6 answers
6 answers
Updated
Marie’s Answer
Danielle you got this!
Routines and time management are key
- Calendar with your assignments and tasks
- List of to do's for the day/week
- Track your progress and cross off those completed tasks
Routines and time management are key
- Calendar with your assignments and tasks
- List of to do's for the day/week
- Track your progress and cross off those completed tasks
Updated
Seema’s Answer
I would go with the earlier suggestions of keeping a calendar, to do list, working with friends, tracking your progress and I would also add these:
1) ask and answer as many questions as you can during class time in other words participate in class to stay focused
2) take good notes that you can refer back to when you are not in class and if you have any questions on those or confused ask your teachers
3) surround yourself with people who are motivating and/or inspiring so they can pull you up and not push you down
4) give yourself incentives like a movie break/a walk with a friend kind of break after you finish a really hard assignment or accomplish something really hard---this will keep you motivated to finish the task at hand to move on to the next break.
5) Do have an end goal that you want to accomplish after you are done with high school as it will give you not only direction but also a reason to keep working towards it.
Best of luck,
Seema
1) ask and answer as many questions as you can during class time in other words participate in class to stay focused
2) take good notes that you can refer back to when you are not in class and if you have any questions on those or confused ask your teachers
3) surround yourself with people who are motivating and/or inspiring so they can pull you up and not push you down
4) give yourself incentives like a movie break/a walk with a friend kind of break after you finish a really hard assignment or accomplish something really hard---this will keep you motivated to finish the task at hand to move on to the next break.
5) Do have an end goal that you want to accomplish after you are done with high school as it will give you not only direction but also a reason to keep working towards it.
Best of luck,
Seema
Updated
Justin’s Answer
I'm in college now and am still somewhat struggling with similar problems. However, I improved greatly compared to high school or even my previous quarters. For me, staying focused is difficult because I can easily get distracted. (Check below for steps). I also struggle to stay focused because sometimes I feel unmotivated. However, I learned from many and realized that motivation is the worst way to fuel your energy to keep doing a task. The reason being is that it is consistent and you almost always run out of it. My fuel to keep going is persistence: to always keep doing that work and even if it gets harder, that should be more of a reason for you to do it. Link: https://youtu.be/kzAuvOr-YsM . I hope this link works. The video is made by Ali Abdaal, a top student at Cambridge University and former medical doctor. Take his video with a grain of salt as most of these are his opinions that he formulated for how he progressed through his hardships. In my opinion, I don't believe in fully but I agree with a few points about how motivation should not be our source of fuel to stay focused.
To stay focused, you need a separate working environment. This could be a table that you always work at to complete your work, aside from your table with your daily activities. You can also move to study at a library or cafe (I find this very helpful but sometimes inconsistent because of holidays or unconventional open hours)
I also suggest muting your devices when studying so that you don't give yourself an excuse to have a "break."
Motivation is great but stay persistent. Use motivation only as a reward or maybe even a starter but don't give up once that motivation is gone.
Be organized. Don't overwhelm yourself and don't overdo the organization. Do something simple like writing the very important stuff on your calendar.
Have consistent breaks. Work at your best hours. Test it throughout the months at different times and see which times you seem to be the most productive.
Justin recommends the following next steps:
Updated
Rebecca’s Answer
I understand that it is not easy to concentrate on the virtual lessons even for adults :
Perhaps you can consider approach below :
1. Make sure you have enough sleep
2. Have some light exercise before the lessons start
3. If possible, stand up some times when you feel you cannot focus
4. Actively participate the class discussion
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
Perhaps you can consider approach below :
1. Make sure you have enough sleep
2. Have some light exercise before the lessons start
3. If possible, stand up some times when you feel you cannot focus
4. Actively participate the class discussion
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
Updated
Gary’s Answer
Well, Danielle you've started off with the first step to your answer which is you are aware that you DO get distracted and need help to stay focused. So if you really want to learn to stay focused here is some advice. The good news is you DO know how to stay focused. I imagine you've browsed Facebook and found an interesting story or post from a friend or something that had kept your attention for a while. If so, you CAN focus. I know it's a bit different with school topics, so here's how you can adapt. First of all, make sure you get enough sleep before you start your school work. It's most definitely difficult to try to focus when you're dead tired. Then, try to determine the things that distract you and remove them from your learning space. Remove your phone from your learning space, close down any social media tabs on your browser, etc. Set your learning time to about 50 min and then take a break and go check your phone for 5-10 min. Be vigilant about your study time; but give yourself time to catch up with your social time or you may become obsessed with what could be going on and start to lose focus. Most of all, when you feel like you are not absorbing what you're trying to learn; walk away for a moment and come back and read it again. I made it all the way to a Master's degree by sometimes re-reading things up to 5 times so that I made sure I understood before I moved on. It can take a lot of time, but if you're serious about doing well, you have to make the effort and take the time. There will always be time for friends and family; but investing time in your education is investing time in yourself and your self-esteem. Hope this helps.
Updated
Carly’s Answer
Hi Danielle - I am also a student (however, I am in college now), but I definitely understand your concern! Being in person is a lot different than being virtual - you will probably see that having a schedule to follow and classes to walk to every day will help you develop a routine. When I was in high school, having a routine helped me stay focused. It was really easy to get distracted in a virtual environment because there is no one around you to keep you accountable, but in person, I found it motivating to have my peers next to me to study with. I recommend studying with friends and collaborating on group projects when you can to help you stay focused. Best of luck!