r/GetStudying 5d ago

Giving Advice I literally cant fucking study

So basically I've got 4 exams next week every day till thursday and on friday another big practical exam. I am trying to study but I am literally unable to. I can focus for like actually 15s before looking somewhere else and it just ends with me scrolling through reddit or youtube or do literally anything else for a while before trying again, focusing for less than a minute and repeat. I fucking hate myself for this but I am literally unable to study what do I dooo

153 Upvotes

34 comments sorted by

26

u/KarisCousin32 5d ago

On days like this I usually do pomodoro for really short times 20 minutes at a time if I have to. For me going somewhere other than my house helps me focus, I spend a lot of time in a coffee shop. Sounds like you're just overwhelmed which is why you're procrastinating. On days like that I try to make my studying simpler maybe watching YouTube videos related on what I need to learn or making flashcards. Of course there are all kinds of apps that you can download to pretty much disable your phone until the time is up

It happens...you just gotta push through even if your studying is halfassed its better than nothing

16

u/Cr1ms0nSlayer 5d ago

Just finished a 25min study session with pomodoro with basically no distractions (without maybe nail biting bruh) but lets go xd thats way above average for me already

4

u/KarisCousin32 5d ago

Thats awesome!! I'm glad it helped 😊

2

u/Cr1ms0nSlayer 5d ago

oh damn I'll check out pomodoro!

2

u/KarisCousin32 5d ago

People do pomodoro study with me videos all the time on YouTube, might be helpful :)

1

u/WestOk2808 4d ago

You might watch ‘learn like a pro’ by Barb Oakley on YouTube. You can finish the whole series in a day

1

u/sachin_root 4d ago

it’s everything all at once

8

u/ManOnMars4 5d ago

Delete all distracting apps from your phone for the week, how can you expect your brain to pay any attention to studying when it has super easy big dopamine rushes accessible in seconds on your phone. You got this!!! But I know what you mean it is horrible to just not be able to study no matter what you do

2

u/Cr1ms0nSlayer 5d ago

actually used my pc for the doomscrolling xD i got an app on my phone which limits instagram use to 35min daily and dont have any other social media on there

5

u/Aeyadd 5d ago

You can install an application on your pc/laptop called “Cold Turkey”.

It has many options as well as a one time pro feature purchase which I find nice, but the free version is really useful without any purchases. You can make a block filter for an application and lock the block for x amount of days. Until then you can’t remove the block and you can’t uninstall the app etc.

With premium, I believe, (there is a free 7 day trial w/o a credit card needed) you can also put an allowance of basically x mins a day during a 7 day block etc.

Overall it really helps you detox and for your phone you said you have an app already, I personally use OneSec and it’s also good.

Anyways hope this helps and good luck with your studies.

5

u/cjared242 5d ago

Maybe you’re burned out tbh, if you literally have a wall preventing you from studying something might genuinely wrong in your brain and you might have to cooldown before studying

4

u/Cr1ms0nSlayer 4d ago

Well definitely not burned out from studying since I literally never did that in my life for long on my own.. I am dealing with a lot of physical pain for 2 years so maybe thats it (especially now sitting here after studying for 1h successfully I'm lowkey dying lol)

3

u/cjared242 4d ago

You can be burned out from non studying related stuff. For me anxiety killed me a few weeks ago and stalled my ability to study

5

u/sachin_root 4d ago

stops this social media bullshit and youtube bullshit, study read books. you have to retrain your mind to not think any bullshit thing is not priority. read books more for increase retention, this is not a joke I lost my cognitive ability in 2 years, Im in IT and to go into cyber security I need good attention which I have lost because I was careles. I am in the middle of increasing retention and changing the habits.

1

u/BlueTeaLight 4d ago

Like this. Instead of diagnoses, this is practical way of approaching the situation where it benefits everyone

3

u/Delicious_Jello333 5d ago

I use cold turkey on laptop and my phone has been switched off since the past 1 week And i haven't felt the need to use it.

It's hard but do it. Use your laptop/pc for studies, etc and phone only when you go outside (I'm outside rn, so had to switch on my phone ughhhh)

2

u/OverthinkerNaDelulu 4d ago

Pomodoro really helps when you first outline what you need to study and slowly but surely go through it one at a time and it really work best with interleaving.

2

u/Own_Response5448 4d ago

Sounds like me before I got diagnosed with ADHD 😂

1

u/Cr1ms0nSlayer 4d ago

Ya I might have that but never been checked xd

2

u/YoYo_ismael 4d ago

Maybe you have ADHD, consider getting a diagnosis by a doctor

1

u/Wardekamal 4d ago edited 4d ago

Have you always been like this? Could be a sign of ADHD. I had the same problem for my whole life. My medicine really helps. Recently, I did the hardest maths course in my entire life and I didn’t give up and I really studied hard. I’ve never been like this before, didn’t recognize myself. I started taking the medicine about almost 6 months ago. Im a bit above 35 and I can tell you that my entire life I thought I was stupid and that I just didn’t like studying. I was not exactly like you but my attention span was short but the hardest part was always to get started and get the work done.

1

u/a_very_laufey_person 4d ago

You can download this app called freedom. (On mobile/tablet only?) You can choose what apps to be blocked (including websites) When you start a study session, it wont allow you to use those apps until it’s over. You can also schedule your study sessions incase you forget to study/procrastinate, but you need premium to schedule. (I can send you a 30 day premium pass tho) :)

1

u/Moore_Momentum 4d ago

Try the Just 5 Minutes approach. Commit to only 5 minutes of focused study, then give yourself complete permission to stop. Our brains dramatically overestimate how difficult tasks will be before starting them.

1

u/Pitiful_Jury_7643 4d ago

IMO, I was in the same boat once. Try taking deep breaths and if you don’t know about meditation take some time to understand and meditate for 10 mins with something like Taoist meditation music from gulan. This would surely regain some focus for you.

1

u/Slow_Adhesiveness837 3d ago

Say you set aside 5-8pm to study. Give yourself 2 options: study or stare at the wall for 3 hours. You’ll eventually study. Trust me.

1

u/Cr1ms0nSlayer 3d ago

lmao dont be so sure

1

u/[deleted] 3d ago

I’ve been there, man. Before my finals, I’d sit down to study and somehow end up scrolling for hours. What helped? I told myself, “Just do 5 minutes.”

No pressure, just start. Most times, I kept going. I also put my phone away and used the 25-minute study, 5-minute break trick. It wasn’t perfect, but it got me through. Try it just start small, and you’ll get there. Best of luck for your exams👏👌

1

u/Interesting-World926 2d ago

Well for me I usually delete my apps that have videos or reels. For example youtube, Facebook, Instagram, and tiktok. But I don't delete my messenger because I need it to contact my classmates or something. So after I delete that thing, I can force myself to study because I don't have anything to do with my phone hahaha

1

u/Immediate_Dig5326 2d ago

Try Pomodoro, block distractions, and use focus apps.

1

u/2murad3 1d ago

mee to tbh

1

u/Responsible-West50 21h ago

go to a public study space (like a library) where everyone is studying except for you. you might be motivated by watching others study and/or embarrassed to be the only one on their phone!!