How do I concentrate...

How do I concentrate? Even if I take away the internet I still lose most of my time to blankly staring and thinking about other things. No matter how hard I try I can't concentrate for more than a 2 minutes without breaking my attention in some way.

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every time I'm confident in my studies I study for like 10 minutes and the moment I understand a tiny thing I'm studying I take a quick internet break
it's like a quick reward for a small triumph
how do you study anyway?

If you literally can't think then go get that looked by a doctor. If he tells you that you have a disorder, take the meds. If he tells you that you don't have anything, you are just a lazy attention whoring piece of shit, then off yourself.

That's exactly how I study, except it takes a lot longer than 10 minutes because I'm so shit at focusing. I usually just try concentrate and get lost in my thoughts (shit day, shit life, movie I watched last night, etc.).
I thought I could somehow force myself to be good at focusing by eliminating internet. Spent 2 months living in holiday home last Summer reading 6-8 hours a day and got nothing done. Nofap doesn't help much either.

Literally just take ritalin/adderall/vyvanse.
The downside is you won't ever be able to concentrate without them again.

>If you literally can't think then go get that looked by a doctor
I'm not going near that shit, what if they diagnose me autistic? No way.

>what if they diagnose me autistic?
Then they will go medicine and a therapist to help you with that. What's the problem? If you are literally autistic then getting the help for autistic people will be good for you.

but how do you study precisely?
I ask because the only way I can concentrate and get shit done is by writing. I condense like 3 months worth of material into 15 or 20 blank pages written by hand and study from there
well actually I barely even study those pages because by the time I finish I already know most stuff
if your study consists of reading try writing instead

What are you studying, OP? The answer to how to study better might come out of what exactly it is you're doing.

Yeah, I read everything. I rarely even do out examples. I'm alright at doing questions but the idea of writing notes just seems impracitcal to me.
I'm doing a lot of physics, chemistry and maths. For textbook questions I just read all of them. The only study I do is reading lectures and reading the textbooks on weeks off.

You don't have to take the medicine.

So this is all in a University setting right? I ask because I do need to stress that physically attending lecture is incredibly important.

As weird as it is, most of my undergrad degree I've gotten a lot of assistance by shitposting about the subjects. I ended up fitting into a niche subject I really like, genetics, but I did the whole gauntlet of basal sciences (chem, physics, not so much math but through the whole calc series, and biology), and found that talking out the concepts with people and getting their perspective was pretty important.

Just as important, I think, is the intersectionality of the subjects you take and how you can take advantage of synergy- look more into calculus problems that involve derivatives in both physics, and reaction rates. And tie chemistry in to physics by trying to go out of your way to practice problems of chemistry that you know have more obvious classical physical implications like thermodynamics, electrochemistry, and even basic potential problems.

Your coursework is your own, as cheesy as that sounds. Take full advantage of the host of classes you take at any given time, and try to maximize your understanding by treating them as a unit.

If the subject of attention is boring, it's natural for the mind to wander to more interesting topics.
Forcing myself to focus never really helped. Try what I did: instead of throwing your hands up in frustration when you notice yourself wandering, try to lead your train of thought back to the subject: form a kind of circular connection. Forming these "inter-cranial" connections will really strengthen memory, too. If you can't right away, don't worry about it - it get's easier the more you learn.

This. I tried to fight it for a while, but in my junior year of high school I went ahead and got a prescription for adderall and it made a huge difference. Junior in college, fucking wrecking it.

practice youtube.com/watch?v=4O2JK_94g3Y

Let's talk about studying.

I have never taken notes. I'm not really sure how to take notes, but I'm getting closer and closer to figuring out how to apply them. I would write things down in classes when I was in college, but I did that just to pass the time. I'd never look at them again because I'd just reference the examples in the textbook or look online if I got lost.

In absence of those study habits, I've managed to scoot through everything, particular math, via rigorous, self-disciplined exercise. For studying any kind of STEM subject, I have found that struggling through exercises until I start making breakthroughs is a great process and here's the kicker: after I make those breakthroughs, I sustain myself in further studying to ensure that I really committed the idea to memory. If you make the breakthrough and just stop without testing yourself further, it has a very high likelihood of just falling through memory and being lost. A total waste if you ask me.

The one thing I'll tell everybody is that just reading notes and concepts without the exercises is seriously a waste of time. You might as well just go whack off. The lesson must be accompanied by experience. Without that experience, you haven't learned a single thing. Looking over an example by itself is equally useless.

Honestly, doing problems helps me to focus as well. Reading is kind of dull, but getting into the exercises is where all the excitement is. That's where you're thinking critically and the dopamine starts flowing at the thrill of trying to solve these little puzzles presented to you.

This might mean doing problems that weren't assigned to you... The learning you take into your own hands will be far more productive than just doing what was laid out for you.

Bumping because I'm curious about this. I've taken amphetamines before just for fun and they made me hyperfocused and I came up with some amazing ideas (one was about strangelets and baryogenesis). I ended up crying about the futility of life and found it difficult to stop thinking about and wanted to kill myself after I started coming down though. Any stimulants that won't do this?

>the futility of life
I've got some bad news. This isn't a side effect of the drugs. If when sober you thought about it long enough, this is the same conclusion you would arrive at.

Meaning is locally subjective, and if that isn't a satisfying answer, you should do your best to make it a satisfying answer.

>tfw you want to be a textbook bro but all signs point to attending class being superior

user, I would be positively thrilled to help you develop the principles of textbook learning.

I want to learn the ways user

Tell me, what are you studying?

Math: Combinatorics, Statistical Modelling, ODEs (all honors (((proof-based))))
CS: Compiler construction

>Compiler construction
Do you want to kill yourself?

By the way, I'm not that other user. Can you please tell us your secrets?

Here is the thing, procastination is GOOD, yes what you are reading ,good.

If your inner voice its telling you to stop, there may be some truth about it. You may regard that impulse as "irrational" but it can be that the work you are doing is irrational, so think it more deeply, are you really doing what you really want to do?

>How do I concentrate?

It's a matter of making judgements. Simply put: you need to believe concentration exists, you need to try to concentrate, and you need to judge if you succeeded or not. Just like concentrating sun rays either burns the target or not, your attempt either results in a success or fail, you are mistaken to think in terms of percentages here eg "I'm 70% concentrated". The problem with some students is that they judge their attention with such numbers: "now I am at 90%.... woops 65% here we go", whatever that percentage means. If you desire to hear Every single word your teacher speaks, you should not measure if you get 40% or 80%, you should simply answer to yourself if you got 100% or not. Have you ever seen how people get lost in their own meta-thoughts? To them, concentration becomes an abstraction separate from anything in their lives, a useless excentric skill. If you are just passively observing how your attention works, then that is exactly what you are going to get: no control of your attention plus the specific knowledge of its arbitrary percentage.

Exercises I recommend if you want to focus:
1. Books, long monologues, stay away from short texts, short videos on the internet, bullshit chats
2. Answer questions with a simple Yes or No, this will force you to think, evaluate
3. Attention Games: youtube.com/watch?v=akz55GEWBfc
4. Meditation at night, since it is so intensive it makes you sleepy anyway

>are you really doing what you really want to do?
No but I'm 22 years old and it's too late to go into film studies or become a historian. I can only rely on my brain to get me places, I'm too much of an unsociable depressed fuck to land a job in a field I like. And don't get me started on getting a real job like manual labor, I've got the frame of a 15 year old girl.

Use the pomodoro method? 20 minute intervals.

>If your inner voice its telling you to stop
I don't think most procrastinators even start for their inner voices be able to tell them to stop.
Procrastination is not good. It's an extreme form of laziness, which can actually be good but only if moderate.

>strangelets
When will they learn?
I think though, barring an actual behavioural condition, that you might get some benefit out of some meditation exercises to get yourself back on track.

>You may regard that impulse as "irrational" but it can be that the work you are doing is irrational, so think it more deeply, are you really doing what you really want to do?
It is irrational. The impulse to do more exciting things than my university work exists at all times, including before I start it. I’ve put off whole assignments to the literal last possible time that I could start and finish them on time, despite having multiple entire weeks directly before the due date where I was doing nothing but playing games and attending lectures, telling myself “I should just start it tomorrow” the entire time.

You're already autistic, being diagnosed as such and receiving treatment for it will only make you less autistic.

You get free money? Literally no downside.

use textbook study to learn
use attending class type study to get good grades

I don't particularly know anything about compiler construction, but for math subjects, I have a pretty good idea of how this goes.

While the material in a subject remains fairly consistent between books on the same subject, the style of the books can vary considerably. Some books can be very text heavy with minimal illustration or organization, and frankly, I think that's a death sentence to many people. That opaqueness can make the material inaccessible to a person. So in all my wisdom, I mean tell you: some books suck cock and it's not your fault.

Now, rather than just brush this idea off lightly, what you should take from this is that maybe you struggle to learn from the textbook assigned to you for the course, but you can learn the exact same material through other sources. You shouldn't be attached to the idea of learning strictly from the textbook alone. You should make use of all resources available to you. Remember: the subject stays the same, so what does it matter what source you get it from? So you know, look at other books, hit up some examples online, google some shit.

The whole value behind textbook learning isn't that you can learn from a textbook, but rather that you can learn independently. A textbook is often a means to that end.

The cost associated with the freedom of independent learning is that how much you take from your own efforts depends entirely on the standards you set for yourself. In math, it's easier to assess what you learned than in more abstract subjects. With math, the assessments are provided for you: the exercises in your textbook. You're free to pick and choose from these and they'll give you immediate feedback for how you're doing.

>I don't even know where to start.
You know nothing.

>I can do some of these.
You may have the basics.

>I can do most of these.
You're good to move on.

>I can do all of these.
You have truly ascended.

I assume for textbook learning, you're stuck at the following point:

Most people have the courage to say "I don't know" when they're stuck, but then they stop at that. That's totally useless. If you're lost, you have to probe yourself for why you're lost.

The most common issue is that people don't speak the language of math. They can't read theorems or follow examples, so they need that added human element of an instructor to further dilute the language to an understandable level. What this indicates to you is that if you want the freedom of independent learning, you should work on developing those language skills. This may mean taking steps back. For instance, in reading a research paper, I have occasionally realized about 4 or 5 pages in that I have been reading the same acronym numerous times but I have no idea what it means. So I have to go look through the introduction again.

Reading comprehension is often taken for granted. We think, "If I can read, that's all there is to it." That's just not the case. If you can read a theorem but didn't understand it, it's because you lack the language skills necessary to unpack the meaning behind the words and symbols. For people new to Calculus, they understand what tangent means (roughly) and what a line is, but they always fail to understand how a tangent line relates to a derivative.

It's a language problem. But when people fail to understand what they've read, they throw their hands up in the air and resign themselves. What the fuck? If you don't understand, you take steps back until you do! And then go from there!

With the right perspective, classes can help you improve your textbook reading skills. If you've actually learned the material through class, you can go back and read previous sections after-the-fact and you can begin to connect the language to what you know. A grasp on the basics of the language will help you extend that understanding to future sections.

I hope this isn't trivial knowledge.

You should try using a fidget cube while reading your books

Good shit user. I'll try to implement this and credit you when I accept the Nobel prize

I do the pomodoro technique, and any time I find that I'm loosing focus during the 25 minutes of focus, I whip myself with my belt.

there are camps for people like you

is that effective? what kind of belt is it?

>If you are just passively observing how your attention works, then that is exactly what you are going to get: no control of your attention
Ironically suggest a video about attention. Kek

Meditate on meth

>monk
but I was pleasantly surprised user. this wasn't real elucidating, but it was entertaining, and maybe a touch inspiring.

First, you must free your mind. Free yourself from all earthly desires. Imagine the study material before you. Think about what you are about to do, have a plan of sorts. Then begin. If you do get distracted, don't panic just try again. Don't rush.

That was amazing user.

Classes are very valuable if the professor actually cares.
Textbooks are often TOO complete. The professor, knowing the material, can help to focus your limited time on the items that he or she finds most important.
Sometimes they'll cover chapters out of order, or skip certain chapters they find superfluous. Their preferred order and lesson plan may be more efficient than just following the book's chapters in order.

what is atention sapan and how is it even measured??

I can only concentrate when I feel in control of the situation ie as a kid I had to do a bunch of schooling for what felt like 'no reason', now in university I know exactly what I want and why I need to be here.

You dont need study hacks you need to figure out what you really want and how to get there from your present situation. If it aint 'film studies' or whatever that is could you be happy in something semi-related to your current field?

What kind of amphetamines

>1. Put electronics in one room
>2. Bring books into another
>3. Study

Works well for me

>taking meds because life is hard
lmao no. Meds are way over prescribed by doctors. Chances are you will walk out of their with a script even if you don't have ADD.

. Put electronics in one room
. Bring books into another
. Study
>Works well for me

i did this when i was an undergrad but i no longer have two rooms

>lmao no. Meds are way over prescribed by doctors

perhaps, but i hate the thought that someone isn't going to get what they need because they're caught in the crossfire between skeptics and big-pharma marketing/shilling. medication was life-changing for me, but a lot of people don't seem to respond to it otoh. it's not a fake disorder.

If you can't find a way to do it at home, you should find a public library where you can study. Leave your electronics at home.

>medication was life-changing for me
Fair enough. But is it something that develops over time? If someone used to be able to study but now that they're not so closely supervised and have a phone, tablet, and laptop with them at all times they aren't able to, it probably means they need to learn a bit of discipline.

>If you can't find a way to do it at home, you should find a public library where you can study

i am uncomfortable in public

>But is it something that develops over time?

no, i don't believe so. personally i've always had trouble focusing. sometimes it happens that ADD symptoms diminish as you get older, but i've never heard of them getting worse.

try pomodoro technique