Make a hand-written list of tasks that can be done in 25 - 30 minutes.
Turn all social media off (unless the task is laundry), if need be via the above-mentioned app.
Get to work.
CROSS first task OFF list.
Take a five minute break. Use a timer!
Move on to the next task.
This can be done in or out-of order. If you are not inspired, work 30 minutes on research for an essay, then do 30 minutes of math or language … or laundry, gardening, paying bills.
Just make sure to end a task and cross it physically off the list. You just have to make sure that you have 30-minute bites, instead of huge unattainable junks, be precise … Don’t just say, study for x exam, say “write out flash-cards for chapter 2”.
Good luck!
OP appears to be a HS student, so going to the library might not be as easy as a college student’s walk across campus.
@bodangles Yes, I am a student in high school.
@TallyMom2017 Thank you for the advice.
@ultraviolet56 Yeah, that makes sense.
My D1 somehow learned good time management skills around 8th grade. I wish I could take credit for it but I can’t. She did it on her own. Basically, she paid attention to what contributed to, and what detracted from, her successful studying and modified her plans accordingly. So it was very individualized. For example, she is a morning person and find she is more productive in the morning. She also knows there are too many distractions in the dorm, so she has figured out various spots on campus where she can find a quiet place to study, including the library but also some study rooms in various buildings on campus where she can do some work in between classes. And she carries a planner with her - an actual spiral notebook, not her laptop - where she notes her assignments and prioritizes what she needs to do. Also, this is more of a girl thing, but she’s into studyblr’s. https://medium.com/bright/the-rise-of-studyblrs-8916998179f9#.va1cnjn7u
I really recommend reading this article http://99u.com/articles/6969/10-online-tools-for-better-attention-focus and using a blocker (self control program) is great. Often, we have great intentions but need some tools to help us meet our goals.
@Corinthian Thank you so much for the advice.
@milkweed Thank you so much! I needed that!
ADHD is more complicated than that. Also, regarding laziness, you might want to read "The Myth of Laziness."I doubt this is happening because you have a lazy personality: you might have a reason for not being motivated, you might be addicted and unable to tear yourself away, you might wish you weren’t in college…but I am not sure I believe in laziness.
It’s hard when all your homework is on the computer and there are all these things to distract you ON the computer-I feel your pain. I have a Spanish final tomorrow and I’m on here instead of studying, and I’m not a kid, I’m a 46 year old mom!
I also use chunking and pomodoro techniques that others have mentioned very well-I’ll give myself 15 minutes on here (ok, 30 minutes) and then I have to do an equal amount of time studying or doing worksheets. It works fairly well for me for stuff I REALLY hate doing, like conjugating irregular spanish verbs in the preterite.
Sucks. Stupid. But there you go-you want the good stuff in life, you chunk your way through the crap…
@MotherOfDragons Hey, I’m in spanish too! I just took a test on friday over o-ue conjugations. Spanish isn’t that
hard at all. Personally, for me, spanish takes like 10 minutes for me to study. The concepts are really simple.
A room or other physical space where you have not experienced social media or a similar distraction and does not have in it distracting people/devices/materials is great to assign as a study-only area. It will not be as likely to prompt memories (thoughts) of social media.
Also, if you study at the same time everyday, it will become normal to study then, and invasive thoughts of other things are less likely. As people have said, pre-establish the length of your study periods. It will pay to consider these pre-determined times sacrosanct.
It REALLY is important to reward yourself after doing what you are supposed to. However, it can be hazardous to use the addictive/overly attractive thing for the reward. (I question whether social media should be engaged in at all, at least if it draws one in so intensely; is it worth it?)
In the time before a study session, get out of the way the things that will otherwise necessarily cause discomfort during the session (for instance, adequate food).
@BigDreams12 I am glad it’s easy for you, it is definitely less of a chore when the task at hand isn’t difficult. I do well with the spoken aspects of foreign languages, but I find the grammar stultifyingly boring, and thus procrastinate on it like crazy.
I agree with @jjwinkle , I have gummy bears getting me through this as a reward, lol. (plus I just added up all the points I have in the class so far and even if I got a literal zero on the final tomorrow, I’d still pass the class. That took a bit of the pressure off. One more gummy bear for me!)
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
Closing thread for numerous reasons, including the fact that the OP has asked the question before. There is just nothing else that can be said.