I Don’t Care How Supposedly “hard” A Language Is. If I Fall In Love With It I Will Learn It.

14.04.2020: 48 / 50 days of productivity

i’m having a hard time staying focused today. i try to tell myself having a bad day is allowed and not the end of the world, but i have so much stuff to do. :(

quarantine day 32, classes are still suspended, tons of readings before class resume, a lot of water for hydration, caffeine to keep awake

~ rmi

i would like my 7-day weekends back (aka summer break)

ig: sonderstudy_

“Allow yourself to be bad at something. Nobody started off being excellent.”

— Unkown

at home for the remainder of the semester!

pro tip for small (shared) bedrooms with no desk space: a nice lap desk is heaven sent 🌟

i hope you’re all doing well!

college study tips that actually help

put your phone on silent and put it across the room

listen to classical/soundtrack music without lyrics

make index cards for important vocab

wear pajamas

make diagrams and pictures. they don’t have to look pretty, as long as you understand it

make timelines for historical events

have a light snack

drink coffee or tea to keep you going

take a break every hour or so

have one pencil/black pen and one colored pen or highlighter. anything more will just distract you. the aesthetics aren’t important, your knowledge is

don’t be afraid to email/message your teacher or a classmate if you don’t understand something. the last thing you want to do is learn the incorrect information

know that sleep and health is more important than your grade. you cannot perform as well on a test if you are tired or sick. take care of yourself

it’s not a race. it’s not about who can learn something in the quickest time, it’s about learning

take a deep breath 

prioritize your homework by how long it will take you and when it’s due

plan some you time in between studying and school

if you’re mentally exhausted, set a timer for 30 minutes and take a nap. any longer and you’ll wake up even more tired

don’t understand something? that’s perfectly fine, don’t stress over it. ask for help rather than complaining

have a goal in mind and write them down. say things like “i am getting an education so i can get the job of my dreams. the life that i want. the happiness that i deserve”

be thankful. it is a privilege that you get to go to school and get an education. 

you got this.

here are a few study tips on how to learn a new language 💻☺️:

1. start speaking as soon as possible. even when you haven’t learned too many words yet, the most important part of studying a language is not being afraid of using it. so download apps like hellotalk to get in touch with natives! of course, it’s even easier if you already have friends or family members speaking your target language.

2. study the most frequent words! there are tons of free so-called “frequency lists” online that prevent you from studying vocabulary you don’t need in the long run. with only 500 of the right words you could already have basic conversations!

3. get a lot of native exposure - through podcasts, videos and movies. there are so many recommendations on the internet, no matter what language you’re learning. the earlier you start immersing yourself in native material, even if it’s children’s books, the faster you’ll find yourself having fluent conversations!!

4. keep a weekly or daily diary to practice writing in your target language. even if it’s only composed of basic sentences, it’s the best way to use the vocabulary you’ve learned!

qotd: what language would you like to study next? i really look forward to studying Italian once I have a little bit more time!! 💕

[more posts like this on my instagram @softlyshade]

April 12

I'm told most universities do not have a Harry Potter style library. Sad!

Tumblr murdered the image quality

the best thing about language learning is that you don’t have to give up leisure time activities such as reading books or watching tv shows n you only have to switch that piece of media to your target language n you can enjoy it all the same while getting more necessary work done

📜 revisiting a developmental psych essay to apply some feedback i recently received. today has been so busy, but i’ve been more mindful of each task and reminding myself how important it is to take it slow (no matter how overwhelming the to-do list is to begin with). i’ve realized that a lot of my work-related anxiety comes down to feeling like i’m racing against the clock. so once those worries start creeping up, i take a second to breathe deep and get a sip of water. it’s been changing the course of my days in the most positive of ways. i hope you are all having a safe wednesday!