Reasons To Live: Winter Edition

concept:

it’s raining super hard outside, and i’m spending the night at your place. it’s dark in your apartment and we lay there together, cuddling, wrapped in blankets. i can’t sleep, but i find myself at peace listening to the rain and your heart beats. 

Folks with this whole "you're old once you hit 25" mentality are just buying into a repackaged "you need to have your life figured out by 18 and if you're not successful by 22 you're a failure" load of shit. Like....bruh, life doesn't end at 25. Idk how to tell you that the time limit you're silently imposing on yourself and your peers is largely responsible for your dissatisfaction with your life. Stop living your life like happiness has an expiration date. It doesn't.

my quick tips for working / studying from home

- get dressed and style your hair as if you’re going to school/work - even use the same perfume/ cologne as you normally do  (trick your mind into being motivated)

- plan things out - everything (plan out your week, day, meal, etc. you can make these as specific as you’d like. this will help you stay on top of your work as well as stay healthy, especially if you live alone.)

- make studying/ working the first thing you do each day - best if you can start in the morning (minimize the tendency to procrastinate)

- just start - don’t worry too much about perfecting or finishing anything yet (if you don’t start then there’s nothing for you to perfect or get done. and it will never get done)

- listen to old and simple (aka non-distracting) podcasts, Youtube videos, or café/ chattering white-noise, etc. simply leave them as background noise to create an illusion of being outside your room (bring the presence of people to you. my favorites lately have been slam poems from 2016, Mae Martin’s stages, and Awsten Knight’s crackhead podcasts)

- set timers, for both study sessions and breaks (so that you don’t overwork, burn out, or procrastinate. the Pomodoro technique works great here)

- take advantage of the comfort of your own home (light a candle, have crunchy snacks, play loud music, review notes out loud while pacing around, wrap yourself in a blanket burrito, study on your bed if you can focus there like me, etc. basically anything you can’t do in a classroom, office, or the library)

- if you miss your friends, call/ text/ facetime them, make a study group chat with them, etc. (that is what technology is for)

- choose recreational activities/ self-care for your breaks instead of going on social media (go on walks, make small art, play an instrument, stretch, take a nap, etc. I usually reach for my guitar, brainstorm writing ideas, or sketch very simple line art.)

- if you want to go on social media, do it during meal times - or the 15 minutes after your meals that you can’t work just yet (it also doesn’t make you feel like you’re wasting time)

- study in different rooms for a change of scenery (dining room, living room, the patio, etc. I have an armchair next to the window that I study in whenever I need some sunlight and don’t have to write anything down. however, if you need a designated place to focus on your work, you can also use these alternative spaces as designated “relax” or “creative” place for your breaks)

- use this as an opportunity to take care of yourself (get enough sleep, drink water, exercise, talk to your family, take your meds, be mindful of your mental health, etc.)

Feel free to add your tips. The current situation sure is unpleasant but it is unavoidable. All we can really do now is take care of ourselves, others, and try to make the best out of this.

Good luck to everyone and stay safe! My heart is with you all 💕

After making a grand total of 11 cheatsheets since starting university less than a year ago (I know, my uni is weird), I wanted to share some of my tips and tricks for making the most effective cheatsheet for your needs! They’re a hassle to make, but depending on how you make yours, it could either be an incredibly useful resource or just an extra sheet of paper on your desk.

(By “cheatsheet”, I mean a typically printer paper-sized memory aid, usually handwritten, that is allowed to be brought into an exam.)

1. You don’t need to write small, nor do you need to write a lot.

Some people go out of their way to buy 0.1mm pens to cram everything they can onto a cheatsheet. But okay, hear me out: unless you plan on using your cheatsheet to study (more on this later), what is the point of writing as much as you can? It is super difficult to find the exact piece of information that you need in the stressful environment of an exam, especially when you’ve written in the equivalent of size 4 font and your page is cluttered with information you definitely know . And honestly, for most exams, it’s a waste of time trying to look at your cheatsheet. Just put down whatever you’ll definitely need; the rest will only slow you down or overwhelm you.

2. Use colours, or at least find some way to keep it organized.

Once again, you need to spend as little time as possible looking at your cheatsheet in an exam. If the exam allows cheatsheets, the class probably has something else to up the difficulty level of exams. In my experience, it’s usually either application questions or a time crunch, sometimes both. So, make your cheatsheet efficient. Colour-code it so you know what to look for in order to find any given piece of information. Find some sort of format, so that you also know where exactly to look.

3. Don’t wait until last minute to make it. If it comes to that point, just put down the major points and sleep.

There are so many reasons why you shouldn’t do this. Just trust me, my lowest exam marks are from exams where I made a cheatsheet the night before. You shouldn’t be staying up the night before your exam. Copying the textbook onto a sheet of printer paper isn’t effective studying. Most importantly, your cheatsheet becomes so much more effective when you’ve actually done practice exams with it. Or else, how would you know how well it actually functions and what else you should add?

4. It doesn’t need to be perfect.

Please don’t spend too much time on your cheatsheet. Obviously, interpret this advice based on practice exams and the scope of whatever course you’re taking, but don’t get to a point where you’re relying on your “perfect” cheatsheet to pass the exam. Instead, spend your time studying the material and question formats so that you almost don’t need your cheatsheet. No matter how informative or detailed your cheatsheet is, it won’t matter if you don’t have time to use it during the exam, or if you haven’t done enough practice so you don’t know how to format the cheatsheet’s information.

5. Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing.

I think this goes without saying for practically anything, really. Just do you. If the prof says you’re allowed a single piece of printer paper, front and back, it doesn’t mean that you need to fill that. Nor does it mean that you should be intimidated when you walk into the exam and see that you’re the only person who hasn’t filled up your cheatsheet completely. Do whatever you need to succeed. If spending a few extra hours cramming information onto your cheatsheet won’t help you, then don’t do that. If it will, then don’t let me and my opinions stop you.

1. For the stuff that you actually don’t know and isn’t worthwhile to memorize

This is pretty obvious, but you should prioritize the stuff that you actually don’t know and is too difficult to memorize. For example, the 20 amino acids for Biology. 

2. Diagram compilation

Personally, I think that the most useful thing you can do with your cheatsheet is to add diagrams and charts. They are the easiest thing to find on your cheatsheet. Also, diagrams are able to sum up a whole list of details, so you don’t need to worry about missing something. It is always useful to refer to your diagrams for inspiration!

3. Checklist

What are the three points you need to include to describe a histogram? What steps does the prof want you to do to show autosomal dominance? If you are someone who often loses marks because of missing details or the way you format your answers, your cheatsheet can function as a checklist. Write down exactly what you need to address to get full marks on certain types of questions.

4. Personalized formula sheet

If you are anything like me (ie. I am so afraid of Math that I chose not to major in Biochemistry just so I don’t have to do Calc III), then writing out some formulas in the way that you like them written might be useful, even if you are given a formula sheet. It’s a comfort thing.

5. Study guide

As a heads up, this is the only situation where I would condone writing as much as possible on your formula sheet. If you’re the type of person who studies by copying out your notes (ie. you memorize things by writing them out), then you might as well kill two birds with one stone and just copy your notes onto your cheatsheet. But, then again, your cheatsheet will probably be less functional during the exam, so do this at your own discretion.

Here are two of my own cheatsheets, to illustrate some of my points. The first one is for Biology, the second one is for Statistics. 

I don’t keep a consistent colour code, but generally, red is for categories or units, blue is for definitions or important terms, and blue underline is for things I commonly forget or refer to (ie. the 4 factors affecting membrane fluidity). The units follow the order that we learned them in class. Although I tend to write small and there is a lot more information than strictly necessary, I can easily find anything I’m looking for.

Here’s the bottom line: do whatever is the most useful for you!! These are just a few things that have worked for me and some people around me, but do whatever will help you succeed.

Happy studying, everyone!

Fun is something we all need more of when the going gets hard, especially when the notes are long and the subject is hard! Here’s a few tips to help you become more interested in your work & keep on going.

Interactive Study Tools!

Written Kitten: get a kitten/puppy/bunny pic every 100 words

Quizlet: play fun games with your flashcards

Memrise: add custom mnemonics to your vocab terms

Clozemaster: pretend your language learning is a video game

GoConqr: go and make those online mindmaps

Khan Academy: make your learning totally interactive

Online Resources: a masterpost from youtube to history!

Snacks!

101 Study Snacks: (mostly) healthy, fun & easy snacks

Study Foods: a fun & healthy guide to what you should eat

Feed Yo’ Brain: sweet, savoury, or a drink? all covered!

5 Recipes That Make Life Easier: simple & necessary

5 Cheap, Tasty, & Healthy Snacks

Buzzfeed Tasty: simple & delicious video recipes

Playlists!

Study Playlists Masterpost: everything you ever need

Study Playlist Masterpost: aaaand some more! in categories!

Soundtracks for Study: to help you get through that study sesh 

& shoutouts to my favourite playlists:

calm down & work

rose redux

mildliners playlists

study nonstop

Study Sounds: not quite playlists, but calm and great for studying

Coffitivity: pretend you’re studying in a coffee shop

Noisli: study in nature rather than your room

Organization!

How to Stay Organized: oodles of helpful tips!

Organization: advice both physical and digital

Organization Methods: a bunch of different strategies

The Organization Guide for Lazy Students

Staying Organized in College: a seven step guide

How to Keep Binders Organized For School

Study Breaks!

Study Break Ideas: bet you hadn’t thought of doing yoga

Energizing Study Break Ideas & What To Avoid

Online Pomodoro Timer: work, break, repeat: all timed

Study Breaks: ideas for those 5 minutes of downtime

Studying 101: The Pomodoro Technique

Non-Studying Things To Do During Your Free Period

Doodles!

How To Illustrate Your Notes: perfect for visual learners

Guide to Pretty Notes: spice up your dull note-taking habits

Fundamentals of Visual Notetaking

Doodle Ideas: an adorable guide from studypetals!

Tumblr’s Bullet Journal Explore Page: for ultimate doodliness

There you have it! Try mixing up all these different strategies for maximum fun while studying.

If you have a way of making studying fun that wasn’t included, please please reply & let everyone know!!

Actually my girlfriend is wizard president so I can do whatever I want forever

The four skills are listening, speaking, reading and writing. Don’t be discouraged by slow progress!

Listening

Practice listening! Infants “listen” for more than a year before they can say anything close to “mom” or “dad”. 

Watch videos and listen to music in your language.

Try to recognize words, even sounds. 

Don’t bother trying to understand, just get used to the sound of the language.

When others in class speak, listen for what they say and mentally build images of their answers—in the language itself.

Speaking

Read aloud: think of it as training your mouth to make the new sounds.

Learn a short standard sentence, then substitute vocabulary/

Subject and verbs can change (I am going; you are going; etc.)

Objects can change (I buy a car; I buy a CD; etc.)

In class, if your “answer” does not come to mind, repeat the question in the language.

 Stay in the mind set of the language, giving your brain time to work in the new language.

Reading

Do not read word-by-word, or translate word-by-word.

Prepare yourself for a reading: 

study its vocabulary first; 

review the advance questions.

Then put aside everything and just read, even twice.

Do not look up vocabulary while reading.

Do not write in your text book - separately develop a vocabulary list

Go beyond your textbook!

Children’s books are illustrated and easy to read!

Websites are rich opportunities to explore your hobbies in other languages, 

Read/sing song lyrics of the language!

As you advance, read novels- but read for the story, not vocabulary.

Writing

Some languages have unfamiliar alphabets, so practice!

Write out sentences you have practiced orally.

Carefully construct patterns and then write out the sentences with substitute words–multiple times. 

If you have spell check and the “autocorrect” grammar feature in your word processing, use it!

When you get corrections, re-write them.

Correct what you got wrong, even repeating in order to embed it in your mind.

apply for jobs you're not qualified for! audit upper-level classes! get drunk with your TAs! see that poster advertising that lecture series? go there take notes and ask questions! thank the presenter for talking about this topic you love! if the class is full before you register, email the professor and ask if they can squeeze you in! RAISE YOUR HAND! tell the disability accomodation office to do their goddamn job! ask for help! file complaints! go to class in your pajamas and destroy the reading! you got this! you KNOW you got this! be arrogant enough to learn EVERYTHING! take your meds! punch a velociraptor in the dick! fear is useless and temporary! glory is forever! shed your skin and erupt angel wings! help out! spread your sun! i had a really good morning! you deserve a really good morning! kill anyone who says you don't and build a throne from their bones!