i cant concentrate!!

[pandorasbox]

Ok, my problem is this. I've got finals in like 1 month, but whenever I try to study I can't study more than like 1 hour. After the 1 hour is over I just close the books and watch tv or go out to my pals etc etc etc, but i really need to study!! Anybody got any tips on how to concentrate on studying/not get distracted/ studying for long hours continuously?

[Caldus]

Take breaks then. Just study for an hour. Take a small break. Then study again. The break can be 30 minutes if it has to be. I like to talk online and listen to music while doing homework. I actually get homework done that way. I treat each assignment as one little goal that I have to reach before I go to bed that night rather then treating it as a dreadfully boring and impossible assignment.

[geo_jane]

Agreed.

 

Sometimes its counterproductive to study for hours on end. Its better to break up the study sessions into shorter blocks of time with short breaks between.

 

The thing is though that you have to be really hard on yourself and tell yourself that a fifteen minute break is not going to turn into a four hour break. Also, don't think you can sit in front of the T.V. for fifteen minutes and go back to studying. It won't work.

 

Someone offered me this advise once: Keep it SMART-

Small, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time Specific.

 

I guess it means make small study goals and stick to a time frame so that you can achieve the goals.

 

Hope this helps in some small measure.

 

geo

[MyNinja]

hey there,

 

don't try to cram your head with long hours of study sessions, you won't retain the information well enough. Get a schedule going for study times and stick with it. i heard that it's best to study during the time that you will be having your test. for example, if your test is at 2pm, on any given day, then you should set your schedule study period at 2pm. this will give your mind a knowing when you will have the test.

 

Also study material that you won't think will be on the test as well as what you know will be on it and most importantly, RELAX!!

[Alabama]

I listen to music to study. It helps me concentrate and get in the 'mood ' to study, even if I don't neccesarily want too. Good luck with your finals!

[corvidae]

Studying for a specific time period isn't always the best way. Try to study for a particular goal, like to memorise a specific amount of information or to understand a particular topic, then just do it. Take a break, test yourself, don't be angry if you haven't got it yet, but just go back and look over it again. View studying as taking in information/increasing understanding rather than as spending x amount of time on it. This is the technique that kept me top of my year throughout school. Also, work smart. Make sure you don't expend any time or energy on topics that won't be assessed.