Halfway through Year 12, haven’t started writing study notes yet. What do I do??

[novaceko]

Gosh, I don’t even know where to start. 

I’ve watched an overwhelming amount of “how to study” videos and know about active recall, systems, discipline not motivation, having a study timetable… but I just can’t seem to sit down and start. There is too much to do. I’ve tried writing notes only just to fall behind on them and feel lazy to catch up on 3 week’s work, but I still have a nagging guilt behind my head and STILL do nothing about it. It makes me feel so disappointed in myself, knowing I have so much more I COULD do and everyday I just feel so sluggish and hopeless. Other times I actually do around 30 minutes of studying only to feel proud of myself and take a 3 hr break before feeling horrible and reconsidering life decisions. I really haven’t done any past practice papers either and basically all of my time is spent on homework (both school and tutoring). There are still gaps from Year 11 that I haven’t fixed and plenty I don’t remember (because of my sadly short-term memory and slow mind) in Year 12. My parents expect me to do well and I don’t even know if I feel stressed or anxious anymore, cause at this point I’m just going with the flow and achieving ~70’s when I’m aiming for a 90+ ATAR to get into my course AND I actually NEED to studdyjdksdj

Would it still be helpful if I start writing notes for some of my subjects (Chemistry, Biology, Eng Adv) when I’m already halfway through Year 12? Or should I just do practice papers instead? Please help!

Thanks!

[jinx_58]

As a fellow year 12, I suggest you look at the syllabus dot points. Find out specifically what you don't know or understand. Then look for notes specifically answering the dot points and take notes on that. Do practice exams after you've fully understood the content.

It is quite a process but keep reminding yourself why you're doing this. I had a similar problem and what I did was I made a moodboard kinda thing. Its lowkey aesthetic with pictures of where I wanna be in the future. It keeps me going.

There's a quote that keep me accountable everyday: "Ask yourself if what you are doing right now is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow."

I hope this helps,
 - jinx_58

[somebody8442]

You're spending something pretty expensive here. And a lot of it. Something many year 12s are told is to not waste time when possible but most of them end up procrastinating and then cry in guilt because they spent 3 hours on games and other things which make them forget about what's ahead of them.

Since you need a 90+ atar for your course, you can't be like the others. Also, when you said you have short term memory and a slow mind, that deserves a Cap-Of-The-Year award. You DON'T have short term memory loss OR a slow brain. Instead, you are demotivated.

Now, what's done is done. Everything that you talked about is the past. We don't care about the past. Time moves in one direction and so should you. I, personally, feel that you should practice mindfulness for 5-10 minutes before you study just to clear your head of any regrets, distractions, insecurities and whatever you have which is negative. THEN, begin from your year 11 content and clear everything you don't know. Like, do that right NOW. Go to youtube, your textbook, your teacher or someone here on Atar Notes to get help and try clearing your doubts and gaps so you can catch up.

As for your question, if writing notes is something you think works for you, then go ahead and write compressed summaries of what you learnt. If you feel that it will make the situation worse because it doesn't help you, then do what works. Once you have learnt what you need to know, start immediately on practice tests and do tons of them. I won't sugar coat this, but you should have explored your study habits and learning style even before year 11 to get a 90+ atar. That being said, it's still possible to get 90+ but you gotta work your ass off to get there.

Good luck, and don't waste your time.

[Credence]

Writing in paragraphs is a lengthy process. I think what you should do is solve practice papers and simultaneously note down important points question-wise. This could help you as a quick peak study material before exams. I don't know if it will actually work. Just a suggestion.
All the best and you definitely need a lot of hard work.