Studyblr Community - Blog Posts

11.06.2024

Second day of school and gosh was it exhausting, i somehow seemed to have forgotten how tiring school really is :")

Today was a full on Computers and Accounts day T-T

Completed Accounts homework and reviewed some concepts we learnt today

Prepared computer notes for lesson 1 (only half)

Economics assignment 90% done

10.06.2024

It was the first day of school, just got my textbooks and the whole class spent the day talking and doing nothing. Classes start tomorrow but I'm starting sooner this year. I'm keeping this as a tracker for progress so... Yeah

Read 1 chapter of Business studies and English

Completed 50% of the assignment in Economics

Revised last year's accountancy notes

Goals for the next (last) year of highschool!

As much as I love that this is the last year I'm gonna stay in school, I may need to work extra harder to manage everything.

So, I'm gonna keep this goal list as a reminder and motivation!

Personal:

Have a better sleeping schedule (impossible but let's try)

Exercise everyday (Also impossible but let's ignore this)

Maintain good mental health (laughs in hysteria)

Pray Tahajjud everyday (atleast try)

Recite Quran everyday

Search for some jobs and college research (mostly after October/December)

Academic:

Get a 97+ % in my finals (aiming 99 or 100)

Study the lessons in the same week they're completed

Study everyday for 2 hours

Finish assignments soon as possible

Study on weekends

Extra curricular

Keep revising my Arabic

Finish a book a month

Go on my first and last field trip some how!!

Maintain this blog (duh)

Escape P.E practice (spare me)

Improvements to be made in:

English (both academic and non academic)

Confidence

Public speaking (I'm so bad at this)

Lessening screen time

"Push harder than yesterday if you want a different tomorrow."

Study Tip 5

When you're studying, most of you will probably focus more on the input. You'll take in loads of information. And i mean loads and loads of information. But do you still wonder, why am I not getting the grades for the amount of input I put in? Like, you study alot only to get mediocre grades?

Well, let me break it down...

Input is important but... output is more important.

Input is absorbing information. Committing it to memory. Remembering facts. It's a mental activity.

Output is how you communicate or display information.

Let's be honest, the teacher correcting your paper doesn't care if you studied the whole year or the whole night. They just care about finishing their task and whether you've answered the questions correctly. So, the way you communicate it is important.

When you study, give more focus on the output. If you're input is "x" amount of effort then your concentration and effort on output should be "2x".

How do you do that?

Well, after studying, spend a good amount of time recalling the information by giving the processed information back. Whether you do it by saying it aloud or writing it down or both. I prefer to say it aloud, write it down and then say it again and again. The main thing is...

What you learnt must be communicated.

It doesn't have to be through teaching. There are multiple ways. Notes. Drawing. Visuals. Mind maps. Audio recordings. Anything that works for you!

Written notes is probably the best because at the end of the day you are going to write the exam, even if you know the whole damn textbook, what you write in your exam is the only thing that counts.

So, here's the secret (which isn't a secret anymore) i use:- When you finish a topic:

Write the key words.

Say it out loud multiple times until you remember them.

Close the notes and recall. Aloud.

Repeat step 2 & 3 about 4-5 times.

Bonus: you can write the points without looking this time.

Basically... Write it. Say it. Recall it. Repeat it.

The first 2 steps are the means of inputs. You're getting information in.

The next three are outputs. You're getting the information out. See the emphasis on how you recall it aloud? It needs your 100% attention for you to remember the points. And when you repeat it, it's literally for you to process it. To let it sink in. You're less likely to forget it sooner too.

Remember. X input needs 2x output.

Whatever the output is. It needs to be multiplied.

Hope this helps! :D

Affirmations I use before entering my exam room/hall.

This does not define your future but don't mess this up. I'm fine. I have prepared the whole year for this. I will not put it to a waste. I know more than I think I do. I am calm, focused and composed and I am certainly not panicking. I did my best. God will do the rest. Your past self is proud of you. Your future self is counting on you. An exam is nothing but a test of your knowledge. You got dreams to chase, darling. Do not be scared of something which has no power to hurt you physically. You are so close to the victory. Don't you dare give up now. I am so damn proud of trying so hard. Don't stress. Do your best. Forget the rest. There's no way that I'm going back with something that I don't like. You can do this.

Hope this helps xD

Hey any last minute revision tips for tests/exams? I always struggle with it

Hey there Anon!

First of all, during revision, I try my level best to recall everything without actually going through the topic but it's kinda difficult so glance through the topic before you close the book and recall every single point.

Revise the chapters that you know well and are confident in first because it's better to thoroughly know some specific topics than being doubtful in every single topic.

Do not, under any circumstances, start to learn a new topic during revision (unless the topic is like really really important). It will only cause you panic.

If you find yourself distracted, move around alittle.

More distractions? Act like you're a tutor or teacher.

Don't study the whole topic line by line, recall important key words and examples.

Don't set a time limit for each topic. Set time limits for the whole syllabus. (Like, if you have 12 lessons. Think you'll complete 6 of them by the afternoon, allow 2 hours grace time and viola, you now know half the syllabus completely)

Take breaks. Both the 20 mins and 20 second breaks (-> 20 sec post)

Eat some snacks in between. I personally don't prefer meals because I get really lazy and sleepy after that.

Do not call your friends to ask how much they've revised because you'll definitely panick.

Go through your material. If you don't remember a topic which you actually have studied, write short notes just beside it.

Use past question papers and practice problems.

Quiz yourself. Say your answers out loud.

If you have no idea where to start, just go from the shortest chapters because then you'll feel like you have completed some syllabus.

Lastly, whatever you do, sleep early. Atleast before 11 pm because you need to be fresh for the exam.

Basically. Recall. Summarise. Quiz. Repeat.

Hope this helped! <3

You don't have to be great at something to start, but you have to start to be great at something.

The days leading to the results are terrifying. I can't even do anything, my stomach's churning up every now and then T-T

I will succeed. Not immediately. But definitely.

Study until you think you are perfect and then study some more because you are never perfect.

You're not always going to be motivated. So you must learn to be disciplined.

Success is 1% plan. 99% action. Don't. Forget. That.

Study Tip - 4

When you're studying, it is advisable to take a break. I don't mean breaks which last around 5-15 mins. I mean breaks that last for 20 seconds.

Why 20 seconds?

Recently, i have discovered that when you're studying for long hours or even short, our brains are exhausted by the time we complete even a single chapter. It has too much of information to actually process it so i always use this method.

When you complete a topic, small or big. Just close your eyes for 20-30 seconds and lean back on your chair and calm your breathing. Process the information. Let everything sink in. Take out the tension. DO NOT TAKE YOUR PHONE. And then after those 20-30 seconds, just glance through the topic before moving to the next one.

How does this help?

Boosts attention.

Allows you to calm down from overwhelming emotions

Helps you process better.

You're likely to remember it more.

Helps you to study for longer hours.

Hope it helps! :)

Dreams don't work until you do.

How to do group projects? (If you're selected as the leader of the group)

I hate group projects, it's not necessarily the project rather, the people are not cooperative enough so here's some tips I use when I was chosen to do a PPT and a damn play with 13 members.

(Pictures aren't mine!)

Take phone numbers

Even though my teacher discouraged the idea of it, I still took the numbers of all the members and saved it on the same day the project was given even though the deadline was a month later. You should make sure that you have the necessary means of communication to every member.

Plan and outline within 3 days!

Make an outline of what needs to be done, plan out who's going to do what, how they'll do it, when will they complete it etc etc. The reason i do it within 3 days is because you'll get the base of how you'll do it because generally in group projects, by the time everyone completes the work and gives it to you, it would take atleast a week or two, if you start early, you'll complete earlier than everyone else

No group chats!

I personally don't prefer this because one i realised everyone just didn't reply expecting others to reply, especially when your group is big! So... Dms!! Just send the instructions personally, yes, it takes alot of time but it makes up for the energy wasted in group chats that involve unnecessary talks and questions.

Both face to face and text reminders!

When you've assigned work to every member, make sure they actually do it because you'll be the one responsible. Not gonna lie but reminders help especially when the deadlines are closer. Just a message like "Hey, friendly reminder about the XYZ project."

Save your own name!

This is something I'm really careful about. The accusation that you're being biased and assigning easier work to friends and people I'm close with. So, i figured that the best way to avoid it is to write all the work and the names of members in alphabetical order and assign accordingly. If the member can't do it, then I'll discuss and swap. It saves a hell lot of drama and actually results to better outcomes.

Back up

Make sure that there's always a second in command. This was a mistake I did, on the day of the 2nd project (the play), I was in one of the competitions and our teacher had started with our group first... I didn't exactly tell anyone that everything about the characters assigned to members and the narrations were in my bag so they had to scramble alittle but in the end, our group did the best play despite the situation so that's what you're aiming at. Your group needs to manage without you.

Flexibility

Do not, under any circumstances, expect everything to go well! You need to expect hindrances, like gurl, come on. A mistake I made in the PPT project, i made the PPT and told 4-5 people to explain it because that's how it was supposed to be done but in the end, ALL THE 4-5 PEOPLE HAD TO BE IN SPORTS PRACTICE so we ended up changing plans last minute. But nevertheless, we got an A-. Tell everyone to prepare accordingly.

Be a little lenient

Personally, when the teacher asked me to give the list of work everyone had done, i did'nt just write nothing for the members who didn't, i have even the smallest contribution because in the end, even one person's scores matters. It affects the whole damn group so be careful when you take out anger and frustration on the members when giving the list of contributions or even while doing the project. The last thing you need is drama.

Contact!

Make sure your members are comfortable enough to clear any questions or misunderstandings with you. If you don't know what's going in the group, you can't maintain the group. Be very clear that they can reach you any time.

Demo!!!

This is really important! Decide on a day and keep a demonstration of how your project is going to be presented. Do exactly as how you're going to do it infront of the teacher. Exchange some points on how to do better during the demo and discuss! It helps you to correct your mistakes.

Hope this helps! :)

If nobody hates you, you're doing something wrong

You're getting distracted again. You've got dreams to chase. Not people to impress. Wake up.

Mental Health > Grades

You need to do it yourself because no one else is going to do it for you.

The results are the sweetest when you've worked for it. Don't. Forget. That

Using multiple senses for studying

So, what do I mean by using multiple senses?  These senses usually employ in multisensory learning as visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile – VAKT (i.e. seeing, hearing, doing, and touching)

Some may like to say the words out loud, some may like to hear them and many would prefer to write it down, some like getting hands on work and of course, depending on how you learn, they'll work for you but recently I've been using this method to study and it's so damn helpful.

The method I use is something that is applicable to mostly all subjects except maths and other subjects like physics or chemistry .

All you have to do is first you'll read the content then by looking at the content, you'll make notes about it. Draw small doodles related to it or draw a cycle of the content. Visualize the material! Then, you'll listen to the lecture notes or any videos about the content. And write more notes about it if you've missed any points! Then when you get the grasp of the material, you'll close the notes and you'll explain it to yourself aloud. Your voice needs to be loud and clear so you can hear it yourself. Then repeat! The more times you repeat explaining it to yourself, the better. Do it until you feel like you know the material well enough!

How does this help?

It uses the three main senses used for studying together which creates stronger connections in the brain

You're likely to remember the content for a longer period

Information will come rushing back in a matter of minutes if you had paid attention to it.

It helps you to remember main keywords easily

Enhances creativity

Is an active study method so you need to pay attention otherwise you won't be able to do this.

Hope this helps! Feel free to change this according to your needs. These methods can be experimented with! :)

Affirmations i use to study/get things done!

"You've prepared the whole year for this. Don't let it go to waste." "I can and I will." "It doesn't matter how hard it takes to reach my goal." "It doesn't matter if the other person is more talented than you. There's no rule for them to work more harder than you." "You can wake up anyday and decide to change the person that you are." "Who cares if I'm pretty if I fail my finals?" "One day, you'll leave this world behind so live a life that you'll remember." "If it's a million to one. I'm gonna be that one.” "You can't be perfect. No one can. But you can try to be the best." "Failure is a part of success. Use it in the best way possible." "You are more than capable of handling yourself and your textbooks." "Study like you haven't prayed and pray like you haven't studied." "You came this far only to come this far?" "There is no way I'm going to come back with something I don't like." "Study because learning is better than being ignorant." "Grades aren't everything but they do make your life somewhat easier." "I know more than i think I do." “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.”  "Progress > Perfection." "You're doing this for you. Only you. Don't forget that."

It's okay to be bad at something new. Normalize people who want to keep trying without them feeling ashamed for being bad at it.

Weekly Goals

I've been really lazy these past two weeks since summer break started so i think this is a good way to track my progress and productivity.

Complete a course on digital marketing (which I was ignoring for a long time)

Finish atleast 2 books

Complete atleast 5+ lessons in Arabic

Start attending summer course classes (also Arabic)

Clean my closet

Wake up alittle earlier (it's not gonna happen but let's believe it will)

Watch a movie

When the teacher asks you if you have any questions and you have the urge to say "The whole syllabus"

Math Tips

(Pictures are not mine)

Well, let me tell you, we all have this love-hate relationship with this subject, right? The worst part is that when you don't know what the heck is going on, so, as a girl who studied maths (2 Volumes/textbooks) on her own during the year she was homeschooled, here are some tips and tricks that I did to get an A+ in my math finals!

Get your syllabus together

In the beginning I had no damn idea what was going on and it was just confusing. I had to do the first thing I did was taken my index/table of contents and mark the chapters which i knew very well and the ones I had no clue about. And then i arranged them with the marking scheme, like which one carries the most marks etc etc and study accordingly.

Complete lessons/chapters that you already know

When you finish off the things you already know then that's gonna give you the confidence you need even if you know only 1-2 chapters, learn it throughout and make sure that you'll get the answer no matter how twisted the sum is. If you're doubtful about the whole textbook like any normal person.... Start with the easy ones. (I know there are literally really no "easy" chapters, spare me)

Harder chapters need hard work

Most chapters like Trigonometry proofs, Geometry proofs, Algebra, Graphs, Mensuration and Calculus etc need more than minimum effort but here's a trick, what is the common thing in this? Yes, they're all formulae and theorem based which goes to my next point. These chapters are completely based on how much you've understood your basics.

Formulae and theorem cheatsheets

Make a list of all formulae and the theorem used in the book, write them chapter wise and no printouts or digital notes. Take a paper and write it down, no excuses. It helps you while you're practicing, revising and in the last minute review, it helped me damn much. Remember, maths is a sport. The basic formulae must come to you like reflexes.

YouTube is your best friend.

For every single chapter, go and watch the basics and how a sum is done step by step. A recommendation for this is Organic Chemistry Tutor who literally is one of the reasons i passed. He has videos from basic geometry, trigonometry, statistics to calculus. Search for your own YouTubers and be clear with concepts.

Math is fully memorization

Memorize formulae and theorems with the back of your hand, you should be able to recall them within seconds. Be thorough.

Memorize basic math values (if calculator isn't allowed)

Do this if you have a majority of chapters like Statistics, Mensuration, Profit/loss calculation etc, where large numbers are concerned. Memorize the first 10 square, cube, decimal and multiplication values. It may be dry but there are literally songs available for these things, I'm serious, i learnt the first 10 cube roots by listening to Senorita xD Search for rhymes and they'll definitely be many!!

Work it out!!!!!!

Can't stress this enough, atleast 30-40 mins is the minimum for maths. I'm serious, work out each sum, don't ever think it's a waste, you'll see the results. Practice makes perfect. Work out every single sum, from examples to exercise ones cause let's be honest, our examiners love to take problems from every nook and cranny of the book.

Whiteboard method

So, I made this up and it actually works, if you have a whiteboard or anything else, once you completed a chapter, take a random page and whatever sums you have on those two pages, you need to complete within a given time limit. It helps you to identify your weak points and where the hell you're losing both time and effort and not to mention that it gives you confidence boost up.

Hope this helps :))

Study Tip - 3

Something I've seen quite a lot nowadays is people studying with timers, like, I still don't understand it... I've asked many people and they're like "It helps us to finish the goal while managing time and we complete our revision sooner"

But the main thing is, they don't remember it for more than a few hours or days... for me the goal is to complete the task perfectly and not to complete it faster than anyone.

Because when you keep looking at the clock, you're worried more about the time than the work. You're more excited about getting a break after that specific time than the actual studying. That is why, when i study, I face towards an empty wall and I can easily work without worrying about the time.

Don't set a time limit for any work, you'll realise how much work you'll actually get done when you're not looking at the clock.

Of course, this doesn't have to work for you but I think that this could help you expand your average study time.

No harm trying it :)

Introduction :)

I know I'm doing this kinda late but it's fine, let's start. Generally I'm a very boring person so anyways xD

About myself:

Isabelle

She/Her

17

English Major

INFP-T

Hobbies:

Reading

Writing

Theatre

Art

Code

Interests:

Literature. Books. Poetry. Quotes. Languages. Miraculous. TV shows (only some). Classics. Jewelry (only black). Nature. Coffee. Photography. Journaling. Cats. Roses. Fan fiction.

Reason for this blog?

I needed motivation to study, and it looked like a good way to monitor my day-to-day progress, hence the name "study-diaries". No promises about being consistent T-T

What can you find here?

Study tips, study progress, techniques, ranting, mental health reminders, books, languages, quotes, motivation etc etc... In short, anything related to studying, languages, books and literature, mental health and self-care.

Note: Whatever pictures I use are not mine unless I specify that they are mine! Most of them are from Pinterest and credits go to their original owner.

Tips for understanding complex topics

I've struggled with this but I'm adapting, you know? So here are some of my tips I use for this :)

If you can't understand it at once, do not think that it is hard

Many times, the topic itself if simple but the way the textbook has described it is complex so go and search for related videos and Google about it until you've got a hint about what it is.

If it's complicated, divide the sentence.

When you find yourself getting completely lost in a topic while banging your head against the wall because it's so confusing.... separate each part of the sentence while you write each part as you say it out loud. It'll help you to atleast get a short idea about the subject.

Read! Read! Read!

Read it over and over again and underline the words you think are important, write them down, explain it to yourself, draw small diagrams around your notes, connect them through visual representation. The more you use different types of senses, the better you understand it.

Give yourself time.

Let yourself grasp what the whole topic is about, do not under any circumstances have a time limit for difficult topics. I took days just to understand how Javascript loops work and I'm still not fully clear about it but i can explain the general, very basic purpose of it.

Explain it to someone or yourself

The best way to learn is to teach, this actually does work. It helps you to put your understanding in words and clear any underlying questions. And lastly...

Handwritten notes!

I cannot stress this enough but things that you've written down generally stay in your memory for longer durations. I also prefer handwritten notes to digital ones cause personally it works better.

Hope this helps! :D

The one thing that school definitely did -> Mess up my sleep schedule.