Like always, most of my posts have been revolved around requests from people I know. People I know, you know who you are! (Since it’s nearing finals week, I thought it was a good idea to finally upload this seeing as it has been sitting for about a month now.)
I am definitely not the best person to ask for about study advice, but I think that’s what makes me relatable. I am a procrastinator and a perfectionist. I think many of us can agree that you’re either one or the other, or both! Here are my tips on how I study intensively as a procrastinator and perfectionist. This studying style is more tailored for exam week, or just any study session that needs to be fulfilled asap. I don’t study like this every time I review some notes. This is just what I do when I need to do some efficient studying (aka “early cramming”). Hopefully some of these can help you. If not, maybe they’ll give you inspiration on creating your own study format!
Step One: Find a Nice Study Area
Find a study area where you know you’ll be productive. Whether it be at the local library, the cafe near by, or your room, find somewhere that will enhance your study session. For me, I prefer to study in the comfort of my room. I tend to become unproductive when I study elsewhere. I simply cannot study at the library for hours. Just find a place that you feel comfortable in!
Once you have found your study spot, keep it nice and organized! Don’t take out your entire washi collection or have all of your snacks piled over the entire desk. Leave some space for what you’re actually studying at least, lol.
Step Two: Put On a Bomb Playlist!
I am an avid listener of music. It may sound like an exaggeration to others, but I listen to music 24/7. I absolutely hate the silence when it comes to studying. Thinking about putting on a good playlist actually makes me want to study! Below are some of the playlists I listen to while I study! Hopefully you’ll find at least one song that you’ll add to your own playlist.
let’s study//full of really groovy & chill songs
let’s do magic//inspired by The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!
let’s dream//I usually listen to this playlist when I’m taking naps, but really nice for studying, too
let’s groove//probably my most favorite playlist I’ve ever created. full of chill krnb songs
let’s get funky//it’s what it is, funky songs!
Step Three: Prepping Your Study Session
It might seem crazy and all, but the prepping process will either make or break your study session; at least, for me it does. I have several ways that I like to plan out my study session:
- write down everything I need to do
- create a time chart
- Forest! Google Apps & ITunes
I have two methods of writing down what I need to do: bullet journaling and using my planner diary. I usually only use a bullet journal, but my pen pal (Hi Kate!) gave me this awesome 2017 Weekly Diary that is actually really handy. I usually fill out my bujo day by day so having a pre-laid planner really helps me keep track of dates later in the year. I write down absolutely everything I need to do each day. I usually don’t make my tasks detailed. If I need to study biology on Tuesday, I just simply put “study biology.” I’m not the type of person that puts every single detail down when it comes to pre-planning.
I don’t create a time chart every time I study, but when I have a stressful day full of studying, it really helps me stay on task. Usually when I create time charts, I get what I have to do done. This is also the step where I write down every task I have to do, no matter how mundane they are. By doing this, it helps me make sure I don’t miss something important. Something I always forget to add in are my breaks. Don’t forget to take breaks in between each task!
I used Forest when I was back in high school, but I deleted it over the summer lol. I recently downloaded it again because I had a really tough week of studying ahead of me. Forest is basically a self inspirational app, kind of. I don’t really know how to explain it… It’s pretty much an app of growing trees, building your own forest. You basically set a timer for how ever long you plan on studying and set it aside. If you turn on your phone and get out of the app, you kill the tree that you were growing while your phone was put away. Depending on how long you set the timer, the more you study, the more intricate your tree will become. This actually really helps me stay off of my phone since I really like plants. If building a forest isn’t really your thing, search up different studying apps! I’m pretty sure there are some great alternatives!
Step Four: Study Study Study
Now that you have prepped yourself for some studying, sit back and study in a relaxing environment. It might seem much at first, but all of the steps before this contribute to how well and effectively I study during my session. The bomb playlists really help me stay motivated and not fall asleep. If I ever do find myself fall asleep, I just take a quick break with some turnt music.
With finding the perfect study area, it’s kind of a given that you’re not really motivated to study if you’re in an uncomfortable chair surrounded by people on both sides with no leg room. For me, I study best when I’m in my room surrounded by my favorite stuff, aka my stationery, and food! If I were to go anywhere else to study, it would be too much of a struggle for me to carry all of my highlighters, pens, and tapes with me. It’s even a struggle to move all of that stuff to another room in my house! Finding a good study space is really important for efficient studying.
Yes, I am that person that makes lists upon lists before I actually sit down to do something. Making lists just really calms me and help me know that I will make it out of my study session alive.
Step Five: Take a Break!
Sit back, relax, and chill for about five minutes. My breaks are usually never long since I probably have so much to do, but they are really needed and do help a lot. During my breaks, I usually go take a restroom break, snack break, or back break. For those students with scoliosis, don’t ignore your back pains! For me, my back pain goes away if I lay down for about five minutes. It’s definitely not weird at all to go lay down on your bed for five minutes every hour.
Some snacks that I really like to munch on during studying or during my breaks are:
Hot Cheetos//be careful to not get some Cheeto stains on your paper though
cereal//yes, I’m that person that eats cereal dry more than eating it with milk; some of the cereal I eat most often are Cap’n Crunch and Lucky Charms
fruit//I love love love clementines. They’re probably in my top five favorite fruits list. I really enjoy blackberries and strawberries as well!
Step Six: Reward Yourself!
After a successful journey of studying, don’t forget to reward yourself! This is so important. Even if you didn’t complete everything you needed to do, go watch an episode of your favorite anime. Keep telling yourself “good job” and that you’ll do better next time. But in the moment, don’t forget to reward yourself for studying as much as you can, but don’t forget to get a good night’s sleep!
Good luck on studying for finals! If no one has told you yet, I”m telling you now to start studying! Even if it’s for 30 minutes a day, it’s better than nothing! Ace your exams and finish this semester with confidence. I know you can do it.
Emily Nhi 