<p>i don't get enough sleep so sometimes my mind starts drifting off in class. :(</p>
<p>any tips?</p>
<p>I guess it’s different for different people. Here’s what works for me:</p>
<p>Some people feel like they can concentrate better when they take detailed notes, but for me, it’s kind of the opposite.</p>
<p>I sit in class and simply listen to the lecture. I find that by listening, I process the material better (which also keeps my mind too occupied to daydream). When there is something I don’t understand, I jot down a little note to remind myself to go back to it.</p>
<p>P.S. You should try to get some more sleep time; it’s pretty important.</p>
<p>No substitute for sleep. Figure out a way to get it.</p>
<p>Sitting next to cute girls (or hot guys).</p>
<p>Taking seminar style courses.</p>
<p>@Castel: wouldn’t that just make you not pay attention at all? LOL</p>
<p>Perhaps, but you retain their-- I mean, class information a whole lot better.</p>
<p>caffeine booster. or get a scary/mean prof.</p>
<p>my girlfriend keeps me awake in math. find a decent person who’ll just shake you every few minutes or whenever you look buy don’t see without pulling pranks on you.</p>
<p>I think for many students, its how do you fell motivated to get up and go to class. Once you drag yourself into the classroom, it isn’t too bad to pay attention</p>
<p>For me, I can’t pay attention if I don’t get enough sleep, even if it’s on a subject that I like. There really is no substitute. I gave up some hours of studying and homework so that I could go to sleep earlier. It turned out be the right choice since I was actually able to pay attention in lecture better.</p>
<p>ektaylor’s right… in my seminar class, i was terrified of falling asleep cuz there were so few ppl.</p>
<p>sit in front of the professor.</p>
<p>definitely sitting in the front of the class…or doodling, caffeine, sleep, texting buddy, passing notes w/ bff, taking tons and tons of notes and having interesting teachers.</p>
<p>^I’ve actually read a study saying that people who fidget, doodle, go on facebook, or anything remotely interesting in short bursts over a long period of time do better at paying attention. </p>
<p>It has something to do with breaking from a monotonous cycle so your brain can repair itself just a bit and pique you up to listen more attentively.</p>
<p>What was that study? I’m interested to read. haha…and I thought I was doing really odd things that only helps me focus but would make anyone else lose concentration.</p>
<p>Oh, and eating helps too…I always have snacks in class or a lolly pop (any sugary stuff)</p>
<p>and sometimes origami–they really help, cuz you can listen and fold pretty things at the same time, and it helps you pay more attention! :)</p>
<p>Sit next to someone who is taking notes furiously so you feel really guilty whenever you’re not paying attention or do something with your hands the entire time while watching the lecture (I typically work on a lanyard or something). The only class I ever had any trouble paying attention in was OChem last semester because by then I had just had 3 hours of straight science lecture and my brain was about to die. I find that if you try and space your lectures out or switch up the subjects (science followed by humanities followed by science) a bit you’ll be okay.</p>
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<p>Oh yes. I think even if this study is false in general, it’s definitely true for me. As it happens, I do exactly this to maximize my concentration. One of the reasons my post count is high for CC is just that I find that if one stares at work for too long without briefly for instance drawing a picture, scribbling, or something else, one deceives oneself into believing stuff is actually being absorbed, but it’s really easy to be spacey. Actively switching activities when trying to absorb new material seems to help me get more done.</p>
<p>I’d recommend speed. But seeing as how that’s illegal and you probably wouldn’t end up paying attention (if you even make it to the right class) I’d say just get some sleep. Screw that last hour of homework and just sleep. Do it tomorrow.
My real problem is getting up to go to 8 am classes even when i do get enough sleep (about 7 hours; 1 less than supposedly needed but I can’t go to bed at 11 that’s crazy talk) I’m just simply not a morning person and coffee hasn’t helped since freshmen year in high school. I realize that when I go to those lectures and take notes or even just listen, I find myself not processing anything whatsoever. But when I started to go to afternoon lectures for the same class, I actually got that stuff in a snap. Problem is, friggin classes like Bio force me to wake up at 8 and I don’t really function until 10. Boo.</p>
<p>There was a study recently that showed that doodlers were better at focusing than non-doodlers, because doodling actually kept their minds from wandering. I bet doing origami would have the same effect. I don’t think getting onto Facebook would, though! There was a funny story I heard when this study was published, about British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Bill Gates. Here’s a link to it:</p>
<p>[BBC</a> NEWS | Politics | ‘Blair’ doodles amuse Number 10](<a href=“http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4220473.stm]BBC”>BBC NEWS | Politics | 'Blair' doodles amuse Number 10)</p>
<p>Good luck and start filling those margins…</p>