I’ve Been Receiving Tonnes Of Questions On Note - Taking Recently, So I’d Thought I Make A Post.

more like 40 minutes... :))

Teachers: You can’t write an essay in a night. Exam: Write an essay in two hours.

Study scenes from my last two mornings^^

Ig: @withvellichor @enandwen

okay, so here in california precautionary measures against COVID-19 have become increasingly intense. most schools have closed and are preparing to make the transition to “distance learning” aka online classes. this is a big change for many of us – but don’t panic!

welcome to surviving online classes 101!

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✐ self discipline

this is more of a warning than a tip. working from home means you will have to exercise a lot more self discipline. it can be a little bit boring or lonely at times. you cannot count on motivation from others (professors, classmates, friends, etc.), so you will have to learn some self discipline. 

✐ create your own classroom

a good way to make the transition is to try and mimic the classroom setting as closely as possible. something that might be helpful is to set up a space designated for work. try to avoid the temptation to work in your bed or on the couch. that trains your brain to be alert in those places and makes it harder to relax/fall asleep. at least during online lectures, try and eliminate distractions that wouldn’t be present in a regular classroom (like tv or netflix playing in the background, or having your phone out)

✐ dress for success!

dress in the way that makes you feel most productive. if you’re one of those people who usually rolls into class wearing sweats and still kills it, good for you! if you’re one of those people who needs to put on a full face of makeup to feel alive and ready for the day, do that! even at home!! i personally never wear makeup but if i try to be productive in pjs… disaster. i’ve also found that cute workout gear makes me feel badass while still being comfy.

✐ create a schedule

now more than ever you need to figure out how to manage your time. you can use a planner, bujo, google calendar, the forest app, whatever. just make sure you keep track of things like

due dates and TIMES

exam dates

lecture times

hours spent studying

meals (pls eat 3 if possible)

water intake

sleep schedule

✐ pack your bag like you usually would

i know this probably sounds so dumb, but when you’re done working clean up after yourself. pack everything up like you would at school, to sort of signal to your brain that academic time is over for now. and then unpack and set up when you’re ready to get to work again. this is just another way to trick your brain into that school mindset while you’re stuck at home.

✐ don’t overwork yourself

break up your studying into chunks. being cooped up all day can make us feel like we’re wasting time, but be sure to schedule breaks and reward yourself after a solid study session. i’m a big fan of the pomodoro method, and it can be customized really easily to allow for more or less study/rest time. 

✐ maintain a healthy sleep schedule

now is the time to develop that healthy sleep schedule we all dream about. staring at a computer all day is exhausting and hard on the eyes and brain, so make sure to give them enough rest and time to recover each night. also, consider investing in glasses that block blue light, even if you don’t usually use glasses. this will keep our eyes young lol. 

✐ communicate with your teachers and classmates

most of us are making this transition to online learning together. any time you have questions, email your professor. reach out to your classmates at the beginning and exchange emails/phone numbers/social media so you can build a support system. if something goes wrong, screenshot it immediately and reach out to your professor. technology isn’t perfect, and mistakes can happen, just communicate them.

✐ turn things in early

this is my biggest tip. when you are relying on online submissions for assignments and digital lectures, you always want to allow extra time to fix any errors you might encounter. your professor will also be much more willing to help you fix a problem two days before a deadline rather than two minutes before a deadline. eliminate that uncertainty by playing it safe with online submissions. 

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GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!! YOU GOT THIS!! WE GOT THIS!!

new year special: unpotato self-care package

Last post for New Year Special! Through this series, I hope that we can all overcome our insecurities and take care of ourselves more during the next year! 💙 Self-care is not selfish, and you cannot spread the positivity to others when you are insecure about their performance. ❤️

i wrote half an essay in 20mins today when it’s not even due for another 4 weeks, reblog this to have a productivity lightning bolt strike you like it did me today

trying to do this today!

As it turns out, that super complex and confusing topic that you absolutely would not understand ever is actually relatively easy if you, you know, read your course literature.

hottest language learning tip

write a diary

literally

just write a diary, it has helped me sooo much and i dare say it has been the most developing thing i’ve done while learning french, nothing else compares

1. you’re exposed to the language daily

2. you quickly see which words are missing from your vocabulary

3. you learn to write about the things you think about a lot

4. learning to actually think in your target language

5. having to look up words and when reading the entry back a couple of days later you can’t even remember which words you didn’t know

6. going back to the earlier entries and seeing all the mistakes and knowing how much better you’ve become

7. when you’ve been writing for a few months and your target language becomes a natural way for expressing yourself

8. when you’ve been writing for a few months and you start seeing the diary writing as a way of self-expression and stressrelief, and the language learning aspect becomes natural and secondary

9. filling out a whole book using only your target language and physically seeing how much you’ve accomplished

major mood

Are you in love with someone?

Nah I got shit to do

If you do not conquer self, you will be conquered by self.

Napoleon Hill

life tip

Recently I’ve tried a few things that have improved my productivity by a crap ton. Honestly, I highly recommend it.

1. The 2 Minute Rule. If it will take less than two minutes to do, do it now. I get back to my dorm after class and the first thing I do is change out of my jeans and into running shorts. Before, I would just ball them up and throw them in my wardrobe, still inside out. Now, I fix them, then I fold them and either stick them on my shelf to be put back on in a few hours or put them on a hanger. It’s quick, easy, and you’ll be really grateful in the future that you got it out of the way. And on that note, #2.

2. “Future Me will thank Past Me for this.”

I used to never make my bed. It was annoying and tedious. However, it also annoyed me when I studied because it was a messy room, and for me, a messy room = a messy mind. Now, when I wake up in the morning, it’s the first thing I do. I do this because I keep telling myself that Future Me will be grateful that I got it out of the way. Future Me can now study without having anxiety about the state of her room. Literally, if it’s something you know you’ll be moaning and groaning about in the future, do it now. It’s literally that simple.

Productivity can really be that simple, y’all. It doesn’t always have to be waking up at 6am and going on a 5 mile run. Sometimes it’s so simple as doing something small now so you don’t have to do it later.