There are certain places I prefer to study (if and when I choose to). None of which include the university, the library and, god forbid, my own room or anywhere else in my house.
I think I find difficulty in doing anything is because I need established places. By which I mean, these are places where certain actions can take place, and only those actions.
The university is generally a place to learn new things, the library to me is a place to sleep or find solitude due to the silence and my home is a place I go to relax. No study can happen in these three places because they aren't established in my head as viable study areas.
Strangely enough, McDonald's is one. Coincidentally, it has become my favourite place to study. The branch in Botany has the right furniture, the perfect lighting, the best ambience and to top it off, filled with relatively cheap comfort food. I find it the best place to revise, brood or daydream. At least for me.
Also, I am comfortable going there alone and sitting for hours on end, with my earphones in and closed off to the world. This past week, I've spent many of my waking hours sitting in McDonald's. So many that I probably gained 5kgs!
Back to point; it's that time of the year again when all uni students in NZ are cramming for exams. Don't give me that look, you can deny it all you want, but the immediate days leading up to an exam are the days you learn the most!
Panic has set in and I've successfully convinced myself that I'm bound to fail. This scenario unfortunately happens every semester. I go through denial first though. So why am I not studying?
I've learnt something about myself. Normally, I cannot concentrate for more than ten minutes. Under stress an panic, I find I can go for hours. But the maximum amount of time I can successfully study is approximately 4 hours. After that, everything stops and I have trouble understanding the simplest of things.
I've done more than four hours today, any more and I won't even be able to recall anyway. So I jumped into bed. Except, just before I went to bed, I couldn't figure out something I was studying and now, my brain has latched onto it and it keeps trying to figure it out. I'm sleepy, exhausted and I need to wake up early tomorrow for work!!! But I cannot sleep!
There's been at least three times when my brain gets close to figuring it out but then I lose my train of thought, thus having to start again! I've had enough! Let me sleep! Please!
The second thing I learnt about myself is that I work better with a buddy. We don't even have to be studying the same thing. We also don't even had to talk! Except having a study buddy for the same subject is pretty good too. You can share the load then swap notes.
Which is probably why studying in McDonald's works for me. I can pretend everyone is a study buddy and they are all keeping an eye on me, making sure I do my day's work.
But knowing all that, I'm curious about what unconventional study habits other people have... Please enlighten me?
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