Shakespeare Got You Down?
This week we are utilizing my extensive experience in being an online college student! From personal testimony, I know how difficult it can be to sit down and force yourself to get your work done. Whether it’s burnout, general fatigue, difficulty focusing, or even the idea that college work can be hard, getting into that productive mindset is an accomplishment all on its own. Now that I am moving back into my spring semester of graduate classes, I thought this could be a great opportunity for a Beeline Post! Now how does one study successfully?
For this post, I want to share what has worked for me over the years when it comes to shoving my head into my books and getting some work done. This will be formatted as any other Beeline post but a lot of the regular steps will carry on as reflections of my growth as a student over the past few years. Especially when it came to transitioning into a graduate degree, there were a lot of tricks and tips that curved some of my schoolwork stress.
Building Study Armor
Setting ourselves up for success includes taking a deeper dive into the study/work process. This doesn’t have to be exclusive to schoolwork either. Anyone can take from this post how they want to approach their productivity. Imagine you’re working on a new project at work, or have to crack down and get some filing done. These tips work for those situations too! Our first step though, is being aware of the struggle and what factors are at play.
Catching Up on Our Reading
There were a few resources I utilized when taking a deeper look at the study process. Gathering a bit more information I was able to pinpoint some singular factors at play. My biggest concern often came from a point of disorganization, feeling overwhelmed, and the dreaded problem of procrastination. With that in mind, I took to some more reliable sources that dealt with these concerns to better my approach.
Atomic Habits by James Clear
I’m sure everyone and their mother has heard about Atomic Habits by James Clear. This book did a lot of magic for me when it came to how I approach my control over myself and my behaviors. Clear does an amazing job at breaking down one’s habits and incorporating increments of positive change to transform those habits over time. Rather than a 24 hour makeover that’s bound to fall apart, Clear approaches change through consistent positive reinforcement over stretches of a person’s life. Taking what I learned from the book, I applied it to my schoolwork. I looked first at my productivity and consistency in reading. The author’s emphasis on growth and one’s direction of focus aided in lessening a lot of the overwhelming thoughts and feelings I got from my assignments. Rather than becoming overwhelmed, I was able to refocus through consistent positive change.
Good Ol’ APA
Another resource that helped me isolate my issues was the American Psychology Association‘s article on procrastination and intentional delay. This article does really well at explaining the difference between procrastination and healthy pacing. Rather than having a black and white perspective, Novotney views more along the lines of a spectrum. Delay and procrastination are in fact not the same things. Being able to measure between creating healthy pressure through delay can be valuable in a learning setting. However, pushing off assignments until you barely have enough time for them cannot. This helped me take a better perspective on how I view my work and even how
To Do or Not to Do?
Breaking the process down into four key elements, addressing the most common problems with fortifying your study environment will make this approach more reachable in the long run. As you focus on these four factors and check them off as you move along, studying won’t seem so cumbersome and you’ll be less likely to sit down and not quite know where to start.
- Blocking Out Distraction
- Being Prepared
- Keeping Momentum
- Having Confidence
Step One: Knowing Our Interruptions
Step one approaches the issue of distraction avoidance. If you haven’t noticed, our tiny little monkey brains are starting to adapt more to short form content and TLDR’s. Because of this, our ability to sit down and focus on singular topics for extended periods of time has now become an issue. Not only is our attention span working against us, but we are also now in the midst of a distraction based environment. Whether its social media up to its regular content feeding tactics or everything else we experience, there is always something trying to get our attention. This is something to be mindful of as we learn to make studying more approachable. While I don’t recommend disconnecting from the universe in order to get a few study ours in, looking at this problem in a practical way can help to make it seem like
Do you Know Your Distractors?
Distractors are the things in our everyday lives that have no problem getting our attention. It is important to know these distractors and how they look for you personally before we go ahead and build our study bubble. You don’t need to have a perfected list of everything that could get in the way of your productivity. However, it is good to be aware as you begin your work. Do you stop reading when your phone goes off? Do you look away from your work when someone opens a door or makes a noise? For me, my phone is a big distractor. Whether I’m getting an email or a text, the sudden ding of my phone immediately pulls me away from what I am doing. It makes it even worse when my phone is sitting within inches of my workspace.
How Do We Identify Them?
Make up a list of things you notice next time you’re working. Just jot them down and even mark up how often you get distracted by that specific interference. Knowing what gets in the way of studying is the first step to counteracting the problem. Doing this exercise myself, I made a few discoveries when it came to distractors in my space.
After marking up my distractions while working on one of my recent finals, I noticed my phone came out pretty strongly as my biggest distractor. Though it wasn’t exclusive to emails and texting, general notifications from multiple sources were able to grab my attention. This meant I was often looking away from my work and spending more time replying to whatever I was sent. Now that we know the problems and their frequency we can work to counteract them. So how do we address these distractors without it becoming something that takes away from the effort we’re already putting into our work? My approach is to create a sturdy study bubble.
Step Two: Creating Our Study Bubble
Step two looks at the different ways we can keep the distractors away from our study spaces. I have listed a few that have worked for me and why below!
Brown Noise
Brown noise is similar to white noise in the way that is makes an monotonous sound. Think of leaving your fan on at night and imagine that sound but deeper and more vibrant. That’s brown noise. I find that listening to playlists and videos on YouTube of Brown Noise while I’m trying to retain more from my textbook has been a big help in getting rid of those distractors we talked about earlier. Usually, I put on my headset at my desk and the brown noise lets me zero in on my monitor and work without nearly as many interruptions. If you’re someone who can be distracted easily by yourself or other things in your environment, brown noise may be a big help for you.
Study Multitasking No More
Getting overwhelmed with one’s work scope is a pretty common issue when approaching a big project. The best way that has worked for me in making projects seem like less of an impossible task is the limitation of multitasking. Instead of writing a paper in the middle of two other things you need to focus on in that session of working, focus solely on one task at a time. That means no open tabs for something else you need to get done that day. There should be no notes or textbooks near your space that have nothing to do with your current objective. Your space should be hyper focused on one thing at a time. If you are in the middle of a study session, don’t jump to another task, or quickly check your messages.
Make Timeslots for Distractors
Let’s say you have a distractor you just can’t ignore. Whether its checking messages or giving attention to a needy pet like mine, there are just some things you can only avoid for so long. So, to fortify the health of our bubble, make time slots dedicated to these distractions. For instance, if I have been working all morning, I will make a time slot at noon for me to take care of anything I have that needs my immediate attention. This fits in perfectly with having a little lunch break and taking a breather from digesting information and getting carpel tunnel from typing.
Step Three: Building a Quiet Study Space
Quiet and what that word means can be subjective to you and your own preferences. Whether that is a minimal set up with you on the couch with your laptop or an office optimized for productivity, the goal of the space remains the same. I use the term quiet because it has multiple functions. Not only do we want a space that is quiet in terms of sound but we also want a space that functions for a variety of stimuli. A space that is clean and organized can help reduce mental and visual sound and allow the studier to better focus on the task at hand. A space that is not commonly trafficked by other house mates or a by a busy street can help with irregularity in terms of the world around you.
What Does Quiet Look Like to You?
It’s important to know your own preferences and how you respond to certain stimuli while you are working. See to previous section if unsure. This is the stage where we make conscious and informed decisions to keep those distractors at bay. For me, I have my desk positioned away from potentially overstimulating elements of my home. It is secluded in our second bedroom, facing a more quiet window of our house. That way, when I put my headphones on and try to get in the studying zone, I’m less likely to be pulled away by a car coming down the street or the regular goings on in our house.
Your space should fit you. If you’re a person who likes to be comfortable, have a blanket close by. If you feel like you have a harder time concentrating when you’re sitting down, opt for a standing desk. These are small decisions that can have a big impact on your space. The important thing is to be aware of yourself and how your environment impacts you.
Step 3.5: Preparedness is not Just in the Space
I wanted to include this section because some people definitely need to hear it. Being prepared for a long day of work also means having some food around and making time to be active between your tasks. If you’re studying for 6 hours straight, have plenty of hydration available and a granola bar at the very least please! Nutrients are not just for your muscles people! Your brain is dependent on the fuel you put into it. Starving your brain while your goal is to optimize its memory and learning functions is only going to make the process harder for you. Do not take shortcuts on this. Do not avoid your basic needs because of an upcoming final.
Also, make sure to take pauses to get up and move around. You can hurry and throw a load of laundry in, go for a 5 minute walk, play with a pet, and everything in between. It’s nice to keep our body awake while we are working to avoid unnecessary fatigue that may come from long periods of bodily rest. I personally do a few stretches every once and awhile, especially when I am experiencing some brain fog.
Step Four: Keep the Study Train Rolling
So much of the struggle when it comes to working is the continuous momentum needed to reach the finish line. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve hit roadblocks in my work and began to barter with myself in order to quit. I would begin making excuses for myself and often end up not winning a lot of these battles. Momentum is everything and some people are better at keeping it than others. I, myself was quite awful at it. So, I had to retrain my brain.
No If, Ands, or Buts
The more you stop yourself from having excuses, the easier it becomes over time. This is a truly personal note. I stopped giving myself the excuse to avoid work bit by bit for over a year and it’s now paying off. If you’re someone who has experienced a lack of personal discipline, I am specifically talking to you. I was that person and a part of me still is sometimes. You can’t force yourself to a task like other people can. You can’t just knock a task out of the way real quick. Neither could I.
To break the crippling cycle that I put myself through, I literally just started saying “5 more minutes.”
One Foot in Front of the Other
As someone who used to function on the other side of the productivity spectrum, I know what it means to teach yourself discipline. It takes exactly one step at a time to move away from turning your assignments in seconds before their due to having an outline and final paper made up a week in advance. Start with cutting yourself off of those thought patterns.
Terms to Avoid:
“I’ll start after this is over”
“I’ll have plenty of time tomorrow”
“It’s not really that much work anyway”
“My grade will be fine if this isn’t done”
These are excusing terms and are the first step to your momentum journey. The second one of these thoughts pop into your head, make a note of it. Take that thought and isolate why it isn’t helpful to you or your work. Then, rebuild that thought in a way that benefits you. Finally, say that thought to yourself like its a mantra from a guru. I know this sounds kind of redundant or even stupid to some but it’s worth it if change it something you really want to see in yourself.
More Ways to Reward Studying
Now this aspect of staying motivated while you are studying is an element that can often be mistreated and ultimately negatively impact the whole process. Rewarding yourself is an option. If having a little treat after you’re finished or getting a little something extra for yourself on a trip to the store makes studying feel more worth it than by all means. What we don’t want to do, though, is reward ourselves for something we haven’t accomplished yet. This is where setting goals and isolating tasks can really come in handy. By developing a concrete approach to the tasks we want to accomplish in our work, having an effective reward system becomes that much easier.
Step 6: Confidence is Key
When it comes to learning new things and applying those things to a growing skill, having the confidence in oneself can play a huge role in one’s success. If you go into a study session with the mindset that you’re not going to learn anything, you’re already setting yourself up for unneeded difficulty. Keep your head up and know that the pursuit of knowledge and growth, while challenging, can often be very rewarding. Whether it’s for an exam, a research paper, or a hobby that requires a little book reading, know that you go this. Now go study!