Study Techniques - Blog Posts

how to study while you're sick (guide by a girl who is sick but has a quiz tmr)

Have a blanket with you while you study

Study on your bed or sofa or where ever is cozy (no one cares about rules)

Breaks are your best friend

Keep a water bottle with u while you study (stay hydrated)

Study in small chunks not all at once

Take it slowly calm down and don't overwhelm yourself (I need to take my own advice for this)

Day 1: study sprint

Tasks

History chapter 1

Geography: climate

Practice for Urdu

Add math homework

Progress: woke up early and studied history before school and finished the rest in evening. It was a pretty busy day with other responsibilities but got 2 hours of studying in. I’m so tired

Study count: 2 hours

tomorrow’s tasks

History chapter 2

Finish geography climate

geography water resources

islamiat: pillars of Islam

also if anyone wants to be study buddies or accountability partners I’d love to have a friend

miscellaneous study tips

do all readings, even the ones that are 'suggested' but not required. they were suggested for a reason.

get to class early. getting to class early gives you time to be prepared and ready to study. review your notes from the day before, lay out all your supplies, ask the teacher any lingering questions about the material.

your feet feel cold? put on socks. you feel thirsty? fill up your waterbottle and leave it beside you. make yourself comfortable whilst you are studying, or you will hate it.

if you can't find the motivation to get to work on something, force yourself to pick it up for just two minutes. you're very likely to continue.

hi there! im a fan of your page 💕

can you give me the best studying techniques?

hi angel!! @mythicalmarion tysm for asking about study techniques 🤍 i'm so excited to share my secret methods that helped me maintain perfect grades while still having a dreamy lifestyle + time for self-care!! and thank you for being a fan of my blog, it means everything to me. <3

~ ♡ my non-basic study secrets that actually work ♡ ~

(don't mind the number formatting)

the neural bridging technique this is literally my favorite discovery!! instead of traditional note-taking, i create what i call "neural bridges" between different subjects. for example, when studying both literature + history, i connect historical events with the literature written during that time. i use a special notebook divided into sections where each page has two columns - one for each subject. the connections help you understand both subjects deeper + create stronger memory patterns!!

here's how i do it:

example:

left column: historical event

right column: literary connection

middle: draw connecting lines + add small insights

bottom: write how they influenced each other

the shadow expert method this changed everything for me!! i pretend i'm going to be interviewed as an expert on the topic i'm studying. i create potential interview questions + prepare detailed answers. but here's the twist - i record myself answering these questions in three different ways:

basic explanation (like i'm talking to a friend)

detailed analysis (like i'm teaching a class)

complex discussion (like i'm at a conference)

this forces you to understand the topic from multiple angles + helps you explain concepts in different ways!!

the reverse engineering study system instead of starting with the basics, i begin with the most complex example i can find and work backwards to understand the fundamentals. for example, in calculus, i start with a complicated equation + break it down into smaller parts until i reach the basic concepts.

my process looks like:

find the hardest example in the textbook

list every concept needed to understand it

create a concept map working backwards

study each component separately

rebuild the complex example step by step

the sensory anchoring technique this is seriously game-changing!! i associate different types of information with specific sensory experiences:

theoretical concepts - study while standing

factual information - sitting at my desk

problem-solving - walking slowly

memorization - gentle swaying

review - lying down

your body literally creates muscle memory associated with different types of learning!!

the metacognition mapping strategy i created this method where i track my understanding using what i call "clarity scores":

level 1: can recognize it

level 2: can explain it simply

level 3: can teach it

level 4: can apply it to new situations

level 5: can connect it to other topics

i keep a spreadsheet tracking my clarity levels for each topic + focus my study time on moving everything to level 5!!

the information architecture method instead of linear notes, i create what i call "knowledge buildings":

foundation: basic principles

first floor: key concepts

second floor: applications

top floor: advanced ideas

roof: real-world connections

each "floor" must be solid before moving up + i review from top to bottom weekly!!

the cognitive stamina training this is my absolute secret weapon!! i use a special interval system based on brain wave patterns:

32 minutes of focused study

8 minutes of active recall

16 minutes of teaching the material to my plushies

4 minutes of complete rest

the specific timing helps maintain peak mental performance + prevents study fatigue!!

the synthesis spiral evolution this method literally transformed how i retain information:

create main concept spirals

add branch spirals for subtopics

connect related concepts with colored lines

review by tracing the spiral paths

add new connections each study session

your notes evolve into a beautiful web of knowledge that grows with your understanding!!

these methods might seem different from typical study advice, but they're based on how our brains actually process + store information!! i developed these through lots of research + personal experimentation, and they've helped me maintain perfect grades while still having time for self-care, hobbies + fun!!

sending you the biggest hug + all my good study vibes!! remember that effective studying is about working with your brain, not against it <3

p.s. if you try any of these methods, please let me know how they work for you!! i love hearing about your study journeys!!

xoxo, mindy 🤍

glowettee hotline is still open, drop your dilemmas before the next advice post 💌: https://bit.ly/glowetteehotline

I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.' - Muhammad Ali

28.06.2024

Did the English test, it was alright, not too bad i guess... Arabic test was cancelled, more like forgotten by the teacher, yes, we didn't remind xD

Today was uneventful but I guess it's good...

Did some accountancy sums

Studied economics lesson 2 (Part 2)

Yeah, that's it.

27.06.2024

I'm tired. Gosh. I've been waking up at 6:45 am and then returning home at 5:00 in the evening, it's so exhausting... Anyway, today I:

Completed one lesson in economics

Did some accounts sums and revised concepts

Did my computer homework (50%)

Got an English and Arabic test tomorrow. Yay T-T

I'm in my "I don't know how but i will" era

26.06.2024

Well, no idea how to describe today. Kinda boring and tiring... I'm struggling with English alittle, no it's not the stories or poetry or prose or assignments... It's freaking grammar. I mean, I'm fluent in English, I don't have that many mistakes in it either thankfully but if our teacher teaches us grammar using tabular columns and grammar rule formulae type stuff, I'll obviously struggle because I can't freaking comprehend how you use that in this T-T

Anyways, today I:

Completed English assignment

Did some accounts

Completed 1 lesson in Business Studies

Completed Computer homework

I guess that's it...

25.06.2024

Today was alright, I guess. My project finally got accepted by our computer teacher, like after suffering for a week or two we finally completed.

Nothing much to update here so....

Did some accounts sums

Completed 40% of English assignment

Completed 20% of Arabic assignment

I've been meaning to wake up at 5:30 from tomorrow to start studying. Let's see... O-O

24.06.2024

Well, I'm freaking exhausted! Like, i literally woke up at 6:30 in the morning and it's now 11:30 at night, I didn't even rest even for 10 mins. Gosh, it's starting frustrate me so damn much...

Anyway, the seminar went better than expected, some how i managed the computer test and the business studies teacher believes so much in me that she never picks me to answer a question xD and the economics test is postponed to tomorrow, I'm gonna study that in the morning. And we submitted our computer project today and the teacher liked it and she said that she was impressed with our team's report and even used it as a reference to show the others, I was jumping inside xD

And today i:

Practiced 10 Accountancy sums

Did some computer writing assignment

Reviewed some concepts in business studies

Not alot but still something...

23.06.2024

So i kinda missed a day yesterday, I was busy with my project and i got a cold... i literally didn't study anything, i have no idea what I'll write in tomorrow's 3 tests. Praying they'll get cancelled T-T

Anyways, today I:

Finished off the computer project

Completed 20% of the English assignment

Practiced for tomorrow's English seminar

Okay, i hope I'll do good tomorrow but I have faith. So yeah.

If I had to give one advice, and only one advice, to everyone going through highschool (although it also works for uni), it would be this:

Do as much past papers as you can. Lessons are not enough, practice is the key. There is generally a pattern in the exercises. That's what you should learn to identify. Learn to see, from the first glance, what they ask you in a question, even if you don't know the answer to it yet. That is more than helpful. That makes you learn your lessons better and you'll be confident in front of any exercise even if you don't really know the answers, you know the steps. You know what is asked from you. You know what to do. So practice, practice, practice.

Based on experience.

Hey dear Anon! :)

I know what you're saying because I literally passed sophomore and junior year with this method. I agree it's very beneficial and it definitely gives you more confidence in the actual exam!

Thanks for sharing :)

21.06.2024

Well, today was uneventful and boring as always. The English period ended before i could present my seminar so now I have to wait till Monday (kinda bad if you ask me). Completely did something else on the economics test today, boring old accounts got me crying like always and don't get me started on computers... T-T

Completed 65% of the computer project (Took me 3 hours)

I did absolutely nothing else... gosh...

20.06.2024

Today was tiring. And I'm pretty sure tomorrow is gonna be exhausting as well. Wrote 2 class tests today, no idea what I wrote xD I have a seminar, a test and an assignment submission tomorrow... A project submission on Monday and another test on Saturday, in simple words, I'm gonna have a busy weekend T-T

Learnt a new accounts concept and wrote some notes

Learnt lesson 1 in business studies

Prepared for English seminar

Worked on the computer project (10% done)

Did I study for tomorrow's test? Nope, just have to wing it I guess T-T

19.06.2024

First day of school after Eid holidays and gosh, I'm tired but it was an overall alright day. Postponed the tests they were supposed to keep today (about 3 tests) and kept 2 other suprise tests... I don't think teachers know the meaning of "informing in advance" and "actually following their schedule" T-T

No one even asked for the assignments, I was annoyed because i literally wasted my time doing them and they didn't even ask ://

Anyways, I got done atleast somethings...

Did half of the new economics assignment

Completed Arabic homework

Completed English homework

Economics lecture (YouTube) 50 mins

Discussed computer assignment (we've barely started and we have so much to do)

Tomorrow, we have tests in economics, business studies, a seminar in English and probably my computer teacher's wrath... For some reason, despite starting so early this year, i feel way less confident than last year when i only touched my books during exams... life is so weird... And mid terms start in July (don't ask me how it's mid term already when it's only like the 2nd week of school and they haven't even completed half the portions for it T-T)

16.06.2024

Did absolutely nothing today because one, I was fasting and two, I'm a lazy ass potato. So, nothing to update though I did do some Computer project with my classmates. So... Kinda did something? And tomorrow is Eid so I guess i wouldn't do anything tomorrow either so... :")

15.06.24

I slept till 9 today and wow that helped but I'm still sleepy xD Nevertheless, I did alot...

Assignments:

Economics (another one, yes T-T)

Computer (40% done)

Arabic (90% done)

English seminar

Tests:

Economics 2 lessons

English 1 lesson

Homework:

Accounts

Islamic studies (memorizing 1 Ayn of Dhukhan- 5% done)

Still have a lot to do. It doesn't help that my computer group isn't really helping that much, like a few girls are participating but the other two, like she's missing :")

Besides that, tomorrow i'm gonna start studying so... T-T

14.06.2024

Today was exhausting but atleast we get a 4 day break till Tuesday because of Eid-ul-adha and gosh am i dreading the coming Wednesday, we have so much due then.

I didn't do much today, just completed my business studies assignment. Now, I'm gonna make a list of my assignments and tests due on Wednesday...

Assignments:

Economics (another one, yes T-T)

Computer (the hardest one)

Arabic (kinda easy)

English seminar

Tests:

Economics 2 lessons

English 1 lesson

Homework:

Accounts

Islamic studies (memorizing 1 Ayn of Dhukhan)

Right and I have to do my own studying... looks like it's gonna be toooo productive and my plans of reading a novel just went out the window T-T

13.06.2024

4th day of school and I'm more exhausted, for some reason I feel like senior year is going more slowly than junior year. Like, last year, I blinked and bamn, end of the week and right now I feel like I'm processing every minute T-T

Write some Accounts notes

Read an English lesson

Completed eco assignment

12.06.2024

Today was... Alright , I guess? I'm not sure how to feel, it's literally the 3rd day of school and we have a test tomorrow :/ not like I'm gonna study for that test, I'm gonna wing it and follow my own schedule this year because last time our teachers just messed everything up by giving unimportant topics as tests :///

Anyways...

Completed writing notes for lesson 1 in Economics

Read all the poetry in our English syllabus

Wrote short notes for Computer lesson 1

Revised some Arabic

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

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.

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! :)

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 :)