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CSE 2021: Plan / Strategy / Daily Routine

My suggestion for knowing what to cover from each subject/paper is to go through the previous year questions. Categorize them according to which paper it is and under which sub-heading it would come from. Do this yourself instead of relying on compilations by various institutes. This way you'll start to have some ideas on what are the kind of questions that are being asked and what the demands of the questions are. Once you do this, when you start to see various editorials, articles etc. you'll start to slowly see what kind of points to take from them and what kind of editorials you need to read and which ones you need to ignore. Also be sure to be Mains ready this time. That is, finish your optional completely, and do GS 1, 2 and 3 (the static portions and the basic fodder notes). Also practice answer writing. I think it's more crucial to be mains ready this time than the previous years since there is only around 2.5 months between Prelims and Mains. That's 1 whole month less than usual. That 1 month difference will feel like a 6 month difference at that time if you don't compensate for that now itself. 
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@Gaurav 2019 aspirant lol 


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@Gaurav No no i've been trying from 2019 prelims onwards. That is, 2021 would be my 3rd attempt.


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Anyone with PSIR interested in forming a study group?
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Hi, 

I checked the Shankar Ganesh Book for economy, it is a very thin book as compared to the other's like Sriram or Ramesh Singh.

Can it just be used? Also, what shall I do, Mrunal videos are not helping me much.

Also rely on the internet if you don't understand specific topics like Balance of Payments (extremely important from Prelims perspective). I used websites like investopedia and arthapedia and just google in general.

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I remember someone asked about daily quizzes a long time back. I just started using GoalTide IAS daily quiz. I think it's really great because they have negative marking so it makes it seem even more UPSC-esque. I'm hoping this would improve my guessing skills since that's where I messed up last time. 
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@indianhuman I don't think there are any hacks. It's a skill you have to practice. Start small. Like start by concentrating on your studies for like 20 minute sessions then once you get used to that, increase it to like around 30 minutes and so on. Understand and accept that it is going to take some time before you start to see the effects and be able to concentrate intensely for long periods of time. It is NOT going to happen overnight or even after a week, but keep at it and you will start to see a difference eventually. Also you can try reading the book 'Deep Work' by Cal Newport. I think it's great, especially in combination with 'Atomic Habits' by James Clear. 


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@Lbsnaa2021 As far as I know, there are no attendance requirements. 


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23 January Targets

  • 9 AM - 11 AM Geo Lecture - 1 :x:
  • 11:30 AM - 2 PM Eco Lecture - 1 :white_check_mark:
  • 4 PM to 6 PM Spectrum - 2 chapters :x:
  • 7 PM to 10 PM Backlogs :x:

January 24 Targets

Complete whatever was left yesterday. I am having a killer headache from the past 2 days and it has impacted my concentration. I still sit in front of the computer and try to do my level best but the output isn't there. Let me know if you have any tips.

Have you tried meditation, ever? I used to have really bad migraines in my childhood, but it went away when I learnt meditation. Its really helpful. Recently, my mother was having bad headaches consistently, and on my advice, she tried meditation and it went away slowly. 


Going by your name, thistooshallpass, which is a buddhist slogan (in the Theravada tradition), I'm sure you must be aware of their philosophy. Well, they have left mankind with a really nice meditation technique as well, mindfullness meditation. Try it sometime, it works wonders. Its really simple too, you just have to observe your breath continuously (you might want to start with a time of 20 mins. and gradually extend the time period).


Apart from healing your headaches, the meditation will increase your attention span and focus as well. I say this by experience. Hope it helps.

How do you meditate?
I tried doing it several but turns out I would either get sleepy or would get up very soon.
I even downloaded various apps. But uninstalled them soon. Though Simple habit is good. It offers guided meditation. There are some really good guides but I end up listening to them more as a podcast and less as a guided mediation.
Any app or technique which you follow?


Try Waking Up by Sam Harris. If you can't afford it, then you can just request a free subscription which they will provide without any questions. It has sections for both practicing and the theory behind meditation as well. I've loved using it.

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@IamThat Listen to the podcast by Andrew Huberman. He is a neurobiologist and ophthalmologist who talks extensively about sleep and how you can try to have a better quality sleep. It's available on YouTube.


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Bepopsaid

Last 4 chapters remaining from TN Ancient and Medieval book

Geography continues - Oceans unit and rivers/Hills/WLS of the south

Optional Time today - Caste system+ Tribal communities

Can anyone suggest some geography help videos for concepts. Please don't suggest Rajtanil Ma'am I can't seem to get into it. Any other suggestions?

Amit Sengupta.

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Completer_ES2020_Vol1.pdf (mospi.nic.in)


I think going through this in ajudicious manner would be extremely helpful.

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I recommend going through the thematic areas of work in the following website.


Themes | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (fao.org)


The question on 'Conservation Agriculture' in 2018 is directly from one of the themes in this list. Similarly I think it would be a good idea to just go through some of the websites of prominent international organizations like the WEF, UNEP etc.

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  1. 7.20- 11.30- marx, durkheim
  2. 12.00- 2.00- polity notes
  3. 4.00- 7.00- weber, merton
  4. 9.00-11.00 - newspaper and revison

So, like you guys I also didn't study after the postponement news. Will try to put more efforts from today onwards.

Gyan- If you are struggling with digital distraction try using app called cold turkey (available on android and windows). I have used it last year and started using it again yesterday. Its so foolproof that I would advise using it carefully as it may lock the device which would be difficult to undo for a non tech person.

I second the recommendation of Cold Turkey. It has been highly effective for me. Especially since I do like 95% of my studying on my laptop.

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@nerdfighter are you someone who fights against nerds or are you just a nerd who also happens to be a fighter? :P

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@SergioRamos When you wake up (if it's around 7) go outside in the sun. Stare at the sky so that you're looking at the sunlight. Over a period of 3 or 4 days, your circadian rhythm will adjust itself and it'll make it easier to wake up earlier in the morning. On a sunny day, around 2 to 5 minutes is enough, while on a relatively cloudy day you need to spend around 10 to 20 minutes. Artificial light doesn't work, because the amount of lux is low. You can actually check this out if you download some Lux measuring app on your phone and compare artificial light with the sunlight. 


Also, none of this is my random gyaan. This is all scientifically backed. Check out Andrew Huberman, a neurobiologist at Stanford, if you want to know more. 



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Does anyone know of a good book that covers Eastern Philosophy? I'm looking for something similar to Story of Philosophy by Will Durant (as mentioned by@Villanelle) or A History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell.

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Oops, I meant to post it in a different thread :P
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