A little week-day post for you. Better & longer posts coming this weekend hopefully. Survive.

The above picture I took about a year ago. Best way to study. The below picture I took this last week. Best way to study continues. Hello Panda is apparently one of the essentials to studying effectively. (Dude… My homework looked way more fun last year…)

[History homework in both of the above photos, for anyone wondering.]

Here are my for-real studying essentials:

• quiet company – whether it’s quiet music or a sibling also studying, it’s almost impossible for me to study in silence. I think the silence distracts me because I’m used to working with at least four other people around me, so when given silence, I daydream instead.
• mechanical pencils – I found out a year or so ago, that I want to write if I’m writing with a pen or mechanical pencil. So use whatever writing tools make you actually want to write something.
• abundance of working erasers – as you could see in the first picture, I need to erase sometimes and erasers that leave gray smears drive me crazy.
• snack or drink – although it will never last the entire study session, you can use it as a treat. I was allowing myself one panda after I read a page.
• clipboard – don’t try to write on top of your books, just have a cute clipboard. Mine has little owls all over it.
• breaks – take them to: stretch, grab a snack, attempt a handstand, run around the house, scream in a pillow, etc.
• time limit – don’t sit down and say you’re going to study for a while, have a set ending time. Otherwise if you’re like me, you’ll study too long, get a headache, and be crabby until the test or final is over. (Which could be days later so have a set end time.)

I have a final and a few tests next week, so studying in on my mind. Good luck to anyone else with tests or possibly finals/midterms coming up!

xx