staying awake while reading and studying

[lespauldude]

I find myself falling asleep too often. How do you guys stay awake when the material is so dry?

[alekseykravtsun]

1. I do mind mapping, it makes me involved in to studing (rather than sliding with eyes through this word wich are not coming to brain)
2. I do retelling of what I read to my self or to little digital camera, some time imagine person and retelling him (my job in occupational health and safety, so I study new things almost any new day)
3. I am early raiser, so most of things I learn in the morning, but some howe things are learn right before I go to the bed pretty good memorized.

Hope it helps to stay you awake while you study.

[toasterwater]

I drink caffeine, chew on sunflower seeds, and put on blaring loud music. this combination keeps me awake. another trick you may want to utilize (i don't use it often, but it may be effective for some people) is to pinch the skin or pull the hair on the back of your leg when you feel yourself getting tired. or you can stand up and walk around while reading if you feel yourself getting tired.

anyway, many options, but like i said, my fav's are sunflower seeds, loud energetic music and CAFFEINE!!!

hope this helps.

Good luck!

(additionally, you may want to consider taking a break if you use this method for a while and then start to wander mentally... maybe an hour or so depending on how long you can concentrate)

[Lioness]

Originally Posted by alekseykravtsun

2. I do retelling of what I read to my self or to little digital camera, some time imagine person and retelling him (my job in occupational health and safety, so I study new things almost any new day)

My version of this technique is to read the study material aloud as if I were doing a radio or TV braodcast. It makes it fun. To boost your retention, you could invest a few bucks in an old school tape recorder and walkman-style cassette player. Record your study material in your best Dan Rather imitation, then listen to it with earphones as you go about your mundane chores and before you go to sleep at night.

Also, you can make a game of anticipating your professor's questions on a quiz or test and make up your own questions based on the reading/lesson.

or you can stand up and walk around while reading if you feel yourself getting tired.

It's hard to walk and read at the same time, but I second the standing-up part. You can create a makeshift podium by piling thick textbooks or a couple of boxes on a desk and read standing instead of sitting. Use a yellow highlighter to zero-in on the main points of the lesson.

[themaster]

Originally Posted by lespauldude

I find myself falling asleep too often. How do you guys stay awake when the material is so dry?

Here's a suggestion.. stop reading material that is "dry"

If you don't give a crap (yes, emphasis word) about what your reading.. stop reading it.. stop studying it.. stop buying into belief systems that don't serve you such as

- Go to school so you can..
- Get a good job and not end up working
- like ______ did

Imagine for a second that you're playing a video game.. it's about adventure and exploring.. would you design your character to go to school and raise their intelligence on study's? Or would you send your character out into the world to explore.. (just so were clear.. I ain't saying that going to school isn't exploring )

I'm telling you the honest truth when I tell you.. if you learn 1 single thing in school that you find boring.. you could have spent that 1 single thing on something you found interesting.. that's my anti-school rant of the day Spend your life doing something you enjoy.. that is my advice.. your thread and it's subject speak of you doing something that you don't..

The only other way to fix that is for you to remove whatever definition you have with studying that subject.. and make it fun or interesting..

[Talkofthatown919]

basically go to a place that is comfortable to read. No laying down or leaning back in a chair. Sit straight up ex: read at a table

[FazK]

Well it helps to sit up right at a desk instead of laying down in bed or the floor. Also don't do it late at night study first thing in the morning if possible.

Also if you hate reading why don't you learn a rapid reading method such as photo reading

[Gene]

Originally Posted by FazK

Well it helps to sit up right at a desk instead of laying down in bed or the floor. Also don't do it late at night study first thing in the morning if possible.

Also if you hate reading why don't you learn a rapid reading method such as photo reading

I sit in a comfortable over stuffed reclining chair with my feet up to read. I am both comfortable and focused on my reading material.

[Mynder]

If you don't give a crap (yes, emphasis word) about what your reading.. stop reading it.. stop studying it.. stop buying into belief systems that don't serve you

Mh, I wonder if you'd want to go to a doctor who skipped over the parts of his education that he may have found boring. And yes, in every path of education there are things that you need to learn that may not be as much fun as other aspects. And you may still have to learn them to "get" higher-up concepts (such as in mathematics, you need to learn a lot of low level stuff that more complex things are deduced and derived from, even if you don't like it all).

But I guess it has to do with one of my favorite quotes from "Ghost Whisperer".

Prof. Payne: You know what they say about instant gratification, right? It takes too long.

[themaster]

Why does a doctor have to learn anything at school?

Why can't he learn in the field..?? patient says I feel sick.. doctor says "I need 5 minutes in my office.. and reads it from the wiki, book, youtube, whatever"

We won't even likely need doctors in 50 years.. their profession may quite possibly be obsolete.. that's how much change is coming.. (in 50 years it might be maybe.. they don't go into their office.. but instead they tap some higher knowledge spiritual information.. maybe, just maybe, that will happen )

In my profession I learn new things every day.. no school could have taught me that.. you do it and learn.. life is a learning experience

I would trust Mynder and maybe you wouldn't that whatever doctor I attracted was the right one for me.. even the one that didn't study in college and partied everyday.. you might want to take a serious look at the limitation your prescribing.. it may be said NEUTRALLY.. but it is still limitation..