Combatting Burnout: Dealing with Too Much School Work & Studying

[Cod]

Becoming "burnt-out"...

Is it possible for one to burn themselves out with school work and/or studying?

I'm asking this because I tend to spend close to 10 hours-a-day studying and I believe I'm starting to just "lose my mind". I've been studying at least 10 hours-a-day for the past few months now and tonight at work, for the first time, I started getting delirious. At first I thought it was my sleep count, but then I realized that I get 6-7 hours each night and my sleep pattern is pretty regular (11pm EST - 5am EST).

Has something like this every happened to y'all? If so, what did you do to "counter-act" the deliriousness?


Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Smurf]

thats why Mardi Gras was invented.

 

[Math Is Hard]

I have found that the most helpful thing is getting away from the books for about an hour, and going outdoors and getting some exercise - even if it's just a walk. I think more clearly when I go back to studying. Over-studying can actually lead to diminishing returns.

What courses are you taking?

 

[Cod]

What courses are you taking?

MATH 2401 (Calculus III)
PHYS 3201 (Classical Mechanics)
SSE 2400 (Human Genome Project) --- this is an elective from the Social Science portion of the CORE in the state of Georgia, USA
CHEM 1211 (Chemistry I)


As you can see, I'm basically in all science courses that involve a lot of mathematics. And my schedule will only get tougher from here since I'm a double major (Mathematics & Applied Physics). This semester marks the start of my second year in college.

 

[Kalimaa23]

Stop studying 10h/day. Leave time for other activities, friends, sports, whatever.

I just completed my BSc with a double major in mathematic/physics, and the only way I survived is because I didn't spend all my time doing math or physics. I strongly believe that you can only get a few productive study-hours per day. How many is a personal thing, but ten sounds like to much. It's more efficient to devoting something like five hours per day to your studies, and the other five on other activities. More often than not, a more relaxed mind will be doing more work during those five hours then you could have done in ten.

I'm sorry that I do not sound fully coherent, I'm still recovering from a week of post-graduation celebration

 

[Moonbear]

Anyone would get a little crazy studying 10 hours a day! You need to learn to study more efficiently. It's probably taking you longer to learn stuff because you don't give your mind a chance to rest in between. You're in some demanding classes there, so you do need to study and keep up with them, but just give yourself a little free time to play. Just take 2 hours a day to do something other than study...head to the gym, hang out with friends and order pizza, go for a walk, take a nap, go watch some TV or listen to music, go to a movie, anything that let's your mind take a break.

 

[Chrono]

I'm asking this because I tend to spend close to 10 hours-a-day studying

I'm surprised you have time to eat and sleep. Seriously, I could learn from you. I need to do more studying than just one to two hours a week.

 

[Cod]

I believe my biggest problem is the fact that I have no time management skills at all. So instead of scheduling blocks of time for something, I just study until class or work. And when I get done with class or work (if I'm not tired), I'll read a book or study more.

I'm going to spend some time this week and make me out a schedule to see if I can better use my time to avoid "burn-outs".

 

[cragwolf]

Physical activity is good.