What are your best tips for focusing during school work?

Question

I'm home schooled, in an online highschool - they send me books, I read them and take the tests online. But these past few days I've been having a lot of trouble focusing on the books. and it's not that I don't understand the material, I just find it REALLY boring. So what are your best tips for focusing?

Answer 1

If the material is boring, perhaps you, with your parents, need to explore a different way to learn the material to make it more interesting. If it's too easy, then perhaps you are taking the wrong level of work.

Answer 2

First step is to make sure you sleep enough, eat properly, drink enough water and exercise regularly.

I'd suggest you find yourself a study buddy. Sure, you'll end up chatting just as much as studying, but at least the study will actually get done. If that's not possible, go to your local library and find a more interesting book on the topic. It doesn't matter where you learn the info, as long as you learn it. If you've read a book or two from the library, you'll be able to either answer the questions straight away, or be able to skim through your text book to pick up the bits you haven't caught onto yet.

It is the end of year. Perhaps you need a holiday?

Answer 3

Do you do k12?

I do k12, an online schooling program, for highschool, and it's been tough. I actually find myself struggling with not getting on the internet, etc.

Try not going on myspace/facebook/yahoo answers

haha

Answer 4

If I just try to read a boring book, I soon find that my mind is elsewhere.  It doesn't matter how many distractions are or aren't around.  I find that I have to DO something besides just read.

If the book belongs to me, I highlight (or underline) important terms or phrases as I read.  Thinking about what would be important enough to highlight helps keep me focused on what I'm reading.

If the book doesn't belong to me and I can't write in it, then I like to take a few notes while reading.  Not too many.  But enough that I have to focus on what's important enough to jot down.

Or you can highlight in a book that doesn't belong to you if you have a page protector and slip it over the pages.  Then you can highlight the material on the page protector but when you take off the page protector, the highlighting is gone.

Sometimes, it helps to read it in shorter pieces.  Read until my mind starts to go elsewhere and then stand up and stretch or go get a drink or do a few exercises or something.  Not too long a break, but enough to help me keep from zoning out.

Depending on the material, having some background music sometimes helps.  But it has to be boring music, otherwise I'll start thinking about the song instead of the reading material.

And it can also help to occasionally break off and tell someone else about what you've read so far.  That way you have to pay enough attention to be able to figure out what to tell them.

Anyway, the point is that I have do more than just look at the words on the page in order to keep my attention on the material.  I have to DO something to keep me focused on what the material is about or I'll just stare at the pages and get nothing out of it.  So figure out something that you can do, take notes, highlight, discuss the book with someone periodically, etc.  Take breaks as needed to keep your body from starting to nod off.

(And I found it took even more effort to stay focused once I got into college where some of the material was so philosophical and boring...  Just reading doesn't cut it...)

Answer 5

This is a difficult time of year for many students. The days are shorter (and depending on where you live) it's cold and gray outside.

Sometimes a change in environment helps break things up. Try studying at the library instead of at home for a few nights. The quiet study environment may help break you out of the study rut.

Answer 6

Make sure you are facing a blank wall, and you don't have your phone or a clock anywhere nearby. The book needs to be the most interesting thing around, so you won't look for something else to focus on.

Give yourself regular breaks (5 minutes for every 40 minutes you study). I would ask someone to come and get you rather than have a clock close by to stare at. OR set an alarm on your cell phone (or clock) but face it away from you and on the other side of the room.

Another way to study is to read the section questions first and go back into the chapter to find the answers. Then you won't know as much about the topic and you'll want to read the rest after you've found the answer. Maybe. ;)

Answer 7

Okay...I used to have the same problem, but here's what I do:  find a nice quiet place to study with few distractions.  Try working somewhere new, like a library.  It might even help to do the work with someone else, like a friend or neighbor.  I also take frequent brakes.  Keep plowing through it....it will get more interesting!  Do your best and good luck!!!

Answer 8

When you start to get bored or restless, take a break. It may be as brief as 5 minutes. Make sure you are well-rested when you start studying because sleepiness can get to you more easily when you're tired. (Duh! =) ) Also, try to keep your mind as open as possible to new information. Studying when you're concerned or troubled about other things is difficult as well. Try to relate the information to your own life, however far-fetched it is, so you'll be more interested.

Answer 9

Hmm, I reckon the only real way to motivate yourself into doing something, schoolwork or anything else, is to be sure of why you're doing it. It is virtually impossible to motivate yourself longterm if you can't see any point in what you're doing.

If you can tell yourself you're doing it because of x, then it gives you both reason to keep going with it and something else to focus on instead of just how bored/distracted you are.

I also reckon that if your current programme seems boring to you on an on-going basis, rather than just occasional days or the occasional book or assignment, you should talk to your mum. Maybe you've outgrown your current programme and need to change providers or the courses you take.

You could also try adding to your provider's lessons. Do you have access to a University library where you live? If you do, check to see if they'll let you join their library. You could try borrowing some books on your subjects from them. Hopefully then you'll find books to inspire and challenge you in their library, even if you no longer feel that way about the texts your provider is supplying you with.

Answer 10

1 hour of hard schoolwork a day will do the trick

Answer 11

I went through a similar situation when I was taking classes through Education Direct (now Penn Foster) The material got really boring and there were many times when I wanted to drop out all together, but I hung in there and completed the program. Here are some of the study tips that I used to get me through:

When it comes to remembering facts, make yourself some flash cards using index cards. Studying flash cards is much more exciting then reading a text book over and over and over again. They also work great for formulas that you need to remember and vocabulary words.

When you are studying, turn on some light classical musical like Bach or Beethoven. Turn the sound down so that the music is barely audible in the room. The music tends to help you concentrate.

Turn the ringer off on your telephone, your cell phone, your pager, and any other device that might disturb you.

Study for 20 minutes at a time, then take a 5 minute break, then study for an additional 20 minutes. After every hour and a half block of study time, take a 30-45 minute break before returning to studying again.

Keep a spiral bound notebook next to you while you are reading, along with a pen and jot down important information that you want to remember or facts, dates, times, or other things that you might easily forget/are important.

Turn the television OFF.

Tell your family that you are studying so that they disturb you.

Resist the urge to snack while studying.

Stay away from caffeine and chocolate which can actually make your brain fog over and make it harder to concentrate.

Take folic acid supplements to help you increase your ability to concentrate and remember important information.

If you are studying on a computer, close your e-mail and all instant messaging programs so that you will not be disturbed.