How do I get myself to study? (1 Viewer)

[BobbetyBob]

I have this MAJOR issue and that is I can't get my self to sit down and study!! It's so frustrating because even an hour before a major exam (which I hadn't even studied for), I feel so relaxed and when I fail, I tell myself 'okay, I seriously have to start studying.' BUT I DON'T. When I come to sit down and study, my mentality is just like, 'yeah, I have 3 hours so 5 minutes won't hurt.' And then the 5 minutes turn into 2 hours. Is this ADHD? I can barely concentrate and I'm honestly starting to think the worst of myself. I have 3 major exams (one for math (the whole syllabus), physics (two modules), and Modern History (one module)) next term, and I have only a one week holiday. I really want to do well in these exams. Is there a way I could possibly be able to make myself sit down and absorb information WITHOUT procrastination? How do I manage to motivate myself? And what's the best way to actually finish studying PROPERLY for these upcoming exams? Please help, I'm sorry for the plethora of questions, but I genuinely want to turn over a new leaf.

If possible, please go into detail for your replies.

Thank you!

 

[loversinjapan]

1. Is there a way I could possibly be able to make myself sit down and absorb information WITHOUT procrastination?

Sit down and start studying. Starting is seriously the hardest bit.
Eliminate all distractions. Do not have your laptop, food, phone or any other distractingthingy in your room. Have everything you need (all materials, resources) near you.
Have a clean and comfortable study space.
If you're not used to studying then it might be better to start off just thirty minutes at a time. During your breaks, don't get out any of the distractingthingy's, maybe get a snack or just do starjumps (sounds retarded but legit works).

2. How do I manage to motivate myself?

If you don't have an aim or a purpose then you won't be able to motivate yourself. Without a goal, there is no motive. Wanting to "go well in these exams" is not specific enough. Set a specific mark/percentage/rank you want to achieve and work accordingly.

Think beyond the now. You do not want to finish the HSC, look back and think to yourself, "What the hell did I accomplish?" or "I could have done so much better" or "I wonder what I could've achieved if I had tried harder."

Ultimately it's your choice. You need a goal to motivate yourself towards, you need to understand WHY you're trying to get good grades. If you don't study, you won't get the marks. So do it.

3. And what's the best way to actually finish studying PROPERLY for these upcoming exams?

I'm not sure what subjects you are undertaking but a good place to start is the syllabus. Look at the, 'students learn about:' list and ask yourself, do I know all of this? Do I have notes on these? Look at the, 'students learn to:' and ask yourself, am I able to do what is asked of me? Whether this be discuss, evaluate, assess, describe etc. If you are short on time then write up summaries and mindmaps.

The best way to gauge how effective your study has been is to do a past paper and get it marked.

I know how you're feeling. It's extremely hard at times isn't it? Hang in there and just keep plodding. You can do this. You're what... 16? 17? 18? Your responsibility/priority right now is to try your best in your studies. All you have to do is sit down with a pen in your hand and move it around a little (or maybe a lot haha). Please do this for both your sake and mine, try to sit down and study, you are a capable and intelligent and complex human being, use this to your advantage! Gogogo.

PRO TIP: Do NOT do what you WANT to do (e.g. watch tv) before what you NEED to do with the mentality that you will "only do this for 5, 10, 15 minutes" because you're fooling yourself. Do what is necessary first.

 

[Aysce]

I have this MAJOR issue and that is I can't get my self to sit down and study!! It's so frustrating because even an hour before a major exam (which I hadn't even studied for), I feel so relaxed and when I fail, I tell myself 'okay, I seriously have to start studying.' BUT I DON'T. When I come to sit down and study, my mentality is just like, 'yeah, I have 3 hours so 5 minutes won't hurt.' And then the 5 minutes turn into 2 hours. Is this ADHD? I can barely concentrate and I'm honestly starting to think the worst of myself. I have 3 major exams (one for math (the whole syllabus), physics (two modules), and Modern History (one module)) next term, and I have only a one week holiday. I really want to do well in these exams. Is there a way I could possibly be able to make myself sit down and absorb information WITHOUT procrastination? How do I manage to motivate myself? And what's the best way to actually finish studying PROPERLY for these upcoming exams? Please help, I'm sorry for the plethora of questions, but I genuinely want to turn over a new leaf.

If possible, please go into detail for your replies.

Thank you!

I'll address your post in 3 parts:

1. Is there a way I could possibly be able to make myself sit down and absorb information WITHOUT procrastination?

It's possible though in my opinion it is highly unlikely. What I always did in year 12 was substitute what I did when I procrastinated, with something productive. So in year 11, I used to procrastinate on games and such but then I gradually swapped the games for Mathematics 3U/4U so I procrastinated but I still got work done at the same time! Maybe try that? I also enjoyed maths at the time, so I didn't mind procrastinating on it.

2. How do I manage to motivate myself?

Well, think about your long term goal and what you want to do at university/TAFE/etc. Once you actually have a "destination" to get to ie. a specific course, then you should start to feel really motivated. Alternatively, what I did was listen to some songs to gee myself up for a study sesh and then I just went on for hours, so yeah - the hardest part is actually starting to study, the rest is easy to be frank. I also have something called an inspiration wall with all my favourite inspirational quotes so that goes a long way too.

3. And what's the best way to actually finish studying PROPERLY for these upcoming exams?

There is no "best" way - it's all subjective and dependant upon the individual. My approach in your case would be to set up "Goals of the day" list that you tick off once you're done. So far example, Today: - Finish 5 Maths exercises - Revise a quarter of physics module 1 - Past paper practice and etc. It feels really good to tick the tasks off once you're done and the best part is, you don't really feel overwhelmed. You've essentially broken down a massive task into smaller, individual tasks so overall it is less daunting.

I hope I've helped you in some way, best of luck for your exams

EDIT: ^ Oh my, b10.

 

[Capt Rifle]

Or have someone sit next to you holding a taser, and when you wonder off physically or mentally, he or she will tase you. This works effectively, trust me.

 

[Wonder]

Maybe you could try the Pomodoro Technique?

 

[Capt Rifle]

Ok look, I usually say to myself 'just 6 more months then it's all over'. That keeps me studying lol

 

[enoilgam]

I've posted this a few times in response to similar threads like this, so I will re-posted it for the OP's benefit:

With procrastination, you will procrastinate no matter what - it is a part of human behaviour. The key with procrastination is to manage it so that it doesnt become harmful. In order to do this, focus on the setting up your work in such a way that it encourages you to work harder. As mirakon has said before, the HSC is all about attitude. Break the work down into small achievable goals. If you achieve these small goals you will feel much more confident with work and this will increase your morale and motivation. Remember, the best way to defeat an enemy is to cut off their strategy - the worst way is to take them on head-on. Procrastination's strategy is like a snowball, the more you put off doing the work, the larger your workload becomes, thereby further crippling your desire to do the work. To beat it, you attack it's strategy and prevent the snowball from getting bigger by chipping away at the work.

There is an old saying which goes "it's easy to commit to an idea, but it's hard to commit to a process". To commit to the process of doing well, you need to focus on the work itself - having long term ATAR goals is all well and good, but they often fail to motivate people in the day to day process of studying.

I know it seems like I am talking shit, but I actually used this strategy and I found it to be highly effective.

 

[SunnyScience]

Procrastinate and do the work at the same time if it gets that bad. TV + study. You won't be nearly as efficient, but it'll be something.

 

[Live]

Just do what I do and start a study/assignment completion journal lol. I created a journal in this very exact forum and when ever I set out what I'm going to do for the day, it becomes a necessity for me to complete it within that day.

idk, it might be just me, but planning to do things and keeping track of things increases my will power

 

[lightingbolt]

Guys, I have similar situation as OP,

I do 4u maths, Chemistry, Biology, English Advanced, SOR 1U?

It is very stressful because I don't really know which subject to drop so I could Focus on my other subjects; so I have 2 Options:


1. Would it be best to drop Maths ext 2 and focus on the other 10 units or Should I keep maths ext 2 and drop SOR 1U?

2. If I keep maths ext 2, How can I improve in terms of ranks, in my first assignment I scored 30% ( ranked 3/3) worth 20% of final mark, so I have 70% left? If I stay in 4u and work hard in it and also study hard in my other subjects, would I still have chance to achieve above 98+ ATAR overall.

I am very depressed guys, what should I do?

Thanks to any help

 

[Praer]

Just. Do. It.
Do you want to screw up your life? If not, Nike!
It will change your future.
If you keep on with your procrastination, you will screw up your future.
The choice is yours. Motivated yet? And what I'm saying is pretty legit

Pro Tip: Think that the world you're in is "Hell" for the rest of the HSC year.

 

[TheGeetz1995]

BobbetyBob, I find that when I feel myself losing concentration while I study, it is helpful to drink some water. Keep a glass/bottle of water next to you while you study and sip it when you feel yourself drifting away. This will also get you moving about because you'll need to pee more

 

[lightingbolt]

BobbetyBob, I find that when I feel myself losing concentration while I study, it is helpful to drink some water. Keep a glass/bottle of water next to you while you study and sip it when you feel yourself drifting away. This will also get you moving about because you'll need to pee more

haha, lol

How funny is this " This will also get you moving about because you'll need to pee more"- drinking water, too much when studying

 

[Spiritual Being]

Probably wrote this out on his study break subsequent to 10 hours of pure study.

 

[BobbetyBob]

Thank you all so much. I'll put all of your advices to practice. Thank you.

 

[BobbetyBob]

BobbetyBob, I find that when I feel myself losing concentration while I study, it is helpful to drink some water. Keep a glass/bottle of water next to you while you study and sip it when you feel yourself drifting away. This will also get you moving about because you'll need to pee more

Hahaa, okay. I'll probably lose a few kilos by the end of the year.
Thanks a million.