Ask HN: Tips to remain productive at College?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10417899

by CamatHN • 11 years ago

5 7 11 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

Struggling to keep myself disciplined and stop myself distracted from just working on side projects rather than my studies. Tips?

galfarragem• 11 years ago

The best blog I know on the subject:

http://calnewport.com/blog/

GFK_of_xmaspast• 11 years ago

Have you considered just focusing on your studies and that there will be plenty of time to labor afterwards. (also go outside and talk to cute boys and / or girls)

chrisBob• 11 years ago

The easiest way to stay focused is often to seek more challenging work. If your most difficult class is "history of The Beatles"[1] then you are likely to be board and look for other entertainment. If you are doing well on classes towards your major consider some other classes to experiment with.

I was a mechanical engineering major and I regret not taking more computer classes in college. Think of this as a time to learn and experiment. There is a good chance you will appreciate more breadth in a few years. Even smart college students don't always know what they will really end up doing in life.

Another option at a bigger school is to look into undergraduate research work in one of the labs on campus. We regularly host engineering or physics students and they tend to enjoy it, get some valuable experience, get paid, and earn a good recommendation for their next phase in life.

There is also nothing wrong with working on side projects. Just spend a little time thinking about how you can use them as a piece of your resume when you graduate.

[1] my sister had similar problems feeling unmotivated in college, and I found out she was on this schedule. Adding other classes helped a lot in her case.

Rannath• 11 years ago

Set aside time for your side projects. If they're that attractive then use them as a reward. Pavlovian Training works on humans and we can self implement.

Don't forget to socialize, while you focus on that your mind will do its thing without you even realizing.

Music helps some people.

Force yourself to stay disciplined, habits take a while to form. You can have a friend help. Friends are good at telling you when you're being dumb/lazy/distracted.

Your college might have a workshop to help you with vital skills. Take advantage of it. When I did my grades went from Bs & Cs to As.

Work in 25 minute blocks with a 5 minute break. Studies suggest this is an effective time split.

ruraljuror• 11 years ago

I had a breakthrough in college when I started staying at the library until it closed at midnight. Before that, I would stay until 6 or 7 and then get a little tired and go home to rest. I would end up getting distracted by my friends. I realized I should just sleep in the library instead. I started doing much better in classes that were kicking my ass.

The goal is to avoid distraction and put systems in place to avoid them. I was a classical studies major so disconnecting from distractions was pretty easy, but if you have to do work on your computer you should consider other systems to avoid distraction.

Rainymood• 11 years ago

Treat it like a job, 9-5 work hard and then relax 100%. I get started with 25/5 pomodoro style but usally after 2-3 pomodoros I feel like I can just keep working.

Just get the ball rolling!

gbell12• 11 years ago

My electronics side projects during university were what got me my jobs, post-uni.

Also, one key: Do the difficult stuff you're dreading first. Always. A lot of famous successful people point to this habit as the main reason for their success.

Ask HN: Tips to remain productive at College?

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