how to study when you REALLY donāt want to
weāve all been there.Ā You have a paper due in the morning, itās 10 pm, and youāre sitting at your desk, feeling dead.Ā Or maybe itās 3 pm, and youāre just SO overwhelmed with an endless to do list and so many pages to read or annotate or take notes on that you just think,
screw it. I just wonāt do anything.Ā
Listen, I get it. I understand. I LOVE learning, but I often find myself bogged down by homework, that incessant, painful reminder that youāre beingĀ forced to learn.Ā Nobody likes that.
So below are some of my tips for studying, especially when you really, really donāt feel like doing it.
Whatās your absolute dream school? Columbia? Thatās amazing. Harvard? Incredible. Florida State? Awesome. Wherever you want to be in two years- whether it be college, grad school, teaching, etc. Picture yourself learning in your dream learning environment, doing what you love the most. Maybe for you, that daydream means picturing yourself in a New York City coffee shop, working on Literature homework from Barnard College. Or maybe it means cramming biology in a crowded, raucous library at UMass.Ā Whatever makes you get excited about learning- take the fuel you feel from those daydreams and use it to fan the flames of your love for learning.Ā
Treat every single class like itās your absolute favorite class ever. Listen. I donāt care if you have the shittiest teacher on planet earth. I donāt care if you couldnāt give less of a fuck about quantum physics or functions or whatever. You have the privilege and the opportunity to learn anything and everything, and we could all do good to stop taking that for granted. Treat AP Calculus like itās your favorite subject EVER, even when- especially when it feels like pulling teeth. But how? You might be asking. The secret is that itās really, really not that hard. There are so many ways to motivate yourself to do that subject youāve been putting off for days, and you know it!! Use studyblr to find inspiration for That Subjectā¢, make a study group, trap yourself in your dorm/library/coffee shop until you just finish one problem set, just START. Chances are when you see other people being productive and getting shit done in that subject (cough studyblr cough) youāll want to do it too.Ā
Eat, sleep, and live. Listen to me: you HAVE to stop killing yourself to do more school. Your to-do list ISNāT GOING TO JUST GO AWAY. Thereās always going to be things you have to do and things you could be stressed about. But stress, school, and homework are not excuses to abandon self-care, friendships and having a social life. Go out with your friends! Go to the movies! Go to that football game! Get the important stuff done and stop worrying about your endless list! Having somewhere to go will motivate you to get done faster, and youāre going to feel a lot better after going out and having fun than sitting at home alone procrastinating. Chances are, youāll be more energized to get some work done too.Ā
Pay attention to what your bodyās telling you. Switch out midnight iced lattes for smoothies and fruit. Eat lots of food that makes you feel good, healthy and fulfilled. Stop snacking on the same 4 chips every time you study and start learning how to fuel your body and your brain. If you know you canāt eat a full breakfast before school, find things you can eat, and I mean MORE THAN JUST COFFEE STRAIGHT FROM THE POT. Track what you eat for an entire week, and I mean EVERYTHING. Track your water intake, coffee intake, and soda intake. On top of food tracking, also track your mood, productivity, and overall feeling of wellbeing. At the end of the week, see whatās up! Look for patterns, dehydration, food inconsistencies, gross stuff you eat a lot, things you want to change, all of it. And then actually MAKE THE CHANGES.
I know Iām going to sound like your mom friend here, but thatās kind of what I am, so: drinkšš»morešš»wateršš»!!!!!!! I cannot STRESS THIS ENOUGH!!!!!!! FUEL YOUR BODY!!! YOU WILL FEEL BETTER!!!
in conclusionā¦
- picture yourself learning in your dream learning environment
- picture the payoff, you doing what you want to do - nursing or teaching or building fancy ass AI robotos or whatever it is
- do NOT take your education for granted!!!! learning is such an opportunity and not everyone gets it
- treat yourself like a normal human being.Ā take care of yourself.Ā shower.Ā eat.
- pay attention to your body.Ā pay attention to what you need.Ā pay attention to what you WANT
- drink your water, listen to some jazz, and just start somewhere.
- small progress is still progressĀ
