I'm very proud of myself!!! (+a bit of advice)

Hello everyone! This post might be a bit long but I'm very excited and proud of myself and I figured that this subreddit is the right place for it.

TLDR: I finally learned how to study after years of just kind of passing and I'm so happy I could jump over the moon.

I was always one of those kids that didn't need to study. Now, I never had straight A's but I was managing B and C consistently without much trouble.

As those stories usually go - my academic performance slowly got worse and worse. By the time I finished high school I didn't know what to do with myself and blindly chose a degree I had no interest in.

I then continued to not study thinking it'll be the same as high school but, of course, it wasn't. By the time the second semester started I was MISARABLE. I thought I was gonna spend the rest of my days crying in my bed. I thought I was simply stupid.

I decided to start studying and quickly discovered this subreddit. Then I realized that I have no clue how to actually study and that rereading my notes is not gonna save me.

But I pushed through, changed my degree to something completely different than what everyone (including myself) expected from me and got to work.

After A LOT of work I found multiple study methods that work for me and now I'm a student representative with a 4,6 average! This is about a million times better than I ever imagined!

I figured I'll share what methods work for me because this sub is filled with people asking for this kind of advice so here you go (keep in mind that my degree is history related so it might not be as helpful for you math freaks):

- Firstly I realized I need my notes to be in a physical form. What I do is I take notes on every lecture and then when time to study for exams rolls around (usually two weeks before exams for me), I'll go over all of my notes and rewrite them into a word document. I really clean them up as I go, explain things I'm unsure about, look up additional info and so on. I then print them and go over them again and write down more details in pen around the pages.

- Secondly, and dont ask me how or why it works, I discovered that the best way for me to retain information is to record myself (video - not just voice) explaining the subject to myself. I've tried explaining stuff to others instead and it sort of works but as good as this. I also make sure that it's not just me reading the notes - I really get into it! I try to make it funny, use a lot of gesticulation and intonation that make it seem like I'm talking about the latest gossip. Does it make me feel (and probably look) very silly? Yes. But it works!

If at any point of explaining stuff to myself I'm not sure about something or can't remember it, I immediately pause the recording and look for that information. Once I'm done recording (on average those videos are about 45 minutes long) I'll take a long break. I'll go on a walk or take a shower, then make myself some really good food. I then bring my food to my desk and, while eating, watch that video instead of youtube. It works wonders!

- Also - tables! My goodness! If I can put any information into a table I can remember everyting! Really it's RIDICOULUS how much information you can stuff into tables by comparing things. So many tables. I love tables.

- I force myself to speak during lectures. I have an anxiety disorder and one of the ways it manifests is I find speaking in public to be quite difficult (to the oint that sometimes after asking a question in a classroom I need to leave to calm down or I'll either pass out or have a full panic attack) but, and I'm gonna hold your hand while I say this, there is NO better way of understanding something than asking your lecturer in the moment. Yes, it's horrible. But you need to do it. I will literally prepare mentally and get heart palpitations but I force myself to do it.

Good news - it is a skill that get's easier with time. A lot of time but still. I used to get headaches from stress if I asked more than one question during a lecture but now I get them only half of the time and also the teachers will love you!

- I only take breaks once I'm done with something. I now that a lot of people love the pomodoro or some other variation of work to short break time ratio but it doesn't work for me. If I get up for a break I immediately loose focus and go off for hours. I DO take breaks! But my ratio looks more like 3h study - 2h break - 3h study. Small breaks are horrible for me so if you're getting started on your journey make sure to check different ratios to find one suited for you - it might not be the most popular one.

- I remind myself how miserable I was on my previous studies and how grateful I am that I get to study something so fascinating now! Whenever I'm not motivated I "gaslight" myself into believing that I love studying and change my mindset from I have to study to I get to study. Again - silly but works!

- I started using YPT to track my time and keep my phone locked. I also joined a group where you have to hit 15h a week and it keeps me want to sit and study more and more to prove to myself and others that I can do it.

I'm so incredibly proud of myself and if I can do it - you also can! Thanks to all of the wonderful people in this sub motivating me and giving me ideas to try on my own!