I Was Working An Open Day Today, And A Student Helper Went Around All The Stands And Collected Any Trash

3 Study Methods You Should Use More Often

This was originally for an article writing assignment, but I thought “why not write something I can also post on my blog?” so here are three study methods that I haven’t seen a lot of in the studyblr community but are definitely worth mentioning.

The Leitner System

          Flash cards have remained one of the most popular ways to study. Some people use them to memorize vocabulary, remember answers to specific questions, or even associate dates with events. Although the use of flash cards is convenient, their effectiveness has been reduced due to most people’s habits of prioritizing each card equally and therefore spending too much time memorizing the information on them.

          The Leitner System, created by a German popularizer of science named Sebastian Leitner, is a more efficient method of studying that implements the concept of spaced repetition. All the cards start off in one pile. You would first scan through these cards, then test yourself. Each card you answer correctly goes to a second pile, while those you answer incorrectly should be revised then placed at the bottom of the pile. When you review the cards in the second pile and get them correct, they will be promoted to a third pile. An incorrect card will always get demoted to the first pile, even if they had previously been promoted to the last pile.

          The reason why this method is so effective is that you end up reviewing the first pile of cards more frequently—the cards you don’t know very well. Some people choose to review their Stack 1 cards every day, Stack 2 cards every other day, Stack 3 cards once every three days, and so on.

          Once all your cards have been promoted to the highest box, study them thoroughly and then start over. The continuous revision trains your speed so that you may reach fluency, which allows you to recall the information faster.

Timed Memorization

          The name tells it all: you memorize a certain text within a time limit, normally around five to ten minutes depending on your fluency and memorization abilities. When the timer starts, you begin memorizing. When time is up, you flip to the next page, even if you haven’t finished the previous page yet. Continue until you’ve gone through all your material.

          Timed memorization helps you to discipline yourself because your brain thinks that there’s no time for messing around; you have to do this here and now. Make sure to repeat the things you missed and revise everything frequently. This method is actually one of the most effective for cramming as it gives a better coverage than if you spend a whole half hour memorizing one subtopic.

The Memory Palace or Mind Palace

           Sound familiar? In BBC’s Sherlock, the ‘highly functioning sociopath’ uses this method to remember vital information and facts. A mind palace is a systematic arrangement of information, each detail corresponding to a specific object in a familiar place. To ensure that you really remember everything, the objects have to appear shocking and conspicuous.

           Here’s an example: if I wanted to memorize “crimson, 11, delight, petrichor (the smell after rain)”, aside from imagining Amy Pond or the Doctor saying it, I would first choose a place, let’s say my school. I’d imagine myself walking up to the front gate and seeing that the entire building has been painted the color of blood—crimson. The building would then rise as though it were lifted from the earth and crumble into rubble, controlled by Eleven, the character from Stranger Things. Now, since I can’t really picture delight specifically, I’d probably end up visualizing a colossal sign that simply reads “delight” posted in front of my school. As for petrichor, I’d imagine curves rising out of the puddles on the asphalt after a rainy night, a visual representation of the smell of the rain. Of course, these visualizations have been created to suit my memory. (I wouldn’t know if you watched Stranger Things.)

           I used this method when memorizing case studies for geography, although I chose to visualize fictional places from television series and cartoons. Some people do opt to create artificial places, but these often become blurry and are easily forgotten.

           As with any study method, repetition is vital to storing the information in your long-term memory. Visit your “palace” as often as you can. Soon enough, you’ll remember the data as well as you remember the place associated with the data.

So there you have it, three lesser known methods of studying that have proven to be immensely efficient. Now, there is no “correct” way to study, but there are methods that can ease your learning process.

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.”

Mapping out my goals for the year now that semester 1 is over! The best method for me is to be specific with what I want to achieve and work out every step to get there! I’ll upload the different coloured versions of each goal setting PDF to google drive if anyone else would like to use these! x

hey high schoolers: your academic performance right now doesn’t have to be a predictor of your future success. just saying. 

i got Cs, Ds, and Fs in high school and dropped out. fast forward six years and i have an associate’s degree with honors, a 4.0 in a STEM major at an R1, i’ve worked in a lot of cool places, and i’m having the time of my life in my twenties. i still struggle, especially financially, but good things are happening that i couldn’t dream of when i was 16 and lonely in a world that would’ve seen me dead.

don’t let anyone tell you you’re going nowhere. you can do whatever you want. 

How to Hermione the Shit out of Your Studying.

(Some Hermione inspired study tips.)

Want to study.

Hermione studies as hard as she does because she wants to. So try to think about WHY you want to study, is it because you are interested in the subject? Is it because you want a certain grade? Is it because you want to pass the subject to go on to something else? Once you figure that out, then you can go from feeling like you “have” to study to feeling like you want to study. Remember that you don’t have to study if you don’t want to, but usually you will want to, because you would rather study than face the consequences of not studying.

Read EVERYTHING.

While it may not be necessary to read every word of every textbook before your classes even start, it will be extremely helpful to read any chapters, articles, websites or extra information your lecturers give you. Do any extra questions as well. Usually your lecture would have gone out of his/her way to get this information to you, this is because they think it will help you, and it probably will.

Answer questions in class.

Trying to answer questions in class will help to keep you concentrated on the topic at hand, you can’t answer questions if you haven’t been paying attention. This will not only show your lecturer that you are interested in learning (and they may be more lenient on you if you are ever after an extension or miss a class) it will also help you to identify when you don’t understand something, and gives you the chance to clarify.

Help others.

“Its leviooosar, not leviosaarr.” … Okay, so maybe try help others in a more understanding way. But when you see someone struggling with something in class or an assignment, help them. This is something that pretty much everyone will appreciate, and it can also help you to solidify your own knowledge. There have been heaps of studies that show that you are much more likely to retain information once you have taught someone else about it.

Get things done early.

This is one that pretty much everyone knows, but very few ever do. Try to be one of those few, if you get assignments or readings done early, then you can always ask questions if you get stuck on something, have more time to work on other things, not feel stressed about it, you’ll have the chance to polish up anything you aren’t super happy with and more. Trust me, it is worth it.

Find a nice environment to study in.

Some people like their desk while others like their bed and some people fall asleep if they study in bed. Find something that works for you. I find that if I take a trip to my local café or library I am much more motivated because I have gone there for the purpose of studying.. Whereas at home I sometimes I find it too distracting.

Don’t forget to take time to have fun.

While Hermione does study a lot, she also has fun and enjoys herself. Studying and learning is awesome, but give yourself some time to unwind. Don’t let yourself get burnt out, take regular brakes during long study sessions, and try to set bigger chunks of time aside some days to relax, play games or see friends. You might feel fine after the first 2 hours, but after an 8 hour study session with no breaks.. You may not feel so motivated…

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. ♥️

No better way to spend rainy days

🌸10 study tips that have helped me a lot 🌸

1. Give teachers a chance. Maybe two or three chances. Even if their subject or the way they talk etc. is boring. Most times, it’s worth it - it will make you more interested in their class and you’ll learn things better. 

2. If I’m ever stressed and need to chill, usually the things that work for me are: 

taking a nap

talking to a friend about it 

taking a hot shower 

watching a funny/silly/cute tv show (my favorites are friends, brooklyn 99, steven universe or some slice of life/shoujo anime/k-drama). 

3. always make sure you’re comfortable while you’re studying! I can never get through a long study session without having showered and changed into comfy clothes before starting it. Some people also like lighting candles and having nice snacks around, which are also always a plus! Just don’t put a lot of stuff into your ‘pre-study session’ routine; you’ll end up taking a lot of time to get ready and that can simply turn into procrastination and distraction. Just make sure you feel good enough to start and don’t forget to drink water! 

4. I’m even gonna make this a single topic cause!! water is so important and useful!! Not only it helps keeping you fresh (specially if you add some cucumber or strawberries in it!) and focused, it’s also great to keep you awake if you’re feeling a bit sleepy. The effect doesn’t hit you as fast as coffee, for example, but it lasts much longer. Also caffeine is bad for you!! Make sure to not over drink it. 

5. Always study keeping in mind how things are gonna fall on your test/exam. Make sure to write down the questions that your teacher asks while giving a test (and their answers, obviously) - these are quite often the things that will fall on your test and the teacher rarely ever writes it down on the board, so it might seem like it isn’t relevant, but it really helps you understand the thought process of the subject better. 

6. Speaking of writing down questions, the Cornell Method has always worked really well to me, specially in History classes. It’s also great for memorization and revising! 

7. This is something I’m still learning to do, but make sure to revise as much as you can! Doesn’t have to be a big revision; just looking through your notes at the end of the day/week (or even just after taking them!) helps a lot!

8. Please, please, always prioritize your mental health and sleep. You need energy and mental stability to study things properly. If you don’t, your brain won’t be able to select and properly learn all the things you’ve studied that day, you’ll feel super tired and dead inside and you will crash. It’s just not healthy. Don’t listen to the whole ‘you can go out/rest after you’ve passed your exams, it will be worth it’ or ‘my dreams are worth more than my sleep’ trend. Don’t do it!! It’s a trap. I know school usually makes you think you need to give your best always 110%, but a) you really don’t; give yourself some slack once in a while, you need it, and b) your best doesn’t have to be working your as* off ‘til 3am everyday. It might just be studying for 4-6 hours everyday. Or eating ice cream and watching tv shows all day at least for one day. Your body decides. Let it be. 

9. Use actual flashcards when it’s a very difficult/new subject, not just online ones like quizlet!! (this is a tip I learned from this post)

10. eat well! also maybe try taking vitamins - especially if you’re a useless blob like me and you don’t play any sports! I’ve been taking goji berry capsules and they help me a whole lot, specially if I’m feeling sleepy. Actually any type of berry is great for boosting up your energy! 

🍒some rly good posts I recommend:

‘study smarter’ by @sleeptalkz

‘how I increased my productivity by 3x’ by @brbimstudying​ 

‘conquering math’ by @thestudyfeels​

‘bujo trackers for getting your sh*t together’ by @etudiaire​

‘types of breaks for every situation’ by @samsstudygram

🍒productivity/study life youtubers I like:

rowena tsai (love her, rly good tips on organization and just nice overall aesthetic)

ana mascara (I always watch her videos when I feel like I’m lacking motivation. Her videos talk a lot about that and discipline, and how you should always ‘be comfortable with the uncomfortable’; just 10/10 rly good motivational and actually useful videos overall).

That’s it! sorry if this was too long. I still have some tips left that I didn’t include in this post so let me know if you want me to do another one of these!

How to Get A 4.0 GPA

Hi guys! So this will officially be my first ever study masterpost. My grades have been going up this year, and I thought of sharing all of my tips and secrets to a 4.0 gpa. It’s definetly not easy, but if you work hard it will eventually happen.

Organization - Keep a separate binder/folder for each of your classes - Pencil Case- pens, pencils, highlighters, ruler, sticky notes, erasers - Macbook/iphone: make sure your devices are organized as well, and everything is easy for you to access - Start a bullet journal/planner to keep your life together. - Have notebooks for your lecture and reading notes - Make sure your handwriting is legible and nice. Practice makes perfect - Plan your outfits and organize your school bag the night before - Start homework/assignments 3 weeks early, don’t leave anything on the day of or the day before its due - Study for 5-7hrs everyday. But good grades aren’t everything. Have a blanced lifestyle, sleep for 8hrs, and go out with your friends.

Lectures - arrive 10/15m early - Go to every class - sit at the front or second row - I use onenotes to take notes, and will transfer them to notebook format. Do whatever format you like - Review your notes right after, or the next day

Readings - finish your readings before each lecture - i take notes from textbook using studyign method - try to understand, and if you can’t get it watch videos on youtube

Exams - Study 2/3 weeks before. - Create a list of topics you need to study - Review readings and lecture notes - Do make additional notes for the main topics Essays - Choose your topic - Create a rough outline and brainstorm ideas - Research, but make sure your arguments are stronger. Research is mainly used for evidence to support your own arguments. - Make sure your rough draft is concise enough - Use the refme app or easybib to keep track of your sources - Edit your essay- 2 times Other - Join the studyblr community. I have actually enjoyed studying, after creating a study blog. People are so nice. Highly recommend! - Don’t get discouraged by negative people. Don’t ever let anyone tell you “your not good enough”. - “You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do”- Carl Jung - Don’t tell all of your plans and ambitions in detail to anyone, just show - Focus on your hobbies as well, like playing an instrument, youtube, makeup, reading, writing, and art - Study what you love. Have a great day! - Tara