Losing motivation to study, any tips??

[Newbiestudent18]

Hello!

So i'm in the 2nd sem now...

And the reading materials are getting heavier, right now for the GI system, I have to read 8 chapters from 2 books, and i was not really the hard-worker student when I was In highschool, I never read and studied this much, so I find it really hard to concentrate, focus in reading these chapters, I often find myself getting distracted by the Internet, or something else, I know I have to read for me to understand the topic, but knowing that I have to read this much I get lazy....

What do u guys do to not get lazy and bored reading this much?

What keeps u motivated and focus?

Also, whenever I read chapters, I know the general idea of what I read, but I don't remember it that much, what do u guys do to remember everything u have studied? Please give me some advice on how to study properly, I want to be able to remembe everything, coz it will be a waste reading alot of chapters but then I dont remember most of what I read...lol

My study habit is really messed up right now, evethough I got this far, I still dont know what works for me...

I dont know how to study, please help??

Any kind of suggestions would be really helpful for me...

Thanks in advance!!!

[honeykrown, MSN, NP]

I was just like you in Nursing school, what helped me was understanding the basic concept and applying it to the biology i learned in school. Also i would call up my reading mate and ask her to tell me anything and regurgitate it to her. In doing this when exam came most time i remembered telling her about it.

Also getting a tape recorder and listen to it instead of your radio in the car, ipod etc

[MouseMichelle]

I would skim over the chapter first, look at the pics etc, then sat down and read and tried to grasp the concept. you don't have to remember everything you read. As i would read I would write down major points.

As for being distracted...sign of the times....I don't know how old you are but if you're in your beginning or even mid 20's you grew up with the internet and texting and whatever so you weren't taught how to focus.

learn how to focus.

And yes study groups are a great way but please join one that actually does the work and not ass around.

[Chrismurse]

As a final semester nursing student I have found that working in groups works great. Even if it is reading together 1 person a page or whatever. To hear it out loud and to read along stimulates your brain in a different way. Plus you will make some friends so when you do have required group projects outside of class you will be ready. Good luck you can do it and never give up.

[TDCHIM]

Other posters have listed some great study tips. The one that works for me is combining visually reading a chapter and my notes or the instructor's notes with reading parts of the same material out loud to myself on the second time through. It sounds odd, but by doing so I'm combining two forms of learning (visual and auditory), so I'm making cross-connections in my memory.

Finding the willpower to make yourself study is a harder task. In many ways it depends on why you're having difficulty getting yourself to study in the first place. From your description of the heavy reading and workload, it sounds as though you're feeling overwhelmed by your studies. I'm guessing that as a result, you're allowing yourself to be distracted because you just don't know how to tackle this overwhelming amount of complex material. If that sounds about right, my advice would be to try to break the material down into more manageable segments. Trying to cram eight chapters into your brain all at once isn't going to work very well. Try to set a study schedule that allows you short breaks: maybe 45 minutes studying, 10 minutes off, repeat.

The study group idea also has the potential to be useful for you - you'll be more motivated if you feel you must keep up with your group. But I definitely agree with MouseMichelle that you should be cautious and choosy about the group you join. Working with a group of students who are lazy or slackers will do you nothing but harm.

Good luck to you! We all hit the studying wall sometimes. :)

[Darjeeling22]

I'm about to start my second semester as well. Coming from an education background, I've found that it helps me to absorb material if I explain it to someone else.

I have two other people in my class that get together once or twice a week, and we come prepared to "teach" the material to each other. Requires us to not only read (which can get numbing) but take the material and logically re-arrange it.

Sometimes it's making flashcards, sometimes it's drawing things out on a whiteboard, but however it's done it helps us immensely to identify what we don't know, and focus on those things.

[DizzyLizzyNurse]

I would motivate myself by looking at all the stuff I want and couldn't afford without being a nurse (new car, house, clothes, whatever you want) and I would look at nursing jobs.

[tainted1972, ASN, RN]

I have a hard time staying focused when the subject is boring or too complex. I usually will google the subject and try to find a good video that explains the concept I am learning about.

I especially find it helpful to see pictures of and video of various diseases/processes. Sometimes reading about something just isnt enough and I need some sort of image to remember it.

[Black Jade, BSN, RN]

Also, you can buy yourself an NCLEX review book and use your textbooks as reference. I wished I've done that in my first semester of Nursing school.