How to romanticise studying

Computing and Creative Design student Abrar shares how she’s learned to “romanticise” studying at RGU, turning every day routines and chores into something calming, motivating, and even enjoyable. Discover her top tips to unlock study habits that support both your productivity and wellbeing!

What is romanticising?

Romanticising means making productive tasks such as studying, going to class, cleaning and so on more enjoyable to do. You can find many YouTube videos or reels on Pinterest explaining how to do this. At first it may seem overwhelming as you see everyone doing different things, but I would start out small and then find out what works best for you.

How I started:

The number one rule for starting any productive studying journey is having a routine! Routines are a way for your brain to get used to doing everyday tasks without procrastinating it. You can use morning routines, gym routines, night routines and so on.

My morning routine (without university)

  1. Get up from bed at a reasonable time (I usually wake up from 8-9). No doom scrolling allowed!
  2. Go to the bathroom and start my skincare.
  3. Brush my hair.
  4. Make up my bed.
  5. Clean up any other messes that shouldn’t be in my room (dishes, snack wrappers, etc).
  6. Have breakfast – I usually have eggs on toast, avocado as well if I feel extra productive.
  7. Log onto my laptop and check my daily list and calendar, add anything onto this daily list if needed.
  8. Turn on the Pomodoro 50/10 timer and get to work! Use the daily list on what modules I have to work/study on.

As you can see it’s a very simple routine. Please don’t get influenced by the 100-step routines online that are very unrealistic. Setting unrealistic standards for yourself will cause burn out and frustration! Always start with things you already do and then slowly add new habits such as working out, nature walking , etc.

I always like to wake up early so I can give myself enough time to study and work on my coursework. I always tend to get sleepy around 21.00 and would rarely work late as my fatigue takes over. This is a preference, many of my friends like to work late and sleep until 10.00 or later. You can try out what timeframe suits you best as energy is always important.

The thing I prioritise the most here is my comfort. In order not to get burnt out from being productive, you need to value your comfort and mental health. I used to want to become those influencers who did so much in the mornings: Pilates class, working out at home, doing an extensive skincare and hair routine, and so on. I quickly disliked it which resulted in me not being productive for a while.

My study methods

As mentioned before, I use a Pomodoro timer. This timer has honestly saved my life as I’ve never been good at time managing. The timer helps me build discipline and makes my day feel longer. That way, I don’t feel like I’m running out of time.

I use the 50/10 timer which basically means 50 minutes of work time, followed by a 10-minute break. You can also split between 25 minutes and a 5-minute break. Alter the timing to your liking.

You can use this online timer: https://studywithme.io/aesthetic-pomodoro-timer/. You can set cute wallpapers as well as change the timer notification sound on there.

Pomodoro videos

If you want a more aesthetic study session, you can find many videos that will suit your aesthetic and study needs. You can find 3-hour to 6-hour study sessions with different pomodoro timers. You can have sessions with music, no music, white noise, rain, fireplace noises as well as different times and locations.

Here are some that I use:

My personal favourite at the moment is the last link! It makes me feel less lonely when I study as she likes to speak to you on the breaks and talks about what she studied. There is no music and just background noise plus her typing and working. I’m not sure how but I started to focus quickly when I started using it. Maybe seeing someone else be productive makes you want to do the same, as if you are studying together.

My daily lists

I mentioned before I like to use to-do lists. I tend to use Notion for this, it’s a good website to download templates and use as your own.

When I’m at uni and realise I have to study a certain topic, or get something done for coursework that week, I write it down straight away. I always like to sort the list according to subject. Having a list can make you feel accomplished and motivate you to study more. I also like to make these tasks small to make them achievable.

What not to write:

Complete Coursework #1 for 2nd of December.

This is a HUGE task. Looking at this will make you feel demotivated and unable to complete the task.

What to write instead:

Complete Coursework #1 for 2nd of December:

  • Do research
  • Ask for feedback
  • Write Design Document due next week
  • Talk to team about…

This is way better! You still keep the overall due date of this coursework whilst also listing the small tasks needed for you to complete it. This will feel satisfying to complete as you set realistic and easy goals to keep you motivated!

My self-care

To finish this blog, I will now talk about self-care. And no, this isn’t about following the recent trends that lead to unnecessary spending. This is how YOU would like to reward yourself after or before being productive.

The best way to find good self-care tips is going on YouTube and seeing how others may do it. It’s inspiring and relatable to see other students like you who want to relax. Also, a morning/night routine also counts as self-care.

A good example is Self-Care Sundays! What I like to do is wake up at 8am, put some hair oil on my scalp and a face mask. I then study for two hours. After that, I either take a bath or an everything shower to make myself clean and smell good. One of the main things students such as myself neglect sometimes in exam season is hygiene. So, this is a good way to make this process enjoyable and relaxing. I always like to put on relaxing music or something energetic to start my day with motivation.

Another good way to look after yourself is journaling. In the morning, you could write your goals, self-affirmations and any other personal things. Before bed, you can write what you have accomplished and what you will do tomorrow.

Now this may be the popular method but here is how I like to journal. Since I already write down my goals/list online, I tend to use my journal for jotting down ideas. Think of it like a discussion with yourself. Sharing your thoughts on a piece of paper will do wonders with stress or any other negative emotion! It will help clear your mind before you start your study sessions or before sleeping.

Abrar

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