1- Im Losing Focus Because Im Bored The Problem: The junk you have to learn for school is horribly, exhaustingly boring. Its numbing your mind. Your brain is wallowing in a thick cloud of Who cares? and Why bother? so focusing on the subject is getting more and more impossible with every passing second. In fact, right now, youd rather throw yourself from the second story instead of having to read one more tidbit about this boring, useless subject. The Solution: Reward yourself with something you do like after a successful study session. First, define your success. Set a study goal like this: I need to learn 25 different facts from this chapter/10 strategies for the ACT/15 new vocabulary words (etc.) during the next hour. Then, set your reward: If I do it, I can download six new songs/listen to a podcast/watch a movie/shoot some hoops/go for a run/buy a new bag (etc.). You may be the only person monitoring your progress, but if you give yourself a reward for good behavior, just like your elementary teacher used to do, youll be more likely to offset the boredom by anticipating something fun. 2- Im Losing Focus Because Im Wired The Problem: You want to run. You dont want to sit inside. Your legs are bouncing, your fingers are snapping, you can barely keep your behind in your seat. Youre a kinesthetic learner: all you want to do is M.O.V.E, and youre losing focus because of all those ants in your pants. The Solution: If you can think ahead, then get it all out of your system before you ever pick up a book. Go for a long run, hit the gym, or take a swim before your study session begins. If you didnt plan ahead – youre already studying and are getting antsy – then do pushups or crunches in between questions. Better yet, see if you can get someone to ask you questions while you shoot hoops. Youll get to activate your muscles, and your brain will get to work, too. Even better – record your notes and download the recording to your iPod. The next time you clip in for a bike ride, study while youre on the trails. No one said sitting down for a study session had to involve a desk! 3- Im Losing Focus Because Im Tired The Problem: The only thing on your mind right now is sleep. Youre imagining that cozy pillow underneath your head and the quilt tucked just right under your chin. Youve worked all week; you want nothing more to do with studying. You need rest, and your drooping eyelids are keeping you from steady focus. The Solution: You have a few options here, none of which revolve around No-Doze. First, you could go take a nap. Literally. Sometimes a 20-minute power nap can be all the motivation you need to zap a little life back into your system. If youre in the library and cant imagine putting your head on the table to snooze, then get up, peel off your sweatshirt, and go for a brisk, 10-minute walk somewhere cool. Exercising may tire your muscles a bit, but it will rev up your mind, which is why youre not supposed to exercise too close to bedtime. Finally, if youre still struggling to stay awake, then call it quits and hit the sack early that night. Youre not doing yourself any favors by attempting to study when your body is telling you to rest. You wont remember half of what you study anyway, so it would be better to get up a few hours early the next day to study after youve slept a full night. 4-Im Losing Focus Because Im Busy The Problem: Youre balancing about eighty-nine different things in your life right now. Theres work, family, friends, classes, bills, volunteering, clubs, meetings, laundry, exercise, groceries and the list keeps going until you feel ready to explode. Youre not just busy; youre overwhelmed. Youre drowning in everything that needs to be done, so studying is difficult because you keep thinking about the sixteen other things you should be doing right this second. The Solution: It can be difficult to add yet another item to your pile, but the best way to manage studying in the midst of chaos is to take a half hour and set a study schedule for the week. When busy people have to choose between studying and lets say, grocery shopping or going to work, studying will always get pushed back unless youve made enough time for each during the week. Print a time management chart to get started! 5- Im Losing Focus Because Im Distracted The Problem: You keep getting Facebook alerts on your phone. Your friends are laughing across the room. The guy at the next table is slurping his latte loudly. You hear every cough, every whisper, every laugh, every conversation. Or, maybe you are your OWN distraction. You cant stop thinking about problems, worrying about relationships and dwelling on unrelated ideas. Youre sidetracked by everything, so studying is just too difficult. The Solution: If youre the type of person who gets distracted by noise from the environment around you – external study distractors – then you have to isolate yourself during study time. Only study in a quiet place like the back corner of the library or your room if no one is home or plug into some white noise on your iPod.
Posted on: Sat, 18 Jan 2014 09:58:37 +0000