u/Unfair_Purpose_6526

Hello everyone :) I’m a Uni student abroad and for a while I was really struggling with studying, I would sit for hours, get distracted easily, and at the end of the day I felt tired but not really productive. At some point I realized it was just about what I was doing during those hours.

Here are a few things that made a difference for me:

-If something feels “too easy”, I’m probably not learning anything: When I reread notes and everything feels familiar, I used to think “ok I got this”. Most of the time I didn’t, so now I treat that feeling as a red flag and switch to testing myself instead.

-Before exams I force myself into uncomfortable testing: Instead of going over everything again, I upload all my notes into Turbo AI and I generate quizzes for me then I try to answer without looking. It’s frustrating because you get things wrong but that’s the point, it shows exactly where you’re weak and what are the topics you need to focus on.

-I stopped trying to understand everything perfectly on the first pass: I used to get stuck on one paragraph for 20 minutes. Now I move on if I don’t get something immediately and come back later. Weirdly, it often makes more sense the second time.

-I separate “understanding” from “remembering”: Just because I understand something doesn’t mean I can recall it under pressure. I started treating these as two different steps and practicing both.

-If I can’t explain it simply, I don’t know it: Explaining things out loud (even to myself) exposes gaps instantly

-Some sessions are just bad, and that’s fine: I used to think every study session had to be productive, now I accept that some are messy or slow, but they still contribute and trying to force “perfect sessions” was making things worse.

-Time spent preparing to study was too much: Cleaning notes, organizing everything, making it look nice, it felt productive but didn’t really move the needle. I try to keep that part minimal now.

That’s what worked for me, but I’d love to hear what helps you study better

I came across this idea recently and it seems pretty fun, especially if you want something creative that doesn't cost much to start. The basic idea is to collect flowers, press and dry them, then use them to make laminated bookmarks or clear resin decorations. You can use wildflowers, flowers from your garden, herbs, or small leaves. If you have a balcony or backyard, most of your “inventory” is basically free. You can press everything inside a heavy book, so you don't even need to buy a proper flower press at the beginning. For the bookmark version, you only need the flowers, some laminating sheets, and access to a laminator. The material cost per bookmark is really low, and similar handmade bookmarks often sell for around $5 each on Etsy. The resin version costs a little more to start because you need resin and silicone molds. A basic kit is usually around $30, but once you have the molds, each piece only uses a small amount of material. People sell dried-flower resin blocks, paperweights, coasters, and decorations for around $15 to $25 depending on the size and design. You could also make custom pieces using wedding flowers, birthday bouquets, or flowers from other important occasions. That probably has more potential than just selling random designs because the product has sentimental value. It seems like one of those ideas you could test for under $30 without taking much risk. Make five or ten designs, take some decent photos, list them online, and see whether anyone is interested before buying more supplies.