When I was in the third year of middle school, I had a new dream: becoming a doctor.
(..) Although there was no grand opportunity or beginning that I could tell people about, I definitely started studying hard after I started dreaming of becoming a ‘doctor.’
My parents even said that I was more passionate about studying in my third year of middle school than they were throughout my entire high school years.
--- From "The Real Reason I Started Studying"

Still, I think that 'studying' can be done without feeling lonely.
Studying something you do on your own can be incredibly fun, and you can feel a sense of fulfillment as you learn new things.
I believe that our country's current college entrance exam process is inherently bound to instill loneliness in students.
The pressure, anxiety, and loneliness that come with college entrance exams are, to a certain extent, natural.
I was like that, and so were my friends.
--- From "In the end, studying is something you do alone"

Instead of thinking, "I'm in a slump, feeling depressed and listless," I tried to think positively, "I'm going through a bit of a tough time right now, but I've been through this much burden and sadness, so I think I should have the strength to overcome those feelings now!"
The human mind is truly amazing.
The more I affirmed positively that I could get out of this, that I could do it, the more I found the strength to start again.
--- From "Why I Don't Define a Slump as a 'Slump'"

Before the new semester begins, I use the academic calendar distributed by the school to figure out major events for the coming year or semester.
I need to know when midterm and final exam periods, school festivals, important competitions, etc. are scheduled so I can figure out how much time I can study.
I looked at the schedule to see if I had three or four weeks to study for the midterm (or final) and if there was enough time between the midterm and final to do extracurricular activities.
--- From "Planning a Year, a Month, and a Day"

I've found using the planner very motivating.
I enjoyed studying a lot and filling up the spaces, and especially on days when I studied a lot, I felt a sense of satisfaction writing down the time I spent studying.
Not only that, I was able to get objective data on how much I studied in how much time, which helped me plan my future studies more accurately.
--- From "Planning a Year, a Month, and a Day"

During the vacation, I tried to stick to the overall 'routine' rather than focusing on specific parts.
For example, let's take my routine during the summer vacation of my third year of high school. I planned to read Korean language passages and solve problems in the morning, solve math problems until the afternoon, and spend the evening studying science.
--- From "Tips for Executing Plans Well"

I didn't measure 'time spent not fully focused' as pure time.
The time spent memorizing things on your own while the teacher is teaching in front of you at school, the time spent watching video lectures like online lectures, the time spent listening to English texts on MP3 while commuting, the time spent looking at printed materials in your spare time, and the time spent studying while eating were not measured as pure study time.

--- From "Class Time vs. Study Time"