Losing Focus

:studyowl: We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers. They see things in the soft haze of a spring day or in the red fire of a long winter's evening. Some of us let these great dreams die, but others nourish and protect them; nurse them through bad days till they bring them to the sunshine and light which comes always to those who sincerely hope that their dreams will come true.:studyowl:

Do you have access to a classroom program? Maybe a more formal review format will help keep you motivated.

~Mel'

You sound like me...the ultimate procrastinator:sofahider ! I could have a month to study for an exam, but 90% of what I'm going to learn and what I'm going to memorize is going to happen an hour or two before the test. If you're into negative reinforcement:troll: , one thing I try to focus on is how crummy I'm going to feel after the test, knowing I didn't do absolutely everything I could to prepare for it:smackingf.

In your case, you must be just OVERWHELMED:bugeyes:! Everything you've ever learned throughout your school career coming down to just one test! Where do you even begin to start?

My class is preparing to take the state board exam in May and something my teacher just imparted on us when it comes to the NCLEX is: it all comes down to how many questions you see before you take the exam; that's what's going to determine how well you do. Maybe put Saunders down for awhile and just flood yourself with practice questions. Put the questions you couldn't answer in one pile and then go review the chapters on that material. Put the questions you could answer in another pile and move on.

And remember how awesome it's going to feel to be able to put that title (R.N. or LPN) behind your name:caduceus: . And the relief your going to feel when that test is finally over and you finally learned you've passed ...what a Merry Christmas you'll have! And the salary you're going to bring home. "If you can get through the twilight, you'll live through the night." And you've obviously made it through the twilight:mortarboard: !

And I definitely think taking a break from studying to cruise around here for awhile is helpful. It's like giving your brain a break, while still staying in the healthcare mind frame!

Good luck! Keep at it...you know it'll all be worth it when it's over.

Thank you so much for the replies. I am like definitely in tears. I want this so bad but it can get very discouraging having to do this all over again for the 3rd time not even to mention the studying while in school. Another thing I think is having me procrastinate is work. I'm thinking about going on a leave of absence so I can isolate my self from everything in order to pass. I just have too much going on right now and with that I'm not really retaining info bcuz of other things on my mind. What do you guys think?

If you can do it, I don't think leave of absence would be a bad idea at all! I mean, THIS IS IT! Once you pass that test, anything you had to do to make that possible will be worth it.

Personally, a couple years from now, I'll have to look back and say, "Well, in order to get to where I am today, I had to move four hours away from my family for four years of my life, constantly borrow money from my mother (which can be so embarrassing when you're a grown adult), put off having any type of romantic relationship, not to mention have any children, show up for Christmas with my family with no presents for 2 years in a row, slice my drinking/partying habits down to almost nothing:), probably put on about twenty pounds, temporarily isolate myself from many friendships, rack up thousands of dollars worth of debt, etc." But THIS IS IT! I don't think I'll have any regrets once I've passed my state boards and I don't think taking a leave of absence would leave you with any, either.

Think of how much more relaxed you'll be once you know that all you have to worry about is studying for your test! All you'd have to do is wake up in the morning, not have to scramble around for clothes to wear to run off to work in, sit down with your cup of coffee and open up those books...

I definitely agree with you Jessica. As we speak right now I am in the process of finding out the leave of absence procedure for my job but I have to make sure that my money is right. I don't want the bills to pile up bcuz that is how stress start. I definitely don't want that!

Good luck...I hope you're able to at least get some time off!

Definitely, thank you so much and I can't wait to post on here I passed. Thanks Jessica

Good luck and all the best! I think a leave of absence wouldn't be such a bad idea. All the best to you and don't give up!

Thank You