You're wrong.
You don't have a problem, it's just that your disorganized.
What I think you should do is set a goal for each day and study day by day of what to cover.
Remember, the saying goes, ';Work Smart, Not Hard.';
You don't need to know ALL the material, but the material that you feel will be definitely tested.
Edit: I like KDgirl's answer - that's really good too!What would you advise regarding my cramming problem?
Turn off your computer, if you have a laptop unplug it then go put it in your car where it is out of reach. Take the batteries out of your TV remote and put them some place else. I have finals next week as well and plan on doing these same things. Good Luck on your tests!!!!!!!
Next semester to prevent this problem: After you get out of every class go home that day/night and read over what was lectured on for about an hour. Do this with every class and you will be MORE than prepared for your test all througout the semester.
Take yourself away from things that can distract you. I learnt at uni that i simply had to accept that i studied alot harder at the library because working at home surrounded me with things to distract myself with.
Also, in the modern world, our minds have become used to quickly swapping between sources of distraction and to always being stimulated. Try and calm your brain down a bit before you study. Spend 5 minutes or so breathing and trying to clear your mind in a quiet, stare at your hands (or something uninteresting) as you do this and let your eyes defocus, concerntrate on your breathing. A good trick i was taught on a school field trip to a buddist monastry (lol) was to try and count to 20 breaths without thinking another thought. If you think of anything but the count and the breathe start again at 0.
After 5 minutes get to work and you should find (assuming you are in a place without distractions) you can concentrate much better.
disconnect your computer from the internet, and lock yourself in a place far away from others....it usually works for me buddy
Funny because I have the same problem until now and I was also a psych major in college.
I can't help it... my mind works better when I'm cramming :-) (excuses! excuses!). I once wrote a term paper in 24 hrs (as in I didn't sleep at all) to meet a deadline that was set at the beginning of the semester, and got quite a good grade for it.
I know it's a bad habit though so I keep trying and trying to get rid of it by psyching myself up to do a certain task as early as possible. It just takes some willpower to actually start something and once I've started, I just keep at it till I'm done. I guess it helps when you have a cranky boss breathing down your neck. :-)
Of course, I'm not always successful at it like this morning when I'm yapping away answering your question on procrastination rather than finishing an overdue report :-). Oh well...
There are no short cuts buddy cramming doesnt really work all the time.
What you need to do is understand your mind and its capacity to remember. You also need to understand how long you can study and stay focussed beofre your mind becomes tired and starts to wonder. Once you figure this out then you can plan your study around it.
I have a short attention span. I can study for about 30min concentrating and then carry on for 15 more pushing myself. I have low memory retention and cramming works but it doesnt always work especially when i have huge amounts of work and a short time to do it in.
The best study method that works for me is to read a chapter thouroughly the first time,,,slowly so that you understand the concepts. Afterwards Read it again the next day or day after this time marking or highlighting important words and paragrpahs. Then read it a third time just skimming through it . You will find that the stuff you read then goes to your long term memory instead of your short term where your likely to forget it. It also does wonders for your psychologically cos when you enter the exam you know that you read your notes and understand them.
Get rid of your distractions,,,,,,,and make it difficult for you to enage in those distractions. I make it a point to study in my local starbucks and other coffee shops because there is no TV,No internet and im less likely to be distarcted by friends and family.
People say studying i a quest place is good but i say thats hogwash. I cant study in a silent place i need noise lots of ambient noise and i find that the chatter of people in my restaurant helps me to focus.
As of right now priorities.
1) switch your cell phone off
2) Unplug the TV/Playstation/Xbox
3) Start studying for your earliest exams. Read the text book(dont take notes just read each chapter untill you understand whats being talked about).
Aim to get half the the work done today and the other chapters done on saturday. Then sunday you can start revision another read over.
Its tedious boring work but if you want to graduate your going to have to bite the bullet and pull off some serious hours,,,,,ITS TEMPORARY thats all you should understand.
Another thing for every hour you study take a 10 to 15 min break. Have a cup of coffee walk around outside just do it.
GOOD LUCK
Oh by the way Coffee,,,,lots and lots of coffee and Snickers bars these things worked for me.
PS never leave things till the last min. Read and Revise and Read and gove your mind ample time to absorb the material.
Hey, It's your life, It is what you make it.. I have a teenager and I got tired of her procrastinating and cramming. So I told her she was old enough that I was ';babysitting'; her anymore. And she asked me to help her set up a schedule for time management and it helps for the most part. It is like exercise. If the doctor gives you a pill and tells you to take it at a certain time everyday because your life depends on it, you are going to take that pill. So I scheduled exercise like a doctor's appt or time to take my medicine. Good Luck..
wake up in the morning and drag yourself to the library dude... its the only way to get work done... bring a lunch, snacks, and caffeine. stay there all day dude. do the same day after day... you know better... try to get some aderol from some friends... that s*** helps big time. try to avoid bringin your laptop and stay off the internet.... bring an ipod and listen to classical music only... studyin to rock, trance, or hip hop never works. no aim, no yahoo answers... come on dude, you can do it...
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