hey friends, welcome back to the series :)
now for part three! study tips & romanticizing school :) lots of ideas, i hope you enjoy!
my best study tips:
using google calendar to plan out study sessions, hw, tests, etc.
as i mentioned in part one, having a system to plan out schoolwork is super important! get a planner, a bullet journal, tweek, whatever works for you :) i like to plan ahead for the week whenever needed to make sure i don’t have to cram late at night or do homework on sundays.
communicate with teachers
i love it when teachers have the agenda and future assignments & deadlines up on the board or online! if your teachers don’t do this, make sure to ask them about it so you can be prepared :)
using pomodoro app/method to time block and lock in
the website: https://pomofocus.io/ and the app: i love the focus promo app! you get tomatoes for completed sessions :) basically this is having 25 min focused and 5 minute breaks. i love this for especially for reading and note sessions (anatomy, history, etc)
study playlists
make a cute playlist to study to! i like to rotate between coffee shop jazz, lofi, and light academia. personally, i prefer instrumental for focusing but if i’m doing stuff that doesn’t require reading i add in other music too.
study to learn > get good grades
rethink your purpose for studying. it’s easy to focus only on grades and tests, which definitely serves its purpose, however, make sure you remember what a gift it is to learn new things!! at the end of your life, grades are much less important than what you remember learning & how you used it throughout your life!
→ figuring out how you remember things best is such an important hack. if you’re visual like me, make timelines, draw things out, make posters, etc. then you can remember them long term. when i asked my friends for their tips, they said rewriting things: facts and drawing diagrams on whiteboards, etc. such a good tip!! the extra effort pays off SO hard.
→ memory is also very emotionally-tied, so try to be silly and embrace the emotions in stuff you learn to help you remember!
taking advantage of study apps like knowt
for content heavy classes like languages, anatomy, history, etc, flashcards are super helpful! quizlet decided to get all weird lately so i switched to knowt! it’s a free app and website and i love how cute it is. you can check it out to see if you like it. there’s something about aesthetic apps to that helps make studying seem fun! :)
go different places to study: outside, library, blankets, cafes, etc
it can be easy to always study at one place, so spice it up and go somewhere new! you can also go on study dates with friends :) personally, i love exploring new libraries and working outside!
put your phone in another room
i usually need my phone for music, my calculator, or other stuff. however, whenever i don’t need it i make sure to keep it a good distance away so i can lock in. the best tip fr.
try to find ways to tutor or help other people: teaching helps you understand
there are always people who need more help than you! simplifying things to explain them is such a great tool.
→ also, don’t be afraid to ask other people for help! join a study group or plan to do homework with some who knows their stuff. in math i ask my teacher so many questions and it is the best!! don’t let your hestitation cause you more time and stress!
plan rewards for after study sessions: a show, a walk, a treat, etc
have something to look forward to!
sleep.
the more rested you are, the better you learn. remind yourself of this at night when you want to stay up (i’m talking to myself at the moment :)
know yourself: when you have energy, time, can lock in etc
some of us are early birds, some of us night owls. experiment with times, places, amounts of time, etc. to see what works best for you! going on a walk before can also help you so much. a big thing for me is blocking out time where i know i can really lock in instead of trying to do studying or assignments quick in spare time or around a lot of people, etc.
pray before you study!
it helps so much. God is all-knowing & He’s the one giving you the knowledge. i seriously believe in the ability of the holy spirit to help you remember anything when you need to. take advantage of this gift!
hype yourself up & believe in yourself
so many people at school get so down on themselves, saying they are so bad at math or science or reading or whatever. while certain subjects might be hard for you, give yourself grace and be your own hype girl! you can learn and remember wayyyy more than you think you can!! don’t limit your potential! sometimes the only thing holding us back is ourselves, which is so sad. you have so much power over your abilities and the more you believe in yourself, the more you can accomplish and the more gentle the whole journey will be <3
procrastinate as much as possible, obviously.
my biggest tip. it works every time. (jk ofc)
romanticizing school
cute school supplies
if you have cute stuff, then of course school and studying gets so much more exciting!
meal prep
looking forward to your lunch is the best! coming in next week’s post :)
thrift for outfits and try new hairstyles
dressing cute and experimenting with hair makes the days more unique and brings out the artsy part of showing up to the same place every day for almost two hundred days:) who doesn’t like looking cute? it’s not about compliments on the fit (they are nice i can’t lie), it’s about feeling confident and knowing you’re happy with how you’re showing up!
→ & compliment other people as much as possible. it makes school a more loving place <3
realizing the privilege of free education!!!
as i’m about to go off to college soon, it’s been dawning on me how blessed i am to have a free education! obviously there are taxes, but many girls in the world and in history have not had the opportunities i do now!! it is such a gift & i’m trying to be more grateful for it :)
pretend you’re in a movie
or a show. i know you’re already imagining it, and it’s fun, right?! :)
pray and have worship music whenever you can to keep the spirit with you
being at school can be hard. there is a lot of negative energy and immaturity, and it adds up. it can be really discouraging. try to pray whenever you have a minute, like in the bathroom, and if you get a chance to listen to music while you work, get those worship r&b tunes on. it helps.
→ also making time to hang out with friends who do share your values and faith as much as you can helps a lot!
don’t force friendships
i want to write a whole post about this, but school here in wisco has definitely taught me that sometimes people aren’t looking for new friendships and sometimes you’re not going to have tons of best friends at school. and that’s okay. you will survive :) don’t sacrifice yourself to have friends, embrace who you are and trust that God will take care of you!
get excited about all the cool stuff you get to learn!!
it’s so awesome. get hyped!
look around for people who need a friend and get chatty
think outside of the box when it comes to making new friends. go into school with the mindset of “who needs a friend today?” i guaruntee that someone is always more lonely than you. someone out there always needs someone to talk to. friendly people make my day and i bet they make yours, too. be one of those people <3
people watch
i go to the airport and have so much fun people watching, and then i remember i can people watch at school, too. just giggle sometimes. there’s a lot of very immature people at school, but sometimes people are just acting so dumb it’s a little silly :)
get involved in electives and clubs you are actually passionate about
don’t commit to stuff just for the sake of college apps. try stuff, and then pick one or two things you love and really get involved with those. that’s what colleges are looking for: that your extracurriculars helped you grow as a person and that you contributed to them!! for me, joining youth4change freshman year led to a job, leadership opportunities, involvement in the community, and more awareness about the reality of substance abuse and all we can do about it. i’ve written mutliple essays about it as i apply for college and scholarships! i’m so glad i chose something and really put my effort into it. it’s paid off so much in lots of different ways :)
help little kids: it makes you realize how important education is
being able to spend time in the elementary school has changed my perspective on the important of education! seeing how fundamental skills are so hard for kids is humbling and inspiring—you’ve learned so much in the past, and you can learn so much in the future!! education truly does transform you!
...and that's it!
i hope this long list gives you some ideas & inspiration! let me know your favorites <3
as always, send this post to a friend if you think they would like it :)
see you next week for some meal prep inspo :D
xo, kate
pss i love love love comments!! they make me so happy! leave your name please so i know who you are :) thanks all <33
any time i read your blog, i feel lighter than before. you are so full of wisdom✨
love this!!!! so many good reminders you’re so full of wisdom :)
As always, I loved the post:) keep doing what you’re doing Kate, you’re great <3
I love the reminder to cherish school and be grateful for a free education! It’s so lost with all my complaining, but it’s really such a blessing <3
I've been using google Calander the past few weeks after your first post and it is revolutionizing my intentionality and time management in school! Thank you, Kate! I have been reminded of so many important things I had forgotten, by reading this post :) 💜