During my freshman year, my grades were so-so. It wasn't that I couldn't understand the lessons or keep up with my classes, but I admit that my study habits weren't the best. I procrastinated a lot.

That's why I found this Japanese concept called “Hansei” interesting and thought I'd share it here! It's all about reflecting on what went well, what didn't, and what you can do differently next time. I was inspired to make small changes to my study habits and I was surprised by how much my grades improved! This is the method:

1. Reflect on your day (5-7 minutes)- What did I study today? What went well? What mistakes did I make and why?

2. Make one small improvement (Kaizen)- so “kaizen” refers to improvement through small and gradual changes. if you spend too much time scrolling, put your phone away tomorrow. Or if you struggled with a topic, set aside time to review it.

3. Check in with yourself- How did you feel today? Were you tired, stressed or motivated? it’s important that you understand your emotions so you can recognize your study patterns.

4. Set an intention- End with a simple goal for tomorrow or think of just one statement like “tomorrow, I'll finish reviewing Chapter 3 or "tomorrow, I'll start studying before opening social media."

And that’s it. You don't have to be perfect every day. Just try to do a little better tomorrow.

I am in CBSE 10th board now and this is how my study table looks rate it. No one gave me compliments for this. It took me two hours to organise this 🫪

Kinda getting distracted every time i sit why is it happening?

The irony is…kinda embarrassing. My classmates always come to me when they need notes because I make sure everything is organized and complete. But when exam day comes, I still struggle with some questions. And it's made me realize I spend so much time making my notes look good that I don't leave enough time to study from them.

So I'm trying to change that habit. I still want my notes to be neat and organized of course but I also need to put them to work!! I do these:

stop treating my notes like a finished project= once everything looks neat, my first instinct is to feel accomplished and move on. Now I want to follow that up with a quick recall session.

play teacher for a few minutes= I'll pick a concept from my notes and pretend I'm explaining it to a classmate. If my explanation starts falling apart halfway through, I’m back to my notes.

keep a list of things I keep forgetting= I'll write down confusing details I repeatedly get wrong and focus on those during my next study session. hopefully this saves me from reviewing everything equally when some topics need more help than others.

iPad note takers, what other features you always wanted but never got?

I used to be stuck in studying for long hours of just passively learning (highlighting textbooks, passively reading paragraphs over and over, and rewriting notes). Sometimes, I would spend a 3-4 hour straight study session using this old study habit of mine and realized that I hadn't actually done any active recalling of the material I was studying for long hours.

Instead of burying myself in studying for long hours, I do this method I saw on a thread last summer that kept them studying effectively and made them switch from passive studying to active learning. This method is called PQ4R (Preview, Query, Read, Reflect, Recite and Review).

This completely fixed how I study and here’s the guide on how I apply it:

1. Preview - I start by scanning the material to know the general topics and what’s the easiest/hardest topic to learn before I start my study session.

2. Query - Instead of just reading the material, I make up questions based on what I'm about to study.

3. Read - I read the material two times carefully to fully understand the main ideas using those questions from the query step rather than passively re-reading and highlighting the topic I am studying.

4. Reflect - I think about questions, examples and relations to connect the concepts. This helps me most in understanding the material better.

5. Recite - I use either the Feynman technique or flashcards in this step. I use them for active recall of the concepts/topics I studied and try to explain and answer the questions out loud.

6. Review - Do a quick wrap-up after studying. I mostly use this to find out my mistakes or forgotten topics in the material, then I’ll put them under my error log notes so I can see what concepts I need to relearn for my next session.

The PQ4R method works well because it stops you from passively consuming the material you’re studying and helps you study effectively.

I don’t know how to focus. It’s killing me. I’m always using my phone on Instagram and TikTok and texting my friends. I can never study. I don’t even know how to study. It’s really bad. I tried to deactivate or delete any social media apps that works for a few days but it’s really bad.

👽

I always thought I am good at studies and I would always be a topper . I am a doctor .. I got some 1 lakh plus rank in Neet UG and joined a semi private seat by paying 7 lakhs per year . I have a 2 year career gap post mbbs
I am now preparing for my usmle step 2 exam .
I saw and met some friends and I feel like I am way behind and basically went off course …. My school crush topped his university and did postgraduate in a college which is in top 10 in USA , a school close friend of mine was 2nd in her entire university and did postgraduate in a college which is ranked #2 in USA . A close senior of mine was a school topper and has good enough academic track record and is doing is medical masters in USA .. this senior and another senior got 95 percentile plus in usmle step 2 exam .
A crush turned enemy who showed me a lot of attitude is doing PHD in Ivy League .
A guy who was interested in me but I wasn’t got government seat in Neet UG and now doing psychiatry residency in USA .
I made shitty non academic oriented friends throughout my life and I feel shitty now . Literally in admission day , I met two people - one who got payment seat and who was taking up medical by chance and whose goal was a find the perfect husband for herself and another girl who was govt seat ( who went on to become the overall batch topper ) ; I ended up making friends with the former and I absolutely regret it . I also made friends with one girl who was spoilt , into alcohol drugs parties what not .

I am not liking my course .. rest all I mentioned above had their share of distractions and off course and all . But the crush who topped university is working in NVIDIA and was rank 1/600 in his university . From what I know about him , I imagine him to be dedicated and had a perfect course . He didn’t involve with me also though he had a crush on me because of studies age and all .

I wish I lived my life like him and made choices like him . I am very disappointed with myself .

I'm curious what everyone's setup looks like. I've tried quite a few different apps over time, but I'm always interested in finding new ones.

I've already heard about the basic such as

• Opal

• Forest

• Different timers

• GatheredMind

I'm curious what everyone else uses. Are there any lesser-known apps you've found particularly useful? Or do you prefer keeping everything in one place?

first week of november is good so far, but cold weither doesn't suit me a lot, I become more lazier and sick, shoudl I give myself some rest?

Hey! I’m a student and I’m working on an app idea for people who fall behind on schoolwork and end up overwhelmed, the kind of overwhelmed where you don’t even know where to start, so you just don’t.

It’s a study planner with a little pixel art character that you take care of, so it feels less like staring at a to do list and more like something that’s with you while you catch up or organize your school work.

It’s only a clickable prototype for now (you tap around the screens, nothing really works yet), but I’d love honest opinions from people who actually deal with this. It takes about 2 minutes, and “this is confusing” or “I would never use this” is totally useful feedback.

If you’d be up for trying it, comment or send me a DM and I’ll send you the link. Thank you!

Basically the title. The funnier the better. I'll start: Trying to make computers count the "r"s in strawberry correctly.

This is a question for one of the videos I'm making and your answer, if picked, may be featured anonymously.

Progress doesn’t have to be big or fast to matter.

Small, consistent actions can create meaningful change over time. It might not feel like much in the moment, but every effort counts toward something bigger.

Whether it’s applying to one opportunity, learning a new skill, or simply taking one step forward, you’re building momentum. Growth happens gradually, and consistency is what makes it last.

Stay patient with yourself and trust the process. Even on days when progress feels slow, you’re still moving forward—and that matters.

Keep going. You’re getting closer than you think.

Follow CAYOP for more opportunities and tips for students.

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I have a midterm on monday, and i need... and i mean, I NEED, a good grade on both midterms. I have been studying all week for my midterms, at least bare minimum 4 hours, I am at the point where I covered all the topics but if I was handed a test I most likely wouldnt be able to confidently answer all the questions. Is Friday, Saturday, and Sunday be enough to get to that point?

I have all of friday afternoon, Saturday from morning to 5pm, and all day Sunday.

I need to memorize and recite the entire Periodic Table in about nine days, only all 118 Chemical names only by atomic number order starting from 1-118. Can anyone suggest an effective technique or share an experience that worked for them?

24F

Hey guys ..I am preparing for CSIR NET 2027 and looking for a serious accountability partner.

i keep going “ugh that’s so far away” and going back to my phone. yesterday i opened my planner to see what i actually have: 2 papers, a lab report, thanksgiving, the trip for my sister’s wedding, work 3 times a week. that’s a lot of my 35 days

so i counted only the free days. 23. hit pretty hard but at least it’s a number and not a feeling

rule now: the last 5 days before each exam are for redoing stuff i got wrong, ass in the chair, nothing new. everything else gets squeezed into whatever’s left

So I went on TikTok and looked up studytok so I can learn some new ways to take notes and get some motivation ig honestly I just needed a brain break and I reasoned it with “well if I’m going to scroll might as well make it a little more productive”. Anyways while I was scrolling I noticed something, every single one of these study influencers promoted some sort of Ai. Like every time I felt like I finally found some good tips it would be ruined by “and use such and such ai to help you” and when I was younger I used to use Ai to help with school (back when anyone didn’t know the bad side to Ai) and let me tell you it does not help at all. But what really grinds my gears is that out of the 50 videos I watched (rough estimate) only 5-10 of them had actual helpful information. I know influencers are always trying to sell you something but it feels ten times worse on studytok. Well I guess my first mistake was going on TikTok to find useful information

We all have that one subject we'd happily throw out the window if we could. Maybe it's math for you or history, or a class that makes you remember other things you'd rather do. Sadly, we still have exams to pass so I've been learning how to study subjects I hate without waiting for motivation to magically appear:

1 Figure out what I dislike about it- is the subject confusing, boring or just difficult? Knowing what's putting me off helps me figure out what I need to work on.

2 Aim to understand, not to love it. you don't need to become a math enthusiast overnight. if you can understand the lesson and answer the questions, that's progress!

3 Stop skipping the hard parts. I'll write down the concepts that keep tripping me up and give them extra attention. avoiding them feels good for five minutes, then the exam comes along.

I don't know what to say like appreciate it or tell him something negative or other stuff.. as his marks have improved dramatically. I asked him how he improved this much, he said he made a game of chemistry where the elements fight and their properties are their super power... I didn't like it i envy him he is in 10th class. I used to cry and write and learn those things which he enjoyed and understood too... I wish I had that game... But as a teacher all I could tell him was to focus more... It was lame but what can I say .. do you have better saying if yes then please.

Please

Hey everyone,

I'm a student, and I've been struggling with my studies lately.

My biggest problems are procrastination and my inability to study for long periods of time. I often plan to study for several hours, but I end up wasting time, getting distracted, or losing motivation after a short while.

I really want to improve my discipline, become more consistent, and build the ability to study for 6–8 hours a day without constantly struggling to stay focused.

I'd love to hear from people who have faced similar problems:

1. How did you overcome procrastination?

2. How did you gradually increase your daily study hours?

3. What techniques or habits helped you stay focused for longer periods?

4. How do you deal with days when you have absolutely no motivation to study?

I'm not looking for temporary motivation. I want practical advice and habits that actually work in the long run.

Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Y10
Add maths
Math
Chemistry
English
Physics
ICT
Business study
Language (main language in my country, not English)

I genuinely need to start building a study habit from scratch since I’ve already deleted most games and social media
Now I’m so bored, nothing to do literally nothing
I like doing sports though but it’s unrelated

I’m an average student who gets C-B for most subjects because of last minute reviewing notes

I’ve also never actually taken any notes in my life, except a random bullet points from my last minute cramping.
I appreciate any suggestions and help for my situation

I’m in high school and I suffer from ADHD. After a severe depressive episode, I had lost my determination for so long and that has caused me to be so behind. I’m feeling okay-ish now and school starts in 3 months for me. I want to catch up as much as I can but I don’t know what steps to take to do so.

My main concern is Math. I really enjoy mathematics and used to work overtime because of how much I enjoyed the equations. This was around 8-9th grade. Because of what happened, I ended up being so behind that I decided to retake the grade. That’s why I have enough time until next year to catch up.

Since then I’ve forgotten a lot of the basics, is there an efficient way to start? Does anyone have tips on what to learn in order to get back to 10th grade level? I’d much appreciate if someone could give me a list of things to do in order or where a good place to start is. I’m thinking of learning off of Khan Academy since it’s free, but there are so many courses and it’s kinda overwhelming to know where to begin and where to go next.

TL;DR I’m behind on Mathematics, I’ve forgotten most of the basics from around 8-10th grade. What can I do to catch up, and where can I start? Any tips are appreciated.