How to study 12+ hours per day without hurting your

[MissSilvy]

Believe it or not, the quality of studying is actually better than the quantity and I am very skeptical of anyone who says the fifth hour of studying in a ten hour block is as good as the first two. I get up two hours early most days, three on weekends, go to a cafe and drink some coffee while working on my studies. I do a little at night, but not very much (1-2 hours) and I get waaay more done than the chumps having marathon 'study' sessions in the library. After a while, you lose focus, no matter how much you love what you're doing. I'd say wake up early, study for a few hours, then go about your day. If this isn't enough, then think of adding more time slots to your schedule, but don't just glue yourself to a chair for ten hours and think that such a method is the best or only way to get stuff done.

 

[leontd]

8 Hours is pretty common in meds school, but 12 hours is a bit over the border there. Considering you take 4hrs of classes in a day and sleep for 8 hrs, your life will just be school + eat + sleep > repeat for x years, assuming you going for a PH.D.

 

[Ryker]

Believe it or not, the quality of studying is actually better than the quantity and I am very skeptical of anyone who says the fifth hour of studying in a ten hour block is as good as the first two. I get up two hours early most days, three on weekends, go to a cafe and drink some coffee while working on my studies. I do a little at night, but not very much (1-2 hours) and I get waaay more done than the chumps having marathon 'study' sessions in the library. After a while, you lose focus, no matter how much you love what you're doing. I'd say wake up early, study for a few hours, then go about your day. If this isn't enough, then think of adding more time slots to your schedule, but don't just glue yourself to a chair for ten hours and think that such a method is the best or only way to get stuff done.

Exactly, I have a friend that has excelled in med school, studying around 6 hours per day prior to exams, and graduating near the top of his class. Even so, he says he could probably optimize his studies and study even less, and I agree with that fully. I put in more work than that since apparently I haven't found that sweet spot yet, but plugging away mindlessly isn't helping. And no one can honestly say they truly enjoy studying 12 hours per day (if they do, I feel pity for them and their one-dimensionality). Sure, you can't just always go by what you feel like doing at that exact moment, but once you're over a certain threshold, you should really focus on doing other things that interest you, as it's going to help with studies, as well. People are "successful" because they're interesting, not because they conform to the working more is better ethic for the sake of it.

 

[James Wine]

Get some study partners+whiteboards that hang on the wall. Two problems fixed then.

 

[Geezer]

Believe it or not, the quality of studying is actually better than the quantity and I am very skeptical of anyone who says the fifth hour of studying in a ten hour block is as good as the first two. I get up two hours early most days, three on weekends, go to a cafe and drink some coffee while working on my studies. I do a little at night, but not very much (1-2 hours) and I get waaay more done than the chumps having marathon 'study' sessions in the library. After a while, you lose focus, no matter how much you love what you're doing. I'd say wake up early, study for a few hours, then go about your day. If this isn't enough, then think of adding more time slots to your schedule, but don't just glue yourself to a chair for ten hours and think that such a method is the best or only way to get stuff done.

I could do that when I was an undergrad, but now I'm married and have a kid; there's so little time I can devote to studying anymore. Now, I'm more interested in studying efficiently rather than studying for long periods of time.

 

[damabo]

Newton never got laid.

He was proud of that fact.

I'm just saying, his laws may have been great for the rest of us, but I'm not quite sure he lived a "good life." Many geniuses don't.

Nobody said working 12+ hours a day isn't incredibly productive. They said its not healthy. Neither was Newton's life, I'd wager.

FYI, both Newton (85) and Tesla (86) lived far beyond the average life span of their day. I'm not supposing they may not had any mental difficulties in their lives, but I can understand that some strongly motivated people like these would have mental difficulties when *not* working so long hours. Hence I can understand why it is, for some people, healthy - given that one takes a walk, or moves around frequently. Plus, of course, when achievements start to add up, they can feel pretty good about themselves - and have, in their own way, done something for their fellow man, their own way of socialization.

 

[johnqwertyful]

After about 4-5 hours a day, my mind is just mush. I can't fit anything more into it. Just study more efficiently.

As for the OP saying that social life has been nothing but bad or whatever. You don't just start studying 12 hours a day. You work up to it. You've probably been neglecting relationships for awhile now. Friendships require sacrifice. Last week, I got a phone call from my friend at nearly 1 am (I was sleeping). He was depressed and I talked to him a bit. I was about ready to drive over to his house, too. I'm moving in a week. He's helping me move. That's how friendships work. You do things for each other. You need to sacrifice your own time sometimes.

 

[Bipolarity]

Is it possible for you to study mathematics WHILE walking, i.e. pacing? Try to manipulate equations in your head. It's a very useful skill, but can only be done in certain circumstances (you can't manipulate matrices in your mind obviously, but I suppose small equations can be manipulated with ease.)

I find that when my brain is clogged with hours of work, I can "walk" my thoughts and they seem to flow much more rapidly as if the movement of my body has spurred on my cognitive ability.

If you get to the point where you have physical pain from being in one place too long, walk in circles around the house, dorm etc. while thinking about mathematics.

If it's your mind that's the fried one, then try doing some exercise. The beauty of exercise is that the more burned out your mind is whether emotionally or intellectually, the easier it becomes to do exercise. Use this, in conjunction with your studying, to your advantage.

Also, studying mathematics to the point where it causes you physical pain is counterproductive. Your goal is to be happy. Mathematics does that for you, but if you exploit this by overdoing mathematics, you may come to regret it in the long run in the form of chronic diseases and unhealthy lifestyles. Anything in excess is bad, because your body is not made for overdoing things.

Also, you don't like people, fine. Get a pet dog or cat and walk them in the park, while thinking math in your mind. At least that way, you accomplish things without looking insane and have a constant source of joyous companionship.

BiP

 

[micromass]

This thread is 4 years old now. I'm locking it.