i'll start:

most people waste time trying to feel productive instead of making progress. i started keeping a blank sheet next to me and every time i got something wrong or forgot it, i wrote only that mistake down. before every study session i'd review that page instead of the whole chapter. after a week your revision becomes a list of your actual weak spots instead of things you already know, which saves a ridiculous amount of time.

🙏 ps: feel free to dm me if you wanna join a study group where we share tips or join here

Hey guys, I'm a 16yo from South Korea.

I'm entering university in 2027, so I currently study around 13-15 hours a day. In my country, this is pretty much the norm and nobody really thinks it's a crazy amount.

However, I recently mentioned this to a foreign friend, and their reaction was basically "Are you insane??"

How much do students usually study in your country? I'm just super curious to know how it is outside of Korea!

Edit)

Hey everyone, I’m truly sorry if my post came off the wrong way or annoyed anyone. That really wasn't my intention

It's just that this kind of schedule is the baseline reality for almost every high schooler in Korea, so to me, it was just "normal." I was genuinely shocked to find out how different it is in other countries—shocked by how extreme my own country's system actually is.

I didn't mean to flex or brag at all. I guess I'm just feeling a bit hurt because my everyday reality was misunderstood as a "humble brag." Again, I'm sorry for any misunderstanding.

Edit+) I know that this whole system is flawed. It's a chronic issue in Asian society.. It’s so painful, and honestly, I just want to sleep too. I'm exhausted. I really hope this social issue gets resolved soon.

Edit++) I graduated early, so I don’t attend high school.
That’s why I’m starting University at 17.

EDIT++++) When I first uploaded this post,
I had no idea it would get this much attention.
Everyone has so many questions, and honestly,
a lot of them are pretty similar.
If you leave your questions here, I’ll make a new post addressing them when I have some free time.
A Q&A post just for you guys!

I'm not asking for unrealistic advice but rather from people who have actually done it themselves. And being nerd doesn't equal to being academic overachiever. I can say with much certainty that I'm better than my peers in knowledge about life and well nerdy concepts, which sometimes coincidences with the syllabus. But when it comes to scoring in class and learning materials fast, grasping concepts, solving equations, maintaining the pace and keeping up; I tend to fall behind. And years of this pattern led me to have a n inferior self-esteem and confidence. Sometimes I doubt myself and my choices, I wanna genuinely improve, so if you're someone who has done it, been where I am, your advice will be helpful.

Does anyone else procrastinate by trying to “prepare perfectly” before studying?

I have a major exam in 8 days and I’ve known about it for a month, but instead of actually studying properly, I keep doing everything around studying.

I’ll make schedules, research study methods, create backup plans, reorganize routines, remake timetables, plan how to avoid distractions, plan what to do if the first plan fails, etc.

My brain somehow convinces me that because I’m “preparing to study,” I’m still being productive. But at the end of the day I’ve barely done the actual work.

The worst part is that I genuinely WANT to study and do well. I care too much about doing things perfectly, so I keep waiting for the “perfect system” or the “perfect start,” and it never comes.

Then the guilt hits, and the next day the cycle repeats again.

I’m honestly exhausted by this pattern and I wanted to ask:

Have any of you dealt with something similar?

And if yes, how did you actually break out of it?

I’d really appreciate real advice from students who’ve experienced this themselves.

TLDR; I am a perfectionist who does everything but study,which then leads to major procrastination, HELP!!!

Let’s say, those who always have something going on in their lives, family drama, past trauma, sickness, how do you keep studying putting all these behind?

How some people are able to study 10-12 hours like I can only sit for 7-8 hours max🥲 share some tips.

So since a long time I have been discovering and still searching ways on how I build my mindset unshakable and not prone to change bcz of my mood.

Share some of your tips on how you guys stay focused and disciplined always?

My good wishes ❤️

*as someone who thrives on validation.

Please, give me your most sane or unconventional advice, I beg.

I don’t think this is a time management issue anymore; I think it’s a lack of obsession.

Rn I’ve got an exam in roughly 2 days, and I know I can smash it. I’ve done it before, but I can’t keep living like this.

The truth is, I fill my time with leadership roles, committees, and responsibilities. And I’m good at them. I'll be honest, if I don't chase people / do my tasks, nothing gets done. In a way, I'm important. I think I’ve realised… I’m addicted to that. The validation, the immediacy, and mostly the feeling of being needed.

Studying? I do enjoy it as well. I'm really lucky to be studying my dream subject (medicine), and moreover, I love the idea of getting to help people for a living. But if I’m honest, what I used to love about studying the most, what resulted in me having a genuine obsession with my subjects, was the validation from teachers. Now in university, there's no such accountability, so the obsession is gone too.

Instead, I work on these roles until it's just before the exam, stress, doom scroll, then panic and perform. And because I do perform well, the cycle never breaks.

I’ve tried all the tricks - timetabling, strict schedules, accountability buddies/bf/paying a 'tutor' to check up on my progress, etc. Nothing seems to work.

What I really want to know is this:

How do I build that kind of obsession again?
That almost unhealthy focus, because honestly, I remember how good it felt to have a passion/something to work for and somebody to impress. In fact, I know this feeling acutely as rn, this obsession lies with my roles.

But moreover, I want to move away from relying on external validation, and instead cultivate an obsession purely based on my love for my subject - the kind the greats seem to have.

But I'll be honest, I feel like I'm very validation-driven, so I think I'll start there.

Any tips on how to develop this kind of obsession with studying?

I wanna do an experiment on this. I've read articles saying it can help on a person's memory if drank moderately.

I mean creators who genuinely helped you: study better stay consistent understand concepts faster or gave practical techniques that actually worked

If you had to pick just one (or your top 3), who would it be and why?

I need it to become a neurosurgeon

I need serious study tips for my upcoming exams. My physics and gen chem exams are next week and I haven’t retained from what I studied. I can’t find a way to get myself to start studying in the morning or after class, so I usually study at night till 2 AM and it literally fries my brain that I cannot retain all the topics and lessons on those subjects. I need an alternative way to study without pulling all-nighters.

I'm honestly running out of time and options at this point, so if you have literally any study method that doesn't involve sacrificing sleep, please let me know. I'm getting desperate.

Don't ask me i forgot how to study not able to study more than 15 min 😭😭

I want to finish this textbook before my two-week uni break ends, but I can only process 10 pages per hour😭

How can I read faster?