Help me concentrate!

MacLegacy

MacLegacy

Unemployed Student!
first of, this is my first OT and probably my last! but for some reason I thought I might get an answer on this forum..

i'm 16 and I have a lack of concentration for studying(reading sometimes too), especially when there's noise but also when there isn't any.. I've heard of music specifically made for concentrating, anyone know if it works?

I'm also open to any method of concentration I could use!

Thx a lot
 
oh well
im 17 . i finishin my A level exams tomorrow (tuesday) . ive been writtin very important exams every day the past 2 weeks.
LOTS of studyin.
how do u do it ?.. well.. I ALWAYS leave on the tv tha i have in my room just so theres a bit of noise. if theres complete silence i kind of freak out!
and second of all. i study at knight. after 12 or 2 o clock . and sometimes without sleeping. specifically for 2 of these exam days. i went into the exam without havin slept at all (studyin all night)!!!

now i know this might not have been very helpful. because im quite strange as u can see!!
and i dont advise u to do the same thing like me! it messes up ur sleeping hours and u always feel tired.

so maybe some1 older and more experienced could help you :)
 
I don't know about music made for concentration, but I 'd suggest getting some Moby records...makes me focus...

Also, get Millencolin for the days when you have to shove snow/cut grass/clean the house...it really makes everything go faster...
 
lol funny, but the best way to concentrate is to have a studious friend over. study together, slowly ur concentration comes back, kickem off, and study alone (muhahaha), it works but not recommended.

a better way is to get into the mood of the desire-of-knowledge, that works well, competition works too. it all works, jut put ur mind to IT.

you have a destination, the only way to get to it is through THIS (whatever that this is _ )
"i've go tot do it"
"i can"
"wow is this interesting"
"i've got to be more precise/acurate"
"the more i practise, the better i am"
"that's it, i master _THIS_!"

hey i'm 16 too. but i never concentrate! my tests just work (not very well though).
 
Some self help/improvement books might help. Personally, I find it diifcult think or concentrate if they are any distractions in the background, especially if the noise involves any verbal dialog/singing, etc... instrumental music is OK if it is something I like.

There are books that teach you how to study. You have to first find out what kind of learner you are. Are you an auditory learner or a visual learner, or both? I'm a visual learner, almost everything I see I remember, never have to look at it again, I can visualize in my tiny little brain as often as I need to, but tell me something once, and you'll have to tell me over and over and over again, then it sinks in. Get the idea? Hope this helps.
 
This could go for studyin' but I like to stay after school to do my homework. I don't know, I think the fact that I'm in a school enviroment helps me complete things much better. But I don't fell like that during school, lol
 
voice: I tried Moby already and it's not bad when nobody sings, but as soon as there's a singer or almost I concentrate on the lyrics.. I'd have to try those music-only songs

Stealth: I think your method would work VERY badly for me, lol :p because if I don't sleep enough I yawn all day at school and yawning is a sign of being sleepy, :rolleyes:

wiz: I guess the desire of knowledge helps but as of me not with mathematics at least because I HATE mathematics , it's WAY not enough concrete for me..

geek: distractions in the background = major problem working (for me)
I'm prolly a visual learner, but I'd have to find out more precisely..

and finally quake: I also think being in a school environment often helps, but there IS a lot of noise at school unfortunately, though I should check to see if the library is opened..

Anyway, thx for helping!
 
Salut MacLegacy. Moi, je suis aussi Québequois (mais je vais a l'université en Ottawa maintenant). Ou allez-vous a l'école?

I'm also dyslexic (reading speed in the 1st percentile), and borderline ADD (I've been classified as having 'attentional difficulties', but not nerely as severe as full-blown ADHD).

The idea that there is special music to help you concentrate is a little interesting. I don't think it would work, in my experience, since you will inevitably be dividing your brainpower between processing the sound into something your brain can understand and trying to read or think. Perhaps listening to something before studying (like Beethoven) will get you into the right frame of mind, but not while you're studying (again, in my experience). But I have heard rumors that listening to Beethoven is supposed to temporarily raise your IQ, somehow hehe.

What I would suggest is that you kill all the noise. Get foam earplugs if you must (I do frequently when I was at my parent's house, as I have 5 siblings :p) Turn off the TV, get rid of all distractions (TVs, games, etc).

Another thing that psychologically has a strong effect is to study (i.e., work) and play (i.e., computer games and TV) in separate rooms, if at all possible. That way you'll associate one place with work and another with play. For example, you won't be sitting in your room with a TV trying to study, thinking about the Simpsons episode you're missing on TVA.

I also work for an organization called NEADS - National Educational Association for Disabled Students. Check the link below, you might find it useful (even if you don't have a recognized learning disability).
 
I am 16 years old as well. Sopht at school. Last year i was a Freshmen and failed ALL of my classes. But now I have straight A's! How can this be? Through one simple thing...


...excersize! I lift weights everyother night and i've really seen a change in the way i do things/act! You really should try it! If you can't lift weights (no gym nearby or no home weights) then job everyother night! Really try it for a week and watch the effects!

I'm serious! Try it out, you'll be amazed at how well it will work for not only your self image...but you'll sleep better at night, study for 30 minutes and learn over 2 hours worth, feel better self confidence, and look good to! :D
 
Couple of things:

In order to learn, first you have to WANT to learn. You aren't going to learn unless you want to. Motivation and drive are a big factor in succeeding in learning.

Second, exercise is known to increase blood flow to the brain. This will improve more than just learning, but a lot of other aspects or your life, i.e. perception/outlook of life in general. Forget studying all day to force yourself to learn something. You'll eventually reach burnout and that is precisely what you want to avoid. You want a well-balanced life. Take time for fun as well as studying and work. But remember, when you play, play hard to reward yourself.

Third, you are what you eat. DON'T EAT JUNK FOOD! No TWINKEES, HOHOS, CHEEZY PUFFS, MOUNTAIN DEW COLA, you get the idea. I never eat this stuff. My undergrad major was biochemistry, most people have no idea what that stuff does to them, trust me, don't eat it on a regular basis.

Forth, your environment is going to play a big part in learning. If you live in a high stress level environment, i.e. parents or siblings fighting, or other personal issues, you need to find a quieter place to study, like the library, or a special place no one else knows where you hang out.

If there are other personal issues getting in the way of studying, contact a couselor either in highschool of college, they're both FREE (well, for college, it's part of your general fee).
 
Originally posted by Trip
I am 16 years old as well. Sopht at school. Last year i was a Freshmen and failed ALL of my classes. But now I have straight A's! How can this be? Through one simple thing...


...excersize! I lift weights everyother night and i've really seen a change in the way i do things/act! You really should try it! If you can't lift weights (no gym nearby or no home weights) then job everyother night! Really try it for a week and watch the effects!

I'm serious! Try it out, you'll be amazed at how well it will work for not only your self image...but you'll sleep better at night, study for 30 minutes and learn over 2 hours worth, feel better self confidence, and look good to! :D
Click to expand...

I'm not failing ALL my classes, lol :p One thing I forgot to mention is that i'm going to college next year (I'm currently in grade 11 or so I think it'd be in US) , in my province that is.. doesn't work the same in Quebec and US though rest of Canada and US looks alike, lol :D

I already lift weights! just that my scheduled for doing so isn't very balanced and I often end up training like once a week (which is of course not enough) I've got home weights AND a bench at home :) And I admit that having some muscles (compared to how I was before!!) helps self-confidence greatly, I didn't see major changes in terms of study though, but maybe when I start doing so using a balanced schedule..

I also play badminton twice a week for an hour each time, and contrary to training, it really shows that it puts me in a good-enough shape to study effectively, but this is true for all sports.

So as you can see i'm not just a computer guy, I enjoy sports and training as well as reading good books. Basically i'm not a wreck, lol :rolleyes:

Btw since your my age it's always fun to compare without being competitive, how much do you lift on bench (if you do) and what dumbells weight do you use?

Also, how many push-ups and sit-ups in a row? lol , as of me I lift a max of 150 lbs (not that much but I'm happy with it for now) I use 20-25 lbs dumbells, I do a maximum of around 40 push-ups and used to do 105 sit-ups but now do 40-50 yet have better abdominals and I find it weird, lol

Finally, got MSN?

aight, time to move on , I feel like this will be one <long> post!

michael: It would be logical to believe you cannot divide your brainpower between music and studies in the case of "popular" music, but the music I am searching for is like not the same kind of music, it's music that means nothing yet stimulates your brain by sending some sort of waves..

I think i'll start writing out what everyone suggests me so I try it out, so earplugs would be one of those..

ah! I do study in the same room as the computer and yea I admit sometimes I tend to go over to the computer while I should be studying but I understand the logic behind all this is probably not about being tempted but about making a study room "yours". Am I right?

oh btw I go to a private school in Québec, <école secondaire> because i'm still 16 years old (MSS)

geek: I guess I <want> in most cases. The only problem is I most likely hate mathematics since it's nothing concrete to me, it would probably help if I could associate it to something in life.. In brief, everything that's not concrete is less likely to gain my full appreciation! But I do <want> to learn!

"Forget studying all day to force yourself to learn something"
bummer it's kinda what I did to study mathematics. Even though I was taking small breaks, I ended up being so tired of mathematics that I could not concentrate on them anymore, maybe I had reached my daily burnout!

Wow, "you are what you eat" even though it's not much of a problem for me I think, I find this pretty interesting.. I'm not the kind of guy who drinks soft drinks everyday but from time to time. I don't either eat chips and the like too often, maybe 2 days per week. In general, I keep a well balanced/healthy diet.

I can't say I live in a high stress environment but since i'm easily affected by noise, even when it's only TV or music, I got difficulty studying..

i'm done, finally, lol ;)
 
Originally posted by MacLegacy
Also, how many push-ups and sit-ups in a row? lol , as of me I lift a max of 150 lbs (not that much but I'm happy with it for now) I use 20-25 lbs dumbells, I do a maximum of around 40 push-ups and used to do 105 sit-ups but now do 40-50 yet have better abdominals and I find it weird, lol
Click to expand...

Let's see here: i don't do bench often (probably twice a month!) so i can't give you a number there, but dumbells i use 30 pounders each. About 100 pushups and for sit-ups...hehe...let's just say that's one area i'm trying to work on. :D

Finally, got MSN?
Click to expand...

Nope. :) If you wanna chat contact me by e-mail and we can figure something out: tannerc@spymac.com
 
lol concentrate!!

prayers, those help

if ur buddhist: those mantras do the trick

if ur a christian: the rosary does it

other religions should have something similar, phrases that you repeat, whose intended purpose is to help u concentrate. (funny, but thats what i learnt)

and it works...
 
You can try the program called Noise from BlackHole Media... it's a free Cocoa Mac OS X application that creates white noise which helps you block out everything else. Seems annoying at first but really helps me.
 
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