succulentstudy:

studyspo:

How I organise my essay notes

When I started uni and had to regularly write essays starting at 2,000 words using a variety of sources, I was forced to change the way I took notes. The system I use now has changed a lot over the last 4.5 years to accommodate the fact that my essays are now never any shorter than 4,000 words and can go beyond 10,000. So far, this is the method I’m happiest with.

Work out your sections

After some background reading, try to work out what each section of your essay will focus on - mine are pleasure with: men, other women, themselves, and in groups (the latter 2 may be put together in the same section as I may not be able to find enough information for them). Yes, I know the essay topic I’m doing is probably quite different from a lot of high school essays - one of the joys of postgrad study is that you can learn about some really weird and wonderful things.

Three  is normally a nice number to divide up an essay by, but it’s all going to depend on your subject discipline and the essay itself.

Once you’ve decided on the sections, open up a spreadsheet and create a new sheet for each (you’ll see mine along the bottom). Doing this in a spreadsheet is easier than in a word document because it allows you to do this, which is helpful when the source you’re reading has arguments that fall into different sections - you can quickly click on the next one and start writing rather than having to scroll up and down to find each table.

The Table

Within each section sheet, lay out a table with the following:

Reference - this is where you put down the academic reference. Do it in the same style as you will in your essay and then you can just copy and paste it in

Notes - write the author’s views and arguments here

Comments - write your own comments here - do you disagree with the author? Has it reminded you to follow something up? Is there something important in this note that you need to remind yourself of?

Tags - just like you would on Tumblr, write the main subjects mentioned in that note so you can search for it at a later date when you come to structure your essay.

Section - this I normally fill in after I’ve collected all my notes and have decided on a structure for my essay. This goes into much more detail than the overall section headings, for example I might split the ‘Pleasure with men’ into: 1A In Marriage: The Matrona (general), 1B In Marriage: The Matrona (Martial’s attitudes), 2 Outside of marriage: Adultery with Men, 3 Unmarried Women etc, and then these numbers would go in the section column. Then writing my essay is simply a matter of ‘painting by numbers’ and picking out all of the 1As, making it flow into the 1B section etc.

Little Things

Highlighting cells - for me, that always means that this note contains an ancient source (which are vital to include in my subject).

[Square brackets] - my own thoughts, added into the Notes column for ease of reading. This ensures I don’t cite my own ideas as belonging to the author.

‘Single quote marks' - I’m paraphrasing the author, but am still close to their words (I’m probably tired or don’t fully gasp the concept just yet) - this reminds me that I need to rephrase it before I write it in my essay.

“Double quote marks” - direct quotation from the author.

EndNote - if your academic institution has access to it, use it! It makes putting together bibliographies a breeze and you can change the style from any of the hundreds of referencing styles to another with just a click of a button. My uni even has its own preferred referencing styles programmed in. I prefer the desktop version as it’s much more user friendly but the web-based one has the same functionality. You can even upload your PDFs in with their reference so it’s all in one neat place.

This might seem like overkill to some of you, but when I’ve got to write thousands of words based on 10, 20, + different books and articles, it’s a real time saver.

If you’ve got an essay to do, why not see if this method works for you for Shake It Up Saturdays?

This is very similar to a method I use - but better! Going to try this for my next procedural essay I think 🌵

junniestudies:

Did you know that you can train your concentration? It’s not something you will get over night but with a little practice and patience you can train your focus. Here are five training methods you can do in your daily life.

1. Write with your week hand.
2. Write a word backwards.
   E.g. “concentration” -> “noitartnecnoc” 
   
3. You can’t focus on class or a speech or anything like that?
   Don’t doze off instead just pick a word from the topic what the person is talking about. Start with a simple word which is not very often used and count it in your head.
   E.g. it’s your international law class. Pick the word “contract”. Every time the teacher/prof uses the word “contract”, count it. Sounds simple?
   Later you can continue with a more often used word like “and” and so on.
   The meaning of this exercise is to train your awareness and accuracy of your listening.
   
4. Count a specific letter from a text.
   E.g. use an article from a paper and mark the letter “r”. Later you can try to do that without marking the letters. Like this you can also use a text from the internet e.g. your favorite blog etc.
   With this exercise your brain is forced to focus since you have look at the article carefully so you won’t miss a letter. It’s the perfect time killer for waiting times ;)
5. Imagine a white wall.
   This exercise is perfect to start (or end) your day with a clear head.
   Sit down comfortable (not too comfortable so you fall asleep again :P). Close your eyes and imagine a white wall. Nothing but a white wall. If another thought is coming into your mind just start again. Try to do this 15 minutes long without distraction.
   Don’t get frustrated if it doesn’t work at your first try. It’s quite hard actually. You can also start with e.g. 5 minutes and increase the time from time to time. Maybe setting a timer if you feel like you could loose time with this practice.
   

That’s it so far. I really hope this is useful!
Have a nice day ♥ 

- xoxo, junli -

study-nsp:

since my last masterpost on mind maps was successful i thought i’d make a masterpost about general studying! this way i get to share with you guys what i’ve found out over the years with my personal experience! 

your study space

• the space you choose to study is really important! it can be in your bedroom, another place in ur house, library, cafe, a park, etc
  
• it should be somewhere u can focus + concentrate without distractions
• have more than one place to pick from in case u ever need to change a little or can’t use one
• lighting is really important. good natural lighting is always best; try to find a place where the light comes from your left if you’re a righty or from the right if you’re a lefty – you’ll thank me when ur writing and u can see everything perfectly
• if ur in ur room, figure out whether having motivational quotes/pics on your walls help u or distract u – for me, i like to have a couple but not many, and mostly motivational quotes + sticky notes with the stuff i need to get done
• keep it organised! u can use drawers to keep ur suplies so that they aren’t all laying around when ur studying if u don’t need them
• lay out everything u need when ur about to start studying so that u don’t have to get up to get this or that all the time

study methods

• it’s great to try out many different ones!
  
• you’ll always have a couple u prefer but don’t be afraid to experiment
• masterpost by @heystudy
• masterpost by @etudiance
• flashcards are awesome for memorizing + testing yourself! here are some tips for making them by @tbhstudying
• here’s a great alternative for flashcards by @studyign!
• mind maps are great for linking information + understanding + condensing. here’s a link to my masterpost!
• rewriting notes is an awesome way to revise! 
• when u rewrite ur notes, u can color code them + add lil drawings + diagrams, make them more visual overall
• great masterpost on visual/aesthetically pleasing notes by @areistotle
• if they’re available, always try to find old exams and take them to practice! u can take them under exam conditions or not, whatever helps u the most
  

background music

• first of all, u need to figure out whether u work better with or without background music, because it may end up distacting u
  
• if u don’t want music but still need background noise, u can listen to white noise or ambient noise!
• classical music is awesome; studies have shown that it benefits the brain, sleep patterns + stress levels
• u can listen from playlists on 8tracks, spotify or youtube vids [i prefer 8tracks]
• check out my #music tag for great playlists + masterposts!!

pomodoro method

• you’ve probably heard of it all over the studyblr community and that’s because it’s awesome
  
• here’s a link to the official site!
• it’s great for helping u focus; i work better like this because i couldn’t study for an hour straight if my life depended on it, + i still get everything done!
• however, don’t adapt yourself to the times it sets for u but the other way around – if you’re working and the 25 minutes are done but u still feel like u can continue, you’re motivated and focused, go on! 
• don’t know what to do in those breaks? here’s the list for u!
• i use forest to time myself! it’s great cause it also keeps u from checking ur phone. focusnow is a free alternative for ios

general tips

• start revising early, even if u know u can cram and get good results. i used to do the last thing and even though i got really good grades i was always super stressed the day before and it made studying suck even more
  
• avoid checking social media while studying, even tumblr for “motivation”, because you’ll inevitably get sucked into it
• form a study group or find a study buddy because they’ll help u focus, u can explain to each other when u don’t understand something, etc
• know everything u need to get done and prioritize
• make ur notes pretty only if u have the time + it helps u
• if u don’t have the time to make ur notes pretty but are a visual learner, grab a highlighter and colour code them – e.g. green for terms, yellow for definitions, pink for dates/people
• figure out whether u work best in the morning, afternoon or evening. try not to study at night unless necessary + get good rest bc it helps ur brain work better

+ masterposts

• studyblr-ing 101
  
• apps for ur life
• how to mind map

i hope you found this masterpost helpful!! if u have any questions or request for a masterpost, send me a message!

sofi xx

jenxhernandez:

What I wish my desk looked like versus what it actually looks like.

youaretheairinmyalveoli:

Fair warning, this is an extremely lengthy process. I suggest you do this chapter by chapter throughout the semester. If you try to do it all one week before your exams you won’t get halfway through one class in time, let alone finish all of it. 

nidhiartemis:

Hey there!! I see all these beautiful monthly printables & I absolutely loVE them! I thought I’d try & make a few of my own & here they are!! They’re my first attempt at something like this & I hope they’re okay! Ya’ll can download them from the links (which is the title for each calendar) if you want to ☺️

1. August Printable w/ H2O Tracker: 

• A full August month printable
• has water tracker for each day (I’m v bad at keeping track of how much water I drink; it’s v little actually, so these water droplet thingies sort of help overcome the prob. They denote the avg # of glasses of water a person should consume/day.)
• has last 3 blocks for anything you’d like to keep note of for the month
• + cute (hopefully inspirational) quote above ;)

2. August Printable 

• basically the same features as the 1st one (lel) ; a plain monthly printable w/o the H2O tracker for those of you who prefer it that way ^.^

3.Row Wise August Printable

• a gridless printable 
  
• can occupy more data
• (no quote & note included. if y'all would like that to be added, hmu :] )

I hope this is somewhat helpful! If any of you use this/ find it helpful, do tag me! 😌
I’ll probably update the printables as the months roll by hehe
Once again, this is totes not perf as this is my first printable thing, so if anyone has any tips/suggestions/problems, please do let me know!! :) 
Hope y'all have a great & productive day!! 🌸

Note: Please do not remove the credits at the bottom of the page. Also, these are only applicable for personal use. Please do abide by the rules if you wish to use them. Thank you!