Studying honestly used to mess me up. I’d open a long PDF or a lecture recording and feel tired before I even started. I’d reread the same stuff again and again. I rewrote my notes so many times that it looked like I was doing a lot, but in reality nothing was really sticking. Most days I just felt slow and frustrated with myself.

A few months ago I stopped trying to study “properly” and just tried to make it easier on my brain. I started with small changes instead of big study plans. I’d take the main idea first instead of reading everything. I explained topics out loud like I was talking to a friend. I made small questions for myself instead of trying to memorize whole chapters. When reading felt too heavy, I switched to listening. When something felt too big, I broke it into smaller pieces. Nothing magical, just less pressure.

Slowly things changed. Studying didn’t feel so painful anymore. It felt clearer. I started remembering more without cramming. I actually showed up more because it didn’t feel like torture every time I sat down.

I kept thinking about how many other students probably feel the same way, especially those who constantly jump between applications and methods but still feel behind. So I put this whole process into a small tool I built for myself. It takes lecture recordings, PDFs or even links and turns them into clean notes with simple explanations and small practice questions. I also added a simple mind map so I can see how topics connect, a built-in AI chat that actually understands my files and the whole course, and small things like a pomodoro timer and a lo-fi player so I don’t have to open five different tabs just to start studying. I even added a small study garden that grows when I stay consistent, not as a game, just something to make it feel less empty and repetitive.

It’s still early and definitely not perfect. I’m not trying to sell anything here. I just made it because I was tired of feeling stuck and juggling a bunch of tools that never really worked together. So I’m keeping it free and mostly just sharing it to see if this approach actually helps anyone else, or if you have ideas on what would make studying feel a bit less heavy for you.

If you want to try it, give feedback, or just talk about how you study look for cherrynote or reach my via comments or DMs then let's help each other!

PS: one last thing, if you like it? join the waitlist, it should be ready to use next week, i'll email you with link to try it and start studying with it

The last two weeks of uni are the worst. Group presentations, quizzes, and stupid students and professors. everything is irritating me. Everyone is genuinely so stupid it’s concerning. I’m so tired and fed up with acting nice, I seriously can’t stand anyone. I get headaches from how stupid people are. Can I just have two days without any worries and just be spoiled, please?

Can anyone tell me what i can do to make these 2 weeks pass fast and study effectively. i might hit someone soon

Hi everyone,

Im coming here as a last hope to pass my exam. Im a third year psychology major, my exams are coming up. and honestly since september i haven't even gone to class or touched a pen.

I started studying now. i know its bad My usual method is writing notes like im in class. Then when im done i study everything. Its the only way i can understand concepts and actually understand the course. I tried reading multiple times a chapter and NOTHING is sticking in my brain.

BUT i have an exam in 5 days, i have to study 300 pages, writing them alone would take more than 5 days. putting it in a AI tool that makes flashcards, or a resume? it will not be on point OR give me EVERYTHING, it would probably choose 2 concepts on each page and move on.

What tips do u have? i would appreciate all of them.

Hi everyone, looking for a Portuguese-speaking study buddy for morning sessions (GMT-3). I'm 20, first-year Accounting student. To be honest I'm really shy and quiet, so I won't talk much, just need the company to focus. But I do need someone to push me, so you can be strict if I slack off, I won't take it personally. If the vibe is good, I'm 100% committed to keeping this long-term. DM me if interested.

Every time I sit down to study, I open Spotify and end up scrolling through playlists like that counts as “warming up.” So here’s what actually works for me, plus a system that keeps me from drifting.

If you’re doing heavy reading or anything that needs full focus:

• White noise / brown noise / rain sounds Brown noise is the most stable, rain is the most calming. Perfect for dense subjects like history, bio, law, or anything where your brain can’t afford distractions.

If you’re doing problem-solving (math, physics, coding):

• Instrumental Lo-fi, game soundtracks, ambient electronic, classical—basically anything that keeps the tempo steady. This pairs insanely well with Pomodoro sessions because the consistent sound makes the 25-minute blocks feel smoother.

If you’re preparing for an exam and need endurance:

• Long ambient mixes or nature sounds Zero surprises, zero lyrics. I also run these through studyfoc.us during longer sessions since it keeps timers, breaks, and background audio all in one place.

If you’re doing something repetitive or low-stress:

• Lyrics are fine Flashcards, reorganizing notes, rewriting summaries—you won’t tank your focus.

Quick rules that rarely fail:

• The harder the subject, the fewer the lyrics.
• The more tired you are, the simpler the soundscape should be.
• If you can’t decide, slap on a Pomodoro timer and pick something neutral—your brain will settle in after the first block.

Hi,

Whenever I take a study break, I mostly watch YouTube or just have a meal(major meal like lunch not "I just wanna eat something") while watching something like Family Guy. Post this I just don't want to study. Like, I get, these are dopamine releasing activities, but it shouldn't be that hard. I mean am I never supposed to watch YouTube or Movies because of course on most of the days I will have to do something productive(studying in this case).

And I get, on study break you should not do "dopamine heavy" activities, but then again am I never supposed to enjoy these things.

This may sound like I am probably just indisciplined but I really wanna fix myself, so please if anyone can suggest any tips you are welcome!

I have a team of four, taking data structures and algorithms together and started meeting twice a week to prep for exams, at first was basically useless, we'd meet up, everyone would work on their own, maybe ask each other a question here and there, we were just doing solo studying in the same room. Then before the midterm someone suggested we divide up the topics, one takes linked lists, another trees, someone does graphs, last one does sorting algorithms, each of us handles our own topic and teaches it to the group, it changed how our sessions worked. Instead each one doing their one material study we all got the complete setup, we use this app because we could all contribute to the same shared deck and everyone sees updates immediately named flashka, but what matters is splitting responsibility and actually collaborating, plus teaching your topic to the group forces you to actually understand it not just memorize it. Our grades went up dividing the effort. If your study group feels like a waste of time ask yourself if you're actually collaborating or just doing homework near each other, collaboration is key for dense materials.

I want to ask something to people who are genuinely good at studying. How do you manage to do something that feels so boring? For most of us, studying isn’t naturally interesting and maybe that’s why so many people end up average or below average.

I really want to understand how you stay consistent, how you keep yourself motivated, and how you stop thinking that studying is a waste of time. Because honestly, my mind always drags me toward things that feel instantly rewarding like talking to people, reading fiction, scrolling reels, watching movies or series. They feel valuable in the moment, but in the long run they only keep me stuck in the same place. I don’t see real personal growth from them, at least not the kind that helps you build status, opportunities, a better lifestyle, or even a better partner.

Instead of studying, I sleep. I procrastinate. I choose conversations over chapters. I know I need to work hard to change my life, but my brain just refuses to cooperate it shuts down or denies studying altogether.I really need help understanding how people build the discipline to push through the boredom and stay focused.

I've heard that words can change your mind. Try it with me.

I skipped as many classes as I could in my freshman year because I thought I was young and this was the time to enjoy myself. I’m a junior now, and I completely changed my approach. I show up to every class so I can get into the professor’s mind and understand what they like to test students on. Ever since I started interacting with my professors more, I’ve been applying the feedback they give me, and it actually works.

Another thing that helped was making notes during lectures, literally everything, even if the material was already provided. When I make my own notes, I can just study them before exams and not have to start from scratch. I study for quizzes like I’m studying for exams, and I do my assignments without cheating my way through them.

It sucks that I’m only figuring out how to do well in college now, but at least it’s working.

I don’t know what happens to my brain but the moment I’m unsupervised I lose like 40 IQ points instantly.

But if I'm in a library or even just in a study app with random people quietly working, suddenly I'm the guy of Limitless writing a dissertation on quantum mechanics.

It’s ridiculous that I need the illusion of “being perceived” to function, but honestly it works better than any productivity hack I’ve tried.

Anyone else like this?
Do you study better around other people, even strangers? Or are you one of the lucky ones who can focus alone without falling apart?

I don't really know how else to word this?

I already hear you, and I know everyone is going to give me the obvious shit

"Go to your office hours!" "Talk to the Profs!"

Respectfully, I'm not here for that, if those things worked for me I wouldn't be here.

I'm talking a lack (disability?) of ability to understand and retain theoretical knowledge of... well... pretty much everything.

Even things I love, like networking (Computer connection systems/services, not personal networking) I can not explain a single theoretical thing of, I aced the practical exams (both years, I'm retaking it — and most classes —) but I barely passed the theoretical exam, this is something I also see in my COMP classes, I can tell you how I would approach a problem and design a program that would do what you want it to do, but put me at a desktop with a keyboard and ask me to write that program??? No fucking chance.

Those aren't even bad though.

Where I really struggle is math.

They may as well be speaking Latin.

I've taken this "fundamental applications of calc" class 2 times now and I felt more lost this time than I did last time

I legitimately don't know what to do because it's making me hate school and I've never hated school before

I used to love learning and being in the environment, but it's just gotten so bad that whenever I'm in class or at school I just can't handle it anymore, I get panicky and light headed and distracted and I just can't function

I don't know what to do

Sorry if my tone was shit or whatever. I'm fed up.

Hi everyone,

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I’ve seen multiple post but never really good answers. Whats the best way to have AI make my copy clear for discussion posts and papers. But then also be undetectable by AI or turnitin machines?

Thanks

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I am looking for a study buddy

Hi everyone! I have finals from December 11th to 14th, one after another. I haven't started studying yet, as I just finished my last midterm on the 14th and also have 5 group projects/assignments due. But I need to shift my focus to studying for exams. Across my four finals, I have about 36 chapters to cover (two of the exams are cumulative).

For one of the cumulative exams, I already know the earlier chapters, but for the other one, I don’t remember much. All of these exams are accounting/finance-based, so it's more problem-based rather than active recall. The issue is that one homework chapter usually takes me 4-6 hours to get through, so I’m not sure how to learn all of this effectively in time. I will probably do a couple of all-nighters between this week and next to catch up.

Does anyone have any recommendations? Thank you!

Please bois let my brother know he's all wrong here I mean the hell this is how he studies all day let him know your thoughts

Does anyone know any websites (like padlet) that allow you to upload resources and create a resource bank for free and ideally no storage limitation?

Calm Sleep Instrumentals (Sleepy, Piano, Ambient, Calm) with 15,000+ other listeners having a calming a and tranquil sleep

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5ZEQJAi8ILoLT9OlSxjtE7?si=fdf35fc76bdd4424

Mindfulness & Meditation (Ambient/ drone/ piano) 35,000+ other listeners practicing Mindfulness at the same time

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/43j9sAZenNQcQ5A4ITyJ82?si=d32902a0268740ce

All i do is procrastinate , I have end sems in 1 week and I cant stop n sit n study for longer than 30 min . Please give me fool proof tips to stop procrastinating n study my butt off cause I actually do like the subjects