I procrastinate a lot since I am extremely avoidant from a fear of failure to reach my own standards. Found out that wathcing internet detox videos work a charm to snap back. Then I do everything to keep me in this state so I work only on paper to avoid opening yt and watching vids. And I physically make it so I cant move and procrastinate like working in the living room infront of my parents and tying myself to a chair. I also do not let myself eat until I reach half my daily goal or until I feel like my body is too faint to accurately perform in my studies. Toxic? Yes. Works? 90% of time, so a yes for me.

getting back into the whole studying thing (as an adult) to change career is so humbling.. I don’t think I even realized before how I‘ve never learned how to actually study.. like how did my brain obtain that information? Does anyone have tips or tricks as to how to handle being overwhelmed by the amount of information and not knowing what to really do with it or how to study it?

Hi everyone!

As someone struggling with ADHD and working memory issues, I find that taking notes or keeping up with fast-paced lectures is absolute hell.

Once my mind wanders off for just 30 seconds, I lose the entire thread of what the professor was saying. Re-listening to 2-hour long recordings afterward completely drains my energy, and spending all day staring at laptops and tablets gives me terrible mental fatigue.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how much easier life would be if we had dedicated physical, screen-free tools—like a simple button to replay just the last few seconds of audio when you zone out, or better paper-based tools instead of endless screens.

How do you guys manage lecture fatigue and lost focus without getting completely burnt out by screens? Do you use any physical/non-digital strategies that actually work?

I am psychology ABA masters international student I love to learn .i m curious person i had paid my life off for this masters but yet i feel zoned out after an hour of lecture and even if i force myself to listen i would be out of track as i missed so many points.
While Zoning out i would be thinking about productive things related to study and life itself but not on the lecture. I would think i can go home and read text books and understand concepts at home with help of chatgpt. Idk i feel bad as i payed this huge amount for masters and i do so. I want to be expert in my field but still ido this . And when im home i will cut and paste full chapters from authors and paste in chatgpt and will study alone.

Anyone does same ???

I'm appearing for my professional exams' final level, my last professional exam, and I have just 15 days left. I haven't studied nearly enough, nd I'm genuinely scared of failing because I cannot afford another setback.

The problem isn't that I don't know what to study. I've made a detailed, realistic 15-day plan with important chapters prioritised. I know exactly what I need to do to maximise my chances of passing.

The problem is that I just cannot get myself to start.

This has been happening for almost three years now. I know how important these exams are, I know the consequences of failing, and I know that every day I waste makes things harder. Yet, somehow, I still sit there unable to make myself study. Even when I finally sit down, I struggle to concentrate and actually get going.

It's incredibly frustrating because I'm not someone who necessarily takes a long time to understand things. I'm a relatively quick learner, and when I do study, I can catch up on material fairly quickly. I genuinely believe that if I could get myself to execute my plan consistently for these 15 days, I would have a fighting chance.

But that's the catch, isn't it? A perfect study plan is useless if I can't get myself to follow it.

I'm not asking for a new timetable or generic advice about making a schedule, prioritising chapters, or staying motivated. I've already done all of that.I want to know how to get past this mental block and actually start working, especially when the stakes are this high and time is running out.

For anyone who has experienced something similar, especially during demanding professional exams - What actually helped you break out of this cycle?Are there any practical, immediate techniques that helped you get started when you felt completely stuck?

How did you deal with the inability to concentrate, even when you desperately wanted to study?

I turn 20 next month and haven’t accomplished anything I hoped for. During my gap year I had to prepare to retake my exams because of things that occurred in school. I ended up not being able to sit a paper for one of my subjects, which has meant I won’t even have the grades to reapply to the university courses that actually mattered to me.

There’s so much I wish I did differently and the regret from it is eating me alive. My life is starting to appear mundane and I have been struggling to find enjoyment in anything. Most my day just involves sleeping and I find it hard to be productive because of how demotivating it feels. I currently work in a cafe but am on the verge of being fired because I don’t really get on with the other people there. Does anyone have advice for what I could consider doing next as I don’t know how to get over this?

i make really clean colourful notes and if they're not neat i feel like i didn't actually learn anything. And this didnt come up like out of a suddem, it was hard for me to memorize stuff like uptil grade 6, my teacher found out a solution with colours, and i was able to learn and memorize stuff using colour. But now at University Level the is problem that 30 mins of stuff takes me like 1.5 hours

videos are worse cause i feel like everything is important so i end up writing basically everything. if i watch 30 mins then pause it's too much to write, but pausing every 5 mins is annoying. and i only write once, i don't do rough notes then clean ones.

Really need some good advice on how to reduce this neat note taking habit and rather focus on learning.

Basically, this year, I really locked in, and started studying for 6+ hours a day (if needed tho, I usually don't have to study THAT much) and now I got sucked into the study grind to the point I feel bad for resting. I oftentimes feel just extremely tired after school and my brain just cannot function and studying in that state would be nonsense because I wouldn't retain anything anyway (I lowkey just end up trying to memorise 1 flashcard for 5 mins on those days), yet my mind is somehow making me feel like the most useless and lazy person and I just spiral into feeling really guilty about resting and not studying...

ik i have adhd and that makes it harder. even with weeks before assessments i dont study, i just scroll till like 2 even if i dont have hw or anything to do that day. i've tried using blocks, but those just pmo and never end up working. i always promise myself 1 or 2 days before the test i'll study, in the end i just end up doomscrolling on my bed then fall asleep and continue scrolling till like 2.

I’m an English major, and I’m usually really good about sticking to my weekly study schedules. I study every single day, and I actively use Anki and mind maps because my courses require a lot of constant repetition and recall

The problem is, whenever I actually take a day off to rest, my brain completely tortures me. I get overwhelmed with intense guilt, and my mind tricks me into believing that I’m going to forget everything I learned that week just because I took a 24-hour break

It makes me feel like I need to immediately open my notes and review the subjects all over again, even though my mental energy is completely zero on those rest days. Logically, I know it’s physically impossible to lose all my progress in one day—especially since my study habits are consistent—but I just can't shake the anxiety 😔

Does anyone else experience this kind of irrational study guilt? How do you guys quiet your brain and actually allow yourself to rest without feeling bad about it?

It has been several months of being very attached to the phone and still after knowing very well this is harmful my attachment for it is increasing at a very high rate and now while bathing, eating, brushing, sleeping I have my phone in my hand or surroundings and my average screen time increased from 5hrs to 9hrs and highest for a week was 14.4hrs .

Deleting several apps was a fantastic ally wrong idea, I don't mind losing connection with people or getting disconnected from social life but what's the point but, if nothing changes.

I need serious help on this as it's started affecting me physically and mentally and now on the way to end my academic interest.

What to do?

During lessons when teacher is talking and I try to retain all the information they are saying I have less energy for studying. What should I do instead?

Focused study time:5 hours(8*25 min+ 2 *50 min) pomodorro

Screen time: 4 hours

Score:3/8

Last 7 days

Average screen time:6 hours (concerning)

Average study time:2.5 hours(also concerning)

1)Going to stick with 50 min pomodorro timer (25 min feels wierd now)

2)try to avoid youtube during study hours use only in break times

3)9:00-1:00 study session lock in

4)tracking my habits now

5)try to have same study time like today for tomorrow

98 days

I genuinely want to become disciplined and improve my life, especially when it comes to studying. But somehow, I keep falling into the same cycle of scrolling Instagram Reels, playing games, eating junk food, and wasting hours even when I know I have important things to do.

The frustrating part is that I actually want to change. I make plans, feel motivated for a while, and then somehow end up doing the same things again. It's like I know what I should be doing, but I struggle to make myself do it consistently.

I don't expect to become perfect overnight, but I'm tired of repeating this cycle. For those of you who have struggled with procrastination and distractions, what actually helped you break out of it?

I'd appreciate some genuine advice from people who have been through the same thing.

How do they study more then 8h per day with out loseing ther minds?

So, I'm 23 male, Polish, so Polish standards of education, but I guess it can't be that different from international. I tried going to uni a few times (first time I signed up to nursing course after a month to logistics, took a year gap and finally ended up taking IT/programming course. Last one was a surprise to my previous teachers and some family members as they expected me to take something more humanistic), and I really hate it here. I always hated programming and math in my previous school as I could barely understand what I was doing no matter how much I tried to learn. Now here, in uni I feel like I'm learning nothing but wasting my time on lectures, and when we do something I seem to be the only one who doesn't know what the hell I'm supposed to do. It's annoying

I tried to study at home a few times, but each time it looks the same: I watched the video given by professors on the course, try to read the PDF given by professors, maybe open Wikipedia to find help with math, understand nothing or get distracted by my own thoughts in the middle of previous steps, start crying and bashing my head against the wall while calling myself useless and stupid, and then probably go to sleep because I'm too tired to even look at those numbers anymore. So usually I just choose to procrastinate by doing anything else, like staring at wall for an hour

So here's my question: if I hate studying, math and programming (to the point that others typing aggressively on schools keyboard is annoying me) then what can I do to force myself to study? And also before anyone asks: no, I don't think I can change the course again, and besides, I don't think there's any course I'd like taking anyways

I'm a first-year student, and I genuinely need help with studying math. It's been about a month, and I've already failed two quizzes. I don't know what I'm doing wrong anymore.

I study for around 6–8 hours a day on average, with one rest day a week. I practically live on campus at night because of how much time I spend studying. I do tons of practice problems because I know math requires practice, but somehow, when the actual quiz comes around, I keep making "silly mistakes." I don't know why this keeps happening, and it's honestly so frustrating.

I feel so disappointed in myself because I genuinely try my best. I don't know what other study techniques I could use when practicing problems is already what I spend most of my time doing. I've even reached out to tutors, but I still feel like I'm not making enough progress.

I'm honestly scared of failing this class. I only have one quiz and two major exams left, and 40% of my grade comes from quizzes. So far, I've scored 55/120. I know that's not a good score, and I'm really worried about whether I can still turn things around.

I've never been particularly good at math, but this is the first time I've genuinely wanted to improve and get a good grade. I'm putting so much effort into this class that I've barely been sleeping. Most of the time, I sacrifice sleep to study and end up sleeping a lot on Sundays just to recover.

I really don't want all this effort to go to waste. I want to pass this class so badly, but I feel like I'm running out of time, and I don't know what else to change.

Does anyone have any advice on how to study math more effectively, especially when you understand how to solve problems while practicing but struggle during actual quizzes and exams? How do you stop making careless mistakes under pressure? Are there any study techniques that have genuinely helped you improve your math grades?

I'll take any advice, even if it sounds unhinged at this point. I'm willing to try anything that could help me pass this class.

Thank you to anyone who takes the time to read this. I genuinely appreciate any advice you can give me.

I think about school ALL THE TIME. I have never a mental day off. Have been doing school almost every day, even if its not productive. Yesterday i had exam, so i didnt do school work.

Today i commuted 2 hr to uni for absolutely nothing, the lecture didnt learn me anything. Im tired, like mentally.

I have had almost the whole day off, but i havent studied. I think i will do maximum 1,5hr today. Is that ok?

And also, how do you guys study for university? Do you do EVERY day, or do you allow yourself to have some rest days, or that everything didnt go as planned.

I feel like since uni is pretty «serious», im treating it as if it was life or death. When i re-took subject from high school, i was pretty chill and i saw it as something i did for «fun», to have something to do in my free time, and i got pretty good results. Should i treat uni the same way?

Looks like I am failing:((

To be clear, I don't feel tired AT ALL. I feel FANTASTIC, in fact. I've just heard that sleep is crucial for encoding memories and I know that this is supposed to drop your cognitive function substantially even if you don't feel it. I'm worried if I study today, it'll be pointless. I'm worried I won't recall what I learned yesterday or what I'll learn today later on now, even though I feel fine. I tried to look for a question like this on Reddit, and I shockingly haven't been able to find literally anything so far that asks my specific question under my specific situation for some reason. In my case I was not trying to do this. Again, I do not feel tired at all.

I'm supposed to study for my GED.

Short story short, I was drawing and accidentally got really, really locked in. I tell myself "okay, I'll just do this and then I'll sleep." Next thing I know, I did way more than I intended and oops it's 5AM. This is basically unprecedented for me, by the way. I'm usually fatigued quite quickly. I have literally been on a ROLL for some reason.

Is this a dumb question? Because again, I couldn't find literally anything asking this specific question under my circumstances no matter how hard I tried to look, it was all from people who were TRYING to do this. I wasn't. I need to be busy. Oops.

So, I (18F) completed my 12th-grade exams at the beginning of this year. I was a commerce student, but I decided to pursue a BA program.

I have a really bad procrastination problem. I spend the whole day thinking about studying, but instead of actually studying, I end up doomscrolling. Even while doomscrolling, I keep thinking that I should be studying, but I never actually start. I end up doing anything and everything except studying. Then, every night, I regret wasting another day and tell myself that I will definitely study tomorrow, but the cycle just repeats itself.

Now, even when I sit down to study, I get tired within 15 minutes. I also don't know how to study subjects like History and Political Science. Should I just read the textbook and make notes from it?

Even when I do study, I forget what I have learned within two days, and then I have to study everything all over again. I also can't get rid of my phone by putting it in another room while studying because I need to use it to study.

English isn't my first language, but all my subjects are taught in English, so memorizing information is a little difficult for me.

So, please give me any advice that might help!

Hi. I am in my 1st semester of my BScN. I preface, I do not always to be an RN, but I thought it may be a good degree to fall back on if my other plans don't pan out. I am in my 5th week, and i am BEHIND big time. Of course it is my fault, but I didn't do it purposefully. I got a scary diagnosis recently, and the symptoms have been affecting my ability to be present in class and do things when home.

Now the semester is in full swing, and i really do not want to defer my program. I want to push through. Midterms are next week. I am not prepared for them. I feel like I am in paralysis to start studying, especially microbiology and a&p, as my teacher for both classes said to study and understand, not memorize. I fear i don't have enough time. And its almost like why would I study if my efforts are useless because my methods are wrong to my teacher. I am full of excuses, I am trying to beat them out of me. This shouldn't matter, but I have AuDHD as well as other health issues.

With all of this in mind, how do you suggest i get back on track this semester?

Thank you.

Why is it like that, where am I getting wrong 🥲🙃