Trouble with study

[silicon toad2000]

Hi all,

It's been a while since I have posted. I wanted to table a problem I am having and hopefully get a few ideas or insight.

I'm finishing off a degree. I have 4 subjects left to complete including the one I am currently working on.

I am having quite a problem actually picking up the books and getting started. I'll sit down and get the books out but after 5 minutes or sometimes even before I open the books, my head will run off and do something else. It is quite difficult to continue concentrating on the study. As a result I often find myself with hours to spare before an assignment is due, not having achieved much despite blocking asside the time to work on the task.

I work full time in a professional capacity. Study part time, have a family. I am time poor but I always manage to block asside the time, the problem is my productivity during that time.

I used to be able to focus for hours at a time and not have an issue absorbing the information I need. Now it seems after a 2 hour block (with a break at the hour mark to stretch and walk around for 5 minutes) that I have absorbed nothing and I can't even remeber reading the text 2 pages back.

Any tips, insights or points of view would be most welcome.

Thankyou for taking the time.
Toad.

[CoolBee]

How are you attempting to absorb the information - read, make notes, linearly?

How about trying a different technique if you haven't already.

Here's something I do sometimes if I MUST study but my brain is fighting it - give it a try for an hour or so and see what happens. I think this works because it makes you have to do something rather than just read.

EG Suppose you have to cover 1 chapter in the book.
Read the first paragraph of the chapter and the last.
What is the purpose of the chapter?
If the chapter is broken into sections - what is the purpose of each sectioin?

Now, put the chapter name in a circle in the middle of a plain piece of paper.
count the number of sections - eg 3 - and do 3 bit sticks of it.
Put the name of the section at the end of each stick.
Count the number of paragraphs within each section - eg 15 17 10 and put the appropriate number of sticks off the relevant section stick.
Now, say you are looking at section 1 and it has 15 paragraphs. Quickly read the paragraph - jot one single word or phrase or equation against the relevant stick summarising the paragraph content.
Have a 5 mins break.
Now repeat for the next section until 15 minutes before the end of your allotted study time.
Review what you have noted.

Get a new blank page and jot down any insights in any form you like - linearly, sticks, whatever.

[karthikrajg]

I generally cool myself enough before concentrating on a task. This would mean playing a sport or watching tele for a while, especially when you work full time. Sometimes i take the monday off, so i essentially cool down over the weekend and i have high levels of concentration on monday and there is very little that can distract me on a weekday.

....just my 2 cents!!

[silicon toad2000]

Thanks guys,

karthikrajg, the old "sharpen the saw". I think you're right, I haven't been following that rule.

CoolBee, I like that idea, one bit at a time, break the task into smaller managable tasks.

[Jarrod]

Have you got mini goals for each study sessions? Something to try.

I also like mind-mapping on the topic of each chapter, a good idea, breaks you out of the grind.

[Cochonette]

Hmm, this is just an idea. Well, lately I have been journaling all kinds of things. Fitness, dreams, purpose, writing... I find that journaling helps to focus me on something. By journaling about it every day, it keeps my mind thinking about what I need to do, reflecting on it, planning for improvements... I'm going to call this ARP (Attend-Reflect-Plan). By focusing on what I need to do in a journal every day, it orients my mind in that direction. It's me saying: Hey, you're important enough for a journal!

I need to work on the same thing, just being able to focus on a book for class. But I'm taking a semester off to work on many things, and I'm not there yet. I decided to add a writing journal to reorient me toward going back to school in the Spring as well as prepare me to do the assignments. I don't think I will working on reading until classes start up again. Writing is enough. But if I were you, I'd create a journal for this matter specifically. I am just hoping that writing will focus me enough on school work that I won't need a separate journal for reading.