Hey! so i just created my very first studygram (shameless self promo @decafstudy follow me) and one of my irl friends saw my stories and posts and asked “How many hours does your day have? ´cause mine only has 24″ and that got me thinking abt how i take the most advantage of my days to make them feel (or look) 48 hours long! Here are a few of the things I incorporate on my daily student life to be more productive!
• IF YOUR FIRST CLASS STARTS LATE IN THE MORNING WAKE UP 2 HOURS EARLIER THAN NEEDED i know, am i crazy? ok so here´s the deal. If your first class starts, let´s say, at 11:00 A.M you might be tempted to wake up at 10:00 A.M, get dressed, and head to school. Not only does this create bad habits for when you get assigned a 7:00 A.M class (which will happen) but you lose MANY HOURS OF PRECIOUS TIME. Get your 8-9 hours of sleep and do not let yourself wake up later than needed. My class sometimes starts at 11:30 A.M so i wake up at 8:00 have a nice morning, relax, work out a bit, light up a candle and get ahead on reading and work for school! Your day will start and feel more productive!
• NEVER LEAVE CLASS WITH A DOUBT ON YOUR MIND I know this might create anxiety for people who are shy and do not like asking questions during class (i am one of those people) If you feel just too scared to ask during class APPROACH THE TEACHER AFTER CLASS ENDS. as soon as he dismisses class, approach him and ask the question. If you are not able to do so DO NOT STRESS, BUT WRITE THAT QUESTION DOWN ASAP ON A POST IT AND STICK IT YOUR NOTEBOOK. that way you will have the question at hand and you can seek tutoring later and ask, or even ask a friend BUT NEVER LET A QUESTION GO, NEVER think “i will ask it later” BECAUSE YOU WON´T and IT WILL DOOM YOU. This will save so much time when you study, because all your questions will be at hand and you will know what you have to focus on studying.
• WHENEVER YOU HAVE FREE TIME, USE IT TO WORK WHILE DOING SOMETHING FUN instead of just diving head first into watching a movie, ask yourself if there is something more productive that you could be doing rn (reading ahead, reviewing, doing extra math excercises) if the answer is yes, then put that movie on mute and work while taking a peek at the movie ever once in a while. This will not only help you with discipline and learning to keep yourself from distractions, but it will occupy your free time in something that your future self will thank you for later on.
• NEVER ASSUME THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO DO IT LATER again, thinks in terms of your FUTURE SELF how much would your future self love it if instead of studying 3 days before the exam, you studied a week before it? How much would your future self love it of instaed of reading until 12:00 PM tomorrow, you divided the reading between today and tomorrow? never assume that you will have spare time ahead because chances are that you won´t and you will end up with A BUNCH of work that you didn´t do and that you can´t do at the moment. FUTURE SELF THINKING has saved my life.
• LEAVE TIME OPEN FOR MENTAL HEALTH/PHYSICAL/RECREATIVE CARE as much as i always put work first, I KEEP MY THERAPIST VISIT AND MY GYM ROUTINE STABLE no matter how much work i have. This helps me feel more balanced and like i am on top of everything, not just school, feeling good=more productivity.
• POMODORO TECHNIQUE i know many people know about this but if you don´t, this is basically a studying technique in which you work or study for 25-30 minutes straight NO DISTRACTIONS and then have a 5-6 minute break, and then repeat the process as many hours as you need. This really helps me not get burnt out when I have a heavy load of work. Watching study with me videos on yt is a good way of keeping the pomodoro system going. Some good apps that I use for POMODORO are Forest and Tide.
• HAVE AN APP CARPET ON YOUR PHONE THAT IS CALLED “PRODUCTIVITY” ie. download a BUNCH of cute as hell apps that help you get motivated and organised when you look at them. This will make you more prone to look at your phone as an INSTRUMENT rather than a DISTRACTION. (my fave apps are Taskade, Forest, Tide, Brainscape and Pocket)
• Lastly, GET MOTIVATED i know this sounds cliché, but the reason why i love keeping my day busy is because i surround myself with a romanticised idea of studying. Doing these kinds of posts, following a bunch of accounts with pretty notes, having a clean room and desk, going to the library and appreciating the color scheme or sounds around you, listening to relaxing sounds or music while working, downloading many pretty apps to keep myself on track while having a cute aesthetic… all of these things might seem small, but they make you feel cleaner, more balanced and more prone to LIKING the work you do.
Anyways i know most of you already do these cause yall are on top of your game alllll the tiiiiime girl, but if any of these helps, ill be very happy!
Monday: New week, new motivation, a pile of finished homework and a nicely organised pencil case. A clean, fresh bullet journal spread and empty to-do lists. Your outfit is ready for you when you wake up, prepared the night before.
Tuesday: Getting into the rhythm, your favourite tunes and morning runs. Your journal starts to fill up, cute drawings decorating the pages. The world seems slow, the week long as it has just started; yet it is chaotic at the same time.
Wednesday: Hump day. Early morning coffee and messy lecture notes, sticky notes with reminders and to-do lists, scribbling on white boards and collapsing in bed with blankets and a good book after a long day, the distant sound of rain hitting your windows.
Thursday: Grabbing brunch with friends and laughing at old memories, green smoothies and almond croissants. Friendly curious talks with your teachers and professors. Working on an assignment due weeks away and watching a movie by the fireplace.
Friday: Looking forward to the weekend, early morning study and typed notes. Going through colourful flashcards at a local cafe, friendly smiles and latte art. Going out at night and loud music blasting through your ears, walking home with friends under the cool air and peaceful stars.
Saturday: Green tea and cold water, warm showers and sleeping in. Readings and PowerPoints, looking out into the busy streets from your beautiful desk. Getting dressed up, sharp eyeliner wings and meeting with friends, engaging conversations during dinner and later crawling into the warmth and comfort of your bed.
Sunday: Lazy mornings and making pancakes in your pyjamas, finishing homework and getting a head start on next week’s readings. Dancing freely as you clean and organise and being comfortable in your own skin. Watching your favourite TV show at night and going to bed early and ready for next week.
Love isn’t meant to be easy. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows. There will be fights and arguments and issues. But the thing about Love is you fight for the person. You don’t just give up because it gets hard. You work through it together and come out stronger than before. Love isn’t easy but it is worth it.
