SALUTATIONS FELLOW BLOGGERS!
Hello all! It's been ever so long since I've last written a blog post but (and I know I do this all the time) Uni is really taking up all my time! I'm doing all my prerequisites for the Nursing Program at my Uni and Anatomy and Physiology especially is kicking my butt...
I know you probably are a little intrigued by the title but what I mean by it is this is the second week in a three-week long stretch of exams and papers and quizzes... the whole sha-bang. And I'm literally in the middle of it and it's really starting to wear me down and I'm starting to drink too much caffeine... to the point where my hands are just like constantly shaking...
So I was just wondering, what are your tips of staying organized and focused and full of motivation to keep on going? I have some of my own, but it's always nice to hear others'!
One of the things that really helps me is some insanely good music, and lately I've been using my 8tracks app on my iPhone and looking up their study mixes and have found some seriously inspiring and motivating ones! They help you get into the mood of studying and will help you forget just how many hours you really are spending looking at the circulatory system trying to understand it...
Another thing that really helps me is having a nice and colorful planner! I bought one from Target (I believe it was about $17) and it's from the company Sugar Paper (Los Angeles) and one of the reasons I love it is because I have a monthly view and a day by day view. So I can keep track of all the exams coming up from the monthly view and I can keep track of work and quizzes and little things through the day by day view. Also, I've noticed that if I write down a "to-do" list for every day I'm much more likely to actually stick with it and complete all my tasks, so that I have the satisfaction of checking off all my boxes at the end of the day!
COFFEE. I know this is bad, but I almost always have some kind of beverage (and it's almost always an iced coffee) near me. I like to have a venti iced coffee with caramel syrup and 2% milk (Starbucks) and it's bitter enough that I can taste the coffee but sweet enough that I don't gag every time I take a sip :) Also, I keep water around me because I try to dilute the coffee - I'm slowly trying to wean it out of my system, but it's taking a lot longer than I expected...
Another good thing to have (especially if you're studying at night) is some sort of snack. But you have to be careful with this one. It's really easy - especially as students - to put on some serious weight during our Uni years because we can sit for hours studying and stuffing our faces at the same time and if we're eating not healthy foods (and leading that kind of a sedentary lifestyle) it's really easy to pack on the pounds. So try to stock your fridge with already pre-cut celery sticks, or carrot slices, or some kind of trail mix, or nuts, in general, maybe some snap peas (I know my husband loves eating those!). One snack I especially love to eat is frozen grapes! You just put some grapes (washed) into a plastic or glass container and put it in the freezer and then the next day you have frozen grapes! It's like a healthy version of ice-cream and more refreshing and not a guilty pleasure!
Another way I keep myself motivated and not falling asleep is constantly switching between subjects. I try to make sure I'm not focusing on only one subject for too long (more than 2 hours) because then it can become really tedious and make your brain sluggish. We (and I'm sure there are others like me which is why I say "we") do not all have wonderfully long attention spans and so if you switch things up while you're studying, it'll really help you stay focused. And not only subjects should be changed around but actual studying techniques! Like use flashcards, and then maybe watch some videos and then maybe do some reading on it etc.!
I hope this helps out some people and feel free to leave a comment with any tips you might have for studying!!!
