How to overcome this problem.

[Sammy-San]

I write down a few important keywords to help me know what to do for homework, but I forget a lot of important details later on. I am very detail obsessed, and things need to be spelled out for me so I can clearly understand them. All of the important nuances of the work, I don't remember (that annoys me, because, for other things that I really want to remember, I am almost perfect at it). In English, last week, I forgot to underline the specific paragraph the teacher wanted us to write about, and I didn't write down hwk directions specific enough. I do everything the last minute for that class.

In English, I strictly get graded on things (and I have to write papers-not just memorize and answer questions), and I want to excel and do good, but I have distractions. I don't want to completely remove those interests from my life-as I love learning new information (I go through different phases where different things interest me-last year I was obsessed with researching animals-now it's an obsession with watching videos on youtube), but I really hate the negative effect it has on distracting me, to the point where people tell me I should just get a job because "maybe college isnt for me", not understanding the problem that I don't have a bad intelligence and while I'm willing to study, I process information for certain subjects in a really bad way.

Another problem with me doing schoolwork is that I listen to songs for hours repeatedly (one of the dumbest OCD habits ever-a big waster of time and nothing good comes out of that).

I'm a mess. I do things last minute.

I feel clueless like a toddler. I get stuck and clueless and panic. I wish I had the same passion for doing (albeit mundane) things that needed to get done (many people have this), that I had for interesting things like learning interesting facts. Most people work hard at boring things that need to get done, and I want to do that and try, but I always end up failing. I don't mean college courses in general, just ones that don't interest me and I find boring and difficult-they all are difficult, but some just dont peak my interest-idk why. i just end up feeling sorry for myself and getting panic attacks. I almost feel like, "who cares if I get a bad grade in English", I'm doomed to do fail because I do everything the last minute anyway and I'm not smart enough to understand it.

Certain subjects I do good at, but other ones, no matter how good I try, (and I still have the potential) I do mediocore, not because I don't understand things and I'm not smart enough for college, (not to brag-but I have an above average IQ), but distractions and having a hard time processing things make it hard for me to do courses I dont find paticularly interesting.

I'm very good at multiple choice. I could literally do multiple choice questions for a five hour exam and get a good grade easily and be calm and not stressed out. almost like how walking for an hour is easier than running for ten minutes-the exercise is less strenous.

I didn't pick a major-I don't have a passion I like. I'm just taking boring liberal arts course.

Social studies is more interesting- its about the same as much info packed as English, but since there's less rules about how to write an essay (its just studying) and I find it more interesting, I'm doing much better at it.

If I have an obsessive interest in something, I can memorize almost every detail, but if I don't, even if I want to do good, I can't just absorb the info, even if I need and want to. But now, I forget little details that are vital for the essay, like should I double space or not, and things like that.

 

[Ada Lovelace]

Many college freshmen feel like clueless toddlers at times. It's such a transition from high school life with major differences in the way your days and classwork are structured. You also don't have as many authority figures in your life to guide you or to order you to stop slacking off and complete your work. Self-discipline and time management become crucial to your success. Cultivating study habits and routines can help you tremendously.

I would begin by working on how you organize your time. In high school I got into the habit of spending time every Sunday night planning out the week ahead. I simply used the built-in calendar on my Apple devices, but there are many apps for Macs and PCs, many of which are free. I put in every assignment, every task to complete, every commitment social or academic, exercise, and even meals into my calendar. I looked at everything that was due and triaged them. You always complete what is due first, and when multiple things are due at the same time you complete them in the order of their priority. A paper worth 30% of your grade demands more focus than a routine homework assignment. Every night I would review the next day, and make changes to the calendar as needed. I've kept up this routine in college, and have found it to be even more important because every day is so different here. I don't have a 7:50-3:00 set school anymore. I still have time for things like popping onto here or just spontaneously doing something fun with friends, but I make sure that I'm aware of what all is needing my attention and how much time will be needed. Doing this makes me feel like I've taken ownership of my time and my obligations, and that sense of control helps so much to reduce stress and anxiety. I have friends who feel like they are in chaos because there is so much work to do with classes, and then are clubs and activities, and building up your social life, and distractions. I think it's really easy to get overwhelmed. You have to just grab the reigns and then put things into order.

Use the alarm on your phone to remind you when you need to study for a test or work on a paper. Do what you need to do first, and then what you want to do second. All of us have things we don't want to do. Few professionals love every aspect of their job, even if overall they are very satisfied with what they are doing. Most college students are taking a class or two they don't really like but must take anyway. It's part of a comprehensive, liberal arts education. As I'm writing this my friend is texting me complaining about how much he loathes the Spanish class he must take to fulfill a language requirement. He'll have to just suck it up and get it done because it's part of earning his degree and furthering his goals in life. If he put the time into actually getting the work done instead of kvetching about how much he hates the work, it would be finished so much faster. Texting and playing around online might offer a temporary joy, but it will not contribute to your long-term fulfillment and happiness. Instead, get your work finished and then reward yourself by doing what you want. Ultimately procrastination is a form of self-sabotage.

When you study, you really need to eliminate as many distractions as possible. Find a quiet place with as few distractions as possible, like the library. There are many apps that can help. Concentrate and Blacklist will let you create a list of sites that you want to ban for a set time period. If the temptation to jump onto YouTube or Twitter when you are studying is gnawing at you, you can simply enter in their urls to the app and the sites will be blocked for the time limit you set. Even if you uninstall the app or shut down your laptop your computer / iPad will not let you access those sites until the time is up. There are apps like FocusWriter that are word processors that minimize distractions. I've also gone full-out to slay distractions by deactivating my accounts on sites temporarily. I deactivate all of my social media accounts during finals and when major projects are due. Last year I even requested that my account here be banned so I wanted squander any time here. You just go to the Member Services section and put in a request letting them know how long you want to be banned, and they'll do it for you.

Is there a student learning center on your campus? If there is, utilize it. The quantity of time you spend studying is important, but more important is the quality of your studying. You have to find a studying method that works best for you, and sometimes others can help identify it for you. Here are some tips:
http://web.stanford.edu/dept/CTL/Student/studyskills/top11.pdf
https://undergrad.stanford.edu/tutoring-support/academic-skills-coaching/study-tips-resources

There are some really helpful study apps, too. My long-term tried and true favorite is Evernote. It's especially helpful if you have an e-textbook or you're doing a lot of research online through sites like Google Scholar because you can highlight passages and incorporate them into your notes. You can do a Google search for a heap of other useful study apps.

Don't get discouraged and don't doubt yourself. Remember Hebrews 12:1 and persevere.

 

[hedrick]

Most colleges (indeed most high schools) have student support services that can help. Your problems are certainly not unusual. It's possible to teach study skills and time organization. We can express sympathy and support, but the amount of advice we can put in a posting isn't going to replace getting help to develop the skills you need.