Strategies for staying focused and being productive

[PokerEnthusiast]

Hi, I would like to know if anyone has any strategies that they use for focusing and making productive use of their time.

I need to study for an upcoming exam. I have just over a week left, which is a reasonable amount of time to prepare. The only problem is that every time I try to start studying I can't seem to stay focused at all. I study at home in my room by myself so it's not like I'm being distracted by anyone or anything. Most of the time my mind will wander and I will just start thinking about other stuff; or I'll feel the need to take a break and watch a movie/ play online poker/ surf the net (kinda like what I'm doing now )/ and a whole bunch of other little things that are keeping me from studying. I take break-after-break-after-break and by the end of the day I have accomplished practically nothing in terms of studying.

I don't think I have a lack of motivation because I really would like to do well in the course and I don't think it's a matter of regular procrastination because even if I am putting it off until the very end, I probably still wouldn't be able to focus then anyways.

Has anyone else ever had this same problem and how did you overcome it?

[mlc82]

Personally, I'd do what Steve talks about in one of his blogs ("timeboxing" or something I think he called it), and set intervals for studying of no more than 30 minutes at a time. Set an alarm for 30 minutes, do nothing but study hard for those 30, then when it goes off, set it for 15-30 more, and do whatever you feel like. As soon as the alarm goes off again, it's 30 more minutes of 100% focused study time, then back to whatever you'd rather be doing for the next block, on and on.

This would work well for me because I've realized that if I tell myself "I'm going to do this or that (not studying for me but usually something else I don't want to do, house cleaning or whatnot) for the next 3 hours!" I absolutely will not do it at all, or will just start slacking off after the first 20-30 minutes as by then it feels like the 3 hrs will never end.

[PokerEnthusiast]

Thanks mlc82, but I've tried that before and have failed miserably!

It's not so much about me not wanting to do the studying. In fact it's the opposite - If it was possible I would want to just shut out all the fun(time-wasting) things in my life and just study as much as possible for a whole week. I know that sounds crazy but I need a good mark in this course(accounting) and that means I need to do good on this exam.

What I want to know is how I can get into that "100% focused study time" mindset that you mentioned because I can't ever seem to bring myself even close to it.

[Proxy]

So you need focus huh?
-Well to really gain focus and concentration the best thing to do is practice every day. Yes, with meditation or just simple concentration exercises (such as staring at a candle for 15mins every day and focusing completely on the flame - while pushing any other thoughts that come to your mind away).
But the downside of this is that you need a few weeks to really notice a difference.... and you say you need the concentration this week....

A short term solution could be something like iMusic (I haven't really tried it, but they say it's good stuff), or another program that alters you brain frequencies to give you a more highly focused state (IDoser perhaps?)

Another way to achieve great focus in something is to be interested in it (if you love a book, you can read it very fast and be focused the entire time without your mind wandering and daydreaming). To become interested in something that you aren't interested in isn't really as hard as you might think - write down a few affirmations that say that you are interested in the thing you are doing ("I love studying for this exam, I'm going to broaden my knowledge on this subject and excell at the test..."). Try to put some feeling behing the affirmations (don't say them like a robot) and make them versatile and original > doing this for 20 mins will reprogram your mind into being interested in the subject at hand.
*You can also use affirmations to affirm your focus > "I am now completely focused on reading this book"

Still not working? Eat some ginkgo biloba pills, take a nap, listen to classical music (it supposedly increases concentration), search google and these forums for EFT (if you want I can explain EFT for you), visualise yourself being focused while studying and being interested in the subject and meditate on that, hypnotise yourself with tapes that will increase your concentration and memory (or just use self-hypnosis), relax - sometimes it's as easy as relaxing and you'll fall right into that focused state, try to learn speedreading or photoreading (if you read faster, your concentration will be peaked constantly and you won't be daydreaming), drink a cup of coffee,....

If you want more just say the word... I've read more books on this stuff than Jesus lolz

[himalaya7]

I agree that listening to classical music can be amazingly helpful. When I am having serious problems focusing, I turn on a Bach cantata real loud until it drowns my other distractions, and I get to work - eventually I am able to continue to work with lower-volume music.

[TheStrongerSelf]

A lot of good tips in here. Also make sure you drink enough and let in a fresh breeze of air every now and then.

I was having major concentration problems doing programming work and staying focused. Opening the windows in regular intervals - like once every 2 hours for 15 minutes - has done wonders for that.

Depending on the activity (studying in your case) listening to music can help, id suggest some ambient chill music - without beat if possible. But i think that varies from person to person

[Keith]

Often when my brain just slides away from a goal like that it means I'm either scared of the next step or don't know what it is.

Assuming you're not scared of studying for some reason(?), have you broken the studying up into bits or is it one overwhelming clump? Do you know what your next action is? Maybe you just don't have anything to focus on?

[NotesMaeve]

Today I had the opportunity to go to an early meeting and possibly pick up some work. Now, here I was, naked in bed beside my boyfriend, on the phone. Meeting. Uh huh. And the risk was that it might yield NO profit and I had to be there in, oh, 45 minutes, and it's a 20 minute drive, and the only clothing I keep over at his place is casual crap. So I threw on my low rise jeans, smeared on a little concealer and lip gloss, and figured why not waste some gas? If everything goes wrong, I'll go to Starbucks and get a double tall nonfat no whip peppermint white mocha. So I show up. Dudes have on ties and the classiest element of my outfit is the push-up bra. First thing out of my mouth, "So where's the Starbucks?"

I picked up some work. For whatever reason, they liked me. Moral of the story: I keep motivated by going outside of my comfort zone and having a plan if stuff doesn't go well. Dig?

[PianoMatt]

Have you tried studying in a different place? Like instead of studying at home, go out to some coffee shop or bookstore and study there for 30 minutes~an hour. It can really be possible that the reason you can't study at home in your room is because you literally trained yourself to act a certain way when you attempt to study there. =o

[PokerEnthusiast]

Thanks all, these are really good suggestions.

meditation/concentration exercises: maybe in the future when i have the time I'll stare at a candle or something

classical music: worth a try; I'll see if I can find some.

affirmations: "I love studying Accounting. I'm going to broaden my knowledge and excel on the exam "

ginko biloba pills: sounds interesting; do they really work Proxy? I did some research and found out that there is 300mg of this stuff in the Rockstar energy drink. Does Rockstar work for you or do you suggest the pills?

opening the windows: Hell no!!!!! This would definitely work if it was summer time but I live in Canada and in the winter it is Freeeeezing!

scared of studying: I'm gonna try to focus on little bits at a time and not try to think of how overwhelming the whole thing is.

[TheStrongerSelf]

opening the windows: Hell no!!!!! This would definitely work if it was summer time but I live in Canada and in the winter it is Freeeeezing!

haha, hmm ... didnt think of that .. i live in europe/austria, it can get cold here in winter time but its bearable.

[mlc82]

Originally Posted by PokerEnthusiast

Thanks all, these are really good suggestions.

meditation/concentration exercises: maybe in the future when i have the time I'll stare at a candle or something

classical music: worth a try; I'll see if I can find some.

affirmations: "I love studying Accounting. I'm going to broaden my knowledge and excel on the exam "

ginko biloba pills: sounds interesting; do they really work Proxy? I did some research and found out that there is 300mg of this stuff in the Rockstar energy drink. Does Rockstar work for you or do you suggest the pills?

opening the windows: Hell no!!!!! This would definitely work if it was summer time but I live in Canada and in the winter it is Freeeeezing!

scared of studying: I'm gonna try to focus on little bits at a time and not try to think of how overwhelming the whole thing is.

Instead of "energy drinks" that usual contain as much sugar and other crap as several sodas, just get the ginkgo pills and take them with a cup of coffee or something. You'd save a whole lot of money in the long run that way as well.

[Trustme]

I picked up this book recently (actually I ordered it in the US and had it delivered to me here in Austria):

Self-Discipline in 10 days
Amazon.com: Self-Discipline in 10 Days: How to Go from Thinking to Doing: Books: Theodore Bryant

Someone here recommended it and I am absolutely surprised about its usefulness. I wouldn't have expected that because of this cheesy title. It's rather slim but a real gem.

Another good book is the Habit of Now

[elastigirl]

Personally, I'd do what Steve talks about in one of his blogs ("timeboxing" or something I think he called it), and set intervals for studying of no more than 30 minutes at a time. Set an alarm for 30 minutes, do nothing but study hard for those 30, then when it goes off, set it for 15-30 more, and do whatever you feel like. As soon as the alarm goes off again, it's 30 more minutes of 100% focused study time, then back to whatever you'd rather be doing for the next block, on and on.

This would work well for me because I've realized that if I tell myself "I'm going to do this or that (not studying for me but usually something else I don't want to do, house cleaning or whatnot) for the next 3 hours!" I absolutely will not do it at all, or will just start slacking off after the first 20-30 minutes as by then it feels like the 3 hrs will never end.

excellent,I will apply this now!

[nick pagan]

When I really need to get something done but find myself resisting, unable to focus or indulging too easily in distractions then I use a technique that I created called "Negative Affirmations"

This works in harmony with our survival instincts. It first requires you to think about the bad things that will happen by not taking action and then immediately gets you to focus on the positive action that will take you away from the perceived danger. It primes the mind by taking account of powerful survival instincts and harnesses that power highly effectively.

It's a lot quicker and easier than meditation. You can read all about it here

Negative Affirmations

(Sorry if it's come too late to help you with your exam this time around!)

Take care,
Nick

[AlmostGone]

Originally Posted by PokerEnthusiast

Hi, I would like to know if anyone has any strategies that they use for focusing and making productive use of their time.

I need to study for an upcoming exam. I have just over a week left, which is a reasonable amount of time to prepare. The only problem is that every time I try to start studying I can't seem to stay focused at all. I study at home in my room by myself so it's not like I'm being distracted by anyone or anything. Most of the time my mind will wander and I will just start thinking about other stuff; or I'll feel the need to take a break and watch a movie/ play online poker/ surf the net (kinda like what I'm doing now )/ and a whole bunch of other little things that are keeping me from studying. I take break-after-break-after-break and by the end of the day I have accomplished practically nothing in terms of studying.

I don't think I have a lack of motivation because I really would like to do well in the course and I don't think it's a matter of regular procrastination because even if I am putting it off until the very end, I probably still wouldn't be able to focus then anyways.

Has anyone else ever had this same problem and how did you overcome it?

The first question I would ask is, "Is this a new phenomenon?". If not, professional help might be a wise course.