how do you do to keep focused while studying?

DeathmageDeathmage Banned Posts: 2,496
I listen to music and drink tons of water with muscletech amino acids plus water-soluble based vitamin B's in excess. Plus I'm a gym nut so I'm always eating protein bars.What do you guys/gals do?
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  • jvrlopezjvrlopez Member Posts: 913 ■■■■□□□□□□
    Turn off all music, turn off the TV, and put the phone on silent and out of arms' reach.

    If the construction work behind my apartment isn't going on or too loud, I'll open the sliding door to the balcony to get some nice radiant sounds going.

    I also make sure to tell my wife to not disturb me unless it's important. I also drink a lot of water and take some B12 to get "in the zone"
    And so you touch this limit, something happens and you suddenly can go a little bit further. With your mind power, your determination, your instinct, and the experience as well, you can fly very high. ~Ayrton Senna
  • IristheangelIristheangel Mod Posts: 4,133 Mod
    It's actually really hard for me to focus. I'm a bit on the ADHD side so when I put aside study time, I have to stop responding to IMs, turn off music, stop checking e-mails, put my phone on silent, etc. After enough time studying, I usually give into the urge to check e-mail, TE, Facebook, and other things which wastes about 10-20 minutes and then I have to get back into the zone.

    The one thing that does help me stay on track is taking notes or labbing side-by-side while studying. It's a lot harder to break away from it that way because I feel like I'm interrupting something. I'm not one of those people who can just watch a video and take it in or else my mind starts to wander.
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  • DeathmageDeathmage Banned Posts: 2,496
    jvrlopez wrote: »
    Turn off all music, turn off the TV, and put the phone on silent and out of arms' reach.

    If the construction work behind my apartment isn't going on or too loud, I'll open the sliding door to the balcony to get some nice radiant sounds going.

    I also make sure to tell my wife to not disturb me unless it's important. I also drink a lot of water and take some B12 to get "in the zone"

    Vitamins and amino Acids are what help me... my brains always thinks in so many directions since I got part of my bedroom that is nothing but like 5 vendors of hardware I'm always tinkering.... *sigh*

    It's actually really hard for me to focus. I'm a bit on the ADHD side so when I put aside study time, I have to stop responding to IMs, turn off music, stop checking e-mails, put my phone on silent, etc. After enough time studying, I usually give into the urge to check e-mail, TE, Facebook, and other things which wastes about 10-20 minutes and then I have to get back into the zone.

    The one thing that does help me stay on track is taking notes or labbing side-by-side while studying. It's a lot harder to break away from it that way because I feel like I'm interrupting something. I'm not one of those people who can just watch a video and take it in or else my mind starts to wander.


    Now I don't feel like the only person with ADHD :P ... I'm super hard to focus... I always get distracted by my Kindle or phone. I find once I'm in the zone it's so much better... just sticking in it is the doozey part!
  • kohr-ahkohr-ah Member Posts: 1,277
    Turn off music and if I am on the train put my ear buds in but dont turn on the music. It makes everything quiet.
    I take notes old school. Stenobook and a pen.
    I also get bored easily so I take little breaks every so often and I have learned if I study after I exercise I remember things better.
  • Kai123Kai123 Member Posts: 364 ■■■□□□□□□□
    My focus comes from motivation, but really its hit and miss. I cant structure my studying well and lose focus easily.

    Going to try some alpha wave white noise, talk about grasping at straws!
  • Vask3nVask3n Member Posts: 517
    I'll second what everyone already mentioned regarding IMs, phones, and checking social media sites.

    If I am watching a video, like INE or CBT Nuggets I like to go through sunflower seeds, the act of splitting them open and eating them over and over keeps me focused on the video. I'm sure that's not incredibly healthy but I can sit there and stay focused on the video while doing that habit simultaneously.
    Working on MS-ISA at Western Governor's University
  • --chris----chris-- Member Posts: 1,518 ■■■■■□□□□□
    I do several short bursts a day, like 30 minutes 3-4x a day. When its later and I have a hard time reading, I will watch 20-30 minutes of video on the subject and make notes on subjects that interest me/I need to focus on. Then the next day I work that into the bursts of studying. I spend 45 minutes almost every day during the week on my lunch either labbing or reading...thats an easy one because its a nice break from work.

    As far as the bigger picture goes, I like IT in general because the more I learn the more valuable I become. I come from an industry where your value is almost always measured in years on the job. To be able to "take cuts" by studying/labbing/learning outside of work is very exciting to me :)
  • swellbowswellbow Member Posts: 26 ■□□□□□□□□□
    Wi-Fi off, isolation headphones with no music, strong coffee, as early in the day as possible.
  • gadav478gadav478 Member Posts: 374 ■■■□□□□□□□
    I listen to rain... icon_lol.gif
    rain.simplynoise.com
    rainymood.com

    It blocks out noise so I can read a chapter or two at work when we've got downtime.
    Goals for 2015: CCNP
  • J_86J_86 Member Posts: 262 ■■□□□□□□□□
    gadav478 wrote: »
    I listen to rain... icon_lol.gif
    rain.simplynoise.com
    rainymood.com

    It blocks out noise so I can read a chapter or two at work when we've got downtime.

    Nice! Glad I'm not the only one that likes the sound of rain when trying to work on something lol.
  • N2ITN2IT Inactive Imported Users Posts: 7,483 ■■■■■■■■■■
    Run hills until I am dead then relax take a shower and then boom. Works like a charm.
  • Dakinggamer87Dakinggamer87 Member Posts: 4,016 ■■■■■■■■□□
    Turn off my cell phone, TV, and all my gaming systems so I am not tempted and put in my headphones so I can focus and concentrate. I still will take an occasional break here and there so I can unwind for about 10-15 mins before jumping back into it. ;)
    *Associate's of Applied Sciences degree in Information Technology-Network Systems Administration
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    Matthew 6:33 - "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need."

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  • bigdogzbigdogz Member Posts: 881 ■■■■■■■■□□
    It took me a while to read this thread because of my ADHD... ;)

    I just shut everything down and hide in a room if I am reading. Depending on the certification, I may have a lab or VMs up for the task.
  • snadamsnadam Member Posts: 2,234 ■■■■□□□□□□
    Its funny a few have mentioned ADHD. I was diagnosed with ADHD as a kid (Ritalin kid, WOOT!!!), and I find that I NEED to be listening to something. If its too quiet, my mind drifts off. For me, I HAVE to have some noise in the background. I find classical music (or any instrumental music for that matter) on in the background helps drown out the cranky kid, and my loud neighbors.

    I definitely have to shut off the phone/internet, and all other outside distractions. Never heard of the water thing before. Should try that out. Speaking of distractions...im going dark for a while. icon_cool.gif
    **** ARE FOR CHUMPS! Don't be a chump! Validate your material with certguard.com search engine

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  • 7255carl7255carl Member Posts: 1,544 ■■■□□□□□□□
    Hi guys

    i agree with snadam, a little classical background music helps to stop the mind drifting, also i have a picture of my daughter nearby, that seems to put things into perspective for me and reminds me that some things are more important in life and that takes some of the pressure off
    W.I.P CCNA Cyber Ops
  • N2ITN2IT Inactive Imported Users Posts: 7,483 ■■■■■■■■■■
    @ snadam

    I find highlighting with lots of colors and keeping my fine motor skills involved really helps. :)
  • Master Of PuppetsMaster Of Puppets Member Posts: 1,210
    gadav478 wrote: »
    I listen to rain... icon_lol.gif
    rain.simplynoise.com
    rainymood.com

    It blocks out noise so I can read a chapter or two at work when we've got downtime.

    Thanks for the great idea! This really calms me down and helps me focus + the blocking of other noise. I never would've thought of that :D
    Yes, I am a criminal. My crime is that of curiosity. My crime is that of judging people by what they say and think, not what they look like. My crime is that of outsmarting you, something that you will never forgive me for.
  • ShdwmageShdwmage Member Posts: 374
    I get all jittery and can only study for about 20 minutes at a time, unless I'm really in the zone. I wish I could figure out how to force myself into the zone. Then I would get amazing amounts of work done in short periods of time. I coded just over 1000 lines of code the other night while I was in the zone. I wish I could be like that more often.
    --
    “Hey! Listen!” ~ Navi
    2013: [x] MCTS 70-680
    2014: [x] 22-801 [x] 22-802 [x] CIW Web Foundation Associate
    2015 Goals: [] 70-410
  • sasnimrodsasnimrod Member Posts: 99 ■■■□□□□□□□
    @gadav478

    thanks for the great links! Much appreciated :)
  • Jon_CiscoJon_Cisco Member Posts: 1,772 ■■■■■■■■□□
    For reading I try to do it early in the day like 6-9am if possible. I usually read away from my computer and with no external noise. I can do classical if I need something.

    Labbing I usually have music on. I prefer picking an artist and just letting it play. If I am getting distracted I'll switch to classical like instrumental piano.
    I don't mind distractions as much when I am labbing because it is usually more engaging and I can keep at it even after getting side tracked.

    I like the rain website I might try that.
    Great post since we all need help with focus.
  • E Double UE Double U Member Posts: 2,228 ■■■■■■■■■■
    I keep reading until someone calls/emails/IMs me about the firewall.

    I don't get much done at home because my wife and kids require my attention :D
    Alphabet soup from (ISC)2, ISACA, GIAC, EC-Council, Microsoft, ITIL, Cisco, Scrum, CompTIA, AWS
  • djentlemetaldjentlemetal Member Posts: 53 ■■□□□□□□□□
    I have to listen to drum and bass or jazz to be able to keep focus. Otherwise, like others have mentioned, my mind wanders and I'll go tootle around on Reddit, FB (if someone's messaging me), here, youtube, etc. Caffeine or B12 is great, but sometimes I get a little too wired and can't focus at all. Hard copies of study guides are easier for me to get into since a pdf, obviously, strains my eyes after a while and also provides a way to distract myself since it's on, well - a computer. Obviously, labbing can suck me in enough to not be distracted by anything else on my computer, too.

    Edit: I'll throw one more 'obviously' in here for good measureicon_rolleyes.gif
    AAS - Networking and Cyber Security
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  • esr0159esr0159 Member Posts: 80 ■□□□□□□□□□
    I listen to music while I study. I try to place my phone away and close facebook twitter or any other social media site (distractions :P). But I tend to take a break for about 5-10 mins after 1-2 hrs of study.

    Plus I need to have food beside me while I study :D (chips, chocolate, etc).
    CCNP R&S | Planning to hit IE R&S or JNCIA or Security path|
  • DeathmageDeathmage Banned Posts: 2,496
    Wow such great feedback. Going to try a few of these out...
  • linuxloverlinuxlover Banned Posts: 228
    I don't need anything special but I'm a bit weird and I can only study during nighttime. I can't focus for 1min during daytime.
  • G.HaydukeG.Hayduke Member Posts: 13 ■□□□□□□□□□
    I use the pomodoro technique: 25 minutes study blocks, then a 5 minute break. You get a 15 minute break after 4 successfully completed blocks. Helps me keep focused and with time, it becomes a game. In good days I do 8 to 10 pomodoro blocks, which is roughly equivalen to 4 hours of FOCUSED study. You'd be surprised how much you get done if you just commit to 25 minutes of uninterrupted work.

    There are plenty of apps and websites that implement these simple timers, give it a try!
  • kurosaki00kurosaki00 Member Posts: 973
    This works a lot. Do some pushups, run a bit and bam.. focused.
    Is hard for beings to focus while charged on energy (same for kids, dogs, adults).
    meh
  • snadamsnadam Member Posts: 2,234 ■■■■□□□□□□
    UPADATE - Tried the simplyrain.com suggestion, TOO relaxing; fell right asleep after an hour icon_lol.gif. To be honest, I'm sure it was mostly me be exhausted that day.
    **** ARE FOR CHUMPS! Don't be a chump! Validate your material with certguard.com search engine

    :study: Current 2015 Goals: JNCIP-SEC JNCIS-ENT CCNA-Security
  • Dunkers404Dunkers404 Member Posts: 15 ■□□□□□□□□□
    Usually, I just have my earphones and listen to Spanish melodies, though this becomes an issue.. Sometimes I end up studying for extensive periods of time
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