When to take study breaks???

pujan96

Hi Guys,

Im studying for the CCENT at the minute, after about a week or 2 of studying I always find myself hitting a dead end, and by that I mean I get fed up of studying and then quit/give up.

I try to study at least 2 hours during the weekdays and 3-4 or on weekends whilst working a 5 day week(I know this inst a lot of time compared to others).

After a while I get fed up of studying and want to stop.

What do you guys recommend to resolve this? should I take day breaks where I skip a day of studying? study less?

I want to get my CCNA, CCNP then CCIE however I am only at the early stages of the cert track and am having commitment issues, I think I might be burning myself out.

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks
Pujan

varelg

Whenever you catch yourself rewriting whole paragraphs from your book in your notes, it's time to take a break.
You hitting a wall in your studies means there's an issue or host of issues there that you are not clear with and you need to identify those issues. Once you do, focus on those issues and don't move on until you get them resolved.
This cert has a lot of jargon and I think that's the biggest hurdle for those of us already clear with networking basics.
Someone at work mumbled that we'll all be required to get CCNA certified, so I might take on this exam.

NetworkNewb

2 hours straight without a break or 2 (or 5) in there? No way, unless I'm labbing or playing with some equipment while studying. No way I could study for 2 hours straight, let alone 3-4. I usually don't study much on the weekends either...

ypark

I would set a goal for each day/week and try to stick to it. The important thing is setting reasonable goals so you won't be burnt out.

Couple other things that help me concentrate and keep going are waking up early and preventing distractions. Wake up a few hours before your spouse/family wakes up. You will be surprised at how much studying you get done in this couple of hours. Also, when you study, leave your phone elsewhere and close all other applications/browser windows.

My motto is "It's not the hours you put in, it's what you put in the hours."

Trucido

If I am watching videos (lectures) I can study and take notes for hours...
Reading a book is painful.. I can only keep that up without a break for about 45 minutes or less.

I think the trick is to set a goal, some people read at breakfast (dont know how) 10-15 pages, read on the bus, read on break, ect ect.. all those 5+ pages adds up.

This one doesnt really work well for me because I dont have time to grasp the information so if I read 5 pages and stop, I forget everything in 1 hour. Instead I just set a daily goal, "Hey when you get home take the first hour to study" or "Hey since I am working night shift, try to get 1-2 hours in, instead of watching Youtube."

TLDR: Goals, set them

Infosec85

First of all you should concentrate on the one certification without jumping ahead, yes it's nice to have goals, however looking to far forward can cause loss of motivation, especially if you're not a patient person.

As others stated as well try and enjoy what you are learning and take sometime out to have fun. If you constantly just study you are going to get fed up.

JoJoCal19

I recommend looking up the Pomodoro technique and getting a Pomodoro timer on your phone.

[Deleted User]

Everyone needs to take a break once in a while. I had to take a break for about 4 months after doing my CEH to start up the band wagon for starting my CWNA and Linux+ by the end of the year. You have to read you body/mind. When you are studying, if you are feeling that it is just words going in 1 ear and out the other, it's time to stop. Give yourself a few days off. Don't go take to much time off as you need to keep the knowledge in your head. If you go go go all the time, you will eventually burn out. Here are some things I do:

Instead of constant studying for 2-3 hours a day, make flashcards and review 30-40 flashcards. Keeps the concepts fresh in your mind while giving you time to do other things/relax. Maybe even listen to an audiobook for the CCENT. Paul Browning has a CCNA audiobook. Keep yourself passively involved in the topics to keep your mind thinking about it. Hope this helps! Best of luck!

7255carl

The audiobook mentioned above by kMastaFlash is available on youtube and I listened to it whilst working, when I did my CCNA, its amazing what you can recall when you are not really listening

Carl