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FH I finished it quite quickly and it was very confusing and weird, but I've never really read gothic horror so there's that. I watched the movie on amazon prime too which helped a little bit but not much. It's very much based around Merricat's perspective so I guess that would be helpful to analyse but yeah. Websites like this can help: https://www.lindseyenglishtutoring.com/vce-resources/an-ultimate-guide-to-we-have-always-lived-in-the-castle

girlmeetsvce The 20-5-20 method (or the Pomodoro method) is where you choose a subject to work on for about an hour, and you do 20-25 mins work, and then take a 5min break (AWAY from your desk, preferable outside the room you're in. get some sun, air, movement, whatever. play a good song and dance to it whatever. stretch. exercise. anything but study) and then come back for another 20-25 mins. I find this super helpful because when I wanna go on my phone instead of study, I remind myself that there are only ___ mins left of my session.

Another key study motivator is making lists. Obviously everyone is different, but for me, I struggle with my attention span, so I break down tasks into smaller tasks. That way I get the satisfaction of ticking them off, and I'm never confused as to how to approach a task. I don't have the excuse of saying that there is nothing I can do. This helps slowly complete a task instead of waiting for the night before!

As for your phone, that is an obstacle you have to decide for yourself what you want to do, because having someone force you to not be on your phone is probably just going to build up resentment and won't work (I mean it might depending how attached to your phone you are). But maybe writing up a list of random activities you could do instead of going on your phone, or keeping track of your screen time may motivate you not to be on it as frequently? I found going cold turkey and deleting social media like instagram super helpful. Year 11 is the year to experiment with all these things, especially your school-work-life balance.

One LAST thing (I promise). Please do NOT keep studying once you have completely lost motivation. Studying won't always be fun or enjoyable, and sometimes you will have to suck it up and just do it. BUT, don't keep studying if nothing is sinking in and you have stopped paying attention. 6 hours of straight study is not gonna help you if those 6 hours were spent thinking about other things, or watching youtube or tiktok or whatever.

Hope that made sense

A lot of testing different techniques, which can be found online. I found the 20-5-20 method works really well! Short periods of study tend to be way more achievable than long periods of study. When they say breaks are important, they really mean it. It is SO NOT worth doing long periods of study and pushing through when you have clearly stopped paying attention. Find a good activity to do during breaks like dancing, stretching, going for a 5 min walk. Something to get you moving in the fresh air can help snap that lethargy. Also, phones. Figure out early in the year how much you want your phone to control you, because it will if you don't put in the effort to take a break from your phone. It is so easy to use it as an excuse to procrastinate. It is much better to procrastinate doing something enjoyable and productive if you really can't do schoolwork. Hope that helps!

FH i'd love to hear your thoughts on "we have always lived in the castle" because i STRUGGLED through that one and cheered when it was over, but then I paused and was like hmmm maybe not that bad?

ayeh654 key tips from a year 12: don't overthink it, as year 11 is mainly just about learning, and seeing your areas of weakness that need to be improved on. grades don't matter significantly, so use this year to figure out study techniques that work for you!! on the holidays, do a few hours of revision here and there, which can significantly reduce stress around exams. practice questions and cue cards will probably be your best friend