Lily04 Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 this is my main problem... i study for an hour. then take an hour break. or two. my goal is ~8 hrs. of study/day (i'm talking about the wkend in particular because i have an exam on Monday, this is not my goal everyday) but because I need a break per hour of studying, it's more like I only get 4 hrs. done!!! Does anyone have any suggestions to help stop? I used to be on ritalin but stopped, found it didn't really help...I just have such problems with focusing sometimes and get distracted easily... I tend to work out and have caffeine, to give me energy to concentrate sometimes... and natural fruits and sugars... what do other people find helps with this problem? Link to comment
le_petit_lapin Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 I am the same way. Vitamin B-12 has helped me wonders with regards to my concentration. Deep breathing, as opposed to quick, shallow breaths, also helps me stay focused. Also, I find that spending time in the library (alone) really helps. I am able to concentrate much better in a situation where all my distractions are taken away from me (cell phone, TV, internet, sorority sisters). It's just me and my text book. Incentives also help. I don't allow myself to ______ until I get my work done. The only problem is sticking to it... haha. Tutors (not friends) can also help, even if you don't "need" one. They make you focus and study! Link to comment
le_petit_lapin Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 and might I add- it's good that you're taking breaks! just keep 'em shorter... Link to comment
Lily04 Posted January 6, 2008 Author Share Posted January 6, 2008 thanks...i'm getting back to work now after a 1 hr. 15 mins break. I think I reallly need more discipline... eek Link to comment
Lily04 Posted January 6, 2008 Author Share Posted January 6, 2008 Good luck! thank you. It is 5:30 am. now. If I dont take any more breaks.. I can get in 4 more hrs. of studying!! to make about 7 hrs. of studying today... a lot less than the 12 hrs. intended, but I can do 12 tomorrow for 19 hrs of studying... that is not too bad over 2 days. what do you think........eek Link to comment
le_petit_lapin Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 I don't know. How long have you been awake? I tend to be really unfocused after I've been up all day... my brain is fried. maybe you'd be better off going to bed right now and then getting up and studying?? that's another strategy I use- I try not to study really late at night. I'd rather go to bed early and get up early, drink some coffee, and then look over my stuff rather than try to study when my eyes are droopy... but many people don't aren't morning people... haha. Link to comment
Lucy_lou Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 Breaks should be more like 15 minutes for each hour. Link to comment
Aleadragonhawk Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 I'm personally incapable of sitting down and studying for long blocks of time, so I try to work around that. One really good thing to do is go over material right after you learn it - this really raises retention and long term memory. I try to schedule my classes so that I have enough time after each one to review what we just studied in class. If you're okay with doing longer periods of study but do need those long breaks, try doing 45 minutes on, 30 minute break, 45 minutes on, etc. Link to comment
Honey Pumpkin Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 Use a timer - works beautifully. Just an old kitchen timer. Set it for 45 minutes work, and 15 minutes break. Set yourself challenges as well - I'm going to read this in the next 45 minutes, to make yourself speed up. And then after the 15 minute break do a quick recap to make sure you remember it. Then take an hour break every four hours. AND GET SLEEP!! Drink loads of water and eat properly, and stop working about an hour before you go to sleep, have a relaxing bath/shower and switch off. Treat studying like a job - you are going to study 9 - 5, and maybe an hour or two in the evening. Solid, regular studying is better to prepare for an exam than a 15 hour marathon one day and then doing nothing for the next 2 days. The quality is better, and you feel calmer because that's what you do - you know that you put in a hard day's work. If you're at classes in the day, ditto for the evening - make it regular and give yourself breaks. An hour on and an hour off isn't the best study pattern, I think. Get exercise - go for a walk, go to the gym. Cut down your online surfing time: here, Facebook etc - it's addictive and not reallythat productive. See, it's all coming back to me!! The worse thing is 'studying' (being at your desk) for hours, but not really working. It's the worst of both worlds... Just be very matter of fact about it, and definitely try the kitchen timer trick, that really works for most things I think. Link to comment
Lily04 Posted January 6, 2008 Author Share Posted January 6, 2008 Excellent suggestions, thanks!! I think I'll just use my watch/cell phone as a timer though... seems to work well enough Thanks so much.. .making it seem more like a challenge/contest to get through will help motivate me... I think I lose motivation easily too, that may be a problem.... when I have lots of material to learn I tend to feel overwhelmed and 'zone out.' I was never like thsi in high school.. I could study for hrs on end then because I felt a greater sense of control over what I was learning -- I knew I had a week to learn easy material and felt more motivated to learn in blocks, etc. I need to do that... Link to comment
Lily04 Posted January 6, 2008 Author Share Posted January 6, 2008 guys this is really bad.. .I wrote that at prob. around 6-7 am, and it's now 9 am and I did nothing. You know why? Because I was looking into my idea for an umbrella invention and found out the rights to the idea have already been taken although it hasn't been invented yet. Isn't that crazy? I was all excited, which gave me a boost of energy and i felt like running to the gym on pure stamina but then I called my dad and he totally deflated my energy saying it's a stupid idea anyway, and Vancouver likely has already invented it. Not like I would have really tried to invent it... but I just felt excited about having thought up something new and that is more exciting than what i was studying... I even made an entry about it on my website about how I wnated to design it.......since removed. Well that was a good 2-3 hours entirely wasted Link to comment
BeStrongBeHappy Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 Lily, have you been evaluated for more than ADD, like bi-polar disorder? it is possible that ADD may not be the problem, if Ritalin didn't work.... Does your school have a health service that you could go in for an evaluation? Link to comment
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