08-01-2017;

Would You Admit You? genericappblrurl’s College Essay Masterpost

Here it is: the college essay masterpost. Keep in mind that if you’ve written an essay that fits the description of any of the “don’t do this!” bits, it’s not a reflection on you as a person. The makings of a good college essay are, at times, entirely counterintuitive, so many of the errors in here seem completely justified.

The most important thing to consider when writing a college essay is the degree to which you pass the Turing Test. Basically, do you sound like a person? Even if you think the answer is yes, spoiler alert! There’s a decent chance it’s no. Why? Well, consider the fact that each admissions officer at any selective school reads hundreds, probably thousands of essays per year. Now, consider the fact that most of them have been doing their job for multiple years. That’s a heckton of essays, my friends. That’s so many. And after a while, they all seem to blur together. Now, you might be thinking, hey, but my essay talks about an extremely personal struggle/experience/situation!!! Well, yeah. But so does literally everyone else’s. Even if the specific content of your essay is different, the essay structure itself is still the same. If you designed a computer program that could write college essays, the resulting pieces would look just like the vast majority of college essays that land on any given admissions officer’s desk, and they’d end up in the same sad pile. With that in mind, let’s get started.

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W R I T I N G

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The Common App Essay/Personal Statement

From an email I sent to a student whose essay I reviewed: “Something to keep in mind is that the amount that any essay says about you is entirely dependent on your writing. You could write an essay about bagels that says a lot about you; you could write a deeply personal piece that says nothing. The mistake that many applicants tend to make is thinking that the subject matter itself has to be something profound; oftentimes, essays like this fall short because their authors put all their energy into writing about something personal and barely any of it into writing well.”

The common app essay/personal statement comes with a few prompts that, in many cases, immediately result in a “Hey! I know exactly what to write about!” And, in many cases, this immediate response is way off base. The prompts are designed as such; these days, when almost everyone has good grades and SAT scores, the essays are the only real way to tell who’s the very best. Even though your story - that immediate response - may be intensely personal, a key component of who you are, it’s still an immediate response to a prompt, and chances are every other person who chose that prompt immediately thought of a similar story from their own life.

Prompt 1: Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

Key Ideas: Spin it differently, think smaller, keep it positive.

Unless you have a story on par with the plot of Jane The Virgin, be careful. Your struggle to improve your grades/win that competition/make friends/overcome your fears just isn’t that compelling. That doesn’t mean it’s not important; it just isn’t good college essay material unless you can find a way to spin it differently.

If you’re writing about an identity or talent, be sure to think first about the other people in the world who share that identity or talent. What makes your story different?

If you’re writing about overcoming an obstacle such as mental or physical illness, don’t make it a pity party, but don’t become detached. What makes your resilience unique?

Now, something that a lot of people don’t realize is that this essay can also go smaller. You wouldn’t be you without your love of bagels, hatred of carpeted floors, etc. so don’t shy away from writing about something other than a Deeply Personal Struggle Or Experience. These are often the essays that go far, solely because they go against the grain and admissions officers are tired of the monotony. These are the essays that get a “Hey Sue, look at this one!” And voila, a second read.

One other thing to note is that while this background may be painful - mental illness, deported parent, etc - you need to find a way to end on a positive note. A pity party won’t get you in. Regardless of how much the content of the essay makes your admissions officer cry, what they’re looking for is resilience.

Prompt 2: The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

Key Ideas: Plot twist, think smaller, get weird.

The difficulties with this prompt are similar to the first - the essay that first strikes you is just not that compelling. Nobody wants to hear another “I failed a test and studied hard and aced the class!!” essay. Unless your specific incident of failure was wholly unique - maybe you didn’t pull the parachute string on time when skydiving and are now writing this with two broken legs - you’re going to need to think of something else. There are a few easy ways to do this.

Plot twist. You failed in a common way, but your response was super weird. Introduce this weirdness from the beginning. Pro tip: studying hard after failing is not weird.

Think smaller. This one is more creative writing than life story. Think of a really tiny instance of failure - maybe you slipped on the stairs! maybe you cut one nail slightly too short! - and write a mock epic.

Get hella experimental. Use an unconventional format - I know a girl who wrote hers as a series of limericks - or write from an unconventional perspective.

There are certainly other successful essays that aren’t written as one of the three outlined above, so don’t be afraid to do what you think is best. Still, remember to keep in mind the necessity of setting yourself apart.

Prompt 3: Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?

Key Ideas: Stay humble.

The biggest mistake I see with this prompt is the tendency to wax philosophical & come across as someone who thinks they’re profound. Pro tip: that’s not a good thing. If you think you have something profound to say, write about something else. Seriously. It comes through & it’s not flattering. Note that this is absolutely different from being genuinely passionate about something; let your passion show, but curb your self-righteousness.

Prompt 4: Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma - anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.

Key Ideas: Stay humble, avoid waxing, let your passion show, get weird.

Many people who choose this prompt use it as an opportunity to wax philosophical about a Big Bad World Issue, but unless you have a truly unique take, don’t bother. Admissions officers have read thousands of essays about the importance of solving world hunger, widespread ignorance, etc. so unless they’ll actually gain something new by reading yours specifically you should steer clear. Some other options for this essay include:

Choosing a smaller problem

Dramatization

An opinion piece on something trivial

And, again, there are many more beyond these, but this is a good starting point if you find yourself stuck.

One other thing to keep in mind is authorial distance. You want to stay close to whatever you choose to write. It needs to feel personal, whatever it is. It needs to feel like you.

Prompt 5: Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.

Key Ideas: Plot twist, think smaller, get weird, stay close.

A story of this nature is obviously personally important by definition, but it’s remarkably easy to write one that falls flat and blends in with the crowd. The most prominent issue I’ve seen with essays that use this prompt is the tendency to step back from the event in question through word choice and excessive summarization. What this essay calls for, fundamentally, is a sense of closeness and a feeling that we, as readers, are experiencing it for ourselves. If you’re not ready to get intensely personal, choose a different prompt.

For those of you who choose to write about a formal event or accomplishment, you have two workable options. First, you could write about an event that, while formal, is obscure. Maybe it’s a family tradition to run the perimeter of the city on your 15th birthday while carrying a pineapple. If your event/accomplishment falls into this category, you’re good to go. If it doesn’t, though, you’ll need to tell a truly unique story about the well-recognized event. This can be done through either plot or structure. Did something weird happen? Good. Did everything go according to plan? Spin it differently. Write about your bat mitzvah from the perspective of some relevant non-human object. Write about registering to vote in the format of a screenplay. Bonus points if you have a weird story and an interesting framing device or style.

For those of you who choose to write about an informal event or accomplishment, you’ll have an easier time setting yourself apart because you could write about literally anything. Still, the advice above holds. You’ll either need a story that, plotwise, goes in unexpected directions, or you’ll need to choose a style or framing device that makes an essay about something standard seem like a New York Times bestseller. Ultimately, your goal is to make the admissions team want to keep reading. How you do this is up to you.

Summary: Make the reader care. Make the reader want to keep reading. Seriously, that’s it.

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The “Why _______” Essay

A good “Why _____” essay shows what you care about. These essays are usually much shorter - generally only about 150 to 250 words - so being concise here is key. As a general rule, if what you wrote could be found in a brochure, delete it. Reading the brochure and liking what it says doesn’t make for a compelling essay. Instead, think smaller. Write about a conversation you had, an interaction you witnessed, etc. and do so in a personal manner. Keep your authorial distance as small as possible. Get weird. Choose a formatting style that fits your story. If you can say something to the admissions officers that they haven’t already heard before, chances are you’ll do much better.

For a more detailed procedure, click here.

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The Identity Essay

Several schools ask for a short essay about an identity that affects/matters to you in some context. The same advice from the Common App applies to this essay as well. If the identity itself is not unique, write about a unique way in which you interact with it. If you’re given a specific context, write about an identity that normally would not be associated with that context. For example, in my RA application, I was asked to write about how some aspect of my identity influences how I approach conversations about diversity. I could’ve written about being bisexual, Jewish, etc, but instead I wrote about being white and how my whiteness influences the ways in which I approach these conversations. Remember, finally, to keep it personal; don’t wax philosophical about the identity in question. For bonus points, see if you can somehow mention other identities somewhere in there. This isn’t mandatory, but showing that you understand intersectionality is always a plus.

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The “Respond To This Quote” Essay

This is a super common supplemental essay question, and it’s easy to get stuck when responding to it. The process that I used for this essay went something like this:

Brainstorm. Read the quote and write down everything that comes to your mind in response. This should be closer to a bulleted list than a paragraph; multiple thought trains are what you want to see. To really push yourself, set a timer for ten minutes and force yourself to write for the whole time.

Take a break, then brainstorm again. You’d be surprised at how much you can generate when forced to sit and write for a while.

Look at your clusterfuck of thoughts. Physically cross out anything that doesn’t seem writeable. Physically put a star next to anything you think you’d be excited to write. Don’t think too much about this; go with your gut.

Don’t waste time trying to find the “best” idea! Close your eyes, stick your finger on the page, and write about whichever starred idea is closest to your finger.

Write! And write! And write! Your first draft should be terrible and messy and structurally questionable! Just write!

Take a break, then read over what you wrote and figure out what it says about you. Now, what do you want it to say about you?

Figure out how to get from point A to point B. Which words should you change? Which sentences should you delete? What framing device would best convey what you want to convey? Form the completest plan possible.

Execute!

Read it again, repeat steps 6-9 as necessary until you’re happy.

Some extra tips: this essay is about you, not the quote. The quote is a framing device to get you to reveal more about who you are as a person. Thus, tone and style are crucial. Feel free to take stylistic risks; feel free to get weird. This isn’t a literary analysis.

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Any Essay That Requires You To Discuss A Book

is not a book report. See extra tips above.

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The “Talk About A ______ You Love/Admire” Essay

Since this one is super open-ended it’s hard to give concrete “do this and don’t do this” type advice. In general, your goal is still to make the reader want to keep reading. By the end of this essay, your admissions officer should desperately want to google the noun in question, but keep in mind that this is, again, an essay that should reveal something about you. What the reader gets from this essay should exceed that which they could find on Wikipedia, in a biography, etc.; you have to show passion. This is not the place to stay detached or academic; get personal. Love and admire are two strong words and you need to do them justice.

If you find yourself falling into the Wikipedia trap, consider:

Telling a story about [noun] that’s specific to your life. This is always a good bet tbh

Examining your narrative distance. Care harder!

Making a list of things you love about [noun] using the timer method I described in the quote essay section. Go with two minutes instead of ten. This may lead you to see something you wouldn’t have thought to write about beforehand.

Just writing. Stream of consciousness, no pressure to make it good writing. See where it takes you. See which format you naturally fall into.

If all else fails, choosing a different topic.

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The Extracurricular Essay

Unless you do some completely unheard-of independent work, you’re not the only one who’s participated in a given extracurricular activity. Given this, you have to set yourself apart in other ways. Many of the main problems seen in various common app essays resurface in this one: standard perseverance stories, excessive summarization, etc. Depending on the wording of the prompt, your response will be slightly different, but regardless of wording keep in mind that the essay is about you and your relationship to the activity.

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The Leadership Essay

This is a fairly common category as well. When writing about leadership, you’ll have a much higher success rate if you choose a narrative-based essay over one that merely summarizes your experiences. The same advice for all these other essays applies here, too; in order to set yourself apart, you need to tell a different story or you need to tell a familiar story differently, bonus points if both. Stay humble. Show instead of telling. Convince the admissions team that leadership is part of who you are, not just something you did to get into college.

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Stanford’s Supplement

What Matters To You & Why?

Tell a story. Tell a story they haven’t heard. This is truly the place to be yourself. It doesn’t matter what you indicated as your intended major; it doesn’t matter what your extracurriculars were; just answer honestly. I wrote about discovery, I have a friend who wrote about bagels. Regardless of the topic you choose, you have to convince the reader that it actually does matter to you. Keep your narrative distance as small as possible unless you’re making a deliberate stylistic choice; be as vivid as possible in your imagery. Make whatever it is matter to the reader too. Make it feel real.

Intellectual Vitality

This post is great and says everything I would’ve said anyway. Key idea: show them how your mind works.

Letter To Your Future Roommate

Be as weird as you are. Let’s be real: nobody reads a letter from someone that starts with “

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Other Essays/In Summary

If you’re facing a prompt that doesn’t appear on this list, take the general advice and run with it. In summary:

tell a story that hasn’t been told before

you don’t have to write about something inherently ~profound~

keep a close narrative distance unless you’re making a specific & deliberate stylistic choice not to

what matters most is that the reader wants to keep reading

avoid waxing anything other than passionate

vivid imagery is your friend

summarization is hardly ever useful

personal doesn’t mean unique

don’t be afraid to stray from the “traditional” format

have fun with it!

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E D I T I N G

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Common Questions

What do I do if I know a phrase sounds weird but I don’t know how to fix it?

Option 1: Read the phrase out loud. What do you want it to convey? Write several different variations of this on a note/side document and see if any of them work better. Adjust surrounding phrases accordingly.

Option 2: Delete the phrase altogether and read the piece without it. What meaning is now missing? What sort of transition is needed? Try to fill the gap. Does it work? If not, delete the replacement, take a ten minute break, and try again.

Option 3: Check the bits surrounding the offending phrase. The root of the problem might lie elsewhere, so don’t get yourself all worked up trying to fix the wrong part!

Option 4: Ask someone for their opinion. Maybe they’ll see a solution that wouldn’t immediately have crossed your mind!

What do I do if a friend/parent/mentor says that a phrase sounds awkward but I don’t think there’s anything wrong?

Ask. Always ask. Unless they gave you specific guidance, you won’t have any idea how to fix this unless you ask. There’s no shame in this; everybody wants you to succeed! If you still don’t see the problem, getting multiple other opinions can be helpful. Ask another friend/parent/mentor to read over the section in question, and if they do point it out but don’t give useful feedback it’s best to delete it and try Option 2 above.

I’m way over word count, but I don’t want to compromise the integrity of the piece! How can I cut down effectively without losing anything important?

How many words do you need to cut? If you’re more than 20% over word count, consider starting from scratch. If you’re not:

Identify redundancies. Highlight these and find a way to consolidate them.

Read your introduction, if you have one. Oftentimes, these words just take up space and don’t add anything to the piece. If your introduction is just a result of years of being told that you need one and doesn’t actually add anything meaningful to the essay, delete it all. Starting from the middle can actually be surprisingly effective!

Same goes for the conclusion. You don’t need to wrap things up like you would in a literary analysis or a research paper; you just need to end strongly.

Identify phrases that could be simplified and simplify them. Did you lose anything important? If so, revert the edit, highlight the section, and come back to it later if you’re really pressed for words.

Contractions are fine. Seriously.

Identify sections that just straight up don’t need to be there. Many people add unnecessary clarification, pointless parentheticals, etc. Not only do these deplete your word supply; they clutter your essay and make it less enjoyable to read. Don’t feel bad if you end up cutting entire paragraphs!

If you use “very” at all, cut it & replace the following words with a stronger one. This one is very important crucial!

Is it okay to be way under word count?

Technically yes, but practically it’s rarely the case that you’ll be able to answer the prompt meaningfully without at least getting close. If you feel done, let yourself be done, but revisit the piece later to confirm. Maybe you’re the master of being ridiculously concise, but chances are that an essay that doesn’t even approach the word limit doesn’t effectively answer the prompt.

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General Advice

Go through line by line and mark everything that leaves you less than satisfied

Read like an admissions officer. Would you admit you? Do your best to rid yourself of personal bias and just read as a reader.

Unless you’re working with someone who does this regularly, get at least two opinions on anything you write from two very different people in your life. You have no idea who’ll be reading your essay in the end, so a variety of voices in your feedback can be useful.

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R E A D I N G

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When a friend asks you for feedback on an essay, it can be difficult to remain impartial while editing. The most important thing to keep in mind, though, is that lying to spare their feelings will only do them dirty in the end. So yes, be as critical as you need to be. If something sucks, tell them. But - and this is important - stay friendly. Stay pleasant. Stay constructive. Don’t say “this sucks,” say “I think this section should be reworked so that ______.” And prior to even saying a word about the piece, ask them what sort of feedback they’d find most useful. Those of you who have worked with me before know that this is how I start any editing relationship. This won’t constrain your feedback, necessarily, but it will dictate the manner in which you give it. If your friend has written an absolutely atrocious second paragraph but has asked only for comments on “overall flow,” tell them that the second paragraph interrupts the flow of the rest of the piece because of X Y and Z. It’s not wrong, and it’s not unnecessarily hurtful; your friend will examine the second paragraph carefully and rewrite it to fix X Y and Z, which would have been your goal anyway.

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A D D I T I O N A L   R E S O U R C E S

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Essays that worked:

Remember: inspiration, not emulation. Copying an idea never turns out well; admissions officers are trained to sniff this out.

Johns Hopkins - Essays That Worked

Tufts - Essays That Worked

Hamilton - Essays That Worked

50 Successful Harvard Essays (amazon link with free preview)

I’m not kidding about being weird

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If you have any specific questions about anything in here, feel free to ask. If you have an essay that you’d like me to read over, check out my contact page for submission details.

Best of luck with this admissions season! I’m rooting for you!

Do you know some good movies that give you that cosy feeling and make you want to go study? Like Harry Potter for example

Firstly, I am so sorry for the lateness of this post. I really had to do some thinking when considering which movies are my “study inspiration.” So here are a few: 

“Dear White People” dir. Justin Simien.  (I like this one because as a person of colour, I identify with most of the character. This movie has a great message and is also set at a fictitious Ivy league school. It is one of those movies set in university that actually show people doing university things, like going to class and studying). 

“Gilmore Girls” Season 4. (I am a big fan of Gilmore Girls especially this season because this is when Rory sets off to Yale. It is nice seeing that there is a a plit as well as a well read, motivated protagonist who is attending Yale. After waiting Rory do her thing, it always gets me ready to start my work). 

“The Dead Poet’s Society” dir. Peter Wier  (This one is a classic and set at a prestigious boarding school. Need I say more?) 

“Goats” dir. Christopher Neil (This movie follows Ellis, a super smart 14-15 year old who moves away from home to go to boarding school. There is also some family drama that keeps things interesting). 

“How to Get Away with Murder” (I am a big fan of law television shows, and watching law students do there thing really inspire me to get on my studying in hopes that I may end up going to law school some day). 

“The Newsroom” (This is one of my favourite shows. It is set in a newsroom where everybody is bustling around working non-stop to get the news out there. I also really like how it uses real current events as the news that they are broadcasting). 

“Liberal Arts”  dir. Josh Radnor ( Although this movie does feature a “manic pixie dream girl type” (some may argue) it is great. It is about a man who goes back to his university and kinda re-lives his glory days in a sense. Just watch it, it is great and gets me think about how lucky I am to be learning so much. This almost always gets me studying). 

“House of Cards” (I love this show because of the excellent writing and political badassary). 

“The Re-Write” (This movies is exclusively focused on writing fiction. It always helps when I have to get my Lit homework done). 

“Miss Representation” dir. Jennifer Siebel Newsom (I fabulous documentary about how women are treated in out media and in society at large. Seeing this always makes me want to work even harder to defy these stereotypes. Even if you don’t need to study, this is a great watch). 

So, these are all I could think of a the moment. But if I think of more I will add some. And everybody, feel free to add your favourite movie/tv show study motivators too!

feel better masterpost

Have you been feeling upset or stressed lately? Well, make some tea and cuddle yourself up in bed. Here’s a few things that can help you brighten up your mood or keep your mind occupied: BASICS - in need of a compliment? here and here.  - feel like everything is going wrong? hover here and here and here and here.  - have a cute dog lick your screen - want a hug? - make a comfort box - a site designed to help talk you down from a stressful experience - the thoughts room - sort through something that’s been troubling you - self harm alternatives + here - reasons to stay alive - 28 tips to relax - 21 tips to keep yourself together when depressed - want to be inspired? watch this - When is the last time time you did absolutely nothing for 10 minutes? - 100 things to do when you’re upset - the only 7 things you can control in life - make everything OK - the dawn room - how to get motivated when you don’t feel like it - six ways to combat boredom - stress relief techniques - anxiety masterpost

SCHOOL - stressing over an exam? here’s a few tips - need help with focusing? here’s a few tips. - free online courses - study tips masterpost

GAMING - watch livestreams on twitch  - psychological games - cute games calming games: • music catch 2 • fishing girl • take a walk • flow other: • draw a stickman and go on adventures! • tetris

MOVIES and TV Shows that’ll definitely cheer you up (hover title for description) - police academy (1984) & police academy 2 (1985)  - ghostbusters (1984) - home alone (1990) -  dumb and dumber (1994) - john tucker must die (2006) - the blind side (2009) - lots of disney movies - movies with queer ladies, woo! - all marvel movies - movies with great cinematography

- Bob’s burger - Drake & Josh  - Adventure time

  READING & STUFF - read any book + here - random wikipedia article + different wikipedia articles - random wikihow article - mythical/supernatural creatures  - nice comics - best of craigslist - amazing fact generator + quizzes! - what is the best type of chocolate for baking? - like mythology and want to read a new book? recommendations here! - survive nature MUSIC & SOUNDS - rainymood - kinda like rainymood but let’s you mix different sounds - listen to wikipedia - orchestral reworks (8tracks playlist) - the nostalgia machine (pick a year and listen to your favourite childhood jams) COMFORT FOOD - easy & delicious nutella cookies (video) - other nutella recipes (masterpost) - macaroni and cheese in a cup  - fruit salad (simple but yummy!)  - chocolate chip cookie in a cup - american pancakes - regular pancakes or this recipe  - the easiest chocolate cupcakes (also vegan!)  - chocolate corn flakes (trust me- it tastes better than how it looks!) - jam drops - don’t know what to cook? DRINKS - 10 refreshing non-alcoholic drinks - fandom drinks (w/ alcohol) - 14 fruit-infused waters to drink instead of soda - simple nutella hot chocolate - the ultimate in seasonal drinking: how to make hot cocoa mix - what tea should you be drinking?

RANDOM - look at the galaxy - watch a dream - make sand designs - create your own forest - take personality test (MBTI) - watch some fun and interesting science videos - make your own scrapbook  - splatter paint - pop bubblewrap - move your mouse to manipulate a line, like building a roller coaster while you ride it. - video of an adorable bulldog puppy  - touching video   - what kind of hungry are you? - send and recieve a postcard from a random spot in the world - give rice to people in need by answering some trivia - tone deaf test - football players singing  - what colour is it? POSITIVITY BLOGS/SITES - positivedoodles - cheeerupbuttercup - emotionalbaggagecheck (a site where you write what troubles you anonymously, and people who choose to “carry your baggage” eventually send you a song and a personal note!)

today my anthro professor said something kindof really beautiful:

“you all have a little bit of ‘I want to save the world’ in you, that’s why you’re here, in college. I want you to know that it’s okay if you only save one person, and it’s okay if that person is you”

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!

Me, sunlight and coding. #coding #programming https://www.instagram.com/p/BuDYwzShTTt/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1imsxu4hpboh9

13/01/2018

1) I’m actually very behind with revision. 2) My first exam is in 3 days. 3) I really need to get off Tumblr.

famous quotes for your bujo

 Vincent Van gogh

 “In spite of everything I shall rise again: I will take up my pencil, which I have forsaken in my great discouragement, and I will go on with my drawing.”

“I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day.” 

“What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?” 

Plato 

  “The beginning is the most important part of the work.”

 “Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything”

“Love is a serious mental disease” 

Jane Austen 

“ One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other.” 

“Life seems but a quick succession of busy nothings.”

“A lady’s imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment.” 

Audrey Hepburn 

“The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.” 

“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.”

“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.” 

Bill Gates 

“If you can’t make it good, at least make it look good.”

“If I’d had some set idea of a finish line, don’t you think I would have crossed it years ago?” 

“Television is not real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.” 

Alice Paul 

“There will never be a new world order until women are a part of it.”

“I always feel the movement is a sort of mosaic.”

“When you put your hand to the plow, you can’t put it down until you get to the end of the row.” 

Ghandi 

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

“An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.” 

“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.” 

Cher 

“ Until you’re ready to look foolish, you’ll never have the possibility of being great.”

“If grass can grow through cement, love can find you at every time in your life.”

“Women are the real architects of society.” 

Charles Dickens 

“The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again.”

“Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.”

“A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other.” 

Marilyn Monroe 

“I don’t mind living in a man’s world as long as I can be a woman in it.”

“Give a girl the right pair of shoes and she’ll conquer the world.”

“It’s better to be unhappy alone than unhappy with someone - so far.”