College Focus

[Anonymous No.4278935]

I have no job, I'm in 17 hours, I'm 27 and in a preclinical BSN nursing program, and the sooner I get done the sooner we can move out of my inlaws place.

School should be my life.

Last night I played Dark Souls until 5am.

What the fuck? Do you guys have any tips/tricks to focus on getting your shit done?

I'm sure not being a manchild helps.

[Anonymous No.4278938]

> School should be my life. Last night I played Dark Souls until 5am.

[Anonymous No.4278939]

>Drop out

>buy a tent

>move into the wilderness


>figure out what you want

>or you can stay there forever, until bears chase you off their land with shotguns

[Anonymous No.4278943]

Think about how your life will be in five years if you continue like how you currently are. Think about this everytime you think you are being unproductive. Any slacking off that you do go through should feel earned

[Anonymous No.4278949]

>>4278943
This is a good idea.

[Anonymous No.4278952]

Honestly, the only way is to fucking do it. Get off your ass and actually do your work.

School honestly isn't hard if you do the work. Go to class, take notes, go home, review notes, do homework/study. You don't have a job, you can put all of your focus on this.

Study, learn, practice. Nursing isn't easy, but not impossible. Just do the work.

You just need to get rid of laziness. I recommend a mild workout program to get rid of laziness. Situps, pushups, 30 minute run/walk a day. Get out of your house and off your ass. Force yourself to do it.

[Anonymous No.4278963]

>>4278952
To add, consistency is key. Study EVERY DAY. Even on days off. Review notes, redo problems/quiz yourself.

[Anonymous No.4278964]

>>4278943
>>4278943
>>4278943
someone make a demotivational or macro or something about this

[Anonymous No.4279068]

I have a few suggestions.

...First, find a place that's different from your gaming location to study. ...School library, public library, or even the dinner table. (The dinner table usually gets hijacked at some time in the day though.)

Finding a non-gaming place to work should help get you out of your gaming mode.

Alternately, you might listen to some solemn instrumental music. ...And loop it. ...And focus on your work so you don't go nuts.

The last time I had this problem, I made a footrest from a folding chair and spent most of the time with my PC chair sideways to the PC screen, (using my laptop) with sobering instrumental music playing.

[Anonymous No.4279071]

I also needed some focus time, due to some other issues I kept thinking about. I took 2 days off of work and busted out huge, huge portions of work. ...I pretty much only studied in those two days.

....Your mileage may vary.

I wish you the best. Chances are you may need to do the school library thing. It's worked for lots and lots of people. ...I don't do well with focus vs public places, but everyone is different.

Oh. ...And lighting. ...You will want your lighting to be between 30-50 footcandles. I.e. you should have enough light to read fine print without having to strain. ...You may have to bust out a reading lamp. ....I'm also remembering that illuminating your study materials may also draw your attention to it. (You may want to have it blank out the screen when you haven't messed with it for a few minutes.)

You should have some snacks too, so you don't spend your whole study time trying to get food. ...Or wishing you had food. Or thinking about making food. I like to have both snacks with a high and a low glycemic index. (Say.... pearson mints and Jerky .... ...Or sweet tarts and nuts. and not just 2 if you can help it. Potato chips, left overs, I guess I'm not a picky eater.)

I hope you get in a groove and do well. College is hard for everyone, but I think almost anyone can succeed there too.

I'll probably get some flames for the following, but you might consider taking your concerns to God via prayer. Should that not be your cup of tea, you might meditate, or otherwise center yourself.

[Anonymous No.4279080]

If you're using a console, sell your console. There are few good things to be gained from gaming, and the overall tradeoff of time for wasted time makes it an obstacle to experiencing life and learning things.

Delete your saved game files and uninstall if you're on PC.

[Anonymous No.4279216]

bump

[Anonymous No.4279221]

Take learning enhancing drugs.
Failing that learn how to self-motivate.

[Anonymous No.4279386]

When you decide to play next time, play less than usual or don't play at all.

[Anonymous No.4279393]

This helps me too.
like the OP, i am a 'manchild' and can play games till fucking forever. I'm better about it now, telling myself that the game will still be there in a few days etc. It's still hard to pry myself away sometimes lol.

[1 !VTp922VENc No.4279396]

I have this 'problem' too, although I'm aware it's pure laziness and omission.
>>4279068
This is good, especially go somewhere you won't be persuaded to go gaming or just do nothing.
I use the university library, and it definitely improved my productivity. And once's you're on the way, you'll find it easier.
The main problem I had when starting this is that I had not followed my classes, and found it hard to do my homework and such. But when you take classes and notes as previously suggested by someone, you will find it a lot easier and also more fun to actually study.
Also, if you are easily distracted by your laptop/social networking. Don't bring your laptop when going somewhere to study. It doesn't work.

[Anonymous No.4279422]

I have a "motivational" folder on my desktop with pictures of things that interest and inspire me (for example Hubble Deep Field, since I study science). When I notice myself going too far with slacking, I view them intensely with approriate music (maybe "Philig Glass - Floe" etc) and think about the wasted hours I could spend on actually studying things that interest me, and that I am actually spending my only life in this great universe fleeing intellectual challenges to the internet or gaming.. But if you want to use this method, I guess you have to figure out _why_ do you want to study and collect the approriate pictures.

[Anonymous No.4279425]

I just go to the library every day for a few to several hours. I only go to lectures if I really, really have to. It has worked for me very well thus far.
Also I've noticed that the earlier I wake up, the more I'm motivated to study. So you probably shouldn't browse imageboards or play vidya til 5 am.

[Anonymous No.4279430]

sometimes i wonder if college was even the right choice. I like my major, I really do, but sometimes I feel it would have been better to just do it on my own time. sit in on classes that i cared about to further my learning and do what I love as my hobby on the side while living a easy going life with a simple job.

I could care less about being rich or having fancy stuff. I just want to be happy.

[Anonymous No.4279436]

>>4279430
It's nice to have a pleasant job and some extra cash, though.

[Anonymous No.4279443]

>>4279436
I know, but if i had a chance to do it all over again; I would do it completely differently

[Anonymous No.4279445]

>>4279071
>Your mileage may vary.
doesn't "that" site rot your brain? and waste hours at a time?

[Anonymous No.4279446]

>>4279430
With experience, I can say that you should really think before switching your passion for 'bread'. Because trust me, it isn't a pleasant feeling when you're studying something that doesn't lead anywhere and you wake up in the night horrified of the realization that you're be office clerk #131200145 in your forties.

[Anonymous No.4279451]

Google the Pomodoro Technique.

[Anonymous No.4279452]

>>4279446
What if my passion is to crunch numbers in an office and earn decent bread, and do whatever I want in my free time? What's wrong with that
I mean, overwhelmingly most of /sci/ is going to have jobs like this.

[Anonymous No.4279469]

>>4279452
Then you're fine. People are different. I meant with my post, you should give it a thorough thinking before deciding what to do. I didn't also mean that there would be anything wrong with working as a clerk or for bread, that part was mainly to reinforce my own motivation to continue my path towards a future with uncertain income. :)

[Anonymous No.4279488]

Maybe you aren't having enough challenge in this semester? Because that happened in me, it just couldn't seem to seep in my head that I'm a physics major since I'm taking the lower level subjects so I slacked off the whole semester.

[Anonymous No.4279518]

I'm reading
http://www.freebookspot.es/Comments.aspx?Element_ID=85916
Quite interesting.

Also, get a timetable and try to follow it, I set alarms for the most important intervals, "go to to study 1", "go to to study 2", "sleep", etc

[Anonymous No.4279544]

>mfw motivation and focus threads never last

[Anonymous No.4279551]

>>4278935
Are you me? General.

>>My diary time.

For it all crashed down during the reading for exams before Christmas. I had 5 exams and a month to read, but still I clocked more hours in BF3 than I did reading on the subjects. Also I realized i had not attended any lectures what so ever that semester. By luck or some shit, I managed to not fail anything and get average grades compared with my class. I realized things have to change though..

I'm trying to get rid of my lazy habits one by one. For 3-4 weeks I've gradually stopped masturbating, eating candy and drinking soda. I have started exercising and reading again (both of which were passions for me before I went to the university). I've been eating healthier, especially putting some vegetables in my meals and eating carrots when I crave chocolate.

Next up is the hardest problem, my crippling gaming addiction. I'm not really sure what the best course of action is but so far my plan is to only allow gaming and wasting time on the internet between 5 and 11 PM. I'm also trying to fill up my plan between these two limits with other activities such as volunteer work at some student cafe and some free dancing classes and some sports.

One more thing that I am going to try is start my assignment the day I get them. I'm also trying to find out what applications all my (very theoretical) courses have in the real world.

All in all I'm trying to be more responsible with my body and mind. I hope it will solve many of my problems..

>>TLDR; My diary, probably boring for you. Trying to fix my problems with one big, slow stroke.

[Anonymous No.4279555]

>>4279551
Not OP but man, maybe once you get more involved with academic works (assuming you aren't) you'd drop the gaming. I used to play all the time and procrastinate on the internet until I got more physics and math subjects which developed my study habits.

[Anonymous No.4279558]

>>4279518
<--My actual time table 1 of the STUDY >>4279451
periods is usually occupied by lectures.
No rest days because on those I simply read for fun and program for fun.

Also, using this
>>4279451
Push-ups, squats burpees, etc during the pauses, some web and RSS checking during the long ones.

[Anonymous No.4279565]

>>4279518
<--My actual time table 1 of the STUDY periods is usually occupied by lectures.
No rest days because on those I simply read and program for fun.

Also, using this
>>4279451
Push-ups, squats, burpees, etc during the pauses, some web and RSS checking during the long ones.

[Anonymous No.4279568]

>>4279555

I definitely hope so. I'm over half way to my MSc (2,5 years out of 5, no bachelor in between), and I've yet to find my subjects very interesting. I'm still waiting for the parts that I originally wanted to learn about but there is so much boring stuff to wade through before I get there. Also I get away with doing my work half assed. I've never failed a course and my grades are dead average. Also now that I'm so far in, it would be a massive waste to quit or change courses.. Also I'm sort of guaranteed a nice well paying, stress free 9 to 5 job if I just get through this.

[Anonymous No.4279601]

>>4279565
6 hours of sleep?

fuck that

[Anonymous No.4279607]

\sum

[Anonymous No.4279653]

Many schools offer counseling on these things. I've attended a group like that once, and it was ok. Didn't change my life or anything, but I learned many smart ways to stay on top of things.

[Anonymous No.4279661]

>>4279653
share?

[Anonymous No.4279717]

>>4279661
Well, uh, it sounds kind of obvious now that I actually use them all the time and I may have forgotten some. But here goes.

Make a time table for weeks at a time. Makes managing time much easier. Color study, fun, internet, sleep etc. differently.

Make lists of things that have to be done and set goals: short, medium and long term. Note specific rewards for accomplishing them. Cross stuff off the list when it is done.

Read up on subjects before each class. Not in detail, just get a feel for what you are going to learn during those hours and how much information there is. (WHY are you learning this? What useful purpose does it have?) Should be done the night before you have the class. This time should also be used to evaluate the day that passed, did you do everything you should, if not, why, and where is the new spot in the time table?

If you know there is a difficult subject coming up the next week, try to do tasks and learn everything about it before the lecture so that you can ask appropriate questions and follow the lecture better.

Make study groups. Discuss your problems.

If you feel like you just can't study any more, take a walk, get some air, eat something light and come back after the short break. When you are in "the zone" stay and study as long as you can, then later when you should be studying you can have fun instead.

Have at least one "free day",where you do your own stuff.

There was probably a lot more, but these things kind of stuck with me. A quick search will probably find more of the same.

[Anonymous No.4279854]

bump for more advice please.

[Anonymous No.4280439]

>>4278935

Define what you want. Realize that in such a way you won't get anything. Limit yourself. There are tons of addons for blocking websites (so you don't waste time here, facebook or whatever). Install a linux distro and use it during the exams/whatever so if you have the temptation to play videogames you have to reboot and after sometime this gets really annoying.

[Anonymous No.4280470]

What you have to work on is essentially the fact of starting. That's the problem. Once you start it's way easier to "keep going".
So do as the other said. Turn off the laptop and try starting. If you need the laptop use blockers as the other said. It's just something between you and yourself. Thing of what expects you if you don't.

Good luck

[Anonymous No.4281658]

>>4279443

I don't know what you're referring to, so I can't say as it's wasted my time?

[Anonymous No.4281660]

Wrong reference. - I mean -->

>>4279445

I don't know what you're referring to, so I can't say as it's wasted my time?

[Anonymous No.4281682]

Fucking depressing thread man.

[Anonymous No.4281693]

I just walk around when I get distracted. Or think about important things in the shower/going to sleep