Study Goals

A GUIDE TO MAKING EFFECTIVE SLIDES aka how to create presentation slides that actually improve your presentation

By Eintsein

Most bloggers aren’t writing for the chronically ill audience. Typical tips, tricks and hacks on productivity, motivation and studying just don’t work for us. As a chronically ill student who’s in her last year of undergrad (yay!) I decided to share what I have learned over the (many) years. 

1. Get comfortable. Seriously. Don’t force yourself to sit at your desk, or go out to a coffee shop to study. Most people will tell you not to lay in bed while you read your books but if you are anything like me, getting ready and driving to the library or Starbucks just takes too much energy. I recommend making yourself a nice set up with everything you need. If you can tolerate sitting at a desk don’t skimp out. Buy yourself a decent, ergonomic office or gaming chair. Make sure you have a drink, a snack, your medication, charges, books, and anything else you need within arms reach. The less you have to get up the more energy you are saving. 

2. Take frequent breaks. Okay, this may sound contradictory to tip #1 but hear me out. Everyone person is different, every body is different, and every day is different. Some days your symptoms are just so bad you need to get comfortable and try not to move. But other days you might be fighting brain fog and mental exhaustion. So get up, or even just stop and sit for a minute to rest your mind. Some days I will stop every few sections and get up to do something small like apply a face mask, go back to studying, and then get up in 15 minutes to wash it off etc. Just find what works for you.

3. Write shit down. Write everything down. And write it in multiple places. Again, brain fog is such a bitch, but writing things down multiple times in multiple places will help you remember. I have a paper calendar that I write all my assignment due dates, doctors appointments, and other important things onto, but I also have an assignment check list with all of my upcoming assignments in my notebook. Also, I keep a huge running list titled Never Ending List of Shit To Do with boring chores and tasks that need to be done like doctors to call, bills to pay, letters to mail etc; and I use that list to pick and choose what I’m going to do each day and fill that out on a sticky note or another small insert that serves as my daily to do list.

4. Establish a routine. But don’t be discouraged if you can’t follow it to a T and don’t be afraid to change it up. My routine changes a lot because my symptoms and body are constantly changing too. Also, it’s important to note that a routine is not the same as a schedule. This is important for those of us with chronic illness because its just not feasible to assume we will be able to get up at the same time every day, eat lunch at the same time every day, and study for the same amount of time every day.  

5. Stay (way) ahead of schedule. You never know what life is going to throw at you, especially when you are chronically ill. Unfortunately, we can’t plan our flares, but we can prepare for them. If you know you suffer from migraines that will knock you out of commission for 3 days then make sure you are always 3 days ahead of schedule. Something I highly recommend is doing a little bit every day, even if its only 20 minutes of reading. Of course, sometimes we need a break and that’s okay too! Self care is important!

6. Online classes are the best. So many people say online classes are hard because you have to be super disciplined, and that it’s easier to have the accountability to show up to class, but I highly disagree. Online classes give you the freedom to read when you want, listen to lectures when you want, sleep when you need to, and stay comfortable in bed when it would be impossible to get to class. I work solely online and if it weren’t for the option of online classes I would not be in college right now or anytime in the near future.

7. Audio is your friend. Honestly, this is a tip for everyone in high school or college out there. Sometimes we are too tired or in too much pain to stare at a book or screen, or sometimes we need to utilize our energy wisely and multitask by listening while we clean the house. And this isn’t limited to audio text books. There are so many YouTube videos, podcasts, documentaries and more that you can easily just pop on while you are resting or doing chores! I listen to my lectures while I do my nails every week.

8. Don’t rewrite your notes. Don’t write them at all if you can avoid it. Almost all of my professors supply chapter outlines or summaries that I can just print off and fill in extra notes on. If you do need to write your notes I suggest typing them, or only writing them out once, and only what is most important. Whatever you do, don’t rewrite them, and for the love of god do not waste your time trying to make them look like an Instagram photo. Ain’t nobody got spoons for that.

9. Try to balance your course load appropriately. If you are taking a full course load try to even out the number of upper division classes you take with some easy classes, as well as some boring and some interesting. Alternatively, don’t be afraid to drop classes and go down to part time, even if just for one semester. I have tried to stay full time all year round since I re-enrolled in school fall semester of 2017, but spring of 2019 my health took a drastic decline and I did drop down from 5 classes to 3. I also took summer of 2019 off to focus on my health and came back this semester (fall 2019) ready to rock and roll. Seriously, do not be afraid to drop classes. It felt like the end of the world when I did it, but it was absolutely the right choice for me. It saved my GPA and my sanity.

10. Talk to your professor. And your university, and your classmates, and your adviser, and anyone else around you who can offer resources and support. Every university and college  has a Disability Services Coordinator Student Center available to request accommodations. The information to contact the center should be listed on your syllabus and the school website. They can help with everything and anything disability related. And if you feel comfortable you should really talk to your professor. Just give them a heads up and inform them of what’s going on. As for your classmates, its always good to connect and find a study buddy or someone you can borrow notes from whether you have a disability or not! 

Cleaned by desk today to inspire some productivity!

It’s around the start of the semester for many of us, and here are some things you can do now that’ll help you have a good one!

🎯 Think of goals you want to accomplish

Whether it’s personal, financial, academic, etc., listing down specific, actionable goals will help you improve yourself and give you something to work towards. Reflecting on last semester/year also helps.

📚 Finalize courses and plan future courses

Some colleges (and even some high schools?) have a period during which you can go ‘course shopping’ and audit classes you want to take. But regardless of whether you’re still trying things out or have already finalized your courses, it’s important to keep track of your requirements.

You can do this however you think is best - I have a google sheet with the classes I’ve taken/plan to take and when I took/ plan to take them, along with my major/degree requirements.

At the beginning of the semester, I review my four-year college plan. I rethink the cohesiveness of my course combinations and whether or not I still want to take the courses I’ve listed (this mostly applies to major electives), as well as when I think is best to take each of these courses. I’ll also run this by my advisor to make sure everything’s good.

🎮 Create a game plan for each course

Based on the syllabi and my experience with the first couple weeks of the course, I’ll create a plan that’ll hopefully help me do well in the course. This includes planning

What kind of studying I’ll have to do (e.g. make flashcards? write formula sheets? keep handwritten notes or typed ones?)

How I’ll tackle assignments (e.g. do one problem from the problem set every day? work on projects over the weekend? meet with friends to go through the homework?)

How I’ll organize course material (e.g. how will I organize my digital files? will I need to keep physical papers and notes in a binder? how many sections will I need in my notebook?)

💡 Plan your ideal weekly schedule

I combine findings from my game plan and my goals for the semester to craft an ideal weekly schedule. After factoring in fixed meeting times like lectures, discussions, weekly club meetings, and meal times, the rest of my schedule is filled with time blocks, and is sort of a hybrid between regular time-based scheduling and flexible time blocking.

I try not to make things super specific, e.g. I’d plan for 2 hours of studying then a 30 minute break, but what I actually do with the 2 hours depends on what I need to get done that day. This leaves room for spontaneity, but of course, you could always plan things by the minute if that’s what you prefer.

📅 List important dates in a calendar

These are mostly exams and breaks, but what’s also really helpful is listing out all the dates when assignments are released and due so that you can budget your time and energy towards working on those assignments.

For example, if I find out I’ll have 3 problem sets due the same day, I know I’ll probably have to do a bit of each every day during the week before they’re due.

However, if I have one homework due Tuesday, and another due Friday, I’ll probably spend more time on the weekend working on the Tuesday homework, and more time during the week working on the Friday homework.

🛒 Buy supplies

After going to my classes and finalizing my schedule, I’ll get the textbooks I need from amazon/chegg/online/the university store (as a last resort), as well as any stationery I don’t already have stocked up from the previous semester.

It’s helpful to go to class the first day and ask about the textbook because some professors, even though they assign a book, they’ll say it’s fine if you don’t have it, maybe because the lectures/lecture slides are comprehensive enough, or the library has many copies you can borrow.

In addition to that, there are some classes for which a textbook is assigned but is only used for reference, i.e. for additional explanation. In this case, I’d ask my friends or other people I know who have taken the course and see if they think the textbook’s useful.

Some classes also have special software that’s required, so I’d look into getting those. E.g. some classes use iClicker Reef which is like an online polling system that you have to subscribe to. Or for programming classes, different languages may require different environments, so I’d spend time setting things up on my laptop. This can take quite a while sometimes, and small errors in setting up can have pretty big consequences, so I’ll try to do this as thoroughly as I can.

🗑 Clean

It’s ironic that this is at the end of the list, but cleaning is one of the first things I do once I get back on campus. I’ll organize my digital files, clean my room, tidy my desk, keep last semester’s material in storage, etc. It’s always good to have the things you already have in order before you add/get more things.

Because it comes up a lot for all of us trying to manage schedules that slam more than 24 hours of work into a day, I thought I would make one giant productivity post for everyone to help us all out (including myself). 

10 steps to GET MORE SHIT DONE in a day 

JUST START—I think most of us find that sometimes the hardest part to starting a task is overcoming the “ugh—fuck this shit, I don’t want to do this” feeling. So, trick yourself into it. Instead of saying you’re going to work for 8 hours, tell yourself you’ll do an hour… and watch that hour turn into 2 or 3 or 4 magically. 

Action fights anxiety—If you’re terrified of a project hanging over your head, just start it!! Instead of waiting till tomorrow or next week when things might be right, just start right now! Do something to help yourself feel better about it. You’ll feel better getting through the rest of your day if you don’t have the fear. If you wake up at 2 am panicked you haven’t replied to an email, get up and do it now so you can go back to sleep in peace!

Make a list—Never underestimate the power of writing it down and crossing it off. 

Take care of yourself—It’s hard to work when you’re tired or hungry or haven’t worked out, etc. So, prioritize—make yourself #1! You’re fucking worth it. So work out, eat breakfast, sleep 6 or 8 or 9 hours (whatever you need). Do whatever it takes to make yourself feel ready to take on the day. 

Stay organized—I have a slightly OCD-type personality. If the desk is a mess, it’s hard for me to do my work. So put things back where they belong, take the time to keep things tidy so you can do your best work.   

Don’t multitask—We all think we’re good at this—but the truth is we’re shit. We’re complete and utter shit at multitasking. Do one thing very well instead of four things poorly. 

Shut off—Turning away from the work for just a minute can really decrease your productivity. Unless you are actively waiting on a text to hear the test results from your mother’s biopsy or an emergency call from your best friend that your house is burning down almost anything else can wait another hour until you finish your task. Even an email from your boss can probably wait another 10 minutes for you to finish what you’re working on. 

Be competitive—Be a better you than you were yesterday. Do more. Show yesterday-you that they’re a lazy bitch and you can do better!

Refocus—here’s a list of how to do it in 3 minutes or less. 

Give a fuck!!—If you actually care about what you’re doing, you’ll be more motivated to do it!

10 very specific ways to get more shit done

Work when you work best—This rule that people work better in the morning is bullshit. Some people work best from 5 am to 7 am, but some of us do our best work from 1 pm to 3 pm or 10 pm to midnight. Work when you do your best work and get things done—whenever that is!!

Localize—Put it all in one place. Stop moving between eight study resources or you’ll fail to focus on one thing well—instead condense all your study materials into one place and then focus on that ONE thing. 

Multi-task on the stuff that doesn’t matter—It takes no brain power to clean a counter, so when you have to clean your apartment you can also return the phone calls you’ve put off. When you have to stand in line for coffee you can also answer emails, while your lunch is heating in the microwave you can put away the dishes in the dish washer. Get more done in the spaces between. 

Be contrary—Who says you have to buy groceries on the busiest shopping day? Go at a weird time when other people won’t be there and you can get in and out faster. Don’t waste your time waiting in line just because that’s when everyone else does something. Do things when you can do it fastest!! Hit the post office at 3 pm when everyone else is at work, go to the gym late in the evening after the post-work rush is over. Do it when you can get it done fast!

Buy the right shit—Go ahead and buy the best tool for the task. If you don’t set yourself up right, you’ll just spend more time fighting for things to work than actually working!! 

In arm’s reach or screw it—When you sit down to work, get all the things you need ready to go so you don’t have to keep getting up for more paper or some water. If it’s not within arm’s reach, move it or screw it!

Bribe yourself—Never underestimate the power of a piece of chocolate, or a night out at the end of the week, or an online shopping spree for that shirt you’ve wanted. 

Turn it up (or turn it down)—If you hate the quiet play music, but if the sound is too distracting shut it the fuck off. Work in a space that works for you. 

Deep end—welcome to it--Do the hard stuff first. You’ll lose energy as the day goes on, so leave the easy things for when you’re tired and don’t need as much will power. 

One touch—You’ve probably heard this one before, but here’s my irreverent version of it. Pick it up—don’t put it the fuck down until you’re done. If you get an email from your professor saying you all have to complete a required form, do the fucking form now and email it back immediately. Why spend more time later having to look at that damn email again? If you realize you’re out of paper towels, check your level of tin foil and tissues while you’re at it so you can go to the store one time. Do it once, do it right, don’t fuck around. 

So remember how I vowed to never take an 8AM again and then I did? Well I swore to myself never again. So I have a 9AM now haha. Living an hour away from campus idk why I do this to myself but hey gotta get that edumacation somehow.

Anyways, I have a lot of experience with this early morning thing, especially with depression and icy weather and rainy weather (all 3 make you wanna sleep in so much more) so here are some tips to make your mornings smoother, less chaotic, and maybe even more enjoyable!

Give yourself at least an hour in the mornings. Trust me. The more time you have the better it is. You won't feel stressed or rushed and you'll have time to wake up before driving

M U S I C. Seriously. This like makes mornings 1000x better. Put in some earbuds or blast that shit and have fun. Dance and jump and head bang while getting ready

Make or buy coffee the day before and put it in the fridge or something. Having coffee already made speeds up the routine and it's a nice little treat

Lay out your outfit the night before or at least plan it and know where everything is. Saves so much time even if you are the kind to just grab and go. I am like that. Just grab a shirt and pants and go. But laying it out the night before makes me feel accomplished and in the morning I'm like oh!

"I'll just get gas in the morning" is the worst lie. You'll hate yourself in the morning as that morning will be the one where you are running late and it is super chaotic. Get gas on your way home

Pack your bag for the next day WHEN YOU GET HOME. Don't wait. Mornings are groggy and not the best and you are bound to forget SOMETHING. So pack as soon as you can

Use an alarm you like. "But Lauren, if I like it I won't wake up!" It doesn't have to be peaceful. It can be straight bag pipes and screamo with a hurricane in the background. But if you like it, you'll be happier when waking up

If you know it's going to be cold in the morning, leave the fans off

Two words for you: overnight oats. Cheap, easy, and delicious. "But I don't like yogurt. I am lactose intolerant. I don't like Chia seeds. But..." thousands of recipes my dudes. Thousands. I hate yogurt and am lactose intolerant and hate most fruits. So I use oats, almond milk (vanilla flavored), vanilla extract, cinnamon, coco powder with some sugar mixed in, honey, and if I'm feeling really frisky, some flax seeds. Mix that baby up and stick it in the fridge and voila! A tasty and fast breakfast! You can even eat it on the go or blend it to make a smoothie!

If there's dew or ice, turn your car on like 10 minutes before you leave

Make a routine that keeps things steady and flowing towards the door. Dress, bathroom, breakfast, go

Coffee does not make a great breakfast

Put water next to your bed and drink it first thing in the morning

Hair and makeup can be done before class

Try to get to class half an hour early or more. This gives you time to review and prepare for class

If you have time, try some excercise! A jog, pushups, yoga, etc. It's a great way to get early morning serotonin and energy as well as feel better through the day

Take care of your animals before you eat to make sure you don't forget

If you bring lunch, pack it the night before

Set an alarm for bedtime and listen to it. When your bedtime alarm rings, put the phone or book down and sleep

If you wake up before your alarm, stay up if you have less than 30 minutes before it goes off

You can try burning incense in the mornings. Orange, lemon, and basically any citrus scent is known to improve your mood and help with energy

Consider buying a second phone charger that stays in your car so you don't have to worry about that

Simplify your skin care routine or modify it for the PM

Night showers are now your new beat friend

No you won't wake up extra early to finish that assignment. Just do it now

If you like hot coffee, prep the coffee maker the night before and set it to start when your alarm goes off especially if you sleep near the kitchen. You'll smell it

If you need to help calm your anxiety over your mornings, make a check list with everything to make sure you don't miss anything

Keep your keys in the same spot

If you have a dog, walk them before leaving or feed them when you get up. They catch onto patterns fast and will wake you up if you don't want to get up

Types of Bone Fractures

Common types of breaks include:

i graduated a few years ago and i want to share with you some things:

I grew up being called ’gifted’ and smart. I did really well in school, to the point my identity depended on it. Then in college, I failed entire semesters, more than once. I also dropped out at one point.

It was devastating and I was terrified.

And yet: EVERYTHING TURNED OUT OK. 

B/c despite what they’d have you believe, this is not the end of the world, and you are going to be okay. 

Repeat it with me: You are going to be okay. 

It’s common to feel like “everything depends on this.” I promise: it doesn’t. A couple things I want you to know

***Your worth & intelligence is absolutely absolutely ABSOLUTELY not based on or reflected by your grades.*** 

The atmosphere you’re currently in breeds stress. Educational institutions have this messed up culture that pushes our minds into an ’emergency mode’ that does not reflect reality and forces you to panic unnecessarily. That’s why:

Things are never as desperate as they feel.

The panic you’re feeling is something you’ve been trained to feel, but it is not truthful. 

If you don’t do as well as you hoped: sweetheart, that Is fine. We naturally aim for more than we can reasonably manage, in order to push ourselves. Not reaching a goal doesn’t mean you ‘failed’, it means you aimed high and I’m proud of you.

Everyone who has ever done anything has failed at some point. People who never fail are people who never try.

Failing a class/classes is NOT the end of the line. Sometimes we need more time, or a second chance. Sometimes we need a different direction

For years I thought I wanted to be an engineer. I declared that major as a freshman. I ended up retaking several classes before realizing that no, this subject was not actually a good fit and didn’t me happy. 

The subject I eventually got a degree in? I actually had to retake a few of the introductory classes, alongside classmates who weren’t even in the program but seemed to have an easier time than me. At the time I was embarrassed. Now, I’m proud that i stuck with it

Please do not be afraid to ask for help even/especially when a deadline has passed/you feel ashamed for not asking sooner. Or rather: please ask for help even when you’re scared and it’s late in the semester. It literally cannot hurt. 

You are still learning how to learn, teach yourself, and self-monitor. This is a Huge Big Part of being an Adult that very few of us don’t get formal training for. So of course you will make mistakes along the way. Mistakes are a symptom of progress.

I need you to know these things.

This job is hard. It’s hard as a student, learning things most people will never understand. It’s hard as a brand new nurse; no patient or seasoned nurse truly has faith in you.

You want to learn. You want to know things. You want to get to the point in your job where you are comfortable in your skills, the patients trust you, and the doctors start to know your name and believe in your abilities.

It takes time. The first year of nursing will be the hardest year of your life and you will find yourself truly doubting your intelligence and intellect for the first time ever. You will make mistakes, second guess yourself, cry after work, cry during work, cry before work. You will triumph, and you will fail miserably.

But with literally every single moment of every single day, you will learn so much more than you’ve ever learned in your entire life combined. You will learn about human suffering, joy, love, sorrow, insanity, and pain. You will experience moments that will haunt you forever. Moments you will bury down deep inside because the people closest to you could never understand.

Student nurses, stay with it. You aren’t there yet. School is hard. It does get harder. But it also gets better.

I was a student. Nursing school was the hardest thing I had ever done up to that point. I will not downplay that. Ever. It is so hard.

But then I was a new nurse. And it was harder. I experienced things that will haunt me to the grave. I was bullied by patients, doctors, and nurses.

I’m still learning. I’m still a baby nurse. But I’ve got a bit of time and a little experience under my belt now. I’ve been a nurse in the burn ICU, a med-surg nurse, and now a bone marrow transplant/oncology nurse. I’ve dealt with nurse bullies, bully doctors, and abusive patients and families. I’ve seen all kinds of sickness, I’ve welcomed new life, and I’ve held countless hands as their pulses faded away.

I’m here to tell you, student nurses, new nurses, that this job is hard. It is cruel and unforgiving at times.

But it is so worth it. It may get harder, but it will get easier as time goes on. The bonds you form with patients, doctors, and fellow nurses will bring you through it.

You knew it would be difficult when you chose such a selfless profession. This job takes heart. It takes a special kind of person that was meant to heal this harsh world.

Stay with it. It gets so much better. It is rewarding. We are here and we want you to succeed. Forget the nurse bullies, forget the bad. You are a guardian angel and you chose this noble path.

A small prayer before studying ✨

My first paper for finals is in less than 9 hours!!! I need prayers and lots of lucks ✨

Research suggests that being an early bird or a night owl is actually down to genetics (an interesting article to learn more about that here). Whilst many are getting their beauty sleep, you, brave night owl, are burning the midnight oil by choice! (One study has even shown that night owls are more intelligent than early risers.) 

There are benefits of studying in the evening/at night: you are less likely to be distracted by phone calls/texts/emails/active social media, you are more likely to feel calm and relaxed because the bulk of the day is behind you, and most people experience a spike in creativity at night- meaning out of the box solutions or deciphering problems by approaching them in a different way. These tips are for you, my nocturnal friends, to get the most out of your time!

Improve your lighting

It’s natural to want to work in dimmer lighting come night-time, but working from the glow of your computer screen might not be the best for you (plus this can cause unnecessary eye strain), so switch some bright main lights on and see if that changes your energy

Alternatively, you might continue to work with bright lighting but may find that you work better with softer lighting. Play around with a desk lamp/fairy lights/dimmable lights if you have them, to create the ambience that makes you the most productive

Commit to your study environment

Just because it’s night-time doesn’t mean it’s bed time - create and use the workspace you’ve set up (at a desk or table) and avoid crawling into bed with a textbook

Hit the library

If your institution has a twenty four hour library, this is the perfect time to get the best seat in the house to study in. With the exception of the weeks leading up to the exam period, libraries will usually be very quiet!

Switch your phone off

Unless you need it to set break timers, switching off your phone is BLISS because not many exciting things will be happening when it’s late. Allow yourself the freedom to study without wondering who could be texting you/who just posted another beige facebook update

Keep to a sleep schedule

Just because you stay up later than some doesn’t mean you still can’t have a schedule and wake up early - in fact, it’s been suggested that night owls are actually better at waking up than the early birds! It’s a good idea to have a cut-off point for studying. There may be times when a creative streak or an academic rush propels you through the early hours of the morning and you find yourself still working when the birdsong breaks, and that’s okay. Allow all nighters to happen sometimes, because that’s when the best work can happen! But ensure you do still get enough sleep and keep a loose routine

Music: destructive or productive?

During the day, I am most productive when listening to music (I make study playlists that you can find under my playlists tag!) After about 10pm, I find that music becomes a nuisance and instead prefer working in silence. Rules can change at night. Find out whether this is the same (or the opposite) for you

Stay hydrated

Don’t forget to have a big glass or bottle of water with you (if you’re bad at remembering to drink enough water, there are lots of cute apps to remind you such as Daily Water for iPhone/iPad or Drink! for Chrome)

Allow yourself time off 

Don’t always feel the need to study if you don’t want to- use the still of the night to work on that novel you’ve been writing, read a book for pleasure, paint, etc. 

[25/12/2016] Merry Christmas!