Illusoryxdays - Illusoryxdays

this is a reminder that you don't need an ✨aesthetic✨ place to study/work. post your messy notes and scratched up desk. it's so refreshing to see normal study spaces. just because something isn't perfect, doesn't mean it isn't beautiful.

moment in love

15.03.25 || wishing everyone a good day unless you are caesar

Started my day working on a writing project I love but has no publisher. Fingers crossed that it will get a contract. Someone came to see my apartment today and hopefully take it over. It's a bittersweet moment, because I feel like I just arrived in my uni town and get to fully experience it after my exams took over my life for a good two years. And now I have to leave again 🥲

All the best

AJ

a bit of a rant but why in the hell are technical information technology (not management) degrees in the business college at most four year unis in the US? as someone who is in the field and is getting a B.S in an IT related field, business classes & accounting are absolutely useless for troubleshooting infrastructure issues. the actual IT classes are so out of date that the technologies you learned about in school are end of life and obsolete once you're actually working. let's actually have relevant degrees for IT professionals that prepare them to support an ever expanding digital world. side note: i absolutely love my uni for having relevant degrees. it's helping so much with my career <3

bionics is where information technology meets biology & chemistry🧠👩🏼‍💻

eight step guide on how to study (as a third year pre-med student with ADHD and a 4.0)

welcome to my step by step guide on how to study. i have a love-hate relationship with studying, but this is what works to get me going. getting started is the hardest part, i promise.

step one: prep your space. get a glass of water or coffee or energy drink and make sure you have everything you need out and ready. throw your phone across the room or just put it out of sight. you will forget that other fun things exist (like tik tok) if you cannot see it. out of sight, out of mind.

step two: sit at your desk (or table or a general designated study space with a chair). studying in bed never works like you think it will and studying on the floor (while enriching) will do nothing but hurt your back from hunching over. sitting at your desk makes you feel much more productive (most of my study sessions start by just forcing myself to sit in my chair).

step three: put some music or ambience on. if i need to use my brain more i'll opt for some fantasy-themed forest ambience or sci-fi droning sounds. your brain is tricked into thinking that you're having fun if music is on, but plot twist! you're actually being productive. music i turn to is soft piano, video game soundtracks (genshin, undertale, minecraft, stardew valley) or lofi, but your mileage may vary. DO NOT do music with words unless you want to be distracted.

step four: make a list of need-to-dos and rank them based on priority and time. start by doing an activity that will take a short amount of time. by completing a short to-do, it builds the motivation to keep going.

step five: start a study timer. i bought a physical study timer that is so satisfying to wind and set and watch the time tick by, but a desktop one works just fine. set your timer based on how much energy you have. some days i go for 60 minutes, some days i do 25, it all just depends. as a study session goes on, it's normal for your amount of energy to go down. i may do 60-45-30-20 then take a long break. know thyself and thine needs!

step six: lock in. do not think about what you are doing, simply do it. do it before your brain has the chance to convince you it doesn't like what you're doing.

step seven: take regular, controlled, and useful breaks. do not start an activity on your break that will break your flow. walk around, stretch, check your phone, refill your drink, have a snack. reward yourself! you're doing great, i promise.

step eight: long break. do something that will rest your mind. maybe watch youtube, eat a meal, play a video game, read a few chapters of a book. be proud of the work you've accomplished.

i hope this helps! happy studying!

tuesday | april 15

lots of biochem going on this term – if i'm not working through a paper for my seminar class, i've got gels to annotate or protocols to study.

SDS-PAGE from a protein purification i did in last week's lab – not 100% pure, but i'm happy with the yield. personally i would have used more resin (that flowthrough is just begging to be repurified) but it wasn't my call.

mutuals. c'mere. this is a checkpoint. i am checking in. i am wrapping you in a blanket and giving you a nice warm drink. also some pretty flowers. it will be ok.