Study Motivation - Blog Posts
HOW DO PEOPLE STUDY???
How do you sit yourself down and make your brain work for something you have zero interest in?
day 1/? of productivity some summer english notes
Can anyone explain to my teachers that giving us 1h30 to finish an #exam that's supposed to take 3h doesn't necessarily mean we'll be twice as fast ?
tuesday, feb 11th
i survived! today was exciting but really stretched my brain. this week is really big for my research- i'm doing my first self-designed experiment tomorrow and i'm excited/scared/uncertain. i'm trying to remind myself that fear and excitement feel the same to our body, it's just how we think about those physical feelings that changes the mental feelings.
i’ve also been grappling with…why i do what i do. like, ultimately we’re all little specs of matter and energy that are so small in the grand scheme of things. and it’s been hard lately to not just give up and let god take the wheel.
but we’re all here for some purpose. ultimately god (whoever they are) has HAD the wheel for a while and we’re all just…going along for the ride. we’re lucky to have the resources, opportunities, and people that we have, and should always work for more.
while it doesn’t seem like it, it’s a blessing to be stressed about school. it’s a blessing to worry about grades. because at least we CAN worry about grades. at least we CAN worry about school.
education is a human right—but right now it feels like a gift.
to do:
finalize experiment for tomorrow
start working through data analysis for instrumentation lab
modeling homework
🎧: mendelssohn string octet
friday, feb 8th
i was truly in circuit jail today. instrumentation lab was so bad that i have to go in tomorrow to get the correct data 😭😭
although the lab in golden hour is unfortunately quite aesthetic. so do with that what you will.
also also also pizza at lab meeting today! i made nanoparticles after ages and spent some time relearning how to do it. my particles were a tiny bit small (they should be around 200 nm).
now i'm just watching my cdrama after eating a delishos dinner. no studying tonight.
thursday, feb 6th
hi friends. i survived today! i had my instrumentation exam and a modeling quiz B2B and...it was rough. but thankfully, the hardest part of my week is mostly over and i'm happy that finished both assessments.
today wasn't a complete crashout –– the instrumentation exam was difficult but i did my best. i high key resented studying for the exam so i'm happy it's over.
i do have things due tomorrow though. but no expectations.
today i won a sunset lamp thingy! it makes my room look really nice. i did go to lab for a little bit of time but then came home as i was too tired.
to do:
instrumentation lab spreadsheet
build circuit for instrumentation lab
🎧: 2000's telugu romantic songs 🥹
tuesday, feb 4
long day today. although very productive. the grind resumes.
today was my first day making nanoparticles on my own! i only made the solution today, and i'm going to do the freeze-thaw and extrusion steps on…friday. i also desperately need to write my proposal but i don't think i can get to it before thursday.
i also need this week to get over soon because i was genuinely tweaking today. like, someone sedate me. please.
like, let me listen to my bach and pretend i'm an alchemist. that's all i want. or turn me into a frog and put me in a warm little pond. that's also an option.
today's work is much like yesterday's-
to do:
finish polymer chemistry homework
finish tissue engineering reading
redo instrumentation quiz 2
correct instrumentation homework
🎧: bach violin concertos (bach is bae, prove me wrong)
monday, feb 3
i'm really stressed/scared for this week. i have my first instrumentation exam on thursday, an instrumentation quiz tomorrow, and a modeling quiz on thursday 😬. but nothing some mint tea and a mug cake w/ vanilla ice cream can't fix
i also have something due almost every day this week. which is scary because everything is huge as fuck. but i'm going to make sure to take care of myself. good grades are nice, but i have to be there to enjoy them :)
today i had polymer chem and tissue engineering. loving both. we're learning about polymer mixing and my professor's slides about equilibrium were so pookarina.
i also went into lab today, and had my weekly research seminar as well. i'm having so much fun now making scientific decisions, and i'm really excited for next week because i have a lot of experiments planned.
i think i ate with today's fit and i wanted to share.
to dos:
finish modeling homework ✅
study for instrumentation quiz
finish modeling lab to get checked off tomorrow
instrumentation lab spreadsheet
(god this is a lot) finish tissue engineering journal club paper + figure
🎧: idyll for string orchestra – janacek😩
friday, jan 31
happy friday!!!
highkey died in instrumentation lab today. so i actually don't know how to make a circuit and kinda died. i think the TA hates me and it's only lab 1. BUT they seem so chill and i hope they grade easy as fuck.
although free pizza at lab meeting! i actually just kinda sat there and nodded while i ate my pizza.
here's a cute picture from last year that i took at another cafe just for shits
today is the weekly friendgroup hangout, but still-
todo:
do SOMETHING for the instrumentation homework (with friends) (ok so this is actually being done at study group tomorrow because brain tired)
thursday, jan 30th
guys lookit this salad i made. normalize unaesthetic food pictures. i lowkey also ate so much deep fried food today. my lunch (is it still lunch if i ate at 3pm) was onion rings+fries with queso and ranch (so basically an oil rig) and my salad had some more of that breaded tofu i made yesterday but cut up.
not that it's wrong/bad to eat deep fried food. life is too short to regret.
i also am so cooked for my instrumentation class right now. we begged and pleaded to get an extension and prof gave us 1 DAY. not even the weekend. it's not like he's going to grade it before next week's exam...so why the rush.
me in circuit jail:
modeling quiz was ok. i finished it! so therefore i successfully served cunt.
n e ways. i'm going to crank out as much as i can before i need to switch gears and do stuff for my instrumentation lab tomorrow.
tasks:
instrumentation homework. just do it. ✅ (big slay 4/6 problems done 2 days before the due date)
instrumentation pre-lab lecture. ✅ (guys this was so much shorter than what i'd thought it'd be)
optional: research proposal (fook dat im going to bed)
🍵: osmanthus tea.
🎧: Brahms Symphony 4, Beethoven Symphony 7 🤤
wednesday, jan 29th
salutations, legumes.
today was good. i did science. i synthesized a polymer last week, and i wanted to see what it looks like...so i stuck it in some big beige boxes and zapped it with some lazers.
I also made this fried tofu bowl after work. the salsa and the pico de gallo are both from an event that one of my roommates stole leftover food from. the tofu is breaded + fried, and i ate it with some rice and cucumber.
today's classes were tissue engineering and pchem. also good classes.
i do in fact have work :(
continue research proposal
study for modeling quiz ✅
instrumentation homework (what the fuck is this)
edit: todo list too long. bed calls.
tuesday, jan 28th
hi beanz. welcome back.
picked up this sparkling lemon soda from an italian deli near my house on my walk home to drink as i study.
today, i had my biomedical modeling and my biomedical instrumentation class. both of these are my most difficult classes, so i have to put quite a bit of work into them.
in modeling, i learned how to serve cunt about partial differential equations and modeled cellular diffusion using a partial differential equation. this class is actually so cool and it's an easy favorite. i have a quiz on thursday, so i have to study for that.
instrumentation is...confusing. this first portion of the course has been a review of my circuits class from fall 2023. which i then basically repeated in my signals/systems class last semester. but somehow i still don't really understand what's going on so maybe i need the review. i have an exam next week and need to lock tf in.
i also have some stuff to do for research. i have a proposal to write due on feb 15th, and ideally would like feedback from prof next week. so that means this needs to get written by lab meeting on friday. i haven't even made a document. absolutely cooked.
to do:
finish start 4 problems in instrumentation homework ✅
redo pharmacokinetics example for modeling quiz
start modeling homework 2 ✅ 1/29
start research proposal ✅
🎧: tchaikovsky violin concerto in d major
250217/26
30-39/100 days of productivity
song of the week: b2b-charli xcx
it's been over a week since i last posted. i have been so stressed for my calculus midterm. i did over 250 integrals in five days, staying up until 4 am every day or not sleeping at all. my physics midterm got pushed to after the break so now i have three midterms back to back.
just had my calculus midterm last night and it honestly did not go well. this past week leading up to and after my exam definitely took a toll on me mentally, physically, and emotionally which undoubtedly affected my exam. but i'm going to try and stay motivated for my other classes and get a better mark on the calculus final.
i have so many lab reports and proposals to write now but at least reading week is next week and i'll be going home to see the sun.
pictures:
walking home after my midterm
6 am after studying all night
integrals on the classroom blackboard at 3 am (the janitor forgot to lock the door)
practice questions an hour before my midterm with friends
250213/16
26-29/100 days of productivity
song of the day: hypnotized- minh
i might be cheating by summarizing multiple days but i really don't have the motivation to post every day.
spent the weekend studying for my physics midterm. went to the bar and a concert over the weekend which i enjoyed immensely. also viewed an apartment which i might sign soon: i really liked it (huge modern open kitchen, washing and drying machine, quiet... what more can one ask for).
my school has called a snow day for tomorrow so now my both physics midterm and chemistry lab have been pushed to next week... same week as my calculus midterm. just amazing. and just after my biology lab last week got pushed as well.
i am currently feeling very unmotivated, evident by how i have not been posting. but i know that i have to study or my calculus mark will be worse than last semester's so tomorrow i will force myself to walk through the blizzard to study at a cafe. i am feeling quite confident about physics however i still have not fully formatted my crib sheet. so i will do that during my study breaks tomorrow.
slight vent: a lot of my classes have been getting cancelled recently and it's really frustrating because i studied for these midterms (i was even doing physics at the bars) and now my entire study plan has been thrown out the window. also online classes and meetings are just so draining. it's really miserable to be constantly freezing then trek through a meter of snow in the rare cases when i get out of the house. i can't wait for summer. my mood is only boosted by the big glass of red wine i had last night and the prospect of hot matcha tomorrow.
images: very out of tune piano in the physics building, however still beautiful. a bagel cafe study session with a friend (im going there again tomorrow). roses i bought myself on valentines. unfortunate car.
250212
25/100 days of productivity
slow day today. finished my biology assignment and started working on a piece for an art competition. did a chemistry quiz and went to see an apartment. did some calculus.
250210
24/100 days of productivity
song of the day: good kid- kendrick lamar
had a very stressful lab today and got less work done then i would've liked.
academic: worked on my biology assignment and did some calculus review. worked on my lab report.
tomorrow: chemistry quiz, finish biology assignment, chemistry notes.
250208/9
22-23/100 days of productivity
song of the day: open hearts- the weeknd
completed a 17 hour 2 day first aid course this weekend. got my certification for working as a first aid responder in my school's first aid club next semester. caught up on my calculus and did notes. finished 75% of my calculus problem sets. finished my chemistry pre lab. finished two physics assignments. am now two weeks behind in chemistry but my next midterm is after my reading week so i think i'll focus on my calculus midterm since i still haven't done any practice problems. overall i had fun this weekend, my course was genuinely really fun and i made a lot of new friends.
250206
21/100 days of productivity
song of the day: big sleep- the weeknd
pretty tiring day today. my ceiling light is still out (it has been a week).
academic: completed two pre labs and a lab and a lab report. finished my biology essay assignment that's due tomorrow (i've been putting it off since i've had midterms). caught up on calculus since i've had to skip this week for midterms. got two math problem sets assigned at once and due at the same time which is just plain ridiculous.
research: our wet lab data is finally starting to look okay. our adhesive still isn't strong enough but at least the graph looks like a graph. i'm still editing my article which is due in a week.
self care: cleaned my room and finally got rid of the salt snow dirt stains on my floor.
tomorrow: have a physics lab. i need to catch up on chemistry and biology. also have a first aid course this weekend so i should review for that. also going out to celebrate my birthday with some hotpot!
250205
20/100 days of productivity
song of the day: ashes and blood-arcane
had my chemistry midterm today. i woke up 15 minutes before the exam and sprinted across campus in 3 minutes. i was running on pure adrenaline all evening and had an epiphany during the exam that made me feel like walter white. catching up on all my assignments and pre labs right now. stuff to do: biology pre lab, physics pre lab, biology essay, chemistry pre lab, watch three biology lectures (i skipped class), catch up on a week of chemistry.
tomorrow: biology lab, finish physics pre lab.
250204
19/100 days of productivity
song of the day: cry for me- the weeknd
studied until 3 am for chemistry. did some practice midterms and rewatched all my lectures.
250203
18/100 days of productivity
song of the day: cry for me- the weeknd
spent 11 hours studying for chemistry today. finished all of my practice problems. going to office hours tomorrow and doing the practice midterms and I should be all set. also did two sets of calculus notes and some calculus problems. went to an amazing conference on sustainability and the keynote speech was very inspiring. I wish that I had more chances to interact with things like this as a stem major. ft. my campus squirrels
250202
17/100 days of productivity
song of the day: two- bbno$
over 8 hours of studying for chemistry today! i did so many practice problems my brain is barely working now. just finishing up a physics discussion assignment because i completely forgot about it... oops. made a little list of concepts to review tomorrow.
my ceiling light has been out for the past 3 days and my room is literally freezing... good thing i went apartment hunting for an hour instead of studying today.
tomorrow: going to an 11 hour conference but i think i'll leave early to study for my midterm.
240201
16/100 days of productivity
song of the day: abyss- the weeknd
feeling better today so went to my lab workshop. actually threw away the flow through while doing pcr so that was really fun. luckily I have enough so I don’t need to restart. I want to get lots of sleep before my midterms so I’ll leave my chemistry review to tomorrow.
240131
15/100 days of productivity
wasn’t feeling very well today after running errands and having labs all day. still went to my evening tutorial but sleeping early tonight.
250130
14/100 days of productivity
finished lab report, started my chemistry midterm review
250129
13/100 days of productivity
song of the day: spartacus: ballet suite no. 2:1. adagio of spartacus and phrygia- aram khachaturian
woke up late and had to skip my biology lecture. went to my next lecture and headed to the library to do work. wifi went out campus wide when i was submitting my research application so i was struggling to connect to my data for two hours.
academic: finished my biology pre lab. attended a networking event with some professors and had a fun time with my chemistry professors.
tomorrow: biology post lab, physics problem set, physics pre lab, review for chemistry midterm.
250128
12/100 days of productivity
song of the day: muse au musée- isolde lasoen
got some free stuff from the club fair and went out to dinner to celebrate chinese new year. did some statistics and physics homework.
250127
11/100 days of productivity
song of the day: lune noire-isolde lasoen
pretty okay day today. starting to lose my motivation a little bit but i have midterms coming up. i have a chemistry one next week and i am very behind on content which is... unfortunate.
academic: finished my chemistry lab and my lab report. finished my calculus problem set. halfway finished my physics problem set. finished my chemistry quiz with a friend. attended an engineering symposium and got free pizza.
research: did some research into egg albumen adhesives. apparently our wet lab is using it as a control so i'll have to add the protocol to our paper. it was very interesting though.
selfcare: got myself a nice turkey apple brie sandwich today. i had no idea the sandwiches at my school's sandwich and soup bar were that good. it was so yummy i will be buying it again. sadly they close at 2 but i want to try other sandwiches.
tomorrow: i have to submit my appliation for a summer research position since it's due in 3 days. my school is having a club fair so i will be getting free stuff.
250126
10/100 days of productivity
song of the day: headlock-imogen heap
got quite a lot done. had to catch up on a lot since i've spent the past week hanging out with friends and attending events.
academic: completed physics and chemistry notes, a physics problem set, a biology problem set, and started reviewing for my chemistry midterm next week.
research: had to organize a lot today with the wet lab team and had a meeting with my co-lead about our paper. i had to read a ton of research papers but it was quite fun.
selfcare: did my laundry and cooked dinner! dinner didn't turn out as well as i had hoped but it was my first time cooking in over a month. took a lot of energy so i'll prioritize sleeping tonight.
tomorrow: i need to finish my calculus problem set which is due in 5 days and submit a research application. i'll try and finish my paper for the journal but i don't think it's doable in one day. i also have a chemistry lab that i still don't fully understand yet.