Discipline will take you places motivation never could.
Day 6/100 Productivity Challenge
220725 - Hi, folks! Long time, no post 😃 I am sorry I was soo busy packing I wasn't able to study much the past few days, but it's okay though! I am done packing! HAHA
Anyway, kinda new content here. I got an ask from someone (if youre reading this, anonymous asker person, ily ♡, you're so sweet) about burnout and this is what I got. Idk if this will reach the right audience, hope it does, but I hope it helps whoever it reaches.
I hope you are all having a fantastic summer, take care of yourselves ♡
Planning Printables
Printable Pack #3
Hey guys, summer break just started so I thought I’d make some more printables for y’all. These are based off of some of the tools/planning methods I used (such as in my bullet journal, etc.) that helped me get through my first year of college - hopefully they’ll be helpful for you guys, too!
Hope you have an awesome summer!
xx jo
Go study for your finals. Write that paper. Finish that presentation.Study those flashcards. Make notes.
Stop procrastinating and get off your phone 🌼
25 VIII 2022
I found the most beautiful math book I have ever seen
it covers the basics of algebraic topology: homotopy, homology, spectral sequences and some other stuff
one of the authors (Fomenko) was a student when this book was being published, he made all the drawings. imagine being an artist and a mathematician aaand making math art
just look at them
other than those drawing masterpieces there are illustrations of mathematical concepts
I'm studying homology right now, so it brings me joy to know that this book exists. I don't know how well it's written yet, but from skimming the first few pages it seems fine
I just finished watching a lecture about exact sequences and I find the concept of homology really pretty: it's like measuring to what extent the sequence of abelian groups fails to be exact
I'm trying to find my way of taking notes. time and again I catch myself zoning out and passively writing down the definitions, so right now I avoid taking notes until it's with a goal of using the writing as a tool for acquiring understanding. I'm trying to create the representations of objects and their basic relations in my mind at first, then maybe use the process of note-taking to further analyze less obvious properties and solving some problems
I will post more about it in the future, we'll see how that goes
What language do you study on Duolingo?
私は日本語が勉強します！
Does anyone learn Hindi? What's that like?
我学习中文！我也想学习西班牙语但是我还没有开始
yea i’m trying to use it to touch up my hindi! as a native speaker who’s lost touch - it’s really stiff and no one actually talks that formally but i hear that’s just how duolingo is
I assumed Duolingo teaches the stiffest way lol. My first language is Hindi btw that's why I am interested in finding out the Duolingo experience.
yeah, i learn french and i find it really annoying cause i know that people probably don't speak that formally, i still use it because the french i learn at school is also formal.
i think it's probably because you tend to get taught what they call the "high" version of a language, my cousins native language is swiss german and he learns high german in school which is like the formal version. kinda annoying cuz i wanna know french slang, i don't want to be grammatically correct but i want it to be understandable
Tbh it makes sense cuz you can't go straight to slang when you don't know the grammatical rules. Formal version is the foundation of any language. English was also taught to us with the basic version and now everyone picked the slang from the internet.
For slangs and the ways you can stretch the usage the next step to learning can be watching media in that language.
I agree duolingo can be really stiff and repetitive. I use mostly for fun lol if you're interested in actually learning the language it's just not enough at all...
What kind of hyperfixations did cavepeople with ADHD have? 🤔🤔
I think maybe an example would be about the behavior of certain animals! I love watching/listening to birds so I guess if I were one of them I'd have a lot of fun looking for birds/showing them to other cavepeople
What language do you study on Duolingo?
私は日本語が勉強します！
Does anyone learn Hindi? What's that like?
我学习中文！我也想学习西班牙语但是我还没有开始
A reminder that you can't outplan your mental disability/illness. There's never going to be a schedule that will magically make your disability disappear, that will make you be able to do things as if you weren't disabled.
No amount of telling yourself that 'this school year will be different', 'this semester I'm going to attend all the classes and do all the work and take all the exams on time' and 'I'm going to get this huge list of tasks done tomorrow' will make any of that true.
In fact, setting such high expectations and putting so much passive pressure on yourself will only make everything worse.
But what will work is being honest with yourself, and planning with your disability in mind, whether that means taking into account that you won't be able to do anything for a couple weeks at a time, or that you can only work an hour a day, or learning how to recognize when your disability/illness is about to act up (if there are signs) and preparing for it by messaging professors and prepping whatever you'll need to get through it- meds, snacks, water bottles, etc.
Most importantly, learning to be kind to yourself will help you get through things far better than being unrealistic and mean ever will.
i’ll probably expand on this later, but the best ADHD Hack ™ I’ve found/sussed out is:
bundle habits together, but don’t bundle tasks together.
Explain …
So okay. When you have ADHD, one thing your brain is very very good at doing is making connections between things- ideas, concepts, people, states of mind, etc. This can be a superpower- if most people wouldn’t think to make a connection between doing a) and b), and you make that connection, sometimes you can outthink people who aren’t as good at snapping things together.
The problem comes in when you start connecting things that you don’t need to connect, like “mild displeasure” with “OH GOD EVERYONE HATES ME” or “I feel a little crummy” with “I AM THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD”.
So when we’re talking about Life Skills/ADLs, you gotta use that power to make your life easier, not harder. You gotta connect things when it makes your life better and NOT do it when it makes your life harder.
Here’s an example of the habits:
I had a stretch of time where I was too sick to do much of anything. I could barely get out of bed to get to the bathroom. I was walking with a stick and generally just… le dead. And one of the problems I had was that I could almost never remember to take my morning meds.
I decided that the first time I got up to use the bathroom every day, I’d take my meds. That way I was taking them no matter how crap I felt- I had to get up to pee, like it or not- and it was getting done pretty early in the morning.
Getting up to pee meant taking my meds; they were the same thing. I didn’t have to remember to take my meds separately, or set an alarm to remind myself, or anything like that. I just did it as part of something I had to do anyway.
As time went on and I started getting better, I realized I could do the same thing with other parts of my routine. If you connect something you need to do with something you have to do, the thing you need to do gets done.
So like… say I’m already in the habit of getting up to take a shower. I’ve lived in crappy apartments my entire life, so the water takes a minute to warm up. Since my countertop dishwasher is right outside my bathroom door, I’ll take a second to empty and load the dishwasher while the water’s still heating up. It just becomes part of the routine of taking a shower.
You don’t have to think about Doing The Extra Thing. Connecting it to something you’re already doing means that, after a certain point, it just… happens, automatically.
The problem comes in when you start trying to do this with tasks- things that you only have to get done once, that already have a fair few steps to them. Especially if that task is has a lot of steps, has a time limit, or is otherwise Hard for you.
Figuring out tasks with dependencies (I have to do this before I can do this!) is already hard for us ADHDers. Sometimes what happens is that you bundle two tasks together- you decide you can’t do something until you’ve done the other thing, even though these tasks are in no way connected.
Here’s an example:
I have three packages I need to mail. One of them is a gift for a friend in Australia, which costs a lot of money; one of them is a package for my Etsy store which is Not Finished Yet, and one is a very late Christmas package.
I might decide, “hey, I need to mail all three of these packages together! I can’t mail any of these packages until I bundle all of them!” But it’s probably smarter to mail them separately! I don’t want to make my friend with the late Christmas package wait any more, so I can mail that first, and then mail the Australia package when I have the money and the Etsy package when it’s finished.
But if I insist that I have to bundle these tasks… I won’t get any of them done. I’ll be too stressed out about the Etsy package not being done to mail the other two packages, and then I will run out of money for the Australia package, and the Christmas package will not get sent til Labour Day.
If you’re stressed out about a task with a lot of steps, sometimes it’s worth it to check and make sure you’re not bundling multiple tasks together. Can you do the thing without doing the thing that comes before? Do you have to do the other thing immediately after?
smatter
Wait this is iconic. I keep bundling assignments together that I’ve had medical extension for, but I am having such trouble starting them because I have to get them all done. I need to just do one, and then decide if I’m able to do the others then or later.
reblogging for friends and mutuals with adhd
But if I insist that I have to bundle these tasks… I won’t get any of them done.
That’s exactly what happened to me during the holidays this year… I had to really kick myself and push it to finally ship everything out. Oh my goodness, this makes so much sense in my penchance to binge my activities, whether it’s binging (slash bingeing) a show, work, etc. It’s like I’m mentally “all or nothing” and it’s hard to shift gears and meet threshold to actually do the thing.
And like I know I have to do it, I know I need to do it, but I just don’t get it done. This was very helpful. I love all these tips.
I’ve lately been struggling with waking up and getting going in the morning, so I’m leaving these reminders here to go through next time I forget why this routine is so important. you might find it helpful too if you also struggle with ADHD, executive dysfunction, disordered sleep, time blindness etc.
• waking up in the morning does feel good, it’s just difficult at first. the dread you feel when you know you’re sleeping through your alarms is much less enjoyable, much less restful than actually waking and moving your body to a new location to let the morning settle in.
• vibrate-only alarms are much easier to ignore in your sleep. find a sound that is somewhere in between relaxing and startling. calm little melodies just become the soundtrack to my dreams, but I also don’t need to wake up thinking the sky is falling. something matter-of-fact that will actually get your brain to stir a little is perfect.
• set at least one other alarm only a few minutes after your first alarm. too long of a “snooze” just allows the brain to get comfy again, which isn’t great if it’s really time to get moving. some extra-challenging days I might set 3 or 4 just in case.
• use an app that makes you get creative if you want to disable your alarm. the one I use (the free version of Alarmy) lets you choose between taking a picture of something specific, playing memory games, answering math question, scanning a barcode somewhere in your room, or even shaking the phone violently a certain amount of times (not ideal if you share a bed with someone 😬). since I’m bad at math and have poor working memory, I actually chose memory games and math questions. I didn’t want to be able to disable the alarms in my sleep, plus you can set the difficulty level so you don’t screw yourself over.
• when you do wake up, remove yourself from the place where you’re sleeping. I always move to the nearest window and spend some time sitting and looking out it. this is usually when I realize that I have missed out on a lot of peace in the day by never really having been a “morning person”. it’s pretty nice if you can get through the waking. this morning I rediscovered a rock on the window sill that I found a few days ago. I took a moment to appreciate that before moving on.
• when you’re ready to venture to the next step, drink half a glass of water. I do this when I take my meds and vitamins. I also use the bathroom and, if I remember, brush my teeth.
• sit for at least 5-10 minutes, if there’s time. I return to my window, and if I can’t justify a proper journaling session I like to at least use my notes app to make a list of manageable tasks, including things I’ve already done (like wake up, use the bathroom, take meds, drink water). there is a willingness that comes over me when I’m able to check things off right away. already my unchecked tasks are fewer and I have a sense of satisfaction that helps move me forward.
• set alarms for every 15 minutes or so for time blindness. but remember...
• bullying does not motivate a dopamine-seeking brain. ADHD and other such neurodivergent minds depend on dopamine, not adrenaline (at least in my experience and observation) and certainly not abuse. stop making your alarms things like ‘get up, bitch, I mean it’ and ‘get your ass up or you’re going to get fired’, even if it’s a joke. I did that for a long time and it sucked. so,
• extend yourself some grace. these are my alarms now and I love them! they don’t give me a shot of stress when they go off on my watch. encouragements and affirmations like “let’s get going!” and “you’re doing fine” are helpful. some are questions, like “just about ready to xyz?” and some are statements made in good faith, such as “you’ve taken your medication and your vitamins.” and “I’m so glad we’re making time to feed our bodies.” when it gets closer to the time to leave, it’s “are we ready to head out?” and “it’s go time!”
• lastly, eat something! anything at all. just don’t leave without eating something. I especially recommend this if you take medication for ADHD, or any med that works better if you give your body a little food to work with (this obviously varies from med to med so discuss with your pharmacist!)
Free August 2022 Wallpapers
Here are a variety of backgrounds for your laptops, tablets and phones! Includes Monday & Sunday start options to suit your needs ☺︎
Thank you for using these! If you have any questions and issues, please let me know. Please note, these are for personal use only.
Free 2022 calendar printable - January to December monthly
Here are two sets of printables to organise the upcoming year. Each file includes a yearly overview and 12 monthly pages.
You can download the files at the link below. They come in 3 colours (sage, beige and no colour). Available in Monday or Sunday start, and A4 or letter.
You can download them below:
- Download here!! (called designs 1 & 2)
I hope you enjoy using these and if so, I’d love to see them in action! Feel free to tag me #emmastudies in any photos you upload on Tumblr, Instagram or Twitter.
Disclaimer: These backgrounds are for personal use only! Please respect that :-) If there are any problems, please contact me!
Thank you for checking this out! If you have any questions and issues, please let me know.
i love letterboxd because there are so many lists that cater to very specific, yet somehow universal moods. here are my favorites:
HOW I PLAN MY WEEK AS A PHD STUDENT
I found the lack of structure and timetabled events the most difficult adjustment to make when I started my PhD last month. I love structure and I love routine, being without one made me panic quite a bit. One thing that has helped with this adjustment is planning my weeks using Google Calendar.
I have 5 separate calendars:
DAILY
This is the calendar I use to schedule mundane events and tasks that happen on a daily basis. At the minute, this just consists of scheduling in a lunch hour and taking my meds.
PERSONAL
My personal calendar is used for significant events in my personal life that have been planned weeks in advance and shouldn't be missed unless there's an emergency. As you can see, this week I had an appointment for my eyelash extensions and I also have a gig on Saturday. I have the alerts for this calendar switched on so I never forget when I have something important coming up.
PHD
This calendar is used to mark important milestones and events relating to my PhD. This includes mandatory lectures (I only have 3 this semester, and 2 have already passed!), meetings with my supervisors and academic advisor and deadlines.
TO-DO
My to-do calendar is the one that gets used the most regularly. Instead of writing a to-do list, I put the things that have to be done into my calendar with an allotted amount of time. If I know how I want to spend my week, I can do this on a Monday morning and other times I'll do it on a day-to-day basis. This week I know there's certain things I need to do while they're still fresh in mind and so I've already filled them in. Before using this method, I'd find that a to-do list is way too flexible for the way my mind works and I'd spend hours on a task that only really should've taken 30 minutes. I find that my time blocking my to-do list, the things on the list actually get done and I'm more productive with my time
WORK
My last calendar is for work. At the moment, I teach at the university, I tutor high school maths and I am also a specialist mental health mentor and counsellor. All of the hours I spend working are put into my work calendar so it's easy to keep track of my hours worked and, in turn, my expected pay every month.
HOW I PLAN MY WEEK AS A PHD STUDENT
I found the lack of structure and timetabled events the most difficult adjustment to make when I started my PhD last month. I love structure and I love routine, being without one made me panic quite a bit. One thing that has helped with this adjustment is planning my weeks using Google Calendar.
I have 5 separate calendars:
DAILY
This is the calendar I use to schedule mundane events and tasks that happen on a daily basis. At the minute, this just consists of scheduling in a lunch hour and taking my meds.
PERSONAL
My personal calendar is used for significant events in my personal life that have been planned weeks in advance and shouldn't be missed unless there's an emergency. As you can see, this week I had an appointment for my eyelash extensions and I also have a gig on Saturday. I have the alerts for this calendar switched on so I never forget when I have something important coming up.
PHD
This calendar is used to mark important milestones and events relating to my PhD. This includes mandatory lectures (I only have 3 this semester, and 2 have already passed!), meetings with my supervisors and academic advisor and deadlines.
TO-DO
My to-do calendar is the one that gets used the most regularly. Instead of writing a to-do list, I put the things that have to be done into my calendar with an allotted amount of time. If I know how I want to spend my week, I can do this on a Monday morning and other times I'll do it on a day-to-day basis. This week I know there's certain things I need to do while they're still fresh in mind and so I've already filled them in. Before using this method, I'd find that a to-do list is way too flexible for the way my mind works and I'd spend hours on a task that only really should've taken 30 minutes. I find that my time blocking my to-do list, the things on the list actually get done and I'm more productive with my time
WORK
My last calendar is for work. At the moment, I teach at the university, I tutor high school maths and I am also a specialist mental health mentor and counsellor. All of the hours I spend working are put into my work calendar so it's easy to keep track of my hours worked and, in turn, my expected pay every month.
Anonymous asked:
Hi!!!
What’s something that helps you remain focused and motivated ? I don’t take medication it’s taking agesss to get a diagnosis in the UK and my weekends are this vicious cycle of procrastination because I’m overwhelmed and getting nothing done, sorry if this is a lot ! ❤️
Hey, I absolutely relate. I'm in the UK too and have been waiting for an assessment for 3 years... the system is a mess :(
I have tried my best to come up with things that help me, hopefully some of these things might be able to help you too.
Strategies for Motivation
My best strategy is having a plan with fixed elements. By fixed element I mean something that is set by another person that I have to attend e.g. lectures, exercise classes, driving lessons, my job, volunteering.
I struggle to self-motivate (e.g. if I want to be in the library for 9, I would be lucky to be in there by 11). However, if I had a fixed event at 9, then I am able to get there for 9.
So I use fixed elements to get me out of the house, and plan around them. For example, I will sign up to an exercise class from 8-9, then after the class I will go the library. Since I have already gotten out of the house, the hardest part for me has already been done, so starting studying is way less challenging.
Strategies for Focus
- Try and work out whether they are particular times of day when you find it easier to get work done - I struggle to focus around midday so I aim to do work at other times
- Study in a variety of environments - I find having different places to work is quite helpful, even if that is just sitting on a different side of the library from normal
- Different places for different tasks - I find that I need different working environments to complete different tasks. For example, to write assignments I need a quiet environment, whereas to read I prefer a place with a bit more background noise e.g. a cafe
- Sensory input - I find certain types of sensory input helps me concentrate better e.g. fidget spinners, stim toys, chewing gum, hot drinks, stimming, listening to ambient noise or musical backing tracks
- Work out key areas where you tend to go off track and try to avoid them - for example, when studying at home, I know if I get dressed it will take me two hours before I can start work again, so I work in my pyjamas for as long as possible and leave getting ready until I need a break.
- Another example, I know going home from university completely kills my flow and my ability to work, so I stay at university (or otherwise out) until I have finished working for the day
- I absolutely swear by the forest app to keep me off my phone. Of course I can still procrastinate in other ways but it does remove a massive distraction
- Keep a piece of paper or some post it notes next to you. I find when I am studying I'll remember things that I need or want to do (e.g. empty washing machine, read X, looking up when assignment Y is due, wanting to read articles about Z on Wikipedia for fun, etc.) And then I will break my flow to go and do said thing and it will take me ages to start working again. So instead I jot down anything I think of and review it when I am done with my study session (note: there are of course exceptions where you will have to prioritise something above studying e.g. medication)
I hope something I have said here is helpful, if you have any more questions my ask box is always open, and if you would like me to clarify something then I am always happy to
Anonymous asked:
Hi!!!
What’s something that helps you remain focused and motivated ? I don’t take medication it’s taking agesss to get a diagnosis in the UK and my weekends are this vicious cycle of procrastination because I’m overwhelmed and getting nothing done, sorry if this is a lot ! ❤️
Hey, I absolutely relate. I'm in the UK too and have been waiting for an assessment for 3 years... the system is a mess :(
I have tried my best to come up with things that help me, hopefully some of these things might be able to help you too.
Strategies for Motivation
My best strategy is having a plan with fixed elements. By fixed element I mean something that is set by another person that I have to attend e.g. lectures, exercise classes, driving lessons, my job, volunteering.
I struggle to self-motivate (e.g. if I want to be in the library for 9, I would be lucky to be in there by 11). However, if I had a fixed event at 9, then I am able to get there for 9.
So I use fixed elements to get me out of the house, and plan around them. For example, I will sign up to an exercise class from 8-9, then after the class I will go the library. Since I have already gotten out of the house, the hardest part for me has already been done, so starting studying is way less challenging.
Strategies for Focus
- Try and work out whether they are particular times of day when you find it easier to get work done - I struggle to focus around midday so I aim to do work at other times
- Study in a variety of environments - I find having different places to work is quite helpful, even if that is just sitting on a different side of the library from normal
- Different places for different tasks - I find that I need different working environments to complete different tasks. For example, to write assignments I need a quiet environment, whereas to read I prefer a place with a bit more background noise e.g. a cafe
- Sensory input - I find certain types of sensory input helps me concentrate better e.g. fidget spinners, stim toys, chewing gum, hot drinks, stimming, listening to ambient noise or musical backing tracks
- Work out key areas where you tend to go off track and try to avoid them - for example, when studying at home, I know if I get dressed it will take me two hours before I can start work again, so I work in my pyjamas for as long as possible and leave getting ready until I need a break.
- Another example, I know going home from university completely kills my flow and my ability to work, so I stay at university (or otherwise out) until I have finished working for the day
- I absolutely swear by the forest app to keep me off my phone. Of course I can still procrastinate in other ways but it does remove a massive distraction
- Keep a piece of paper or some post it notes next to you. I find when I am studying I'll remember things that I need or want to do (e.g. empty washing machine, read X, looking up when assignment Y is due, wanting to read articles about Z on Wikipedia for fun, etc.) And then I will break my flow to go and do said thing and it will take me ages to start working again. So instead I jot down anything I think of and review it when I am done with my study session (note: there are of course exceptions where you will have to prioritise something above studying e.g. medication)
I hope something I have said here is helpful, if you have any more questions my ask box is always open, and if you would like me to clarify something then I am always happy to
Anonymous asked:
Hi!!!
What’s something that helps you remain focused and motivated ? I don’t take medication it’s taking agesss to get a diagnosis in the UK and my weekends are this vicious cycle of procrastination because I’m overwhelmed and getting nothing done, sorry if this is a lot ! ❤️
Hey, I absolutely relate. I'm in the UK too and have been waiting for an assessment for 3 years... the system is a mess :(
I have tried my best to come up with things that help me, hopefully some of these things might be able to help you too.
Strategies for Motivation
My best strategy is having a plan with fixed elements. By fixed element I mean something that is set by another person that I have to attend e.g. lectures, exercise classes, driving lessons, my job, volunteering.
I struggle to self-motivate (e.g. if I want to be in the library for 9, I would be lucky to be in there by 11). However, if I had a fixed event at 9, then I am able to get there for 9.
So I use fixed elements to get me out of the house, and plan around them. For example, I will sign up to an exercise class from 8-9, then after the class I will go the library. Since I have already gotten out of the house, the hardest part for me has already been done, so starting studying is way less challenging.
Strategies for Focus
- Try and work out whether they are particular times of day when you find it easier to get work done - I struggle to focus around midday so I aim to do work at other times
- Study in a variety of environments - I find having different places to work is quite helpful, even if that is just sitting on a different side of the library from normal
- Different places for different tasks - I find that I need different working environments to complete different tasks. For example, to write assignments I need a quiet environment, whereas to read I prefer a place with a bit more background noise e.g. a cafe
- Sensory input - I find certain types of sensory input helps me concentrate better e.g. fidget spinners, stim toys, chewing gum, hot drinks, stimming, listening to ambient noise or musical backing tracks
- Work out key areas where you tend to go off track and try to avoid them - for example, when studying at home, I know if I get dressed it will take me two hours before I can start work again, so I work in my pyjamas for as long as possible and leave getting ready until I need a break.
- Another example, I know going home from university completely kills my flow and my ability to work, so I stay at university (or otherwise out) until I have finished working for the day
- I absolutely swear by the forest app to keep me off my phone. Of course I can still procrastinate in other ways but it does remove a massive distraction
- Keep a piece of paper or some post it notes next to you. I find when I am studying I'll remember things that I need or want to do (e.g. empty washing machine, read X, looking up when assignment Y is due, wanting to read articles about Z on Wikipedia for fun, etc.) And then I will break my flow to go and do said thing and it will take me ages to start working again. So instead I jot down anything I think of and review it when I am done with my study session (note: there are of course exceptions where you will have to prioritise something above studying e.g. medication)
I hope something I have said here is helpful, if you have any more questions my ask box is always open, and if you would like me to clarify something then I am always happy to