lacking the energy required to fulfill the demands of your studying.

Burnout can be broken down into three parts:

Exhaustion is what causes you to feel tired all the time and unable to concentrate. You could also get sick or have trouble sleeping.

Cynicism or depersonalization is when you feel disconnected from those around you, e.g. your friends and family.

Inefficacy is a decrease in productivity, efficiency, or quality of your work.

How do you know if you have burnout?

Symptoms may vary, but they include:

Being unable to absorb new information

Intellectual exhaustion

Decreasing academic performance and productivity

Feeling like you need to prove yourself

Making yourself work even more, even though you’re exhausted or being unwilling to study further

Neglecting your needs

Long term fatigue

Showing disinterest in things you normally enjoy, e.g. hobbies or friends

Denying that something’s wrong with you (may manifest in the form of aggression)

Avoiding social interaction

Feeling empty and depressed

What can I do to fix it?

Here are some short term solutions for dealing with burnout.

1. Take a power nap Power naps are life changing. They help you recharge your energy and get you ready to start working again. They also improve learning, memory, creativity, alertness, and mood. I would recommend napping for 30 minutes at most, because anything more will lead to a longer sleep session.

Optional: drink coffee before your nap - something that takes a short while to consume like a shot of espresso - so that you’ll feel alert and revitalized afterwards!

2. Take a shower A cold one will wake you up, but a warm one will calm you down. I suggest starting with warm water, then ending with cold water.

3. Exercise Whether it’s playing soccer or doing yoga, the important thing is to get moving! Exercise releases endorphins or happy hormones that help you combat stress.

4. Run a quick errand This will help take your mind off things while also getting something done! You’ll also end up walking, which is technically a form of exercise.

5. Call or visit a friend Sometimes what we’re lacking is social interaction, and hanging out with a friend definitely helps. Whether it’s providing you with a distraction or giving emotional support, your friends are always there to help you. Plus, science has shown that being with friends reduces your cortisol (stress hormone) levels.

6. Eat a snack Preferably a healthy one. Eat something with proteins, vitamins, and fibers to boost your mood. Here’s a list of mood boosting foods.

7. Surf the web This requires A TON of discipline, but it’s definitely a game changer. Surfing the web is one of the most relaxing things you could do. I personally look for a good laugh during my study breaks, so I’d watch a comedy or scroll through memes to get those happy hormones up and running.

8. Do an activity you find interesting, e.g. a hobby We all need happiness in our lives, and our hobbies are perhaps the best way to find that joy. You could sit down with a page turning adventure, or go outside and shoot hoops, or listen to a podcast, or even bullet journal, as long as you’re having a good time.

9. Listen to music Music is one of the ways we gain energy, so I always make time for it during the day. However, you should choose the right music, because not all the music you love is going to make you feel energized. For me, it’s pop punk with hard hitting beats, thundering guitars, and really upbeat, enthusiastic vocals. Some of you might be energized by mellow music with dreamy vocals that make you feel like you’re floating in the clouds. If you choose the wrong music, you might just end up feeling sluggish and drained.

10. Get some fresh air Your brain needs 20% of the oxygen in your body. Fresh air brings more oxygen to your brain so that you can think more clearly, feel less tired, and concentrate more easily.

How do I make sure I don’t get it in the future?

Avoiding study burnout in the long term has a lot to do with our study habits - as well as our daily habits. We need to make sure that our bodies and minds receive the things they need, and that we aren’t overworking them.

1. Study a little at a time Break up your notes into smaller, more easily digestible pieces and learn a little at a time. This way, you’re not overwhelming your brain, and you have time to let that new knowledge settle in.

2. Time management Having a good study schedule is crucial in preventing burnout. You don’t want to force yourself to work at your slow hours. Aside from that, you definitely shouldn’t leave things until the last minute, and sticking to a schdule will help you pace yourself. Here’s a post I wrote on How to Make an Efficient Revision Schedule and How to Beat Procrastination.

3. Get enough rest I cannot stress enough that sleep is so important for you. It improves your cognitive functioning and also enhances your mood, making it less likely that you’ll get burnt out. Make sure to take power naps, too, if you feel like you need them. 

You also really shouldn’t pull all-nighters. Sleep is also involved in cementing memories in your brain, so if you study a little before you sleep, you’re bound to remember more than if you studied a chapter during an all nighter.

Having trouble sleeping? Here’s a post I made about my night routine and how to get better sleep.

4. Cycle your study environments Your body and mind are bound to get tired from being in the same location for prolonged periods of time. The best way to fix that is to study in different places: at your desk, your backyard, the dining table, a cafe, a friend’s house, the library, etc.You should find a frequency that works for you. I like to switch it up every 2-3 days; some people change locations every week.

5. Eat well As I’ve mentioned before, healthy foods with protein, vitamins, and fiber greatly improve your mood and your physical health. Proper nutrition will give your brain the power it needs to push through. Also make sure not to skip meals; honestly you’ll just end up feeling terrible afterwards.

6. Take frequent breaks Let’s face it, we’re human, we’re bound to get tired from studying for a long time. Taking breaks enables our brains to digest the information we just learned in a pace that works for it. Breaks also help us focus on something other than studying, so that when we do get back to it, we’ll be ready to digest even more information.

7. Set realistic study goals You’re gonna memorize all 500 pages of your biology textbook in one day? Good luck with that. Some of you might be compulsive studiers, but this kind of habit isn’t very good for your brain or your physical health. Studies have shown that excess studying can lead to lower productivity, fatigue, and - you guessed it - burnout. In the end, this will result in lower academic performance, perhaps even in the long run. So instead of trying to study so much in one sitting or one day, break up your material into chunks.

8. Maintain your social life Wherever you lie on the introvert-extrovert spectrum, everyone needs social interaction once in a while. It keeps you sane and healthy. Go out with your friends, have a sleepover, or maybe even a study date.

9. Start the day right What we do in the morning can significantly affect our mood for the rest of the day. Sometimes we don’t even feel like getting up in the morning, or doing anything that day. One thing you should do is create a morning routine you enjoy to jumpstart your day. Here are 8 Morning Habits for Productivity.

10. Think positive When we’re feeling burnt out, it’s hard to not think negatively about everything. In reality, that just makes our condition worse. So think positively! Start small, like congratulating yourself for getting out of bed today, and then work your way up to bigger accomplishments, like finishing 2 chapters of your textbook.

11. Keep a stress diary This is kind of a new concept for me, but it’s really great. How it works is that each day, you would write down all the things that made you stressed and how they made you stressed. This will help you identify the things you’re doing that’s causing your burnout, e.g.

Too long study hours? take regular breaks

Too much time in the same place? cycle your study environment

Not eating properly? set aside time to eat healthy meals at least 2 times a day

Not doing the things you love? schedule in time for that, e.g. during your long breaks

Not getting enough human interaction? make a study group

Too much negative thinking? adopt a positive mindset (you can always start small)

Not getting enough sleep? fix your sleep schedule

And that’s all I have for you guys this time. Hope these tips will help you manage your stress and study burnout whenever you have them. And if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to drop an ask!

Most of us like to put on some music playlists when studying, working or doing chores. But what is the best music to listen to while doing such things? What music helps us be most productive?

030318 [64/100 Days of Productivity]

Yayyy today I got accepted by the company I am applying for my internship. I’m gonna start working this coming friday. 

Today I was studying for my upcoming English exam. To be honest, this is the only one I really feel prepared for. 📚🌸

[04/01/18]

0.40

happy april (fools) !

just had my first week of spring term – summer is so close ahhhh

currently listening to:

the “i accomplished something” mood: you decided to be productive that day but at night you realise you haven’t accomplished a single thing from your to-do-list. stressed you get yourself a cup off coffee and sit next to your desk really unmotivated and exhausted. half an hour later you’ve solved one math problem. you smile, you have done something.

the “i’m so fucking motivated” mood: early morning. you get out of bed right after the alarm goes off. well-rested you brew yourself a cup of tea.you write your to-do-list. after that you take a seat in your bed and start reading trough the textbook of your fave subject. “i’ll succeed today” you think and take a sip of your tea.

the “oh i’m so gonna prove you wrong” mood: “you can’t do it”, they say. determined you start working early. you read, you write notes, you revise, you discuss, you watch videos. on the test day you walk in with confident, take your test & fully ace it. proudly you turn your back to those bastards.

the “why do i not understand this” mood: papers scattered everywhere, several coffee mugs on your desk. you’ve been doing that same problem the whole day and still can’t solve it. you’ve looked trough the theory, asked your friends & even your teacher. frustrated you pick up your phone and hope someone else has asked the same question on google.