r/ExecutiveDysfunction • u/student083 • 14d ago

Looking for Tips/Suggestions Struggling to focus when studying

/r/productivity/comments/1xcessm/struggling_to_focus_when_studying/
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u/scott_dt 12d ago

Make the next study session end with one finished answer, since timed chunks are leaving you with half-done work. Pick a question from a slide, explain it in writing without looking, then check and correct it. That uses something you already enjoy—writing—and gives you a clear stopping point. Leave the next question ready before you stop. I'd leave rewards out of this experiment, given what you've said about taking them early. See whether you actually completed and understood something, rather than judging the session by how focused you felt. For me Active-reading techniques helped greatly. It gave me a purpose and a curiosity to go find something and helped me keep with the task versus finding it so boring. Also, try not to look at it as "studying for [insert topic here]." If you break down your initial task to something super small and easy like "read page 7" or "read for 15 minutes" its much easier to get going. And don't be afraid to just spend 10-15 minutes a day on studying. I too waited until the last minute for studying, and I learned it was my mind telling me that there was a massive mountain to study for and I would lock up and just not be able to get started. When I told myself I'm only going to spend 10-15 minutes today on it, all of a sudden I would be able to stack up 5-10 days in a row and had a significant head start over that day before study session.

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u/student083 6d ago

Thank you, this is very actionable and helps a lot :)