Flashcard Mistakes

Mistake #1: Not Making your Own Cards

The actual process of creating flashcards is important.

Your deck of flashcards should not just be “dictionary definitions.” Turning knowledge into cards is valuable for the same reasons it’s important to not take word-for-word notes: when you try to express information in your own words, you process the information. When you process it, you have to recreate the ideas in a way that makes sense to you. The process of retrieving and reorganizing the information actually strengthens the memory.

When you study flashcards which you created, you’ll remember the context in which you created them. If you’re studying a word in a foreign language, for example, you can include an example of a sentence that gives you trouble or some hint at the subtleties of the words which you’d miss by just writing a dictionary definition. In short, you can customize the card in a way that captures the exact challenges you face with that bit of information.

Mistake #2: Studying in One Big Session

If you sit down for one massive “cram session” with your cards, you’re hurting your learning.

The best way to use flashcards is as a quick impromptu study session. 15 minutes at the bus stop and 30 minutes between classes is better than hours and hours of continuous study at the end of the day, thanks to the rules of perfect practice. If you graph your progress, like I love to do, you’ll quickly discover that most of your progress seem to happen in between study sessions.

Here’s a surprising truth:

The goal of flashcards isn’t to get them right.

It’s to remind yourself of knowledge you’ve forgotten.

Researchers who have studied memorization developed a technique called “spaced repetition” for this reason. The major insight that they had, as a result of analyzing thousands of hours of study, is that you want to prompt recall just as something is about to be forgotten.

Mistake #3: Practicing Mindlessly

Do you know every fact in your deck equally well?

Certainly not. So you shouldn’t be lumping them all together into one big pile.

If you’re “zoning out” or going into a “robotic” mode when you use your flashcards, you’re wasting time. You should think about each card. Use the word in a sentence, remember some places you’ve heard it, say it aloud to yourself, etc. Engage with the content, don’t just say “yes, I know it” or “no, I don’t.” In fact, the spaced repetition concept from above would even suggest that you rate how well you know the card on a scale of 1-4. Then you sort the cards based upon how well you know them and study the ones you struggle with the most first before coming back to the ones you know better.

If all of this sounds hard to manage, there’s a better way.

So if you really want to improve your learning with flashcards:

Study it whenever you have a few minutes to kill. Embrace the small minutes of downtime you’d normally use to check social media.

Engage in the content. Say the words to yourself, use them for an example, and don’t rush through the cards.

Source

Busting those bad marks

Bad is of course a relative word here. Bad marks for you might actually be good marks for me!

So last semester i ended up with some okay marks, not my best moment. But this time I am going through some anxiety and trying to figure out what went wrong . This has not been an easy task. I did all that i could , at that time.

But, i have been wondering if “all that i can do” can be pushed beyond its limits. After all those “limits” were decided by me. So now, i am going all out. Pushing my boundaries to test myself. This time, this is my way of busting those bad marks. Whats yours?

Breaks.

So for the last week, I did nothing. In the beginning of the week, I had a cold and fever and I couldn't focus, so I rested. Later, as I got better, I started losing motivation because I just wanted to continue resting. I began to feel like I could catch up if I compromised on my study process. Only reading could do, I don't need to take notes, I will revise everything again. And I tried doing that, but it dosent work. So what did I do to get my motivation back? I talked to my sweet friends, who helped get back on track. I came to Tumblr to find so many others who were finding it hard like me. This is such a wonderful encouraging community, and I feel so happy to be a part of it. ♥️

1 note View Post

decadentheartflower

7 years ago

So what? You had a bad semester. You gained some weight. So what? You’re single again. You lost your job. So what? What now? You live. You try again. That’s what.

never give up (via cwote)

110K notes View Post

decadentheartflower

7 years ago

“If you care about what you do and work hard at it, there isn’t anything you can’t do if you want to.” ― Jim Henson

12K notes View Post

decadentheartflower

6 years ago

This is a chart that my chem teacher gave to everyone after our first exam.

2K notes View Post

decadentheartflower

8 years ago

School is officially back in full swing for most of us, and with it comes lots of deadlines, pressure, and competition. So I thought I’d make a list of simple techniques, websites, and diys to help you relax and enjoy some “me time” in the midst of all of the stress!

write a letter to someone. you don’t have to send it.

listen to your favorite songs

live puppy cam//live kitten cam

make a list of everything that’s stressing you out and the action steps you can take to handle them

knit/crochet

let your thoughts float away

read some soothing suggestions

go for a walk

make a face mask

make a hair mask

meditate

take a long shower

do some yoga

do a seven-minute workout

watch paint-mixing videos

open a window and let some fresh air in

have a cup of tea

indulge in a snack

take a hot bath

listen to the rain

read a good book

practice aromatherapy

journal

vent anonymously

play with a stress ball (a real one or a virtual one)

talk to a stranger

play a game of cards

watch a movie

analyze your stress

skip rocks

cry, scream, punch your pillow. you’ll feel better.

call or text your friends

take control of your time

defeat perfectionism

create a virtual zen garden

take a nap

color in some mandalas

collect some virtual cats {iOS//Android}

paint your nails

practice guided imagery

make a music playlist that conveys how you feel

do a breathing exercise

create a nebula

look through photos of your favorite people/memories

make a glitter jar

find one good thing that happened today

find some quiet

play with your pet

receive some hugs

light a scented candle

practice progressive muscle relaxation

do an Epsom salt foot soak

turn the lights off, lay down, and daydream

laugh!!

take care of your plants

organize your school supplies

clean your room/closet

make a compress for stiff muscles

hang out at the pool

repeat positive affirmations

fold some lucky stars

give yourself a scalp massage

create sand art

list 50 things that make you happy

make stress your friend

Thanks for reading! If you have questions, feedback, or post requests, feel free to drop me an ask.

+Click here for the rest of my original reference posts!

—Sophia :)

2K notes View Post

decadentheartflower

7 years ago

A friend once asked me how I manage to do my tasks so efficiently. I wrote a 500-word essay in 20 minutes. I finished my math homework and studied for a quiz in the half hour before morning assembly. I sleep at 9 pm on most nights. But how can I possibly achieve that?

I’ve seen people, even good students, check their phone every minute or two as they’re studying. I’ve seen students “study” for six hours straight, meaning taking down some notes then watching a YouTube video then reading their textbook then opening Instagram… you know what I mean.

My advice is to commit to whatever you’re doing. Not too long ago, another friend asked me, “Jo, do you ever get distracted at home?” to which I replied, “Distracted by what?” They told me about how they always have the urge to check their phones, talk to their friends, or get some food. I can’t say I never get distracted, but it very rarely happens to me because I focus on what I’m doing–and only what I’m doing. Here’s how:

1. During the time I allocate for working, I turn my phone to airplane mode (with WiFi switched off, of course). No messages or notifications will distract me from what I’m currently doing. Recently, though, I’ve left my phone on in case there’s anything important. There might an RMUN photoshoot tomorrow, or a Physics quiz, or a music showcase. I know myself well enough to know that I have the discipline to do nothing more than glance at the notification. However, if this isn’t true for you, then I suggest you keep your phone on airplane mode.

2. When I allocate time for relaxing, that’s all I do. No homework. No textbooks. No opening emails as they come. Just me and a good book or Photoshop or the piano or something. That way, I can satiate my thirst to relax within the half hour or so and not crave more when I start working

As for music, it’s been proven that music makes you less productive when trying to recall and absorb information (studying, in other words). Music only makes you happier when you’re doing things but not more productive.

By this, I don’t only mean which ones are most urgent, but which ones you can’t accomplish anywhere other than at home. For example, let’s say you have these three tasks: a) research about structural unemployment; b) write a poem with the theme of death; c) answer some questions about quantum physics; d) do a problem set about implicit functions; and e) memorize a set of chemical reactions. This is how I would do them:

Write the poem on the way to school. Maybe this is just because I like poetry. And because I can’t write when other people are around. I’d probably get a first draft done by the time I get home.

Do the research about structural unemployment. My school’s WiFi is terrible.

Answer the quantum physics questions. The new information is still fresh in my brain and doing the homework will help me revise, easing the process of spaced repetition.

Memorize the chemical reactions before I go to bed. Studying before you sleep is supposed to improve your memory, and since my memory is terrible, that’s exactly what I’ll do.

Do the implicit functions problem set as soon as I get to school the next morning. Math is undoubtedly my best subject, and it’s very refreshing to do math at 6:45 AM in the morning.

If you saw the pattern, I assigned each task a time slot when I would be most productive. I also did them from easiest to most difficult to the easiest again. Because everyone works differently, I suggest you find out which types of tasks are the most difficult (memorizing, in my case) and which types of tasks require a certain environment (e.g. requiring WiFi for doing research).

I guess that’s pretty much self-explanatory. I like to nap right after I get home from school if I’m feeling especially tired. As for breaks, I prefer to take them between tasks instead of every 25 minutes because of my high study inertia.

Commit to what you’re doing

Delegate and prioritize

Give yourself shorter deadlines

Take breaks!

And that’s it! Hope this guide to efficiency was helpful in some way. I do believe that by following these four steps, you can accomplish all your tasks in a much shorter amount of time. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to drop me an ask!

16K notes View Post

decadentheartflower

7 years ago

All of my creature comforts are back from their long voyage across the ocean so naturally the first thing I did was reread Pride and Prejudice while eating breakfast and taking a bubble bath. You know, just to get it all out of my system at once.

20K notes View Post