I have been distracted my whole life from my mind. At primary school, I was daydreaming all the time, even writing stories in my notebooks. It went more or less the same through high school. I never put any effort into studying or learning, and I was a top A student. Really, I do not know how or why.
And then university started…and all these no effort-excellent results…disappeared. I was failing and I was failing heavily for the first two years. How could some people have it so easy, while some things feel so boring to me? I wanted to do science, but this intermediate step between studying and researching…why was it just so hard?
Don’t get me wrong, I did not hate all the lectures and professors. But I couldn’t identify what was keeping me behind, when at some point in my past, it was so easy! In the past, during my school years, I was accustomed to external pressure and repetition, and I was thriving. Then, when I had to do it all by myself, I just could not. So, here, I will share some tips that helped me to…finish my BSc, my MSc and get into a PhD.
“The Universe Applauds Actions, Not Thoughts”: a phrase that stuck in my mind from an Erasmus Youth Exchange. If I stayed in bed to daydream about being a researcher, I would never become one. If I did not pass my exams, nobody would do it for me and solve all my problems.
Learning: This gets us to the point of passing exams and studying. There is a part of me that loves it, and a part of me that hates it. Contemplating it, I came to the conclusion that I do love studying and what feels bad is falling behind. The first thing that actually worked for me was going to the lectures and being present there. Then, going through my notes immediately after, the same afternoon. Also, asking questions. Solving all the exercises. I stopped waiting for approval from my friends or classmates.
Have fun with studying, make tea, have cake.
Which brings us to…studying. Have you seen all these content-creating-cute-study-with-me-videos? I was jealous of them. How do they make such perfect notes? Then, it dawned on me. I could do it, too. For me, creating the best notes, with colours and stickers, made me actually want to read them. I made new notes after the lecture for the things I didn’t understand, complete with drawings, washi tape and other decorations so that I want to go back to them.
Draw the things that you have to learn. Have fun with studying, make tea, have cake. Make it a routine. Teach yourself to study, learn to learn. This part is individual, but the common thread in all of it is consistency.
Studying alone also taught me that I cannot spend all day on one subject. It drives me crazy and I was seeking some fast-released dopamine from my phone, which ended in a loop of studying and taking a break. So, I changed this. I got some very useful advice to move on from one study lesson to another, in order to stay focused on the most important parts of each lesson. Study a bit of math, then a bit of astrophysics. You won’t have finished everything in one at the end of the day, but step by step, you will get the job done.
Teach them what inspires you, be their student for what drives them.
To add more to this, accommodate yourself. If you do not like to work from home, go to a cafeteria or the library. Wear headphones if necessary. Bring your friends who also need to study. There are two ways that usually work for me. Study for two hours, for example, with no break, then chitchat, then repeat. Or, what works for me and helps me in creating a more study-focused day is to actually not plan how long I will study for. I just have a list of the things I need to do, and spend the whole Saturday with my friends working. We take breaks and complain to each other about our study life. Once we get it out of our systems, back to work. A few hours later, we take a break to discuss our work, even in different fields (mind you I am in physics, most of my friends are in biology-related fields). Teach them what inspires you, be their student for what drives them. Keep the flame alive on what lies after a boring course with a test.
Phone Distractions: I am a person without notifications and I am not available instantly. This does not stop me from scrolling over cat videos, solving chess puzzles or learning Spanish because a green owl is lurking to kidnap my friends and stop my language streak. I have a solution for this: the forest app. I plant a tree and while it grows it kind of “locks” me out of distractions. I don’t want to kill my trees just because cat videos are cute.
Lifestyle: I read a book on which foods help the brain. Mostly nuts, especially walnuts, chia seeds, avocado, dark chocolate. That book itself is very against pastry and sugar but I would personally advise anyone not to overeat during the day and then end up feeling heavy and sleepy without motivation. And water, water is vital! Drink a lot. It helps cognitive function! Some light exercise is useful as well.
When things get hard: not everything works for everyone, but this is what works for me. It was not an easy journey and I am still learning. I know I made a mistake during the first few years when I did not ask for help. If you find yourself struggling more and more, there are experts to talk to. The University of Tartu has a counselling centre for students. I have been there on several occasions and I liked the people, the advice that I got, and all of the conversation. They are the professionals who can guide you on your case and are very open to discussing things.
Access it here: https://ut.ee/en/counselling-centre
Photo: recreation of “this is fine” meme.
Credits: Original Comic Creator: KC Green, recreation by Vaso Karanasou & Aikaterini Niovi Triantafyllaki, used under fair use
Other personal moments of studying; studying at home in Tartu, studying with friends in a cafe in Marseille, and napping in Crete
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