Back To School Series #1 - Making New Habits And Starting A New Routine

How to learn a language fast

1. Learn a sizable vocabulary, there is a good list of 625 words you should know in your target language. Spend time building this up and be sure to practice your pronunciation that is vital. To learn vocabulary there are many methods: flashcards, lists, apps, mindmaps etc. I personally use the app Quizlet as it has many learning tools and flashcards so you can practice on the go.

2. Learn basic grammar, for this you can use a book or there are plenty of websites online that will have resources. You just need to have master a section at a time so you have the basic learnt.

3. Listen to the spoken language, if you are in the country awesome but chances you are not so some ways to this are: listening to audio files, using apps (I know Duolingo has a aspect that reads stories), watch YouTube videos in that language, watch films and listen to the radio (there are lots of streams online).

4. Practice speaking, pronunciation is vital plus saying things over and over again can help move it to the long term memory. It will make you feel much more confident in your abilities. To practice speaking it would be ideal to find someone who is fluent in your target language but if not there are speaking exercises online, you could try read a book out loud or even learn a song.

5. Stick to it, this is probably the most important part if you don’t keep practicing regularly you will forget it all. Even if it is just something small it is better than nothing and will be worth it when you can speak a whole new language.

Good Websites

BBC Languages

Duolingo

Dictionaries

Quizlet

Memrise

Babbel

Fluent Forever

Feel free to add more helpful tips, tricks etc below.

I’m going to learn Spanish.

my masterpost | my studygram | ask me anything

[click images for high quality]

[transcript under the cut]

Other advice posts that may be of interest:

How To Study When You Really Don’t Want To

Active Revision Techniques

How To Do Uni Readings

How to Revise BIG Subjects

Keep reading

10 tips to increase your motivation for study

Motivation is one of the biggest issues for students and it is always great to find a few things that can keep you feeling inspired. Here are my top ten ideas:

start small - set yourself a challenge to work for five to ten minutes. Yes, just five minutes can be enough to get started! If you can get through that five minutes, you will start breaking down that feeling of disinterest and begin to get more into working. A fantastic application that will keep you from using your phone and on a time limit of between 10 minutes and two hours is Forest! However, here are some free alternatives.

plan tomorrow today - I find planning my day - or at least writing down a couple of tasks - before bed is extremely beneficial. In the morning I wake up with intent and get see my main priorities. They don’t have to full-fledged plans or written nicely in my planner but even just small reminders on a post-it note are enough for me to feel more organised.

give yourself a bit of structure - as mentioned, having a plan is a great way to start the day. You might use a planner, a bullet journal or a free printable from me to organise! Set yourself up with 3 key things to finish or do during the day. Give yourself a goal and a reward upon completion. Put time limits on tasks and use a schedule to stay on track.

utilise a studygram/studyblr - basically, the communities on Tumblr and Instagram act as amazing accountability partners! I am constantly motivated by my blog and being able to share my day to day life on Instagram or Snapchat. I definitely have become incredibly motivated and disciplined because of these two communities. If you’re thinking about starting a studyblr, read this. If you’re thinking about starting a studygram, read this. If you already have either, here is how you can use it to further motivate yourself!

set up an inspiring workplace - dedicating a space to work, and only work, is a great way to build a mindset of motivation which kicks in when you sit down. This Pinterest board has loads of inspiration for setups and organisation! You can also add a cute plant, a bright study lamp and some motivational printables for added encouragement!

externalise your short and long-term goals - by making a verbal or written commitment to your goals, you are much more likely to take steps to follow them through. You might want to have a really productive week catching up on all your work, improve your GPA or pass your semester with flying colours. At the start of each week think of the ways you can put your goals into actions. Then at the end of the week reflect on how you did. Track your progress and keep up your motivation by seeing things get a step closer each time!

listen to some music - putting on my favourite songs always put me in a better mindset and feeling more positive. Before a study session or during a break, I will sometimes put on a few songs I’m loving and take a moment to refocus.

don’t force it - if you’re feeling unmotivated to study, try doing something else for a short amount of time. Avoid things that could distract you like browsing Facebook or Instagram. Instead, try tidying your bedroom, organising your upcoming week, read a chapter of a book, or get a drink of water. Alternatively, make an action plan for what you need to do with your next few tasks. That way you’re still making progress with your work but aren’t sitting feeling too unmotivated to actually study.

find some inspiration - there is no shortage of amazing people with incredible stories of success! Podcasts such as The Daily Boost, The Tony Robbins Podcast and The School of Greatness are great examples. Ted Talks are often incredibly insightful and motivating! Search for quotes or stories from your favourite people!

change your mindset - one of the biggest challenges in motivation is adjusting your own perspective. For instance, instead of thinking “I am terrible at this” think “How can I learn this differently to really understand?”. “I made a mistake” think “What can I take away from making this mistake?”. “It isn’t perfect” think “These perfectionist tendencies are only making this more difficult, I can be content with my work”. Having a more positive outcome to each situation should help boost your confidence and motivation!

I hope these few tips are useful and help improve your motivation! If it helps, I would love to hear about it :-)

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things to do on sundays to recharge and make the upcoming week awesome

• clean ya room (just do it). also, check those pinterest boards you save for “one day” and actually go through them and draw some inspiration, even if you just end up rearranging the books on your bookshelf or putting some flowers from your garden in a mason jar on your desk. this is your home, make it feel like it is.

• do your laundry (also, don’t forget your bed sheets). if you’re in the mood, look at next week’s weather forecast and think about what you’re going to wear. go through your drawers, check the back of your closet. that hat you bought some time ago and forgot about because you didn’t dare to wear it? well… new week, new you, right? 

• call a friend/family member you haven’t talked to in a while, tell them you miss them. tell them you love them. remember and appreciate that they are a part of your life even if it doesn’t feel like it all the time.

• draw, paint, journal, write or make some music. something you know you love doing but “never find the time”. sunday is “finding-the-time day”. if you’re not feeling creative, read a book or watch your favorite show. or watch a new show. a scary show. a funny show. laugh as loud as you want. listen to music. listen to your favorite songs, or listen to new songs. even a new genre if you dare. turn the volume all the way up. take a second to consciously feel the music. you can always get up and dance. or sing. or both.

• the great, but still really effective classic: take a bath or a really long shower. if you have this special face or hair mask you’re saving up for a special occasion: congrats, you’re the special occasion today. use it. also, body lotion. we all know you’re going to be running late during the week and skip it one too many times. make yourself feel like the goddess you are. 

• sit in silence for a few moments. listen to your breath. listen to your heartbeat. for the love of god PLEASE listen to your thoughts for once in your life. don’t make them feel like they are wrong. or bothersome. they too just want to be heard once in a while. what are they trying to tell you? what could be soothing for them? be compassionate to yourself. it’s okay. you are okay. you are okay.

• think about things you can be grateful for next week. even if you feel like your life sucks atm, think about the small things you take for granted in a different way. for example: “next week, i will have access to clean water. CLEAN. WATER. 844 million people don’t have that.” or “next week, my legs will take me wherever i want to go. not everybody has two fully functioning legs, so i’m lucky in that way.” you’re allowed to feel bad about your life, but you’re also allowed to feel good about things. 

• if you’ve stayed home most of the week, go out. go for a walk. go swimming. go to a party or dinner with friends. even if you feel like you don’t need to see the outside world, chances are you’ll feel great after you do. if you feel like you’ve been running around all week, maybe you’d like to stay home today. put on your ugliest sweater, comfiest leggings, and fluffiest socks and curl up under a thousand blankets. you a sloth today and it’s okay. 

• eat. i mean honestly: eat THE THING. i don’t care if you’re on a diet. if there’s something you’ve been craving all week that has turned you into the veiny-neck-dude meme just trying to resist it: EAT IT. you deserve it. not because you worked out or ate salads or did well in school, but just because you’re a human and you love to eat and life is short and you should be allowed to eat yummy things. it’s okay. you won’t gain 5 pounds or lose your brain cells no matter how unhealthy it is, i promise.

• plan plan plan yo week. it doesn’t matter if you use a planner, bullet journal, the calendar on your phone or the notes app: write everything down you have going on next week. appointments. events. coffee-dates. when are you going to the gym? what are you going to eat? (meal prep if necessary) also, create reminders on your phone for everything. “i won’t forget it!” is a sweet thought, but oh honey you will. schedule reminders for every event. let your phone remind you that you need to buy toilet paper when the store is nearby. schedule daily reminders for your medications. (once you’ve done this it honestly feels like you just cleaned out 38GB of your brain, you simply don’t have to worry about that anymore, space for more important info, like your new favorite pun to annoy everyone with)

• most importantly: listen to what your mind and your body need today and next week. daily life is so full of “should-do”s that it’s important to find a healthy balance between the “should”s and the “need”s. you will be much more productive, healthy and happy that way. nobody knows you better than you do, take advantage of that and plan accordingly.

Teen French expressions

For if you want to make hip young friends.

Disclaimer: French people complain a lot. A lot. Don’t be surprised if 90% of these expressions are complaining.

Non mais oh - say this if someone does something mildly annoying and you want to express your shock and distaste.

Tu me fais chier - (alt. tu me fais chier, là.) literally ‘you make me shit’. means you’re pissing me off.

Carrément - translates to ‘squarely’. Means ‘literally’. If someone tells you something surprising or annoying, you can answer simply “ah carrément.” see: tu me fais carrément chier.

J’hallucine / je rêve - are you annoyed by something? say these.

C’est pas possible - a classic. anything bad happens - c’est pas possible. There is no cheese left? It’s not possible. I’m hallucinating. This is a burden on me that solely I can bear I cannot believe this is happening.

Ça commence à me gaver - I’m starting to get real sick of this. see: Ça commence carrément a me gaver là, putain.

T’es relou - verlan slang for ‘lourd’ meaning someone’s heavy, personality-wise. They’re tedious.

Ça me saoûle / ça me gonfle - similar to gaver, means something’s pissing you off, you’re sick of it.

Grave - totally.

C’est clair - totally/that’s clear. Like ‘claro’ in spanish. “Justine elle est trop relou” “C’est clair. Elle me fait chier.”

J’en ai marre - I’m sick of this.

J’en ai ras le bol - I’m sick of this.

J’en ai ras le cul - I’m sick of this (vulgar).

(J’en ai) Rien à battre - I don’t give a damn.

(J’en ai) Rien à foutre - I don’t give a fuck.

C’est bon, là. -  That’s enough.

Perso, euh, - “Personally,” generally used at the start of a complaining sentence, to express how personal the matter is to you. Perso, euh, c’est bon là. J’en ai ras le cul.

Rôh là - general expression of distaste. Le longer the rôh, the more annoyed you are. Rôôôôôôôôôôôôôôôôôôôôôôôôôôôôh, c’est quoi ce bordel.

C’est quoi ce bordel ? - translates to “what’s this brothel”, means “what’s this shit?!”

C’est de la merde - It’s shit.

C’est une blague ? - Is this a joke?

Idem - ditto

J’ai la dalle - I’m hungry

Ça caille - It’s freezing

Ouf - two meanings 1. phew or 2. verlan for “fou”, meaning crazy (as a noun or adjective). “Kévin, c’est un ouf! Il fait du vélo sans casque!” “Ouais carrément, c’était un truc de ouf!”

Kévin - there’s a running joke that all the young delinquents seem to be called Kévin.

Crever - slang for “to die”. Va crever, connard!

Connard/Connasse - c*nt, but a lot less vulgar in french peoples eyes

And finally,

T’es con. No English translation can express the power behind the words “t’es con”. While it may sort of translate to “you’re a c*nt/idiot”, it expresses something much deeper. You really are a god damn fool.

how to *actually* prepare for back to school

ok so i go back to school v soon (august 7th to be exact) and here are some of my tips that i use to help prepare myself for going back to school.

start your routine. now. at least a week before your first day of school, get into your routine. get up when you’re supposed to and go to bed when you should (11 for me at the latest). as for the “school day,” busy yourself with reading, playing video games, working, the like. but try to get home when you would from school and kinda pretend like you’re back in school and “do homework” or workout or whatever you would do when you get home. starting that routine now will make it soooo much easier when the school year actually starts

figure out how much sleep you need to function and fix your sleep schedule. do i have to explain this one??? just don’t stay up until 2am the night before you’re first day of school because you’ll be screwed for the rest of the year :)

get your supplies. ok this one is a given. whether you’re paperless or not, get at least a folder to keep stray papers. i would also recommend having a separate folder just for lined paper bc you never know when you need it and idk about you but i hate ripping papers out of notebooks

get new clothes. you don’t necessarily ~have~ to do this one but it’s nice to have a semi-new wardrobe before you head back to school. when i wear something new, i feel more confident and i’m more excited for the day so it kinda makes me excited to go to school. 

pick out your outfits for the first week. this relates to getting new clothes. i like doing this (every week) because it’s one less thing i have to do/think about in the morning. plus it should make you excited for going to school because you get to wear your (hopefully) new clothes.

get your food!! i bring my lunch to school every day (yup, 180 days a year times 12) so before that first day rolls around, get some food for your lunch! whether that be a nice drink, some snacks, a fancy salad, or the like, just get it because it will also make you more excited for school

whiten your teeth. gotta have those nice pearly whites when school starts to show every how you glowed up over the summer

speaking of glowing up…skincare!!!! having clear skin makes everyone so much more confident so make that first day so much better by having clear skin. you won’t feel nearly as self-conscious and you’ll actually (maybe) enjoy the day. 

set out everything the night before. again, makes your mornings *that* much easier/better so you won’t be running late

have a positive attitude. yes it’s school and no one really likes going back to school but try to have a positive attitude about it. you’re one year closer to graduating, it’s a fresh start, you get to meet new friends, (hopefully) you’re taking classes you enjoy, and you’re getting back into a routine. yes school can be very stressful but hopefully, if you follow some of the tips above, it won’t be as stressful as it could be. 

best of luck everyone. i’m rooting for you :)

xo- gg

@rose-colored-studies

an ultimate guide to crafting your daily schedule 👀✨

‘Ello, mate! It’s werelivingarts and I’m here with a simple guide to manage your time and prioritize your tasks with only 3 steps ~ 

Before planning anything, For me (you guys might have different approach), I find recognizing my energy level pattern really helpful because I can prioritize tasks and get the done in my most productive time rather than forcing myself to cram for homework after midnight. 🌚🌝

I start planning my day by dumping all of the tasks I remember down to to-do list using Bear, and then I would organize these tasks if they are daily, weekly or monthly task on Edison app – which also allows time blocking. After that, I would prioritize tasks daily on app Success. (This is not ad, this is just helpful apps that I use). 😎

Hope you find this helpful in some ways! Thank you for reading!  ❤️💜💙

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How I Got Straight A’s in My First Year of University

I was so proud of myself when I received firsts (that’s A’s for those not attending uni in the UK) on all of my assessments in my first year at university. Here are some tips for y’all to try at any point in university. They may be specific at times to my experience—my degree is in the social sciences and humanities, and I’m studying in the UK—but I did try to make them more generally applicable, and hopefully they should be helpful to someone out there.

Part One: Everyday Study Routine

Before the start of the academic year, try to get in a little bit of preparation. See if there are any syllabi or reading lists posted online. You don’t have to pour over them, of course, but do attempt to do something, and have a basic grasp on what will be covered in your classes.

Go to all your lectures and seminars. Unless you absolutely have to miss class because you are ill or have an important obligation to take care of, it’s really important to attend your lectures every day. (Note: if you are struggling with mental or chronic illness or a disability, don’t beat yourself up if you keep missing class. Please take care of yourself.) You may be tempted to just look at the PowerPoint presentation online, but it’s much more effective to be there in person. Often the lecturer may include information or extra explanations which are not included in the presentation. It will also allow you to process the information aurally as well as visually, and you will have the added benefit of taking notes too. You may also be able to ask questions.

Do all the pre-reading for lectures. I know it’s tempting to put it off, but try to work it into your daily routine (because you will have reading to do every day). Inevitably, there will be times where you slip up and don’t have time to finish. If this happens, make sure you catch up on it at some point, because it’s very important to solidifying the concepts you are learning about. Also, the more you read in general, the better you will become at reading (and also writing).

Take diligent notes (for both your lectures and pre-reading), and keep them organized. I prefer to handwrite in a notebook, as it helps me synthesize information rather than just typing it out verbatim—but it is totally up to you. If you do use a notebook, make a table of contents on the first page, where you write the date, topic, class, and page numbers of each set of notes you take. I think it’s a great idea to include your own thoughts and opinions in notes, or linking concepts you are learning to concepts you already know about.

If you have the time, make sure to be reading books/essays/articles and engaging with ideas outside of your regular syllabus. This is one of the most important techniques (in my experience, at least) when it comes to writing essays and answering exam questions. Evidence of wider reading around a topic is a great way to boost the credibility of your argument. It also does wonders to solidify and broaden your conceptualization of certain ideas you may have covered in your classes.

Where possible, try to contribute (as much as you feel comfortable) in seminars. If you are very quiet and reserved, that is totally okay too. I’m with you. But it has helped me tremendously in the past year to push myself to speak up more often in seminars. Talking in seminars allows you to clarify concepts and engage more deeply with the material being discussed (and it might impress your seminar tutor too, though this is secondary to the learning in my opinion).

If you have some nerdy-ass friends, talk with them about your ideas and what you’re both learning in your courses. I can’t tell you the number of essays I’ve written which actually have blossomed out of conversations I’ve had with friends, where they’ve exposed me to topics I’d never heard of before or broadened my view of a concept. Learning from each other in a casual and fun setting is amazing!

Part Two: Assessment Time

When you are given notice about big assignments coming up, such as essays or group projects, try to start working on them ASAP. Trust me, I know how hard it is. This is coming from someone who has dealt for years with chronic procrastination issues and nearly didn’t graduate from high school because of it. But you must start planning as soon as you possibly can, because the due date will come screaming up and before you know it, it’ll be the night before the deadline and you won’t have a clue what you’re writing about. Work it into your daily schedule if you have to. One great tip is to write down the deadline as being earlier (say, a week earlier) than what it actually is. This will prompt you to start earlier than you normally would have.

Do a shitload of reading, widely, from multiple sources. Read everything you can on the topic you are doing your assignment on. For a basic literature review, this means looking through at least 20+ sources. That doesn’t mean carefully perusing each one front to back; it means looking through all the relevant literature to find a few great sources which will really give you a coherent argument and a big picture of the topic at hand.

Keep your sources organized. I use Paperpile, which is a Chrome extension that allows you to save and organize academic sources. I make a folder for each assessment I am working on, and anything I find relevant to my topic, I save it to the folder. This will be a life saver for you when you actually go to plan your paper and also do the referencing.

Content is important, but perhaps even more important is your argument and structure. This mostly applies to essays, but you can apply it to other types of assessments too. Try not to structure your argument in terms of blocks of content—e.g. Paragraph 1 is about Topic A, Paragraph 2 is about Topic B—but rather in terms of how you are laying out your argument. Make sure each part of your essay flows into the next, so that you are, for example, setting up a kind of dialogue or narrative between the different sources you’re using. Also ensure that any point you are making clearly relates back to your main thesis.

If you’re a perfectionist like me: train yourself to remember that there is no such thing as perfect. Try to imagine what the perfect essay would be like. Can you imagine it? It’s probably pretty difficult, right? That’s because there is no such thing as a perfect assignment. Remind yourself of this, constantly. Tell yourself that you will be okay with just doing your very best. If you think about it logically: handing in something that is perhaps not your best ever, but handing it in on time and doing pretty well, is infinitely better than attempting to have a “perfect” essay but handing it in late and failing the assignment.

I hope this helped some of you! Best of luck and happy studying this year—go knock ‘em out! xo