Mindful December study and self-care challenge
Okay, so here is my December study and self-care challenge! It’s thought to be motivational and habit-forming, but bear in mind that everyone works differently and is involved in a different field, so if you need to make adjustments to this challenge to fit your personal needs, then do it. Feel free to adjust this and view it as a source of motivation and inspiration. Also, you don’t need to this in the right order. The most important thing about this challenge is that you get to know yourself better and find peace while moving in the right direction personally.
You can dedicate daily posts to this challenge in which you elaborate the questions, but of course its also okay to post nothing at all or just on selected days where you feel like you have anything to say, especially because this is a very personal thing. If you decide to post something, you can tag them with #al study challenge. I’d love to read about your experiences!
1. Tidy up your study space and make a mind map of things that you want to accomplish this month, as well as a list of deadlines for December and January. Keep in mind that a clean study space needs to be kept up with during this challenge, so it’s a daily task to keep it neat. Also, remember to drink enough water or tea during this challenge and to sleep well.
2. Do you have a big project coming up? I need to write a 15-page-essay, so this needs a lot of preparation. Make a mind map for that big project as well.
3. Create a study routine plan, so that you will accomplish your goal and make it realistic. You know yourself best, so make up a plan that you’ll be able to stick to. Set up the goal of doing at least one thing a day. Of course, more is fine, but don’t overwork yourself.
4. Start planning your days in the morning (or in the evening before), if you don’t already. Also, try to be mindful. How are you feeling today? What are your plans besides studying? You don’t need to study for 5 hours straight because others do. You can, but it’s not necessary. It’s also fine to take a day off in case you’re not feeling well. Just do some little thing, a short assignment or a reading that is fun. Keep that in mind.
5. Meditate for at least 10 minutes. Sit or lay down comfortably and focus on your breath. Try to control your thoughts by trying to think nothing or of a specific word or thing. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t work right away.
6. Try the pomodoro technique for doing a task that you don’t really like and have problems focusing on. You study for 25 minutes, and then do a 5 minute break. Repeat this, and take a long break after 3 or 4 sessions, or stop studying, if you’ve accomplished your goal for the day.
7. Record yourself reading out some of your notes that you need to remember, go for a walk and listen to it. Did this method work for you? Do you remember more?
8. Don’t forget that project you’re working on! Read through some literature or do some more revising. Check your progress, and make adjustments on your planning or your mind map if necessary.
9. Time-log your day to become mindful of what you spend your time on. Eliminate obvious distractions. Remember that it’s perfectly fine to do pointless things just for fun in between, but your daily life shouldn’t be centered around playing Candy Crush.
10. Do something study-related that has to do with other people. Study with friends, start a study group or read an essay of someone else to see how study methods of other people look like or how they think differently than you. Try to pick something up that you remember and learn from.
11. Try out a different study space and see how well you do there. You could work at the library, or in the kitchen instead of your desk, or at a café. Reflect how you did there, and you were able to work out more effectively, think about changing your study space.
12. Declutter. Make space in your room, and therefore space in your head. You could sort some things out that you don’t use anyway, and either throw them away, sell or donate them or gift them to someone. There are great Facebook groups for doing that.
13. Do you move your body regularly? Doing some sort of fitness activity strengthens your ability to discipline yourself, but also your brain and muscles. Try it out! Go to a local gym and do a free trial training or look up workouts on Youtube. You can try Yoga, Pilates, or more challenging stuff like HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training).
14. Check the apps on your phone. Which do you spend most time on and why? Are they useful in any way, or are they a waste of time? Could you download some more apps that could help you reach your goals, like drinking more water? Remember day 9.
15. How does your sleep schedule look like? Is it regular? Try to go to bed earlier and get up earlier or later and see in which direction your productivity levels go.
16. How do you motivate yourself? Have you already established a method that works for you? If you don’t need motivation for studying and can rely on your discipline, that’s great, but a little motivation doesn’t hurt anyone. You could make a vision board or watch study videos on Youtube, for example.
17. Have you thought about trying something new in the past weeks or months, like learning a new instrument or language? Why don’t you give it a try?
18. Do something for your body, as this self-care concerning your outside will also reflect on your inside. Buy or mix your own face mask, take a long and hot shower or bath, put on make-up or put lotion all over your body. Do something you’re comfortable with.
19. In the past 17 days, you have implemented studying into your routine. Did you have any distracting thoughts? If so, what were they about? Were they centered around a special topic? In which location are you able to study best? Think about those things to improve your productivity.
20. What have you procrastinating for the longest time? Do it, or at least start doing it. If you can’t make yourself do it, at least try to start and say yourself you’ll do it for five minutes. Try to do five more, and so on. How do you feel afterwards?
21. Read something for enjoyment. Light up a scented candle, make yourself comfortable and enjoy the book.
22. What is your favorite planning method, and which have you already tried? Which didn’t you try yet? Maybe it is time to find out what method is the most effective for you personally.
23. Watch a documentary that widens your horizon. Either on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Youtube or any other platform you can think of. Suggested topics: Environment, consumerism, nutrition, animals, science.
24. Do you have a personal book which addresses personal development? Which is it? Who, would you say, could this help, and with which issues? What did it help you with? If you haven’t read one yet, why not do some research? You don’t have to buy a book if you don’t want to, of course.
25. Reflect: What has helped you personally, and in your studies and what didn’t? Maybe repeat some daily challenges on the remaining days of the month. Remember to enjoy the end of the year, make yourself a nice time and don’t pressure yourself too much. Have a nice New Year’s Eve and Christmas, in case it’s celebrated in your culture or in your life or family, personally.
It’s that time of the year again
