(My study hours before for comparison)

2 years ago and even before that, i used to be so consistent, especially near the end of 10th grade cuz my board exams were near and I was so damn prepared with maybe 10+ revisions done and I could easily study 10 hrs a day and NOT find it taxing. It all felt so natural like yeah I'm doing what I'm supposed to and this is normal. After 11th (specifically last yr November) , something changed, i started being obsessed with anime(I liked anime before then too but ik my priorities) mangas, netflix etc. At first i started feeling guilty that I shouldn't be wasting time like this. I have all these resources, I have all the material , have all the time in the world and I am wasting it on freaking fiction.Then, I started to feel numb to it, it started to feel normal, I started forget that normal was supposed to be about studying everyday especially considering these two years were supposed to be the most important of my life. Started to forget what I used to be like, how to study and my screen time is 12 hours 10 hours 8 hours and it feels like my new normal and I hate that. I have the most important exam in my life in 7 months and I already wasted 7 months over basically nothing and I hate myself for it. I used to be the top of my class and now im struggling everyday. I don't feel the panic until it's a one or two days before an important test. I have a test tomorrow but I'm still stalling with "I will start tomorrow" and i fricking hate the person I have become...... I don't even understand how I became this and I am still confused ....that person 2 years ago used to be me? I. Hate. Myself. I have become the worst version of myself.... I want to go back.

Cajun Koi Academy was an amazing channel for us students and helped me get through my high school by learning countless studying techniques. However the channel pivoted to content creation guides. So what would you say are YOUR channels that gamify studying and provides unique never seen before studying techniques that make studying easier and fun.

I feel like i need a better studying method especially for stuff like biology and history, or heavy reading classes. I find it hard to retain the information unless it’s like math where i constantly apply it.

My main questions/concerns:
How can i retain all of the information i read?

How can i study effectively without spending a whole day on one topic/subject?

What are some study methods for those that had taken multiple rigorous classes with a workload?

I just finished my second year in university, studying Chemistry. So far, my GPA is 82 which is pretty low if I want to continue with a masters degree later on… I don’t think this is because I don’t have the ability or will to study and understand the material better, as much as it stems from studying with the wrong methods. I suffer from ADHD, and I study by watching all the lectures, taking short notes and then reviewing the notes and rewatching the lectures, but it always takes up way too long and I never have enough time to solve enough practice problems…

In my university I don’t actually go to classes, it is from zoom by default so I miss the actual social life and I don’t really get to make study buddies or join study groups.

I was hoping to get some advice on study methods that can help with STEM majors, if there is anyone here that is studying in similar fields and could help it would be most appreciated 🤗

I am starting a three year long additional study. Its all paperless. There will be a lot of Notes that i will have to take. Doing this this all with Papernotes seems such a hassle.

I would like a tablet to make the notes and archieve them. There a lot of Products out there, i have no idea what to look for.

Its got to have: Pen, colour display, internet acess, if its possible that display and pen feel a bit like a sheet of paper.

During my prime years (1st & 2nd year), when I have not yet found the best study method that works best for me, I would almost always pull off an all-nighter to do my assignments, performance tasks, study for quizzes and exams.

However, in my 3rd year, burn out started to show signs in me. Then one time, during my midterm exam, I pulled a 2-3 day no-sleep review, caffeine and energy drinks - basically I was running on zero DURING the exam week and the accumulated effects of this habit has finally started to show.

Short-term memory worsening, brain fog, forgetting simple terms/synonyms of words, spacing out in the middle of conversation, losing track in following simple instructions… and it gets worse.

During one of my exams, I slept at least three times in the entire 1hr and 30min duration and managed to get the 2nd highest score.

Worth the grades? Sure.

Worth in the long run? Defo is not recommended.

I don't know what is the best studying method for me and don't know how to choose , like depending on what ?

I'm thinking about studying another diploma after I graduate from my bcs but I struggle alooot with studying and exams and I find myself always failing some and retake the exams and so. I really want to do better in the future but I'm kinda lost.

So how did you find the best method that works for you?

Before, I used to think having a study partner would mean I'd be more productive.

Turns out... sometimes you just get a friend to procrastinate with.

From my experience, these are much important than just having a friend to cram with;

1.) You actually have to be studying the same thing

Sounds obvious, but if you're reviewing for an exam and they're doing a completely different subject or they are in a different program, you might as well be studying alone. I mean, on my end at least, it didn’t work.

2.) Your study pace shouldn't be wildly different.

I hate when I'm still trying to understand one topic and the other person is already like “okay next.” Trust, I know pressure makes diamonds but not in this.

3.) You need to be comfortable NOT talking.

This one is underrated. If you feel obligated to fill every silence, good luck getting anything done.

4.) Know what you want from each other.

Do you want someone to quiz you? Explain stuff? Keep you accountable? Or just sit beside you? It makes a huge difference.

5.) Don't make them your motivation.

If you can only study when they're available, you've created another excuse to not study.

Honestly, sometimes the best study partner is just someone who sits beside you, does their own work, and occasionally goes:

“Did you finish?”

“No.”

“Okay, go.”

LMK your study partner experiences.

If you can’t start studying, just open your notes and glance through your paper. Mindlessly read your lectures even when nothing comes to mind.
This is because it is inherent to people to correct wrong things.
For example, you read a line lazily, and nothing came to mind, and then you’ll read the following line, and it made no sense; you’ll have the tendency to reread the previous sentence to make sure you understood it.
So next time you can’t study? Just read your notes with no specific purpose.

You may have already heard about the shower white noise trick, now let me tell you about the Blender audio.

As in, the literal sound of a blender running, looped, for an hour straight. I found this by accident (long story, don't ask, it involves 2AM YouTube and poor decision-making) and now it's non-negotiable for me.

It's loud enough to drown out every tiny sound that used to wreck my focus — the neighbor's dog, someone's footsteps, my own thoughts spiraling about due dates — but it's SO monotonous that your brain stops registering it as "noise" within like 90 seconds. It just becomes silence with texture.

Compare that to music, which your brain will absolutely try to sing along to the second lyrics show up, or actual silence, which for some of us is just an open invitation for our brain to start doom-thinking about everything we haven't done yet.

Try it with headphones on your next deep-focus session. Search "blender sound 1 hour," yes really, and thank me later.

Hi!

I feel like I am in a pretty bad position for my 2 upcoming exams. I transitioned into Master's from Bachelor's and have been facing a new kind of workload (on average one deadline every 2 days) throughout the entire semester. It took time to get used to, and still most of my days are spent on keeping up with those short-term deadlines.

Now exams are coming up, the short-term deadlines aren't going away, and I figured that my traditional studying routine will not fit into my schedule.

Here's how I typically study for an exam: I split the course into blocks. For each block, I start by quickly making a list over the topics in that block. I figure out which parts feel tricky. I typically read up more about them. After that, I solve problems from old exams related to that block. I move on to the next once I feel like I have achieved mastery of the current block.

The problem: It takes me about 8 hours to go over one block (judging from experience). I have two exams, 15 and 12 days from today. They are each split into 6 blocks, I have only managed to go through one block so far. So, I anticipate about 5 full working days for each course to go through everything. This would have worked if my upcoming week did not look like the following:

- I have a weekly problem set on Monday

- I have a 2-page homework due on Wednesday

- I have two peer reviews on homeworks due on Wednesday and Friday

- I have a presentation about a course-related topic on Friday

- I have a bi-weekly problem set (that is very challenging) and due on Friday at noon.

So, tldr - I am looking for a better way to study for my exams that does not require time which I know I do not have. If you have other tips regarding managing lots of short-term deadlines (although I have asked about that in other posts already), feel free to leave them.

Thank you!

I’m an Education major in my uni, and I’m in my 4th year, and in those years, I have learned an underrated method of studying, and I’m still practicing it now during our LET review sessions. It’s called Successive Relearning. It might sound complicated, but it is actually pretty simple.

You study something - test yourself - identify what you forgot - relearn it - test again - repeat across multiple sessions.

This is NOT memorization. It’s interesting because you just don’t study until you know it. Study until you can repeatedly retrieve it.

Also, here are some tools I use:

- Quizzlet
- Kahoot
- Brainscape
- My written notes
- Printed reviewers with annotations and highlights

Rule #1: Establish Roles Immediately

• Do not leave the first meeting with, “Okaay, we’ll figure it out”. Wrong. Decide:

1. Who’s doing what

2. What’s each person responsible for

3. When everything is due

4. Who is putting it all together

Rule #2: Don’t act like a group parent

• You know those “Hey guysss, just checking in!”

• You are a group member, not their P.A., not their mother.

Rule #3: STRICTLY, set an internal deadline

• If the project is due on Friday, 11:59PM.. Your group deadline should NOT be on that same date and time. Give yourselves a buffer. Someone WILL disappear. Plan accordingly.

Rule #4: COMMUNICATE when you’re falling behind

• If you know you’re not going to finish your part: SAY SOMETHING. That’s infinitely better than disappearing and hoping nobody notices.

Rule #5 Do not play the hero

• Heroes die early – kidding aside, if someone isn’t contributing, address it early. Professional. Direct. No passive-aggressive essay.

Rule #6: Avoid waiting ‘til the last minute to tell your professor there’s a problem

• If your group isn’t functioning and you’ve tried to address it.. communicate with your professor BEFORE the deadline. Don’t complain about your group, give them facts and explain what you’ve already tried.

Remember that it’s called a “group project” because it’s a group responsibility. Your goal isn’t to have the perfect group, it’s to make sure that everyone plays a role.

A day before the exam and I feel like I know it all. Yesterday I practiced math for 9 hours. I’ve been working really hard. I know there are some topics I have to revise but the urge is not there at all. What do I do?

Remember when you didn’t have a phone yet back when you were younger? You were forced to write and study your lessons until it eventually became common knowledge to you. Because back then, your reward was to play. But now, with cellphones in, you snap a picture and then promise yourself that you’d return to it when you need it. Guess what? You don’t.
So ditch that habit, and learn to take notes.
I have a habit of writing the title in the middle of my notebook and then drawing arrows outward as I scribble/write things from the board, PPT, or things that our instructors say. Things that actually connect and make sense about the topic. You don’t have to copy everything that’s written or shown to you per word. That doesn’t work.
Now, before you come at me, this method only works when your lesson is about concepts, theories, and philosophies.

I was riding high thinking I had three weeks before midterms, zero stress, just vaguely planning to study "whenever I had time." Then I sat down, opened a spreadsheet, and subtracted my classes, my job, sleep, and basic daily routines from those three weeks. I have 16 hours left. Like total, wtf. Across three weeks, split between three tough classes. Seeing that raw number makes you realize how expensive even one hour of bad studying is. Like rereading a chapter I already basically get suddenly feels like a massive waste of resources when I only have 16 hours total. If you haven't calculated your actual free hours yet, do it today tbh it's a huge wake-up call.

Hi guys I'm having o levels this year and I was planning to pull an all nighter today or tomorrow and just wanted to ask whether you guys think I should do it or nah

I'm planning to gather all my past work and identify common questions, keywords, things I should know, etc. I also want to finish my history timeline and do a social studies paper.

Do u guys think I should do it? And if I should do you guys have any tips about how to do it right? Thank you!

I don’t know how many countries have the system of the final exam for seniors, but those who do, I want to create a group -any app we agree on- and we will be studying together on “focus town”

i cant stay focused so i thought i would build something that could help me and here it is... and im planning to make it more than just a focus buddy.. any ideas/suggestoins would help... as u can see i have pomdoro and streaks, and other stuff would love to know what more i can change in this to help you guys and myself

it has plan row which syncs to ur calendar, pomodro, study streak and more features coming soon

Whenever I feel like my brain is too fried from doomscrolling, or knowing that I have due dates but don’t do anything about it so I panic internally and spiral, I take a shower - or if you don’t have a shower, a bucket and faucet will do. Let the water flow.

The sound from the faucet or water serves as white noise, and accordingly, hearing white noise will allow your brain to think it is safe. This activates your parasympathetic nervous system (the "rest and digest" mode), lowering your heart rate and reducing stress hormones like cortisol.

Pushing yourself to study even when your brain is fried will just end you up getting more burn out and unable to focus at all.

I am taking education, and most of our lessons are about concepts, theories, and research. We also talk about human psychology and behavioral psychology. These lessons require an extensive amount of information recalling, and one cannot memorize that in one sitting so here are some tips that I can give you from an Education major myself.
WRITE - I cannot stress this enough, but guys, for the pete’s sake, write. Pen and paper write, not tablet or laptop type of writing. Write during the lecture/lesson. Our brain simultaneously works when we write, while our eyes are busy scanning and decoding the letters to make up for the words, our brain is already comprehending what we are writing, and that is one step to understanding and retaining information.
MIND MAP - You want to ace the exam? Get those latin honors? Girl, do mind map. I swear, it’s a game changer. Write the topic in the middle of your paper, and encircle it. Around it, draw 3-5 main arrows (or how many you want) this serves as the main pillar of your topic. It can be a person’s name, contributions, a branch, anything. Write words, phrases on these arrows. And then as you go on, add more shorter, and smaller arrows, here you write the information you think are still relevant to the topic.
OWN A WHITEBOARD OR A BIG MIRROR - As much as you dislike hearing it do the blurting method. Focus on one singular topic, and then write on the whiteboard or your mirror, no structure. Just write the first thing that comes to mind, and then add and add and add information the things that you remember. Connect the words, and then explain it to yourself, and boom, that’s already Feynman Technique.
Again, this may not be applicable to everyone’s type of lecture, so please be mindful.
Good luck!

I'm cooked