FORUM : A reader asks…
I am being home schooled. It is an online school called Utah Virtual Academy. I am always distracted by wanted to play video games or be on the Internet. My parents don't know I am having problems focusing because they would put me back in public school which is not what I want. So how do I teach myself that during the day I HAVE to do school not play?
I have definitely had the same problem, what I did was every day after I finished school I would go on the computer and play games or whatever, and it kind of got into a routine. I do school from about 7:30 till noon then I go on whatever I want for about an hour and a half and then I make myself get started on any school that I might have left for the day. Just try and give yourself a cetain time to go on the computer for whatever you want and if go on games or somthing when you are supposed to be doing school don’t let yourself go on the games later. This will teach you that if you want to be able to go on what you want then you need to finish your school first. Hope this helps, good luck.
When I was homeschooled, I had that EXACT same problem. I would be on Facebook, MySpace, and other various sites when I needed to be doing my work. It’s hard to stay completely focused when you have that much tempting you.
What worked for me was to tell myself [during math, for example], that for every 15 questions I answered I gave myself 3 minutes of down time. And then eventually I just wanted to get the work competely done, and then I had all the downtime I wanted.
Also, I’ve read studies [now that I’m in college, and have been on the dean’s list every term so far], that things like chewing gum, or listening to classical music helps you focus.
I still chew gum while studying now, and I also listen to classical music when I’m trying to cram for finals.
I hope that this helped.
Good luck in finding your cure! :] haha
Everybody has the same problem. But let me assure you that whatever patterns and techniques you work out now will be with you for life. The basic secret of life is the list. Five things you will do today, etc. Some people say start with the hardest and get it out of the way. I always prefer starting with the easiest and building momentum. Another thing is to divide work into chunks, do an hour and then change subjects. So the mind stays fresh. Or get a 60-minute timer and force yourself to do short sprints–e.g., 20 minutes–on things you don’t like. Work hard until the bell rings; then stop. (That’s how I do taxes.) Keep cycling around. Little by little the work will vanish. In college I found caffeine, and always liked it.