Manage to stay focused when you are studying/doing your homework

[haxtor21]

How do you guys manage to stay focused when you are studying/doing your homework.

My mind is always drifting away all the time. I tend to daydream a lot about ideas and just keep procrastinating on my work.

The fact that I am taking calc 2 does not make things pretty.

 

[lisab]

I used to have a very tough time getting and staying focused, too.

What worked for me was, I found a nice room in the library. I wore earplugs and sat where there wasn't a lot of foot traffic passing nearby. This became my routine, and that's what I needed. I basically trained myself to get calm and focus, whenever I was in that particular room.

Oh, and I never allowed myself to goof off there. If I needed a break, I'd leave the room, and come back when I felt ready.

If you think this might work for you, find some place to study (a room in the library might not work for you), establish a routine, and stick to it.

 

[cronxeh]

I get 2 hours in between classes, first one is usually spent listening to music and trolling on PF and researching a totally random subject, and the other hour is spent reviewing material for the exam that is in an hour. Sometimes I do homework because it supposedly helps your grade

 

[waht]

There is a lot of tricks you can do. In general there is two things to consider: focus, and efficient study habits.

To focus better you need to get rid of things that distract you. What works really good is to dedicate a study corner away from all the computers, cell phones, email, TVs and people.

To study more efficiently, make use of some psychology tricks. When memorizing a definition for example, it takes about 60-90s of repetition to commit something to long term memory. Have a timer ready set to 60-90s and study one definition at a time. Once the time is up move on to the next. If you were to spend less than 30s on a definition you will likely forget it. You can repeat this couple of times for it sink in better.

The mind naturally loses attention after about 20 min. So when you study, set a timer to 20 min, and take a 5 min break. Reward yourself with something you enjoy doing after good cycle of studying. Constant reinforcement of rewarding good behavior will turn into a habit.

 

[haxtor21]

Yes I think that having a separate corner for studying would be a good idea. Right now I am sitting in front of 2 monitors and a macbook with about 30 tabs open. Its just so addicting to read about technology that its becoming unhealthy.

I find that I am most productive after 11pm... when i know that I have to get some sleep for HS the following morning. I am going to buy a separate folding desk, re-arange my room and see how it goes from there.

Thanks for the advice.