How do you study during the day?

[DefaultName]

Hi, I'm currently an engineering student (EE). I seem to have this problem: I only am able to study at night, or anytime after 5:30PM. After that time, I can focus more and get down to business. If I start at 4, I might be sluggish for a few hours, but eventually I can work it out. It's not that I'm not interested in the subject matter, most of the time I am... it's just the time of day.

This is really a problem for me, I'd like to get working early in the morning/during the day, in addition to the nights, while school is in session and when I have the time. We all have different studying habits, I realize. How do you study when you don't want to?

Sometimes, I feel like, during the day - not many people study... so, I think, why should I? Let me go enjoy myself. Then, at night, I study without any problems, only knowing others are studying, as well... (this is all relative during the academic school year).

-DefaultName

 

[JasonRox]

People study all the time, so I have no idea what you're talking about.

Maybe not Saturday afternoon, but people study Monday to Friday all around the clock. I can be studying at 4am and know someone else is too.

 

[chroot]

Everyone has certain times of the day they're more or less mentally alert. I share your problem -- I'm usually sharpest after 10 pm, myself. You should just try to work around your own biologically-imposed schedule.

- Warren

 

[symbolipoint]

Hey, DefaultName,

If you do not like to study then engineering coursework is not suited to you. Maybe pick a major field which you WANT to study.

You probably do want to learn electrical (and other) engineering, so you should just pick a couple of times during the day which allow good lengths of time for study, and use those times for study. You should also seriously try studying early in the morning. You may be mentally fresh as soon as you wake up, and you may study very effectively for the first 40 minutes or so after first waking up.

 

[arunma]

I tend to only study in the evening as well. Of course, I work on research stuff during the day, so I suppose I have an excuse. Anyway, it's the amount of time you put in that matters, not the times of day at which you work. Maybe you're just better suited to staying up late (and hopefully waking up late as well)?

 

[Ki Man]

I don't really get any free time until 6 most of the time except for the weekends and mondays/wednesdays. that free time usually goes to physicsforums instead of school

 

[TMFKAN64]

Now see, I'm the exact opposite. Harsh experience has taught me that I need to put down whatever I am working on promptly at 11PM, because after that time, I do more damage than good...

Afternoons are peak hours for me.

 

[mathwonk]

i am alate night guy, but if i need to concentrate in the daytime, going to the library helps. but after noons are just downtime for my system, roughly when some europeans would take lunch break, say 12-4.

 

[DefaultName]

Hey, DefaultName,

If you do not like to study then engineering coursework is not suited to you. Maybe pick a major field which you WANT to study.

You probably do want to learn electrical (and other) engineering, so you should just pick a couple of times during the day which allow good lengths of time for study, and use those times for study. You should also seriously try studying early in the morning. You may be mentally fresh as soon as you wake up, and you may study very effectively for the first 40 minutes or so after first waking up.

That is DEFINITELY not the case. I'm going into my third year, and I love it. In general, I can't study for ANYTHING (meaning, any subject). I can sit and pay attention in class, without a problem, it's just I feel more comfortable studying after a certain time towards the evening.

I tend to only study in the evening as well. Of course, I work on research stuff during the day, so I suppose I have an excuse. Anyway, it's the amount of time you put in that matters, not the times of day at which you work. Maybe you're just better suited to staying up late (and hopefully waking up late as well)?

I can start at 5:30PM and go as late as I want, but since I study consistently and everyday during school, I don't end up cramming. I can go from 5:30PM to 1AM or 2AM without any problems (obv with some breaks in between). At least for last semester, I woke up around 8AM. This next semester, I do have a few 8:30AM classes, so I would like to start my work earlier in the day and get some sleep.

 

[DefaultName]

Does anyone have a solution to this? I've tried the library part, even going to the most darkest area, still can't do it. :(

 

[ank_gl]

I can go from 5:30PM to 1AM or 2AM without any problems (obv with some breaks in between).

how can one study for this long?

 

[DefaultName]

how can one study for this long?

I can do it, but I don't have to do it everyday. Usually I end at 10-11PM.

 

[ranger]

how can one study for this long?

You'd be surprised how much time it takes to fully understand a few pages of text. Problems sets also take a huge chunk of time.

 

[JasonRox]

If you do not like to study then engineering coursework is not suited to you. Maybe pick a major field which you WANT to study.

This makes no sense at all. It has nothing to do with the subject he's studying.

I know exactly the feeling he's talking about and sure everyone else does too.

 

[ank_gl]

You'd be surprised how much time it takes to fully understand a few pages of text. Problems sets also take a huge chunk of time.

you would be surprised to know that i don't mean what you are thinking that i mean. what i mean is only that i don't study like that

 

[symbolipoint]

This makes no sense at all. It has nothing to do with the subject he's studying.

I know exactly the feeling he's talking about and sure everyone else does too.

That is just not fully sensible. Studying is a chore, but one must at least want to learn and therefore endure the effort to study or make no progress. Maybe my wording was not clear enough. Can you characterise or state the "feeling he's talking about" which everyone else knows, just so that we know which feeling this is?

 

[symbolipoint]

DefaultName,

I had to reread your original description. Studying takes effort; if you are more comfortable studyng for several hours in the evening, then that is when you should study. You could also learn to study immediately upon waking up in the morning; maybe set an alarm to wake yourself early, and force yourself to study right then at that time - it might work well for you.

Another thing to do is get into the habit (if scheduling allows) of studying immediately after a class - don't just rest after the class - study what was presented. This way, you have the chance to think carefully about presented concepts & skills at your pace while some of what was presented may still be fresh in your mind. You could still study that again later.

 

[ank_gl]

yes that's what i mean. symbol is right. its my time to study whenever there is something to study. it doesn't have to wait for the night time slab.
but yes it is true that the brain is much more active at some time slab of the day. and it can be the night time for some people also!

 

[DefaultName]

I just feel more alert at night, as chroot feels. I wish I could change it though. I'll see what I can do, might even start to study after this cup of coffee (1:36PM!)

 

[ENGRedcupcake]

I know how you feel. I like to study at nite, for some strange reason. But most of my free time is during the day (in the regular school year). In our old library that going to a dark corner worked. but it's been remodeled and there are windows everywhere. I hope those jokes are tornado proof or we're going to be in some trouble come this fall. Anyway I just know what works for me is studying with my iPod on some non-Pop or Rap music will help me focus. Pop and stuff makes me focus more on the music than the matter at hand. I also agree with symbol a lot of times i snag in a hour or so by just studying in between classes instead going to go off somewhere.

 

[moose]

I feel ya. My only solution to this has been to have study groups at 2pm or whatever time, but that is almost never possible.

 

[DefaultName]

I guess it's good to know that I'm not the only one :)

 

[morphism]

I have the same problem. It's usually impossible for me to start studying before 7pm, and I'm at my best after 11pm and into the late night.

 

[math_owen]

It appears I am in the minority. I like to study from 6 am to 10 am. But I never get to. I'm always having to study at night when I would prefer to be relaxing.

How do you study when you don't want to? My dad would reply "how bad do you want it?" Damn if I had a dollar for ever time I heard that growing up.

Really though, if you want to change you will. Asking questions is a good start, but if you were starting a passing conversation hoping for a miracle then that's not worth a piece of used toilet paper.

Here's what I learned from my Marine friends when I was in the Navy, adapt and overcome. So take from that you're going to have to improvise and make sacrifices.

Here are some suggestions though.

Work out at 5 am. Not no pansy ass workout either. Not a machine or treadmill workout. I'm talking squats (Don't be the stupid lifter who doesn't do these), deadlifts, etc. Things that will actually help you and get you adjusted to the morning. (Leave your vanity in the bathroom mirror).

Learn to eat right. Most people are lethargic because frankly they are nutritionally stupid. This isn't the place to go in depth on how to eat. But if you search a little you'll find it.

Another suggestion would be, as soon as you're cleaned up and feed after your iron workout go somewhere to study. Don't worry about the nets. The news on reddit won't be that old when you come home at night. Go straight to studying.

It goes without saying, but sometimes the obvious is the most painful, get rid of distractions. I have to turn my monitor off when I study.

Here's another suggestion, bring food to school. Weird huh? Yeah, bring smart food and eat periodically every couple of hours. That'll give you energy. It's my opinion that a lot of people who normally would not be either early birds or larks are larks because they probably don't have the proper nutrients in their bodies until later in the day.

A long time ago though, my wife gave me the best advice ever, "Just open the books and start working". It's true, don't think about it, dread is a killer. If you dread working early and ponder that then you're doomed. Just do it, as the saying goes.

 

[ice109]

snip

good advice all around

 

[hrc969]

It appears I am in the minority. I like to study from 6 am to 10 am. But I never get to. I'm always having to study at night when I would prefer to be relaxing.

How do you study when you don't want to? My dad would reply "how bad do you want it?" Damn if I had a dollar for ever time I heard that growing up.

Really though, if you want to change you will. Asking questions is a good start, but if you were starting a passing conversation hoping for a miracle then that's not worth a piece of used toilet paper.

Here's what I learned from my Marine friends when I was in the Navy, adapt and overcome. So take from that you're going to have to improvise and make sacrifices.

Here are some suggestions though.

Work out at 5 am. Not no pansy ass workout either. Not a machine or treadmill workout. I'm talking squats (Don't be the stupid lifter who doesn't do these), deadlifts, etc. Things that will actually help you and get you adjusted to the morning. (Leave your vanity in the bathroom mirror).

Learn to eat right. Most people are lethargic because frankly they are nutritionally stupid. This isn't the place to go in depth on how to eat. But if you search a little you'll find it.

Another suggestion would be, as soon as you're cleaned up and feed after your iron workout go somewhere to study. Don't worry about the nets. The news on reddit won't be that old when you come home at night. Go straight to studying.

It goes without saying, but sometimes the obvious is the most painful, get rid of distractions. I have to turn my monitor off when I study.

Here's another suggestion, bring food to school. Weird huh? Yeah, bring smart food and eat periodically every couple of hours. That'll give you energy. It's my opinion that a lot of people who normally would not be either early birds or larks are larks because they probably don't have the proper nutrients in their bodies until later in the day.

A long time ago though, my wife gave me the best advice ever, "Just open the books and start working". It's true, don't think about it, dread is a killer. If you dread working early and ponder that then you're doomed. Just do it, as the saying goes.

Wow, great response. My answer to the title of the thread was going to be "Well, I sit down, open a book, get some paper and start studying". But actually the advice your wife gave you is actually what I do since I study even while waiting for the bus etc, and I do precisely what the advice was, I just open a book and start working.

Anyways, for some reason I have always liked to study in the morning. When I was in middle school I used to get up at 3 or 4 am to do homework or read. Throughout HS I left my house at 5 am and studied on the bus and got to school at 6am to work out.

Anyways, here's a post I made on my schedule last quarter:
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?p=1221338#post1221338"

All the time when I studied (whether day or afternoon or night) it was the same thing, I just started doing it and that was that. No pondering.

Oh and I do take food to school and then I just have to heat it up and then eat sometimes even read while I eat. I started doing that because I noticed its much cheaper and gives much more time to study than standing in line waiting to order food and than waiting to receive it.

 

[ENGRedcupcake]

Good advise about nutrition. I know it seems crazy but when I started cutting out caffiene, except the bit in green tea and an occasional choco bar. i swear I could still stay up but i remembered more. Getting a good nite's sleep helps too. Which I know is very hard in college, but since you're a 3rd year you should be used to the routine. I'm a 5th and last year, but it took me about 3 years to get that whole 'sleep at the very least 6 hours' thing down.

 

[leon1127]

I can only study efficiently when the sky is dark. It is about from 1900-0500. Moreover, I tend to perform better in Autumn semester. I suppose it is because the temperature is lower.

 

[Llama77]

my Daily schedule Sunday-Sat

7:00 am- Wake up and go eat and shower.
8:30 am, walk over to engineering lab or Library
8:45 am start to study
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If there is a class I go to it, but then go right back to the lab or Library.
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1:00 pm Go get some lunch, and relax for about an hour.
2:00 pm get back to my work.
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If there is a class I go to it, but then go right back to the lab or Library.
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5:00 pm, go back to dorm for Dinner. relax till around 8.
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8:00 pm, go back to Lab or Library

1-2 am, go back to dorm, take shower and sleep. maybe get a snack.

and the best part is, I am EECS and could not imagine doing ajything better with my time. I love it.

 

[K.J.Healey]

I used to be the same way in undergrad. I'd get home after my last class, go work out some (though not lifting), come home, eat some dinner, relax for about a half hour, then get to work. I'd work from say, 6pm till 10pm, then get some sleep. I found as soon as you start feeling tired, you stop learning nearly as much.

In my 3rd and 4th+ years I relized that the BEST time to study was immediately after the class. If you have block where you go from 8-9 then 9-10 is off, then 10-11, then 11till 12 is off, get out of class and IMMEDIATELY to the HW. What it does is take what you thought you learned in class, and put it to practice, and it helps you really UNDERSTAND the material, rather than just remember it. And once you really understand it, right away, its a whole lot easier to recollect.

I did find though, that the easiest way to study is to study with another person. (same with working out) it always makes something you dread a whole lot easier. Talk to other people in your classes and see if they want to get together to study. The only downfall to this is when you(me) are a lot quicker at learning, and doing problems, and soon you're not studying but showing them how to do the problems you just finished and you get slowed down.

 

[marlon]

roughly when some europeans would take lunch break, say 12-4.

Incorrect time schedule.

marlon