Since 2017, I have been filming myself studying. I do not speak. I film myself working, quite simply! These videos, called “Live Study With Me,” are popular on YouTube and Twitch. It might seem weird when you stumble upon these kinds of videos, but yet there are so many reasons why Study With Me can help us study better!
This is what I’m going to talk to you about: why Study With Me videos can help you get more motivation to study!
What are Study With Me videos?
They are videos where a student films themselves working on the computer or writing in notebooks. Generally, there is a timer in the video, and this timer indicates how long those who watch the video must work in a “focused” way, at the same time as the person filming themselves live! For example, my sessions usually consists of 50 minutes of work, followed by 10 minutes of break time.
There’s nothing better than an example to figure out, so here’s a Study With Me video that I posted on my YouTube channel a while back:
Watching YouTube while working becomes another distraction?
When you watch a Study With Me video, you might think it increases the distraction by having an open tab on YouTube. The opposite happens. It only takes a glance when the motivation drops, and you see the YouTuber focused on working. This is enough to restore motivation to continue working: “if she works, then I can continue too! “
Watch
Why film Study With Me live streams?
1. Accountability to the viewers
Many people are watching me while I’m studying. So, if I start going on social media instead of working, someone will definitely point it out to me!
My followers rely on me to motivate them to work, so I MUST also get them to work on the tasks I need to accomplish.
2. Study longer
When I first started studying, I was only able to study for 1-2 hours in a row. Afterward, I was already too tired. On the other hand, by making videos, and by studying with friends, we encourage each other to continue working. Thus, I was able to gradually increase my study time, and I slowly developed the habit and ability to study longer. I talked about this in my article “How and Why I Study for 8+ Hours”.
3. Virtual Study Group With Friends
For instance, if it was a real study group, everyone would work around a table. So if someone is filming themselves on camera and other people join in, it’s a virtual study group!
When I study with friends around a table, it ALWAYS ends up in a discussion where no one is working on any task. When it’s virtual, at least, we can’t talk and we really work!
4. Get more comfortable in front of the camera
When I started my videos, I wasn’t talking to the camera. I wasn’t showing my face either! I was too embarrassed to speak English and show my face. I started by only filming my work desk, my hands on the keyboard, etc.
Then, little by little, I started to gain confidence and to speak to say “now is the break” then, “we start working again”! Later, I started filming my face as I was now comfortable in front of the camera!
5. Do these videos for you if it helps you
Most importantly, I create these videos for myself. Because they help me enormously. Since I have Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), it is difficult for me to concentrate and work for long periods of time. Thanks to the videos I make, I am now able to study long enough to complete my assignments on time!
It gives me the structure and the support I need to persevere.
6. Identify where you’re losing your time
Consequently, I had a huge realization when I started filming myself. It made me realize how much time I was wasting being on my phone instead of studying. This is what prompted me, in an article where I give pieces of advice to stay focused while working, to suggest filming yourself while working to see where you are wasting your time! I know it sounds weird but… try it?
What equipment is needed to get started?
You can simply start by using your laptop’s camera which would be pointed at you. It works best if you don’t need your computer to work!You can start that way and if you like it invest in some equipment.
Here is the webcam I am using:
The tripod that holds my webcam:
And my microphone (but there are other models cheaper):
How to stream a Live Study With Me live on YouTube?
I wrote an article where I walk you step by step through on how to do Live Study With Me with OBS, which makes you set up a timer to countdown the sessions.
How to join and find Live Study With Me videos on YouTube?
If you are not interested in filming yourself and would rather join other students, it is easy to do so with the search tool on YouTube. Just do a search for “Study with me” and filter to see only the videos broadcast live.
Also, don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel Girl Knows Tech since I do it regularly!
Conclusion
I hope this article has given you a better understanding of the “Live Study With Me” phenomenon!
Let me know in the comments: are you using Live Study With Me to help you with your studies? Are these videos helpful to you?