How to online study!

Hi, everyone!

These days I've been quite busy because I'm studying in my university's original time. This quarantine, as I said before in other posts, I'm focusing on study. Not for going crazy, but for not getting lost when the classes are back. With all this confusion, I'm here to give you some tips about online learning (as I'm almost a pro). These ones have been working very well for me:

1. Create your own study corner

I guess you're thinking about those ones we see on Pinterest and Instagram. But it doesn't need to be "instagrammable" or exactly like that one you liked in 2015: it should be, most importantly, clean and slightly away (according to what you have) from where you rest.

Some tips for study desk organization:
- Clean it before you start;
- Tidy it up, else the mess will annoy you;
- Be original! Each one of us learns in a different way, and so different will be our study corners because of that;
- Your desk doesn't need to be "aesthetically pleasing" in a postable way, especially if you're not recording a study vlog or taking a pic for your Instagram: the most productive it seems for you, the better - before doing more elaborate summaries, I practice writing and the content in a common A4 paper, with common blue, black and red pens you can find everywhere. But, if you feel more inspired by this, and actually CAN do it, go on;
- Isolate yourself from noise by closing your room's door or putting on earphones.

But creating a new space is way beyond decoration! You can create or search Youtube/Spotify playlists if you can study listening to music, but don't let this distract you from your main goal! Avoid "noisy" songs (such as EDM and conventional pop), and choose lo-fi and instrumental music (I recommend this YouTube playlist with all City Girl's full albums).

2. Entertain yourself positively

When you're in your free time, spare some time to watch positive study Youtubers. agra chan (Brazilian Youtuber) has done recently a "study with me" with background music, and it should be used like: you study while the video is playing, letting your device in a corner, listening to the music, as you study "together".

You can also see oh no Nina's "not really studying with Nina" vlogs and some of Jem's videos. Search for "study vlogs" more frequently and you can feel a little more inspired when you're studying.

3. Use productivity apps

For example, you can utilize the Forest app as a time manager for studies. As I study for about 6h/day, it's important to have a 2h alarm (120min) so I can get along with every subject I study. It also blocks the rest of your phone (if you configure it correctly), so you can also use it to avoid distractions. I like to end my months seeing how many trees I've already "planted" in the app.

4. Search for interesting, useful courses

Take the menu of your course, see your subjects, see the course plan of the subjects and try to do something with this information. Knowing I'm getting ahead of the subjects in my course motivates me a lot. If you're in middle or high school, search for platforms that are offering free trials for social isolation, or Youtube channels with videos about the subjects you have more difficulty. Revise the subjects and maybe get ahead of your course too: see your book and the topics of your exams, if you have access to them.

Now, if you're not studying formally, or don't know what to study, search for something to occupy your mind: language courses can be a great idea. Since I've started learning French, I have used Duolingo, which is almost totally for free, and I think it's a great tool for beginners like me. But please don't make your Duo sad.

5. Define your schedule (and please stick to it)

As you're absolutely NOT in a presential course and there aren't any school bells which go like "HELLO, time to your Programming Logic class so WAKE THE F UP", for example, it's important that you can be able to define your study schedule and actually try to stick to it. That makes you associate that specific time of the day to study time and feel more productive.

I am trying to stick to my university's schedule at home and it makes me wake up by 6 AM, take a bath, do my skincare routine, make and eat my breakfast, brush my teeth, maybe listen to some music, and, when it's exactly 8 AM, fly like a cat which saw a cucumber, for my study corner and start calculating integrals or studying data structures, and just "wake up" from the workflow at 10, so I can change the subject, and at 12, so I can eat my lunch. At 2 PM I'm back for the last subject, and at 4 I'm done with everything.

I avoid entering my study room while I'm at the lunchtime (and consequently not 100% done with my study), so I can't damage my study "mental ambient".

(When I wrote this in Portuguese, it was almost 2 PM, so I was in a hurry to finish and post it before I started studying Digital Circuits, but now I've already finished it so bye, I guess?)

More lectures and videos you can read or watch about this!

• edX's post
• tbhstudying's vlog