Is it more productive to study at a stretch than with breaks of other activities?

This is strictly related to studying. Sorry if I sound weird, I think I have ADHD and I'm in a brain fog rn. I took a long leave to study for something and I had a firm resolution that I'll study every minute of the time that I'm awake during these few days. I take lunch/dinner breaks and 2 naps, but apart from that I had decided to study rigorously as I won't get time after this for the same. The first day, I managed to finish my daily goal. But gradually it became so tough that I was picking up my phone to scroll after half an hour of studying. I need both: study for longer and with full focus. I'm working on the focus part but I am getting distracted due to personal issues and anxiety, to calm which I feel the need to scroll every other half hour. Now why is this happening? I understand the urgency of the situation: it's do or die for me. Is this a burnout? Is this the result of not including constructive recreational activities in my daily schedule? How to resolve this? If I maybe read a few pages or take a stroll everyday, will this break my habit of sticking to the phone for hours? I know this is an individual thing, but is it wise to take time out of my study time for other activities or better to force my mind to keep studying? The end goal is to finish my study goals within a deadline. Please help me out, ty.

Hi I’m a Senior in HS and I’ve been struggling in AP Calc BC.

So my school is a little weird. We have the AB class and then the BC Class is called Honors Calculus 2 where we cover some IB stuff and the additional material in AP Calc BC.

But I haven’t done well on many tests, and the tests I’ve done terribly on are the ones that cover said additional material in BC.

Eg. Integration by Parts, Parametric Equations, Polar Curves.

I have 4 Other APs too so it’s really hard to set aside a time to study as well.

I want to get a 5 for this exam because the school I’m going to this fall only accepts credit for 5s in AP Calc BC. So I’m screwed.

Any advice to work up to a 5?

Hi everyone! This is the Accountability Thread where people can list what they need or want to accomplish today and have everyone else help keep you accountable to do them. So, in general, a post will look like this:

Things I have to get done today:

1: Post Accountability Thread

If I had more to do that I had not completed I would list them and update this when these things were complete.

Also, if I saw someone doing something that I happen to be well-educated or have some sort of expertise in I can offer support or help on the topic/task.

The thread is a versatile one, use it in a way that helps you and others stay on task!

Happy studying!

So yes I admit I have been seriously slacking, I am sitting at 12% right now in this course. I stopped attending lectures after the first week since the lecturer is very not good, but there is still a whole playlist of videos for each lecture made by another (better) professor that I can watch.. and plenty of textbook problems/past midterms/practice final exam for me to do. My final is in 9 days, and I have only one other course I need to focus on as well (Calculus 2), but that course can be given less attention since I'm doing better in it. Is it possible for me to learn a whole semester worth of linear algebra in just 9 days? If I get a 90% on the test I can pass the course with a C- .

I'm usually pretty strong at math, but this semester has gone down the toilet. please pray for me lol.

20 yo male stuck in a depressing city away from family. I've no close friends, never have been loved or laid and live in this city to study computer engineering but I'm a 2nd year student now and I'm falling the shit out of literally everything.

I've been diagnosed with the clinical depression, I know I'm on Wellbutrin/Bupropion for the last 1.5 weeks. And before that I was on Deprex/fluoxetine HCL 20MG for around a month.

I feel exactly like if someone didn't sleep for 48 hours and then he starts to try to study. Exactly, you'll not be able to concentrate on reading even one or two sentences.

I got diagnosed as a negative on Dyslexia

Sometimes I feel like a coward, someone who doesn't know what he wants in life, can't focus on reading or studying at all, not even a second, and neither wants to put an attempt to find out.

I have depressive episodes from time to time and am socially awkward. I tried therapy, but it was kind of not working for me plus also very expensive in my country.

My exams are in a week, and I don't know what to do since I can't study at all.

Any help would be appreciated.

About a month ago I experienced something which I presume to be a burn-out so I decided to take a two-weeks brake of doing anything but studying. I had started staying up late and waking early a little while before that, and during the brake I started staying awake all the night and sleeping in the morning till noon. I was getting 8 hours of sleep unlike before but every time I woke up I felt really tired, I think it’s because my sleep was during the day... Anyway, now my brake’s over and I’ve returned to studying, only to realize my brain doesn’t function at all. For example, I’m solving a math problem and my thought process involves stuff like

p-q+1, hm... well that’s obviously p+1

Then when I get the wrong I answer I spend minutes trying to figure out what went wrong and get astonished by my own stupidity when I find this mistake.

And when I have the correct solution I get wrong answer because I fail at basic arithmetic, my thought process when calculating 17 - 3 is:

Well 17 is the same as 5:00PM, and 5 - 3 is 2 so 17 - 3 is 12

Or I confuse 8 with 9 and calculate 8 * 15 as 8 * (10 + 5) = 80 + 45 = 125

I check the answer in the book and see 120, realizing 8 times 5 is 40, that’s 9 times 5 the result of which is 45.

I was never like this up until now. I truly feel hopeless and have lost all confidence in my abilities. I manage to convince myself to go back to studying until I make another one of these mistakes and stop all together. I feel like the harm my brain has received from sleep deprivation is unfixable and I’ll have to live like this till the end of my life...

For context: Currently a junior in university and have a lot of major subjects this semester and I’ve been doing badly on tests.

I study by writing notes, making quizlets, and re-reading an hour before the test but I still get awful marks (in a recent test I just needed 1 point to pass). I’ve been feeling really bad about this especially when I see my friends or other people getting high or better grades than me.

Any advice on how to not beat myself up over this or any studying advice in general?

The thing is I know i am lazy. I constantly make plans to study and not be lazy but it just doesnt work. I have never studied over 2 hours a day except for the night before school exams. I may always be giving myself excuses not to study. I always procrastinate. I have diagnosed adhd but i cant get meds because they make my heart rush so much. Having adhd just sounds like an excuse (not telling you that adhd is not real, i just think mine is too light to be considered adhd)

I am actually very good at studying for an exam the night before. This is why i am the top 2 student in my school (my school is kinda bad though). My mom reminds me to study a lot and honestly it just makes me sad.

So, how can people gain willpower - determination and beat the lazy out of themselves and study according to the program they made?

I just really need to whip out my essay in 5 days and I need someone to be accountable to. My mentor suggested making a game out of this so I can think of it as a sport and use the competition spirit to get work done. My friends are clearly not too into it and I would like to believe someone in this sub would like to give it a shot maybe? I've made a league table and stuff and if there's anyone out there writing a paper (i need to write about 25 pages in 5 days) and also needs someone to be accountable to, please hit me up. Treat can be bragging rights and a completed essay? Maybe something else too if feasible! Please hmu if you're interested, thank you!

I primarily study with a computer and use onenote/ notion, studying by taking digital notes is very fast, I can edit and include pictures, organise better later, it’s easy to save a file in the cloud, but studying by hand has so many advantages for me, primarily that i understand the subject better,

But I always keep thinking, should 1 advantage (a really big one) be outmatched by a lot of disadvantages (buying paper, pens, consuming a lot of my time, needing proper preparation for what each subject/file will be, drawing the pictures instead of coping them).

How do you guys prefer to study/ feel like you understand the subjects better ?

If I had to use my phone during a protctorio exam and the top of my case was peaking through the camera would my professor get flagged. My other question is if my professor gets flagged for something do I get notified?

Well guess what, I failed my physics test by getting 7/25 and my mother found out. I generally don't care much about my grades but damn the look of disappointment on her face really broke me :(. I didn't understand these 2 chapters at all, they make me want to drop physics. I really want to get better, can anyone recommend useful videos / notes to understand them better, please? I feel so stupid😭

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I'm a senior in high school. This has always been a problem for me. At the start of a class, I'll usually be doing pretty well, doing my assignments, getting good grades. And then as the class goes on I'll start missing assignments, not putting in as much work. By the end, I'm always on the last few assignments, and either I get good grades on them and barely get a passing grade or I fail. At surface level it seems easy, just keep doing the work. That's what I tell myself. But I usually screw up

This isn't a problem for every class, but a lot of them. I've been successful in a decent amount of classes but it was always ones I enjoyed. I'll be graduating with about a 3.2 gpa, not terrible.

Any advice on staying motivated/consistent?

today april 4th i am taking vow that i will cover entire syllabus of jee through one shots and i will be making it a success i am not sleeping until i achieve that goal , my exam on 9th april 1st shift ,i will keep you updated on how i will be scoring wish me luck i will write every single achievement attained by me in these 3 days !!!!

Hi guys, I have been having issues studying for the past few months as I always feel sleepy. My final exams are in 2 months and I am really worried as always feeling sleepy is disrupting my revision. I also get very good amount of sleep with a good schedule at night. Any tips?

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Let's just say , I haven't done anything worthwhile in last 6 years . Stayed glued to mobile phone and p*rn addiction along with zero physical exercises . I can feel my brain is fried completely as I can't think clearly nor can I read even for 30 seconds properly . I have a very important exam in 4 months which usually requires 8 months of prep but I procrastinated heavily till now , tried to change but never did in past , gave up after one two days only . I have to give this exam by hook or crook . How can restore my default settings ? Read that dopamine detox may help but some say it doesn't and some said something about rewiring of brain but I couldn't understand that properly. I need to undo the damage that I have done to myself and really get back to studying as it's the only thing I can rely on .

I got an exam back i thought i did good in but i got a 85. This was also after the grade was curved up 8%. I know that sounds good but im only 4% above a C in there and I still have 2 exams left. I want to go to med school and ive never had a C before so this is stressing me out immensely. How can i relax about this?

So uh I just recently completed my final boards and I'm hundred percent sure I screwed it. It hurts too as I was really good student in 10th grade and got top ranks but in 12th I lost my drive and I'm sure I will screw it so bad. My parents poured all their resources and hopes on me and I know I'm going to disappoint them by not even being accepted by mediocre colleges due to my marks. I didn't even prepare for entrance exams either and I'm almost clueless what they taught in 11th and 12th grade. I don't know what would be my next step.Colleges won't accept me and I have no talents except getting good marks, that I now don't have. Is life even worth living?

I’ve been trying to study for the past week. Can’t get myself to do it. So depressed can’t get out of bed and when I finally panicked cus my exam is this morning and spent all of last night in the library I didn’t get anything done. Why am I so god damn lazy and fucking stupid.

Yes I have adhd meds and antidepressants and everything I’m just a dumb lazy fuck, I did this last semester and had to drop/ retake 2 classes bro. It’s the same fucking class and at the same point in the year when I gave up now too. I have an A and it’s about to drop to a fucking F cause I’m a god damn failure. Fuck bro how do I stop this cycle god damn.

If you have anything for next exam in another class (in two days) I’d appreciate it, cause this exam is in 3 hours and I’m just fucked.

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https://reddit.com/link/1bvip4a/video/fsmjet6ljfsc1/player

Whenever I have an assignment due, it always goes the same way, every time, without fail. I sit down at my computer to do my work, I bring the assignment up, my notes program, set up my timer and video on the side monitor of someone else working, and then I stare. I stare at my monitor for hours, or maybe clean my room, make some tea, stare at the ceiling, or any other number of things that aren't actually doing my work, but also isn't going to stop me from doing it.

After doing this for a few hours, slowly watching my time available tick down, I finally get consumed by the fear of disappointment and bad grades. It pushes me to work, and I rush through my assignments as fast as I can, hoping that I have enough time. Most days I can finish, but the days I can't, I feel disappointed or get such a pit that I can't even move. But most of all I feel angry. Angry at myself for not starting sooner, a day before, or for doing this cycle again when I told myself I wouldn't. I have been stuck doing this for years.

I want more than anything to break this cycle, to finally get my work done without having to be pushed by negative thoughts and emotions, or without adding so much stress to myself by not giving myself enough time. But I just don't know what to do anymore.

I've tried timers, working with others, telling others, not letting myself go home until I finish my work (if I decide to work in a library or study area, this usually ends up with me staying there for 6+ hours, going home and trying to work for the rest of the day), I've tried breaking it down, making a plan, I've tried as many tips and tricks as I can think of, I'm going to therapy, I got diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety and got medication, I've tried every possible thing out there.

I thought maybe it was games, so I won't let myself play games until I finish my work, I thought it was YouTube, so I wouldn't let myself watch videos until my work was done. I've gotten to the point where I do nothing for over 10 hours and just try and start working the entire time.

Even if I know I'll enjoy the assignment, I just can't bring myself to do it. It's like there's some invisible barrier preventing me from doing any of it. However, the worst are the assignments that fill me with dread and fear. These are mainly the ones where I get confused or stuck, and I start to get overwhelmed by this, so much so that I can no longer handle the feeling and have to stop, this is until the overwhelming feeling of fear and disappointment become too much when I have an hour left.

I just really don't know what to do anymore when nothing is working, when nothing is distracting me, and when there seems to be no way to finally rest my rock on the top of the hill.

I'm in a strict school that depends so much on math and physics practice, our exams are made in a way that makes practice matter more than anything else like pure aptitude because of the strict time limit. Basically, to excel, you need to put in so much effort and do exercises consistently and daily. However, I was diagnosed with ADHD and I'm yet to receive any treatment. I already messed up two semesters like this by procrastinating and got underwhelming grades despite setting up a library subscription and trying to fix my study habits. I just get bored so fast and lose focus before accomplishing anything. At home it's a similar story, I get distracted by my computer and I lose hours like that. Other than the math and physics exams, I also have other subjects that require memorization. I kid you not, since the beginning of the year, I haven't been able to study for even 1 chapter at all in those memorization subjects and I always depend on my friend in exams. My memory is terrible because of the executive dysfunction associated with ADHD, so it's very tiring and hard to focus and try to memorize entire chapters like that. I was able to do it 2 years because the topics were easier and because I forced myself (it took much longer than what would've taken an average student), but this year it feels much harder that I just give up before starting.

In a year, I will be having a very important exam that will determine my university options. I've always ranked as one of the first students in my class before this year by strolling through carelessly and not studying until 1 day before the exam. Yet, as you can tell, this year and next year require more consistent effort to succeed. That important exam will also depend on what we learned this year as well as what we'll learn next year. I already understand the basics of math and physics very well but I lack so much practice to help me be fast and efficient to score good in exams, basically my mathematical ability is weak due to my lack of practice so I can't use what I know to solve problems correctly.

Does anyone have any recommendations on how to deal with this issue when you have ADHD? I don't know when my medications will arrive, and I'm losing so much time like this.