How to Study Without Getting Bored
Find a suitable place for study., Don't get too comfortable., Plan your end goals., Mix up your topics., Pick your most active time of day., Take breaks., Make it fun., Reward yourself., Take notes as you go., Avoid electronics.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Find a suitable place for study.
One of the most important aspects to studying is finding the right place.
Although you don't want to get bored, you want to make sure you are in a place that is free of distraction.
Distractions are counterproductive to learning and will actually cause you to become more bored because you are reminded of the things you could be doing other than studying.
Find a place that is well lit and temperature controlled.
The light will help you stay focused and on task and the moderate temperature will help you avoid being too cold or too hot, both of which can lead to distraction and cause boredom.
Make sure there is enough room for you to spread all of your materials out.
Also make sure it is tidy.
If you are more organized, you are more likely to stay on task and not get bored.
Try other locales besides your bedroom or home.
There are many distractions that can crop up while you are surrounded by your familiar environment.
Places such as a library quiet floor are great places to study.
It is made to be quiet, you are only surrounded by your study materials, and you are not likely to be interrupted since most people are there to study as well. -
Step 2: Don't get too comfortable.
If you are too comfortable in your study environment, you are likely to get distracted, bored, or fall asleep.
Avoid lying down when you need to study.
You want a chair that supports your back and body, but don't sit in a chair that is too comfortable.
You don't want to get bored or sleepy, which will defeat the purpose of your study session., One reason you get bored may be because you have no clear idea of where your study session is going or what you need to accomplish.
Plan ahead and have what you want to do in your mind before you begin to study.
Lay out what you know you need to get accomplished and how long you need to take to complete it.
This way, you will have a clear objective, which will help you combat boredom.
If you know when you can go back to playing video games or talking to your friends, you will be more likely to concentrate of your studies., To help you not get bored while you are studying, you should change up the topics that you are studying.
It is unlikely that you only have one subject to study for at a time, so mix up what you study every half an hour to an hour or so.
For example, study history for 45 minutes, math for 45 minutes, and English for 45 minutes before looping back around to the beginning.
Make sure you don't spend all your time on one aspect of your content.
If you switch it up often, you will be less likely to get bored of the subject that you are studying.
Try leaving your favorite subject to last so you have something to look forward to.
You can also choose to study this subject a little longer than the others, which will help keep you on task longer without getting bored.
You can also lead with the subject you like second best, leaving your least favorite subject for the middle.
That way, you will start with something you like and have your favorite subject to look forward to while you are studying the subject you hate., Studying during the time of day where you are most awake and active can help you study for longer periods of time without getting bored.
You will be more aware and more likely to take in what you are studying as well.
If you study at the same time everyday, you will get into the habit and train yourself to be in study mode at that time of day.
This will help you not get bored because your mind will get used to the activity and be less distracted by other stimuli., Sitting in the same position for hours, especially when you are studying for a big exam, can lead to massive bouts of boredom.
Try breaking it up with small breaks every hour or so.
If you have been sitting down for a long time, take a stretching break.
Reward yourselves every hour with a 10 minute basketball break or take a short jog around the block.This will get your heart pumping and help keep your mind focused on the tasks at hand.
Plus, the less time you spend in one place, the less likely you are to get bored with the activity you are doing.You can also take a snack break as well.
During one of your breaks, make yourself a healthy snack.
Eat a snack high in protein and fiber, which will leave you fuller and will help you stave off boredom caused by hunger later in your study session.
Try a half a cup of trail mix made with walnuts, almonds, granola, and raisins.
You can even throw in a few dark chocolate morsels.
These ingredients will fill you up and give you the fuel you need to keep going., If you find some of the material that you are working on to be a little dull, try making it into a game or making flash cards.
You can even make up a song to help you remember tough concepts or lists of information you need to memorize.
This will make learning the information fun and help keep you interested in what you are doing.
Plus, you will be less likely to get bored if you are focused on creating the game or making the flash cards., One way to help you get through a tough study session is to have something to look forward to when it's over.
Tell yourself that you can have a large ice cream cone at the end or you get to start the next level in your video game.
Even make plans with your friends for an hour or so after you know you'll be done studying.
However, tell yourself that you can only get the reward if you truly focus while you study.
If you are working toward a goal like that, you will be more likely to focus on your tasks and not get bored because you have a fun event or tasty treat waiting for you when you are done., If you keep your mind and body engaged as you study, you will be less likely to get bored and distracted.
While you are reading a chapter in a textbook, have a notebook out and jot down important notes about what you are reading.
Not only will it help keep you engaged, you will also be learning more because you process the information once as you read it and then again as you synthesize the information to write down.
Try writing your notes in cool, funky colors.
This will make the task visually appealing to you and help keep you interested in your notes instead of getting bored with the task.
You can also use highlighters and write in your book to help you stay engaged with the material.
Pick colorful highlighters that you enjoy using to increase your interest in the task., If you have your cell phone or laptop right with you when you study, you are less likely to pay attention to studying and will become bored easier.
Leave you phone in you bag or somewhere else out of sight and try to leave your laptop at home.
You won't be as bored, but you will not be studying.
If you remove the temptation, you are less likely to get distracted and get bored.
If you need to have your laptop for study materials, avoid searching the internet, going on social media sites, or playing games.
Let your friends know that you will be unavailable for the time being while you are studying.
That way, they won't try to interrupt you or cause you to get distracted.
Plus, if you know they aren't trying to get in contact with you, you are less likely to let you mind wander and get bored. -
Step 3: Plan your end goals.
-
Step 4: Mix up your topics.
-
Step 5: Pick your most active time of day.
-
Step 6: Take breaks.
-
Step 7: Make it fun.
-
Step 8: Reward yourself.
-
Step 9: Take notes as you go.
-
Step 10: Avoid electronics.
Detailed Guide
One of the most important aspects to studying is finding the right place.
Although you don't want to get bored, you want to make sure you are in a place that is free of distraction.
Distractions are counterproductive to learning and will actually cause you to become more bored because you are reminded of the things you could be doing other than studying.
Find a place that is well lit and temperature controlled.
The light will help you stay focused and on task and the moderate temperature will help you avoid being too cold or too hot, both of which can lead to distraction and cause boredom.
Make sure there is enough room for you to spread all of your materials out.
Also make sure it is tidy.
If you are more organized, you are more likely to stay on task and not get bored.
Try other locales besides your bedroom or home.
There are many distractions that can crop up while you are surrounded by your familiar environment.
Places such as a library quiet floor are great places to study.
It is made to be quiet, you are only surrounded by your study materials, and you are not likely to be interrupted since most people are there to study as well.
If you are too comfortable in your study environment, you are likely to get distracted, bored, or fall asleep.
Avoid lying down when you need to study.
You want a chair that supports your back and body, but don't sit in a chair that is too comfortable.
You don't want to get bored or sleepy, which will defeat the purpose of your study session., One reason you get bored may be because you have no clear idea of where your study session is going or what you need to accomplish.
Plan ahead and have what you want to do in your mind before you begin to study.
Lay out what you know you need to get accomplished and how long you need to take to complete it.
This way, you will have a clear objective, which will help you combat boredom.
If you know when you can go back to playing video games or talking to your friends, you will be more likely to concentrate of your studies., To help you not get bored while you are studying, you should change up the topics that you are studying.
It is unlikely that you only have one subject to study for at a time, so mix up what you study every half an hour to an hour or so.
For example, study history for 45 minutes, math for 45 minutes, and English for 45 minutes before looping back around to the beginning.
Make sure you don't spend all your time on one aspect of your content.
If you switch it up often, you will be less likely to get bored of the subject that you are studying.
Try leaving your favorite subject to last so you have something to look forward to.
You can also choose to study this subject a little longer than the others, which will help keep you on task longer without getting bored.
You can also lead with the subject you like second best, leaving your least favorite subject for the middle.
That way, you will start with something you like and have your favorite subject to look forward to while you are studying the subject you hate., Studying during the time of day where you are most awake and active can help you study for longer periods of time without getting bored.
You will be more aware and more likely to take in what you are studying as well.
If you study at the same time everyday, you will get into the habit and train yourself to be in study mode at that time of day.
This will help you not get bored because your mind will get used to the activity and be less distracted by other stimuli., Sitting in the same position for hours, especially when you are studying for a big exam, can lead to massive bouts of boredom.
Try breaking it up with small breaks every hour or so.
If you have been sitting down for a long time, take a stretching break.
Reward yourselves every hour with a 10 minute basketball break or take a short jog around the block.This will get your heart pumping and help keep your mind focused on the tasks at hand.
Plus, the less time you spend in one place, the less likely you are to get bored with the activity you are doing.You can also take a snack break as well.
During one of your breaks, make yourself a healthy snack.
Eat a snack high in protein and fiber, which will leave you fuller and will help you stave off boredom caused by hunger later in your study session.
Try a half a cup of trail mix made with walnuts, almonds, granola, and raisins.
You can even throw in a few dark chocolate morsels.
These ingredients will fill you up and give you the fuel you need to keep going., If you find some of the material that you are working on to be a little dull, try making it into a game or making flash cards.
You can even make up a song to help you remember tough concepts or lists of information you need to memorize.
This will make learning the information fun and help keep you interested in what you are doing.
Plus, you will be less likely to get bored if you are focused on creating the game or making the flash cards., One way to help you get through a tough study session is to have something to look forward to when it's over.
Tell yourself that you can have a large ice cream cone at the end or you get to start the next level in your video game.
Even make plans with your friends for an hour or so after you know you'll be done studying.
However, tell yourself that you can only get the reward if you truly focus while you study.
If you are working toward a goal like that, you will be more likely to focus on your tasks and not get bored because you have a fun event or tasty treat waiting for you when you are done., If you keep your mind and body engaged as you study, you will be less likely to get bored and distracted.
While you are reading a chapter in a textbook, have a notebook out and jot down important notes about what you are reading.
Not only will it help keep you engaged, you will also be learning more because you process the information once as you read it and then again as you synthesize the information to write down.
Try writing your notes in cool, funky colors.
This will make the task visually appealing to you and help keep you interested in your notes instead of getting bored with the task.
You can also use highlighters and write in your book to help you stay engaged with the material.
Pick colorful highlighters that you enjoy using to increase your interest in the task., If you have your cell phone or laptop right with you when you study, you are less likely to pay attention to studying and will become bored easier.
Leave you phone in you bag or somewhere else out of sight and try to leave your laptop at home.
You won't be as bored, but you will not be studying.
If you remove the temptation, you are less likely to get distracted and get bored.
If you need to have your laptop for study materials, avoid searching the internet, going on social media sites, or playing games.
Let your friends know that you will be unavailable for the time being while you are studying.
That way, they won't try to interrupt you or cause you to get distracted.
Plus, if you know they aren't trying to get in contact with you, you are less likely to let you mind wander and get bored.
About the Author
Gregory Jones
Experienced content creator specializing in cooking guides and tutorials.
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