What are /r/GetStudying's favorite Products & Services?

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

First off, you need to figure out what you don't understand. You can do this by trying using the Feynman Technique.

What I do when I want to understand a subject is by using Trello:

• Make a board
• Name the board something like "Checklist: Understanding Geometry"
• Inside the board would contain three list - "Confused", "Eh, Getting There", and "I understand!"
• Put all the topics (eg. "Pythagorean Theorem", "Lines", "Points") in "confused"
• Apply the Feynman technique to each topic and move each item to the appropriate list.

Go learn how to learn. Sign up now for the current window. The video lessons are short and easy to digest, but invaluable in teaching you skills you need. More importantly, you need to put those skills into practice.

I often use KhanAcademy to review a lot of my subjects; there are some useful videos on Newton's Laws, motion and other information that may help you :)

I use this app. Here you can create project and everyday you study, that will be recorded in project statistics. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ensitmedia.work_pomodoro_timer_calendar

No plans currently in the works to convert the app to be compatible with androids. Sorry about that. This app (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.myhomeowork&hl=en_US), which also has an iOS version, is quite good however and provides a lot of the essential functionalities you would want out of a homework organizer.

The biggest difference between my app and this one is that mine focuses on long term improvement, seeing what you week looks like over the course of a year and adapting your study schedule to best accommodate for that.

Have a look into Anki for the spaced repetition, it's a free app on computers and Android and looks after the intervals. Have a look on YouTube there are lots of videos on how people use it for different topics.

I've tried a few, and I have to say none compare to Clockwork Tomato. You seem commited, and like you want to do things your own way - ClearFocus and other apps are good, but none offer the customization of Clockwork Tomato.

It also has daily logs which show in detail how many and when you did your pomodoros.

It is free, and the expansion pack only offers the most superfluous of features, the free version has more than everything you could want.

ohhh Dr. Barbara Oakley i think i read a book by her. i will look into it - thanks!

the corsera course is based on her book https://www.audible.com/pd/Self-Development/A-Mind-for-Numbers-Audiobook/B00R3BZMXY thats why i recognize her.

If you want to have some contact, you can always join the GetStudying tinychat channel! There are a number of people on usually and people stream their studying. Might help you get the same feeling as in the library. Feel free to join: https://tinychat.com/jaetea, password is getstudying :).

There is some app where trees grow while you are not using your phone. If you use your phone while a tree grows, it dies

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This> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cc.forestapp

I majored in material science and did a hard turn into computer science. "Not wasting time" isn't a constructive way to think about things. Do you consider dating a waste of time? "I didn't marry her, so every second I spent with her was a waste of time."

Google Brain employees recently did an AMA, checkout their backgrounds: https://www.reddit.com/r/MachineLearning/comments/4w6tsv/ama_we_are_the_google_brain_team_wed_love_to/d64khp9

One guy doesn't even have a university degree. One has a degree in English literature, another in art history... Degrees mean little.

At the end of my undergrad I was fairly sure I would never get a job in material science (despite having a 3.5 GPA at a top 10 engineering school), so I started sticking my fingers into hobbyist programming. Less than a year after graduation, I got my first job in CS.

Pick something, and be damn good at it.

Edit: Again, I highly recommend So Good They Can't Ignore You. You need to focus less on your dream, and more on being so good they can't ignore you :)

Is minoring in CS an option? It seems like you have a good mind for CS work, but at same time CS can be a bit draining. Actually, pre-law might be something worth taking a look at. You get to analyze a ton of different material, and logic definitely plays a strong role, which seems to be a strong point of yours.

I'd keep up with some level of programming on the side if you truly enjoy it - it's a valuable but increasingly common skill to have under your tool belt.

Book recommendation: "So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for the Work You Love" - Cal Newport. He makes the argument that "follow your passion" is dangerous advice, especially for students, and that it's better to invest your time into rare and valuable skills.

Also, learn how to network your ass off into the industry you want to work in. As someone who graduated with a "dream job" set up before graduation, I can personally say that it's not just about who you know or what you know but it's about who knows you and who knows what you know.

There are also a number of business area that require analysis, but a business degree without some kind of "flair" is uninspiring to potential employers.

Have a cup of tea/glass of water/juice and read a joke book. Sounds silly but it will cheer you up. Other than that go for a short walk. When I was stuck on a hideous Maths problem at university I'd usually have a new approach to the solution within two or three minutes of leaving the house.

Normally then the walk would be cut short as I rushed back to try out the new strategy. You may be studying something completely different, but the principle stands in that perception is everything. Changing it temporarily could be a breath of fresh air to your work.

Edit: Check out A soft murmur also a great way of keeping attention up, weirdly enough.

Try this first: go to this website https://mynoise.net/ and choose something like "ocean waves" (middle column). Use your headphones. Keep the volume low; it doesn't have to drown everything out, just has to be there.

This has been shown to have a focusing effect for people. I totally use it. I have a bit more to do and it's almost 5:00 PM on a Friday, so I'm going to fire it up myself right now. I'm not affiliated, but I do donate to the site (guy who runs it seems pretty cool). HTH

While I’m not an audiologist or acoustical engineer, it is my understanding that “noise cancelling” or “active” noise cancelling headphones will likely struggle when it comes to mid-high level frequencies, perhaps that of construction. “Passive” “Noise reduction” earmuffs excel in reducing mid-high level frequencies, so to me it sounds like a pair of noise reduction earmuffs may work a lot better in your situation.

Personally, I prefer noise reduction earmuffs in all environments. I have sensory difficulties, mostly with noise, so a high quality pair is important to me.

There are a lot of trash pairs out there, but there’s one brand I’ve come to love - 3M. Specifically their Peltor series. Because of their strict standards, testing, and use for actual hearing protection in industrial environments like construction zones, they HAVE to work. I’ve loved my pair, and have yet to find anything better. It should reduce nearly 95% of everything you hear. If you want to go all out, you can even probably wear earplugs at the same time haha, but I doubt that’d be even remotely necessary.

Here’s the link:

3M PELTOR X5A Over-the-Head Ear Muffs, Noise Protection, NRR 31 dB, Construction, Manufacturing, Maintenance, Automotive, Woodworking, Heavy Engineering, Mining https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CPCHBCQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_C4HRMEZPG16Z2Q52JR6C?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I made notes for myself based on the article, thought I'd share so others could get a gist of it (sorry idk how to use the formatting tools on reddit)

External Reasons

1. fear of failure tip: failure is a way to learn & improve; focus on doing the best you can without concern for what others

2. analysis paralysis: overanalyzing something and not taking action on it tip: visualize outcome & determine small steps

3. distraction: brain seeks distractions as a means to escape discomfort tip: preschedule 1-2h a day to check on fav websites

How to stop procrastinating

1. Focus on being more happy: thank you letters, exercise, exposure to sun(boost happiness neurochemical serotonin), volunteer, posture: embodied cognition (happiness leads to a smile, but smile also leads to happiness!)

2. Questions to ask to get into flow i. what am I going to do? ii. What is going to distract me and how am I going to stop it? ii. How do I know how well I’m doing it? iv. What are the Challenges in this task that excite me? v. What skills of mine will allow me to Get this Done? Or If you do not have the skills how do you find skill how will you get those skills from this task?

3. Three to-do lists *to-do list (write backwards, active voice, scratch insignificant stuff), *anti-to-do list (If we don’t have this list, your mind will bring these up in the background of your work), *done list

4. have a work ritual “40–45% of what we do everyday are habits.” Charles Duhigg, The Power of Habit.

5. Productive Visualization study: basketball experiment to test players abilities to make free throws "Visualizing the process of doing the work will help you reach your end goals. Visualizing the end goal will ruin your chances of getting there." don’t necessarily need to close eyes, grab pen & paper and break tasks into subtasks

6. Eat the Frog First Thing in the Morning (complete toughest task in morning)

Barbara Oakley's book A Mind For Numbers and accompanying TED talks and open online courses on "Learning How To Learn" specifically address this topic. She is a professor of engineering who started out as an Army linguist who wanted to see if she could retrain her brain to get better at math and science and seek out jobs in a STEM field. Olympia LePoint is a former aerospace engineer who also writes and gives TED talks about overcoming "math phobia."

Also, if you are having serious difficulties learning or understanding specific types of material it doesn't hurt to get a full neuropsychological assessment for learning disabilities such as dyscalculia.

Brilliant.org and Khan Academy should also have a lot of free resources for explaining difficult concepts and getting better at math.

I use spaced repetition software. You add the stuff you absolutely never want to forget into the system, then the program schedules your review sessions for you. I like Memrise, but I've also read really good things about Mnemosyne.

I'm not sure exactly what your price is, but the lenovo yoga book lets you write with paper and a special pen on the keyboard and then saves those files as pdfs, here's an amazon link if you are interested. It's pretty underpowered, but I recon it would work well enough as a subsitute for a tablet.

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https://www.amazon.ca/Lenovo-Yoga-Book-Processor-ZA150000US/dp/B01M6W1LET/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1537806809&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=lenovo+yoga+book+windows&psc=1

I'm a big fan of the Khan Academy videos for math. They help break down concepts into small pieces and have helped me refresh my memory about things I haven't studied in years. Not sure if they will help raise your scores, but if they can help improve your understanding, that alone should give you a boost.

Maybe you should check out 'Learning how to Learn' on coursera. It teaches about effective memorization, time-management, chunking, and illusions of learning.

Here's the link, but you'll need to make an account. Good luck.

https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn

The University and Professor make a huge difference in the difficulty of the course -- but on average, intro to CS classes are not difficult as long as you keep up with the work. It mentions using high level programming; you will most likely be using the Python programming language, which is considered by many to be a great starting language.

In order to prepare (if you really believe you need to) Code Academy has a Python programming course (http://www.codecademy.com/tracks/python). I took it alongside my Uni class, helped tons.

This is all coming from a first year Computer Science student who has already completed intro to CS 1 & 2, currently in Data Structures (which uses Java instead of Python -- its really true that once you know one language you can learn them all). Good luck, and feel free to PM me if you have further questions, I'd love to help!

EDIT: Another awesome resource is http://learnpythonthehardway.org/book/ . If you go through the Code Academy course and Learn Python The Hard Way, you will basically know all of intro to CS 1 & 2. Promise. Google will answer most of your Python problems you will run into, and you can use StackOverflow (an online coding Q&A forum) for more advanced questions. Hope I helped.

For Gantt-like:

• http://gantter.com - free webapp
• http://www.tomsplanner.com - webapp, maybe too limited with the free personal plan but check it out.
• www.teamweek.com - webapp with a free plan, seems pretty decent.

Then there's is www.trello.com with a very different approach but could maybe work for you.

I think this might be helpful for your run-on sentence problem.

Other than that... grammar and writing in general are not easily trained with exercise because, as you said, it's not like math or spelling where there are objectively right ways to do it. There's some rules, yes, but they are a framework that leaves a lot of room for ambiguity. A sentence can be grammatically flawless but still be perceived as clunky and poorly written.

If you want to be a good writer, you need to build up an "intuition" for what good writing even is. So my recommendation is: read. Read a lot.

edit i misread your question - the app below does not show the name of the task in the timer pop-up

http://www.pomodoroapp.com

I'm running it under linux; there are windows and mac versions too. Definitely my favourite way to do it since I'm studying from textbooks which I have torrented, muahahahah. I'm already at my computer so I may as well use an application that keeps statistics for me.

Well, you need to find out why you're putting your books down. Is it because you simply don't want to do it, like you're feeling burnt out? Or are you getting distracted by more tempting things like your cellphone, computer, other people/things?

If you find yourself getting distracted, what you need to do is to get rid of those distractions before you start studying. Turn off the computer, silence your cell phone and maybe put them in an opposite room of where you're working so you won't be able to access them easily. If you're distracted by other people, then make an effort to study somewhere people won't bother you. Also keep your studying area tidy, it can make studying a lot more appealing if all your stationary and notes are in order.

If you're simply feeling burnt out from studying, then maybe try setting a timer for yourself. Make it a goal to study for only X amount of minutes. It could be for twenty minutes. Make it your goal to study for the entire twenty minutes and then you can be free. If you feel the need to stop during that allotted time, then just keep telling yourself only X more minutes until you can do whatever you want to do. Studying in shorter increments gives you more willpower to deny distractions. Say you're five minutes into your study session and you want to put the book down. What is easier to tell yourself, "Wait only 15 more minutes" or "Wait 55 more minutes?" Work through those 20 minutes, and then take a break for however long you need to. Then repeat, work through the next 20 minutes and take a break. Basically, it's the pomodoro technique.

A website I use to track my pomodoro's and to do list is Kanban Flow. Hopefully this helps :)

Read the book Mindset by Carol Dweck. If you raise a child by telling them they're so smart, they are great for getting good grades, etc., the child comes to believe their worth is from being perfect without having to try. When they get to HS, college, or wherever that is finally a challenge that they can't just solve off the top of their head, they shut down because they believe their worth is being able to do things "naturally" without having to work. Having to work means they're not smart or don't have worth, so they will just not do things to avoid being exposed.

The opposite is raising a child to tell them that you're proud of their efforts and how hard they tried, not the result. That child grows up accepting challenges and believing they can do it with effort. Their worth comes from effort, not from results.

Anyway, reading that book was very eye-opening to me.

I use some time management apps/extensions to keep me off certain distracting websites and my phone. Here's a couple I recommend:

Forest: Stay Focused https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cc.forestapp

Cold Turkey https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.felixlogic.coldturkey

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cc.forestapp

With this app you plant a tree for 30 mins and if you leave the app your tree dies. I've found it super effective in not procrastinating on my phone. I use it as a pomodoro

Features I like: Bar chart for progress, punishment for procrastinating, reward for working and simple UI

I wish it had an inbuilt timer for breaks so after 30 mins you'd get a 5 minute break, right now, I have to manually time 5 mins for breaks. Also if it could turn off all notifications and internet automatically.

I pair it with Habit RPG too.

I agree with thisisthebase but I'd also like to chime in. Practicing problems is very helpful but before an exam I find that I need to practice problems I don't understand. About a week before, begin giving special attention to homework or class problems that gave you the most difficulty. (I like to star the problems in my homework I had trouble with). Then for the week leading up to the exam work on those problems until you can do them without notes or any help. Be careful that you don't memorize though. Memorization is not helpful, knowing the process in which to find the solution is the most important thing.

Be sure to check out Khanacedmy if you haven't already. It's my favorite resource, especially when I hit a wall during homework.

Memorization is important, but understanding is also important. For example, you can memorize that a ribosome synthesizes polypeptides from mRNA, but to understand the exact process by which this happens you'd need to be able to draw a picture of each step in the process. (In fact, I did that when I was in IB Biology in high school.) For complicated processes like that, if you draw a picture of them a few times it can help cement them in your mind. Photosynthesis is another thing where it helps to draw a picture.

Are there questions at the back of each chapter that you can use to practice?

Maybe online resources like Khan Academy's biology section would help.

Vocabulary is important in biology. Make sure you know definitions - flashcards can help with this. There exists flashcard software for phones nowadays.

What topics in biology are your upcoming tests on?

I'm not from your country so I don't know your curriculum but I found this website http://www.openculture.com/free-math-textbooks, with free textbooks all the way up to calculus. You'd probably need to be doing algebra and calculus for CS.

On the CS side, I don't really have anything specific. You can follow a structured course on a website like Coursera or edx, or just grab a textbook on c++ or whatever you want to learn and work through it. I recommend learning object oriented principles pretty well which I am sure there is a Coursera course on.

I would say learning the math fundamentals and calculus more important for getting into schools but learning some programming is nice to figure out if you're actually interested in it

I use the Asus Transformer and use the ezpdf app.

Here is a sample lecture I have.

The trick I've found is if you format them with the notes on the side, it is a lot easier.

Non Google Amp link 1: here

^^I ^^am ^^a ^^bot. ^^Please ^^send ^^me ^^a ^^message ^^if ^^I ^^am ^^acting ^^up. ^^Click ^^here ^^to ^^read ^^more ^^about ^^why ^^this ^^bot ^^exists.

Get a study partner and divide your lessons. You study half, record audio explaining it in your own simple words and share with your partner and vice versa. This gives you a purpose for learning, more of instant gratification and also saves a tonne of time. And if you have more partners it saves more time and will be more fun. :-)

Sounds too weird? Then you should check out apps that make this possible . Click here for one.

Hey there :)

If you search ‘grammar’ or ‘english grammar’ in the app store, you’ll find some great apps to help you out! Here’s one example: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/learnenglish-grammar-uk-ed/id488099900?mt=8

I also highly recommend Cambridge University Press for all things grammar and vocab-related: Cambridge Grammar If you look on their site, they also have good books like ‘english grammar in use’ that you might find in your local library or at a low price on the used books section at amazon.

Best of luck with everything :)

Hey! Congratulations! I'm taking my last semester in the autumn, so I feel you! Fortunately, I'm majoring in economics and it has a solution with two parts.

1. Make not doing your work more costly. At the end of last semester, I used FocusMe to completely block social media for the first half of the day. I would try to sign into Reddit and the program would immediately close the tab. I got a lot of work done and even managed to recover some grades. In one class, I went from 69%-83%, which managed to get me a low A (it was a hard class).

2. Make doing what you need to do less costly. Set up your browser so that every time you open it, the tabs you are required to use automatically pop up by setting them as home pages. Set out your study materials before you even go to bed (assuming you study in the morning). This can become part of a nightly routine that sets you up for success.

There's more, but that should be a strong start, hopefully. If you want to get more work done, then make getting work done the path of least resistance. That might not be "discipline" as it is popularly portrayed. But if getting work done is the aim, then it will suffice.

FYI there is this application as well: http://www.pomodoroapp.com/

You can install it and use it to write down things you want to do etc. and how many pomodoro repetitions you want to do and things like that.

• Pomodoro Technique: study some, take a break (officially 25 minutes and 5-minute breaks, but adjust if 25 is too long). Not taking breaks results in less focus and longer procrastinating afterwards (you burn out). Don't go on Reddit for breaks, or other sites that you can easily lose hours on. Focus booster is a program used for this.

• (similar to top comment) I have a calender on my wall and each day, I assess my day and add symbols in different colors depending on how I did (not just for school though, use it do stuff you would otherwise 'forget', like vacuuming your room). If I studied for my tasks, I get a red cross. If I did my tasks for school, I get a red dot. If I kept my room tidy, I get a green cross. This system keeps you accountable. I noticed that you forget you wasted a day if you don't write it down.

• If you have a gaming system (Xbox, PS3, computer), give away your controllers/power cable/battery to a parent (at home) or a friend (at dorm). Make up clear rules when you can have it back, like maximum 30 minutes at a time.

• Study in a public place if you can. Keep your study area clear (less stuff to distract you). Obviously turn off you phone and laptop.

• Plan when you have to do what, but be realistic. Keep those deadlines.

• Don't postpone something you can do now.

I'm currently using this for my pomodoro technique. Just done my first 25mins of work, and I'm now on my 5min break. Just read through the comments, how you guys say it's better to get up and do something instead of sitting on reddit for 5 mins, so I'm going to wash the dishes from dinner before returning to my work!

Edit: what has taken me two weeks to return to and finish, I managed to get done in a 25min session, followed by a 15min one after my 5min break. Yay!

I understand your feelings, a little too well in some instances. Get an app that gamifies your task list and/or blocks your web-browsing. Alternatively, turn off your Internet until you need it, then turn it off again.

Example: I use habitica.com for my to-do list and dock myself virtual points when I do a bad habit (in your case, that would be watching YouTube before finishing the task you wanted to do), and I use Forest for focused time periods of study. You can also use habitica.com to reward yourself; example: you gain fake money for completing tasks. Once you get enough money, you can buy "rewards". These rewards can be set to real life rewards, like "Watch a YouTube video", 5 coins.

All of these methods require you to actually use them, so you have to see what works for you.

There is one more app which I use called FOREST. https://youtu.be/tqjH5HoutKY

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cc.forestapp

You grow trees and finally forests. If you get distracted your tree gets killed . No one wants to kill a tree.

I'd recommend you check out Khan Academy. He breaks down many of the subjects you are interested in from ground zero and it's all free. http://www.khanacademy.org

Also, if you have't got one yet, here is a free pass to my new course on learning to learn. https://www.udemy.com/new-school-student-edition/?couponCode=first100

Hope this helps :-)

Kahn academy has pretty decent video to understand each reaction in Organic Chem. As everyone else said, you first need to understand the reactions. The learning will come right with it :)

The upside to that, my dear Roflcopter, is that you are definitely not fucked. Whatever road you travel, it might be slightly longer than you thought it would be, and it might not be an Ivy league school right away or anything, but royally screwing up high school isn't usually actually so serious.

Also, I'm worried you're right- Colleges are different animals, a lot of folks in high school just want you out. See what classes you can pull through in; For the Dickens you're supposed to read, Cliff's Notes, summaries, etc. are your friends. Khan academy has some FANTASTIC stuff on limits that might help you out. http://www.khanacademy.org/math/precalculus/v/introduction-to-limits (he says precalculus, but most high school calculus and much college single-variable calculus focuses on what he might term precalc. :) )

Good luck, man, sorry to be an additional pull to reddit. You sound like you'll be okay, do what you can to turn this into a learning experience, and, well, ROCK ON! :)

This is obviously where I draw most of my inspiration from: https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/studyblr

I have found etsy to be a gold mine for these sort of things, but I try to stay away from it b/c I have no self-control when it comes to these sort of things :(

I enjoy the Feynman technique for this. Start here. There are youtube links explaining how to use it as well.

That only counts for the business/team plan. If you're on an individual plan, you can setup a page for your class and share it with a collaborator - selecting "edit" access. The only thing they can't do on a personal plan is re-share the page with other people.

Here's a how-to guide.

It's a rule of thumb; everyone's different. If you feel well-rested after 7 hours long-term then go for it. But, if you need 9 hours or something, do 9 but try to work in better sleep hygiene (i.e. reduce blue light exposure near bedtime; avoid stimulating activities that'll get your adrenaline going like exercise or certain games; make your room as dark and quiet as possible; make your waking time consistent and try to go to bed at the same time every night; expose yourself to blue light ASAP when you wake up)

I have found this to be very helpful. I've studied for two important exams with this playing in the background and done really well. Now, my brain associates these with 'flow'. Try Adult coloring books when you take short breaks while studying. Steer clear of Facebook or other social media.

This is good advice, but people should be cautious about buying cheap laptop batteries online. If you have the option, order straight from the laptop manufacturer. The manufacturer will charge a lot more, but you will avoid a ton of potential problems.

Also, if you have an ultrabook that doesn't allow for battery swapping, I suggest getting a cheap Chromebook or tablet w/ keyboard to carry with your laptop. Most people waste a lot of battery just browsing the internet and typing into a word processor. Multiple devices can seem silly, but they can be very helpful in conserving your main laptop's battery.

Can you specify what those science courses are? Chemistry, biology, math, physics?

Check out www.khanacademy.org, it teaches you the basics which is very important for science courses.

Here are additional resources:

https://www.edx.org/

https://www.coursera.org/

Learning about the material during the summer is great. I did it for organic chemistry and several biology courses and it put me ahead of the class.

Try to find the syllabus for your courses so you know what to study for.

Sounds a bit like Forest. You've got tags you can set, you can set timers which continue once you're done, and you have a statistic page for day / month / year with a chart for which tags you've used in that time.

Greetings! Your pursuit of becoming a better student and person is a noble one and I'd like to help you with it.

First of all, I strongly suggest you to start with a short text of Stoic philosophy - The Enchiridion by Epictetus. It will take you less than an hour to read but the wisdom you will gain from it will be immeasurable. I regard it as one of the most important texts ever written.

Secondly, I'd recommend you to read Getting Things Done by David Allen. This is the book that started my quest for self-improvement. It's a good starting point because if you want to change your life for the better, you'll have to be very organized.

Thirdly, the Pomodoro Technique by Francesco Cirillo and How to Write a Lot by Paul Silvia are two short books that have nevertheless been indispensable for my productivity.

Lastly, I've struggled with most of the problems you mentioned and one thing that really helped me was learning about mindfulness and practicing it daily. For this, any book by Jon Kabat-Zinn will do.

I hope you gain from these books as much as I have!

Try listening to Rainy Moods. If you don't mind the feel and sound of being stuck at home during a rainy day, this will help recreate that environment when you study. Cancels out all background noise. Helped me out so much when I'm using the school lab with many others students talking and playing music, etc.

To be honest, I was able to master it very quickly, within a couple days infact - so im unsure if its something you can "learn". I am sure it is a skill that you can improve as over the years I was able to memorise more content quicker. Besides wanting to prove my science teachers wrong, a book that got me interested in memorising was this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Remember-Almost-Everything-Ever/dp/1840467975

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/memorize-anything-using-active-recall-memory/ This website seems to explain the process very well and clearly. I came across the technical name for what I was doing about 3 years after I had started memorising instead of learning like a normal student. Also, I chose not to ever use flashcards as I didnt like them.

Hi everyone, thought you might find this interesting! Charles's book is a fascinating read and full of superb tips for creating new habits as well as kicking some old ones.

One of my favourite tips for focussing on studying is (a) moving to a special study location (usually a local library) and (b) eliminating any cues that usually lead to less desirable habits (especially disabling all notifications on my phone).

I also regularly block access to sites that I know are going to distract me whilst I'm trying to work - if you're on a mac there's a good guide on how to do this here: http://www.tutorialspoint.com/articles/using-terminal-to-block-websites-on-mac

Good luck!

-- Reminder to give yourself some grace. --

But here are also some test prep/study tips for learners with ADD/ADHD: https://www.brainscape.com/academy/how-to-study-with-adhd/

I think this might not be the best use of your time.

Writing and reading notes can give you the illusion that you're learning a lot, when in reality not much of what you read and write will be sinking in. It would at least be better to put the notes in your own words, but even then, the biggest benefit to you would come when you construct the notes rather than when you go over them during revision.

If I was in your position, I would turn the notes into questions and answers and put them on flashcards. That way you'll have to understand what you're typing up, and when you come back to revise you will be able to quiz yourself instead of just having to read a bunch of stuff - quizzing yourself will help you get better at working out the answers, while reading notes will mostly just make you better at reading notes since you won't have to try to actively remember or figure out anything.

Brainscape is what I use to make my flashcards.

Duolingo is good.

Reading is slow, and rightfully so, because your brain is actively working to take in the information. Randomly throwing words at yourself (flash card memorizing and such) is the lowest form of learning. You need to learn them in context for true retention. If you don't want to read but want to go above flash cards, write french sentences with the unknown vocabulary words that are extravagantly ridiculous but still make sense. The Spanish equivalent of "El gato en mis pantalones." The fact that you wrote your own contextual association and unique sentence will help with memory a lot more over. You could watch Netflix with french subtitles, find something that gives you visual images associated with each word for a step from flash cards, or just read.

This is so great, thanks for writing this up.

It looks like Anki 2.1 will support MathJax natively, though I'm not sure when that will be released. (And my mobile client updated.)

I'm studying a degree in Maths (and also tutor secondary school maths as well), and it's true that there are some things you can do to make it easier:

• When you learn something, make sure you try to connect it to as many different things as possible. The way you remember things is by first remembering things similar to it.
• To enforce the previous point, don't make islands! If you learn something, and don't connect it to anything you know, you will never remember it.
• For some of the more complicated formulas, make sure you understand why they look like they do (example for cosine rule: http://www.mathalino.com/reviewer/derivation-of-formulas/derivation-of-cosine-law)
• Alternatively, if you aren't confident in doing that, I'd recommend Flash Cards for important theorems. ANKI is a really good one you can install on your computer and phone (https://apps.ankiweb.net/). Basically you create the front and back of the card, and it reminds you when to check the cards. It uses a learning method which means that you can recall the formula really quickly.
• Practice, a lot. It's very difficult to do well in a maths exam if you understand the concepts, but not how to apply them.

I agree, don't give yourself excuses for not studying, and take short(but frequent) breaks. Take these breaks going out of your room to take a snack, fresh air etc.

If you are using chrome check this out.

Also don't be afraid(or skeptical) to use khanacademy or youtube for that matter. If you are stuck on a topic, or your teacher has a weird way of explaining figure it out yourself.

And by the way Balloons_lol, there is nothing wrong with you, all students struggle with this at one time or another. Good luck!

I do something similar. I generally have 3 folders:

• Documents: for references, generally pdfs and web links
• Written: for what I wrote (so Draft, References, Ideas go here)
• Format: instructions for the assignment go here

For references though, after 3 years of University (Law & Biology) trial-and-error, one of my professors told me about [Zotero](www.zotero.org). It's a free and open source piece of software that makes it easier to manage your sources, references, and bibliography. I'm currently writing my Master's, and I couldn't function without it. Once you get used to it, it's indispensible.

Give it a shot, it's totally free, and your reference style is for sure available on here: https://www.zotero.org/styles

I personally suggest you download Zotero Standalone and the Zotero extension for your browser.

Hope this helps!

maybe u can find a study buddy who can help u stay motivated to study.
i m using this website and it helps me a lot : tinychat.com/room/jaetea pw: getstudying
it's an online studyhall with users all over the world and from different field; they either use their camera or share their desktop screen so they avoid slacking during study sessions

Hey check this website out it helped me a lot in my studdies : tinychat.com/room/jaetea pw : getstudying. It works like an online library with many motivated users maybe they could help u as well.

Hey, I responded to this thread earlier but I read too quickly and didn't get the gist of your initial argument.

I think mohiomap might be something you would be interested in. I was an early adopter but it wasn't so full featured early on as it is now (where I use a lot of studying resources independently of one another instead of integrated like mohiomap or connected text would help allow). It seems to have improved quite a bit and may offer a lot of what you are looking for.

I am too use to my own systems to currently adopt a new one atm, if you try it out, let us know how it works compared to connected text.

Exact same situation right here, with the LSAT in September. I did not anticipate having this much burnout from graduating at all. I'm going to make several tiny goals instead of one overarching one by breaking up the chapters of my books. In a different thread, /u/askyfullofstars talked about Beeminder, a website that tracks your progress on goals and takes money from you if you slack off without providing a really good reason. I'm about to start using it; I think I'll buckle down more with short-term consequences. Maybe you can check it out too. Good luck!

Something that can help out a lot is finding some people in your classes and making a study group type of thing. I did this a while back and it helped me so much where you could literally see on my grades when I started the group. What I did and how I would recommend doing it is getting something free that you all can communicate on. I would suggest using taskade because it's free, really easy to use, and you can all join into the same group and all communicate at the same time. Making a study group I think would help you out best. You should try it out and let me know how it goes!

I always take my task manager and set up every class in it then write down notes and the key words or phrases I need to study or retain. This is the best way I personally have found.

I use the Pomodoro technique and I love it. I do better by studying in big chunks so I usually do 45 min on and then 10 min off. I’m obsessed with my timer. This way I can check my time without looking at my phone which can be distracting

Home & Office Timer with Clock, 5,15, 30, 45, 60 Minute Preset Countdown Timer, Easy-to-Use Time Management Tool (Orange) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L2QN8MY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_HYXF8K48P3VNMG9KBJHM?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I have this template I made after reading How to Read a Book. In conjunction with How to Take Smart Notes, I find myself remembering most of everything I read once I read the notes from the books I've read in the past. Within Abdaal's levels, this puts me at a level 7.

rather you can use engross app to keep track of your study pattern , also has many other features

link https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.engross&hl=en_IN

Study Snap is a brand new app with just this functionality you can give it a look! :) Other suggestions are apps that could be used for this purposes, but are not designed for it, but Study Snap is doing just this and it is optimized for best productivity.

I completely agree with this method, and I think Feynman is one of the real thought leaders of his generation. If anyone wants to know more about him, and the way he thought and perceived the world - I would recommend this book - "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character)."

http://calnewport.com/blog check the archives for content on studying. It is by far the best resource on studying I have ever come across. You can also get his book "How to Become a Straight-A Student" but a lot of the information is on his blog. Reading through that blog, and making plans to apply the ones that are relevant to you AND ACTUALLY DOING THEM is the best thing you can do before starting uni.

(He has another book that is not geared towards studying "So Good They Can't Ignore You" which will serve you well if during your new course of study you start thinking "this is not for me".)

Good luck with your studies!

I had a similar problem last year (2nd year medschool). My advice, don't study all day!! Spend the first day of a two week (or one week) study period planning what you are going to study and when, plan each day with a little less content than you think you can cover, nothing is more crushing than feeling you are going no where. A second tip would be plan in breaks, your mind works better that way, lastly have a space designated just for study (that way you can develop habits and reward loops).

Good luck, RGS

Suggesting reading: Almost anything by Cal Newport (specially How to Win at College) The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg" Make it Stick by Peter C. Brown

My solution to this kind of problem is to set alarms on my phone - I use this app (and there's also a free version) which has plenty of features and is very reliable. You want an alarm at 12:20 to wrap up lunch and one at 1:40 or so to give you time to finish up at the gym and be out by 2. If you want to go on facebook set an alarm for 5 minutes - you can set up a 5-minute timer in the app so it takes like 10 seconds to activate it when you need it. Also, if you're doing pomodoros or something similar you can pre-set alarms for that, too - you can set it up to just chirp quietly at you once by setting the auto-dismiss duration to 'one second' and adjusting the alarm volume under advanced settings to 10% or 20% or whatever makes sense for your situation.

Good luck!

If you wanna use an app that gamifies it in a great way (achievements and ranking and all that), check out productivity challenge. It bugs the shit out of you to continue (in a good way) and the app itself is created in a way that shows its personal to the creator. It's in all really awesome and I've started studying more just to find out what the higher ranks are. Also, the images really remind me of fallout 4, just saying.

Android link here.

Try TickTick. This app have tasks that can be sorted and prioritized. It has repeated reminders, which is perfect for homework, and it also syncs with Google Calendar. Hope it helps since I used to do things the last minute.

Hi, i set a timer on my phone and study for 2h. Then i play a game of LoL, make a coffe/tea and start to study. If i am productive for 2 hours i am happy to take a 45 min break.
If i am in "study mode" i dont play if i havent studied for some time.

For physics. Don't forget to get solution manual to check problems. It's probably easier to find solution manual on pirating websites tbh

I'm hoping to get through junior-level classical mechanics (using a text by Taylor) and intro-level quantum mechanics (texts by Phillips & Zetilli), more if I can fit it in. I'm using a lot of the info on that site, and it is incredibly beneficial! Also, I have never used it myself, but a large number of people swear by KhanAcademy, primarily for introductory-level science and math.

This is super understandable. One thing that helped me with distraction was to create a “study routine.” It’s the same concept as a sleep or morning routine. It doesn’t always have to be a set time, but it’s more like a 5-10 min behavioral sequence that primes your mind that it’s time to study. Distraction is always a huge thing for me. If I took a test in a quiet room with pencil scratching I still couldn’t focus. I actually wear ear plugs. I like the squashy kind https://www.amazon.com/Macks-Pillow-Soft-Silicone-Earplugs/dp/B003LZQGN6/ref=zg_bs_3779871_sccl_18/135-7255215-1930608?psc=1

These are great because they block out sound but are not connected to any devices that buzz or bing.

My study routine is as follows: sit at desk, clear off desk, grab hot beverage, put in ear plugs, turn off distracting notification tones, open tomato timer, open file to work on. I think it helps me get into a good head space.

There are also some desktop apps that can prevent you from going to certain websites that are distracting like the block site app and the Friday chrome extension.

Canadian here, it's very difficult to study during the cold months because all you want to do is hibernate. I recently bought this: https://www.amazon.com/Heating-Electric-Removable-Washable-Christmas/dp/B09DPFJ9N7/ref=sr_1_12?crid=2SKD8VJ40EY2O&keywords=feet+warmer&qid=1668542378&sprefix=feet+warm%2Caps%2C131&sr=8-12 and found it pretty helpful for staying at the desk longer. When my feet get cold, the rest of my body gets cold

Use Focusmeter. I've been using it for the last 2 years and it's the best pomodoro app I've found. Ofcourse you can look up others on Play store. Pomodoro technique definitely helps with studies, but it will take time for you adjust it according to your preference. I prefer studying for 45 minutes then taking a 15 minute brake. It depends on what you're studying too.

Sleep Calculator. This app doesn't specifically help you learn better, but I've found it pretty helpful especially when it comes to improving my learning process. It lets me know my sleep quality, and as we know sleep is really important when we're trying to retain information.

I have quite an odd strategy for taking notes but I find it very efficient and useful compared to anything else I've seen or done in the past.

So basically my strategy is to use a laptop and split screen with a notion page open on the left side of my screen and the lecture slides on the right side of my screen. Then while the lecture is being taught, I write questions down that correspond to the slide as the heading of a toggle and then I screenshot the slide and put it in the toggle.

Here's an example of my notes from my software design and implementation class.

I find that this method has a great return on investment for studying because my notes double as flashcards and they take almost no time to produce.

Also, the flashcard thing is very cool because I learn best through active recall.

Never have I ever gone back and rewatched a lecture to take notes or had to prep for a lecture in advance. Hope this helps 👍

Time to put down your phone and get back to work! Enter my room code: 8DDHW9SG to plant a 45-minute Cherry Blossom with me! You can also tap on this link to join me: https://www.forestapp.cc/join-room?token=8DDHW9SG

Not sure if this is exactly what you're looking for but maybe check out habitica?https://habitica.com/

You can add positive study habits(eg;1 Pomodoro) and dailies(eg; study for x hours) and complete them to earn gold and level up, buy all sorts of in-game rewards, or set up real-life rewards(eg; watch 1 episode) you can buy with gold you've earned through being productive.

tbh I just started using it but I think It's fun and helps me get more done.

try nag reminder (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.robinkunz.nag). I think could be a great catch for procrastinators :)!

In my opinion, the priority of most apps is in the wrong place. The systematic and effective processing of reminders should be just as, if not more important than the insertion of a reminder. At the end of the day, the tasks must also be completed. It is of no use to me if I have a complex filing system with differentiated tags (for this there is Notion, Roam, Trello etc.). Todo lists are there to get things done (to do!). Many then lose themselves in micromanaging.

This includes a 100% reliable and nagging notification system that reminds you to do the tasks. Many apps end up here. There are a few with a "nagging" function, but that doesn't go far enough, as the app only sees this as a function and not as a system. With such apps, reminders are then limited by the device and the battery settings. We have seen with our own app how difficult it is to get 100% reliable notification system. A lot of our time went into creating such a smart system that uses the same, if not less, system resources (battery). When you add something to a reminder app, you should be reminded of it in the future. Whether you are not looking at your phone, your phone crashes, you accidentally clear the notification center, you are in batterysaving mode or you are in offline mode. Without ifs and buts.

Disclaimer: I am co-founder of nag but I think you will be very happy with nag. If you have any question just reply to this post, happy to help :))!

Cheers :))!

Turn off any distractions such as your phone. This website shows a few distraction free apps you can use: https://zapier.com/blog/stay-focused-avoid-distractions/. I’m sure there’s more that you can find. Give yourself some breaks in between to avoid burnout.

When I was in college I used OneNote, cause i had an ipad and it was easier now that I work I use Taskade for meeting notes, i find the templates really useful.

Notion, I have it set up to be gamified and level up my skills as I do my tasks. Probably not the kind of statistics you want to track, but the levels help me see at a glance where all my energy is going and what I have been slacking on. https://www.notion.so/The-Gamification-Project-ab40dadeedc443a5bcb3263d72bf6566 This is a template you can use, it uses the para method I believe. Mine uses August Bradley's method, but it doesn't really matter. Take a look around everything is completely customisable.

I think it depends what kind of notes are you taking, for my college classes i found OneNote pretty ookay, now that I work and the only notes I take are from like meetings, Taskade has work pretty well for me cause it already gives me the template.

I used to do the same and I learned loads from watching Dr Alex Young’s videos on YT they are probably the on the better side of YT study I go video and are pretty practical. Also check out the book Make it Stick

I found a link here. I'll summarize my favourite methods.

Writing is one of the best things you can do. Read what you have to study and summarize it in writing, this helps you remember better and makes revision easier later on.

Sharing/talking about what you've learned. I found that teaching people or just explaining the concepts to myself/other people has made it way easier to remember that. Try find someone to study with that you can teach or someone who'll listen to you explain stuff.

You can also use interval studying. Say you study something you need to memorize. Study it again 20 minutes later. Then an 60-90 minutes later. Then 4 hours later. Then 12 hours later. Then 1 day later and so on. You'll reinforce the memory pathways and remember things better.

You can 'program' your brain to remember things based on certain cues. Pick out a song you've never heard before or a flavour of gum you've never tasted before and when you start studying a subject/topic play that song or chew the gum. You'll get better results if you repeat that multiple times and don't listen to the song/chew the gum other than when studying that topic. Then when you need to remember pop a piece of gum in or start humming the song and you'll remember better.

But the best way to remember things is by understanding them. IT stays with you longer and makes it easier to study beyond that as well. Good luck!

https://www.notion.so/Beautiful-Anki-cards-080205ad81454b9a859d3c2825a52cad

and google Anking background
also add the heatmap(again, google it)

You can stop procrastinating if you know how your mind works. BEING ME BEING FREE explains everything with simple words and pictures. Change your thinking, change your life! Learn more here.

You can stop procrastinating if you know how your mind works. BEING ME BEING FREE explains everything with simple words and pictures. Change your thinking, change your life! Learn more here.