Back to School Week 2017: Hacks and Tips to Up Your Study Game
I just moved into a new apartment and I've set up my dream study room! I'm someone who needs a place to focus and a place to call my own. I've incorporated tons of little hacks into my study room to increase my productivity. I list some hacks that I think everyone should know as well as some tips for effective studying!
Whiteboard Hack
Whiteboards are crucial if you're a visual and repetition-style learner. However, they can be expensive if you want a really big one to draw anatomy or chemical pathways. You can save big by buying hardboard from Home Depot. The Eucatile 96 in x 48 in (8 ft x 4 ft) Hardboard is only $12! Yes, only $12 for a DIY whiteboard that will fill up almost a whole wall! I have limited space because I have such a huge desk that I had Home Depot cut the board in half, so now I have a 4 ft x 4 ft white board which is plenty big. Split with a friend, and you both have huge whiteboards for well under $10! From doing some reading online, the best method for cleaning dry-erase marker off of the hardboard is to use car wax, which will also prolong the lifespan of the board. Since the board pretty heavy ~15 lbs., I bought drywall screws that had plastic inserts that flower open when you drill the screws into the wall.
Book Stand Hack
Ever fuss with textbooks, trying to keep them open on a page you're trying to read or copy notes from? I discovered this hack by accident trying to find a "book stand." I realized book stands online looked exactly like frame stands or "wire easels" which are considerably less expensive and work just as well. I bought this frame stand from Hobby Lobby for a few dollars and it keeps my big med school textbooks (paperback and hard cover) open with no problems. There are smaller, lightweight ones at the Dollar Store for $1 and will work well with smaller textbooks.
Drawer Organizers
I just bought the Alex drawer from IKEA to use under my desk, and while I do love it for storing all of my office supplies, they are very deep drawers. Because they are deep and roomy, cheap organizers are the way to go. My advice is to buy baskets from the dollar store. They usually come in a pack of two and are small enough to store in the drawers for added organization. IKEA also sells thin plastic organizers meant for kitchenware but they also work perfect for the office.
Study Apps
I get very very distracted all the time. It takes me a long time to start something I sat down to do. However, once I do it, I do it at the speed of lightning. Kidding, but I work very fast -- it's one of my talents. The Be Focused and Self-Control are my favorite apps to use while I study. The Be Focused app is based on the Pomodoro technique which times your tasks for 25 minutes. For every 25 min of work you earn a break. The app keeps you in check with an alarm. The automated timer forces you to keep going until it rings after 25 min, and rings once again after 5 min to let you know to stop. Perfect for someone like me, who will continue to break even after 5 min because "I'm not ready." Self-Control is an app that also keeps distracted minds in check. You set up a white or black list to prevent you from accessing specific sites or restricting all sites except a select few from your list. Don't forget Notability! It's my favorite note taking app for in class lectures. Easy to use and has all of the features I need.
Weekly To Do List vs Calendar
I love having a large calendar and class schedule posted somewhere in my room. I'm very forgetful so I constantly need to look at what's going on the whole month, so that I can plan my day/week accordingly. With that said, I also make my own weekly to do list. Since our whole block is scheduled out ahead of time I can plan daily to-do's one week at a time. I like doing this because not only can I see what's going on the whole month, but I can also focus on just the next 7 days. It helps me not feel anxious about all of the things I have to do but also makes me feel secure that I've carefully planned what I need to do this week so that I'll be prepared for next week. I got these handy weekly calendars from Target! for less than $3!
I hope you enjoyed Day 1 of my Back to School series for 2017! I hope to do similar posts in the future and definitely stay tuned for the rest of the week!
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