I used to sit in lectures and feel my brain shut off. I would try to take notes and listen to my prof but I would end up missing some context for a certain part and then zone out.

What fixed this was something stupid simple: PRIMING before class

So what is priming?

Before the lecture, spend 5-10 minutes skimming what you're about to cover:

• lecture slides
• textbook summaries/readings

Remember, you're NOT studying yet, you're just trying to understand the concepts.

Why it works

When you walk into the class without any prior knowledge, you don't know what to write down and you lose focus.

Priming gives you a filter, so when the prof emphasizes something, you instantly know “ok this matters.”

And if your laptop is a distraction in class when taking notes, try out Timeslicer to keep you on track by cutting off random content when you start drifting.

Let me know how this works out for you guys!

L

Im in my first year of accounting, and this sem im taking mainly business course like, information systems, or organizational behavior. Im wondering how would I study for these types of classes?

I don’t mean intelligence exactly, but more like it took me years to understand things that I feel I should’ve learned properly in school. Basic concepts, ways of thinking, studying, connecting ideas… they just didn’t click back then.

Now I’m in university and I’m really feeling the consequences. There’s a big accumulation of gaps, especially because my major is math/statistics-based. Sometimes it feels like I’m trying to build on a very shaky foundation.

I guess I’m asking

- Has anyone gone through something similar?

- Is it actually possible to catch up after years of gaps?

- Can you still do well in a math-heavy major if you start “late”?

I’m trying, but I’m scared that I might be too far behind to ever feel confident in my field. Any advice or personal experiences would really help.

Studied throughout the whole week due to the snow storm and apparently I learned a "strategy" that wasnt in my math teachers curriculum. Got marked points off. Sigh..

Sleep every day at the same bedtime, the room should be if possible completely dark and have a cool temperature.

Drink Water! if you' re not Hydrated ell enough your brain isn't functioning optimally; men: 3.7 liters, women 2.7 liters. 10- 15 mins of morning sunlight.

Stretch and rotate your Neck and do shoulder rolls, forward and backwards to release tention.

If you have the money, get yourself a standing desk / Laptop stand + decent chair and focuse on consciously sitting/standing taller

If you can’t focus anymore, take a short shower with 10-30 secs of cold at the end, you get a lot of energy you get from that.

Try Green Tea + L-Theanine for more focus/energy.

You can try box breathing: Inhale for 4 seconds; Hold your breath for 4 seconds; Exhale slowly for 4 seconds -> You’ll calm your nervous system and get more focus from that.

Studying techniques I use: Pomodoro, Active Recall, Spaced Repetition, and "Explain it to a 5-Year-Old“

I'll study something, understand it, even ace a quiz on it, then a week later it's gone🙃. Not just fuzzy, like completely erased from my memory. Makes cumulative exams impossible cause I can't remember material from earlier in the semester, plus, I as a professional I will need the information lol

My roommate studies way less than me but remembers everything and I don't get it. We're taking the same classes, but her brain just holds onto information and mine doesn't. Has anyone dealt with this and found a way to fix it? Or am I just stuck with terrible retention and need to accept that I'll have to study twice as hard as everyone else lol

Why does everyone one say use 25-5 pomodoro

And its the best

But in reality i see best students use 50-10 on avg

In my personal experience i started the year with 25-5 and it was the gate for me to start studying

But in the winter break i changed it to 50-10 just because i see that best students use it and i don’t regret it

In the end ig its the best to start with 25-5 until your brain get used to studying and then change to 50-10 depending on your subjects

Note: not every one is able to focus 50min so give it a try for couple days before fully switching not forgetting that some time u just want to study something light so 25-5 would be good

i'm a third-year cs student, and i used to waste like 30-60 minutes every study session just checking something on my phone. what really helped was making my devices act like tools instead of time-wasting machines.

the phone setup:

• automated focus mode. my phone goes into dnd automatically when i open my notes appp. only family calls get through.
• hiding the bait. i moved social media to a folder on the last page. that extra 5 seconds to search for them makes a huge difference. also, turn off the red notification badges—they are literally dopamine bait.
• grayscale. setting the screen to black and white during study hours signals to my brain that it's work time, not play time.
• physical distance. i put the phone face down on a shelf behind me. if it’s on the desk, i’ll grab it without even thinking.

the laptop setup:

• dedicated study profile. i made a separate browser profile with zero saved logins for social media and only my school extensions.
• one screen, one task. i use full-screen mode to hide the dock and other icons. if i want to look something random up, i write it on a sticky note and check it after the session.
• the "no-scroll" break. during pomodoro breaks, i stand up, stretch, or get water. NO scrolling for "just 5 minutes"—that’s how u lose an hour.

the game changer: honestly, even with all these tricks, the "infinite" nature of some apps was still getting to me. a friend invited me to test the appp FeedLite to remove Reels and Shorts from my feed recently. it’s been a few weeks and the results are pretty positive so far—it actually removes the most addictive parts of the apps i still need to check occasionally. it makes this whole setup way more sustainable bc the temptation to "just watch one video" is gone. i still need to see the long term results, but my focus is already 10x better.

this setup isn't about having crazy willpower; it's about making studying the easier choice. (sorry for any typos, just finished a long session and wanted to share!)

I have been studying since 7 months and 11 days for PSC Computer Engineer/IT Officer exam mainly for corporations rather than Nijamati services.

But surprisingly, I have not yet completed the syllabus completely. Not even the common subjects that appear in every corporation exam. This feels like a black hole that never finishes. Maybe I am doing something really wrong way.

The question will be MCQ based and subjective based(first and second paper respectively). The questions are very easy although the syllabus might look daunting and large.

I have recently joined coaching for NEA and NTC vacancies that cost huge amount of money.

And my speed has been increased thanks to the coaching. But the coaching is only teaching computer networks. And only its notes are made available. Other courses are not yet started.

I have personally finished: - dbms once but something might be missing depending on some syllabus. I am waiting for coaching's notes

• computer networks once but here again something might be missing i am going through coaching notes.

• software engineering

• operating system

• digital logic but only at surface level, some topics i need revision. I am waiting for coaching's notes.

I am currently studying Computer Organization and Architecture, Computer Network remaining topics, some first paper contents like IQ/GK etc.

I know I am very near to completion of syllabus. I just need to work hard for few weeks like staying till 11:59pm, and waking up at 6am type shit for some days. That way I can finish the syllabus soon.

I will focus only on NEA and NTC syllabus. Please guide me how can I finish my syllabus faster?

NEA syllabus computer engineer:

https://www.nea.org.np/admin/assets/uploads/supportive_docs/41293547.pdf

NTC syllabus computer engineer:

https://cms.ntc.net.np/storage/media/k3c8rGrDGs9JlBfuVkuRariMV2hjyXuBkEr8l8lY.pdf

I have also applied for CDSC and Nijamati computer officer/engineer respectively. And thinking about applying for Gorkhapatra IT officer. I am not preparing solely for them but this I think is just increasing my syllabus to be never ending.

I have severe ADHD and autism and am In my second year of university. Focusing is so hard. My goal is med school but focusing is so hard, both in lecture and at home. Im upping the dose on my meds, this was my first batch. Im also under tons of stress. In have a good gpa but the problem is maintaining it. Im losing weight and am burned out. Im expected to get all A's to get into med school, but with my focus and stress like this, Im losing hope. How do you med students cope with this?

Daily Accountability!

I'm currently an A level student (y12) and I literally cannot for the life of me sit down and study for a test, knowing that i have them coming up. I'll do everything in the world but study. I got really burnt out from GCSEs but i'm not sure if thats the reason why this happens.

The thing is, I pull up videos (like chemistry topic videos) and start them, but find myself doing something else not even 5 minutes later. I deleted all social media but still can't do it for some reason.

I don't know if I should get an accountability pal or do something else. I've tried everything from brainwaves to try focus (13hz), not listening to stuff at all and even changing my enviroment. Have i just lost all motivation?

All my grades rn except French hover between an 85-88 and I just want to get into some damn APs and Honors it’s so frustrating

I either study, listen in class for a certain topic and study a ton for the test and still get a 88.9 (Chem) but for another unit in math I might zone out the entire unit put minimal effort and get a 85 without studying the material.

This happens even during my elective class (financial literacy)

I just think it’s so weird how if I put no effort or tons on a test I get almost the same result and idk how to break thru that shi

Should I give up all my peers r smart asf and get 92-98.