Losing motivation to study, any tips??

CVmursenary · Mar 7, 2011

get diagnosed with ADHD, there are some pretty mind stimulating medications out there ;0

williamd · Mar 7, 2011

All the techniques for developing good study habits would fill a book, and have- many of them. I want to suggest 2 things. These may or may not apply to you.

#1 lay off any mood altering chemicals. These get in the way of neurotransmitters in the brain which are responsible for memory. Literally, you won't remember what you study as well if you are drinking or smoking pot. Also, use leads to lack of motivation.

#2 join a study group. If you are part of a group, you help motivate each other, help study and learn in different ways than if you study just by yourself. Also, it sounds as though you have not done much in the study department in the past, and joining with someone who has better study habits than yourself can only help. And lastly, having study partners means you are forced to have a regular study time, which it sound like you haven't been doing.

Good luck, and keep up the hard work, the end result is worth it!

dthfytr, ADN, LPN, RN, EMT-B, EMT-I · Mar 7, 2011

Probably wont help you much, but I'd like to share a story from my days in nursing school. A group of us first year students were looking at grades just posted on an instructors door. Some upper class students walked by and I overheard one say "Must be first year students. They're still worried about grades instead of just surviving!"

Hope things get better for you. Hang in there, it's worth it, really!

rkitty198, BSN, RN · Mar 7, 2011

I am a hands on person. I remember reading and re-reading a chapter over and over because I just couldn't get into it. I ended up going online and printing out pictures of the heart as an example. Then with colored pencils and highlighters I would draw the blood flow, the unoxygenated blood, the oxygenated blood ect. Then I would write the names of the drugs that affect the heart (the groups we had to learn in class) and I would write them around the heart. I would use positive signs to tell me whether it is +chronotropic or -. Just writing, coloring and drawing would make me active in the process of learning and things stuck better that way.

I would put my pictures in those transparent sheet protectors and study them wherever I went.

Your motivation will come and go- as mine still does even as a nurse. Just keep your eye on the prize!

xluescluesx · Mar 7, 2011

get diagnosed with ADHD, there are some pretty mind stimulating medications out there ;0

LOL! I was thinking the same thing but I wouldn't have the nerve to post it. Hilarious.

Black Jade, BSN, RN · Mar 7, 2011

You can try to scan over the chapters and focus on the pathophysiology, diagnosis, symptoms and treatments. Brainstorm, make an outline, do a word association (Parkinson's-Michael J. Fox-tremors) or make study cards. I didn't like study groups because we ended up socializing and that made me fall behind on my studying.

Cinquefoil · Mar 7, 2011

Reading is so dry and hard to concentrate on. Anything you can do that involves speaking, writing, moving, even music is great. Anything that gives you a sense of interacting with the material as opposed to just stuffing it into your brain.

Ways I've studied before:

1) Recorded then listened to lectures on iPod while walking

2) Drew pictures of body structures, naming the parts off as I did. When there were multiple layers or I wanted to draw them many times w/out using paper, I drew on a clear plastic sheet with a dry-erase marker, then just wiped it off and did it over when I was done

3) Wrote putlines while reading textbook. Writing outlines gave me a sense of interacting with the material rather than trying to cram it into my brain.

4) Wrote notecards while reading textbook.

I had notecards down to a science. #1: make front of notecard ie what they were about. Basically I put anything there that could be a test question. I made a stack of notecards that had nothing on the backs. #2: Fill in the backs. This sounds boring but that's why you #3: Have music you absolutely love playing the whole time. See, filling out the notecards this way doesn't take your whole brain the way reading does, so if you try to do it w/out music, you'd get bored. The music keeps one part of you entertained while the other part is writing notecards.

Some other people found it worked well to color code their notecards

5) Review notecards with study group, preferably a focused but fun study group

6) Try to rewrite the textbook in your own words

7) Use "Anatomy Coloring Book" or "Physiology Coloring Book"

8) Make up rhymes to remember things with. Like nursery rhymes, simple but with good rhythm. The cruder ones, or the ones with the best personal meaning, stick best. And even if the rhymes you make up suck, you'll learn the material while you're trying to make them

9) Interactive DVD-ROM's. Martini makes a really good one for A&P. Also, interactive online resources like GetBodySmart.com If you search for "interactive" and "online" and the organ system you're studying, you'll find a lot!

10) Take turns teaching the material to someone else/being taught

I'm also a big fan of having sacred study rituals. Study in a quiet coffeeshop where there's NOTHING else for you to look at other than your study materials. Or a loud place with lots of background noise. Go to the same place or mix it up, whatever works for you. Take breaks every hour, short ones, just to relax the old cranium. If you're having trouble concentrating, go for a short walk or stretch or pet your dog/cat/hamster.

Also I didn't try this myself but elementary schools have "read to the dogs" programs where kids read to pets instead of people....boosts their reading skills believe it or not, so if you have a pet why not discuss your class material with them?

This is a bit long, these worked for me but hopefully you'll find something useful in here for you.

j621d · Mar 7, 2011

Another suggestion is to study for a set amount of time (reading, reviewing, etc.) and take a 5 - 10 minute break. Set a timer if you are prone to stay on break longer. Restrict personal internet surfing until after you study.

Set a bedtime, say 10 or 11 pm. Work until close to your bedtime, have a little relaxation time and go to bed. I don't believe in "overnighters." I did them when I was younger, but I refuse to do it now.

The toughest part may be imposing your own personal restrictions. I wasn't a very good student in high school, so I know I didn't develop the best sudy habits, but my suggestions reflect what worked for me.

thenameismac · Mar 7, 2011

I am in the same situation as you...most days. I find that when I sit down to study I have to do 50 million things other than study. Here is what I do:

1. Set a schedule and stick to it. I hate it but it works. I try to pretend that I am not the one setting the schedule and even though I get mad (at myself) I'm obligated to keep the schedule.

2. When I read the chapter I mark important things with a pencil and then go back and take notes. I either highlight the keywords or put them on flashcards. I then use the questions at the end of the chapter as self-quizzes and I also make use of the textbook discs that come with the book.

Hope this helps.

Jonathank · Mar 7, 2011

Save your textbook for last. I find online lectures, videos, tutorials, powerpoints, word docs, pdf's, etc. a better introduction to most topics. Once you have the big picture, you can retain more of what you read. Learn to scour the net for introductory material, then study it, then read your text, then do practice questions.

kakamegamama · Mar 7, 2011

Do each of the chapters have objectives, or do the lectures have objectives? These are typically what the teacher focuses, or should focus, on when lecturing and for testing purposes. And, approach your instructor and ask what suggestion she/he has for improving your study habits. i also struggle with similar things and always have. I try to allow 10-15 minutes of every hour for a break, just as the lecture time at school is supposed to. During that break I do something "fun"--walk around, pick up a book & read for fun, watch a quick bit of TV, walk around--whatever. BUT--when that time period is over, I'm back at the books. Which reminds me--my time is up so back to the books I go now! Hang in there!