People love to talk about how much time they spend studying.
“I studied for 2 hours every day last week” But what does that mean? Nothing. They were probably checking Instagram most of the that time anyway.
The location you study at contributes about 60%, maybe more, to how much you can get done.
If I have to do some serious work, the last place I would ever go is to my office.
Let me explain:
I’m in the Department of Surgery suite. Think of a large room with open cubicles and sort-of partitions. It’s really nice with lots of sunlight, a computer, a coffee pot, and a mini fridge. I’ve got a coffee cup with my kids’ pictures on it and everything.
But there are constant distractions. Anyone who has a question about anything just throws it out there. The mail guy comes in and asks if you have anything. The cleaning guy comes through to empty the garbage bins. Someone’s got vacation pictures to show you. You know how it is.
Don’t think I’m on my high horse here – I admit I’m just as bad about interrupting other people. Funny emails that need to be shared right now! While at PA school “studying,” I would walk the halls begging people to play ping pong with me.
We are social creatures. Don’t try to fight it. You’ll lose. Stop trying to swim up-river.
Instead, find a place where you don’t have to fight it.
One of my favorite places to get work done is a coffee shop. I sit at the farthest table from the entrance (so I don’t watch everyone come and go). I usually play Focus@will in my noise-cancelling air pods (usually playing coffee shop background noise – more than a little ironic I know).
At home works too, but that’s only if I’m in my office with the door closed and again with my noise canceling headphones playing Focus@will. (They’ve got a new channel called Naturebeat that’s been my best friend for just about two weeks. That’s what I’ve got on right now as I’m writing this.)
It sounds easy and unimportant to consider your surroundings and your best study environment. And yet, I’ve found it’s the easy things that make the biggest differences. The things people have been talking about for 100s of years. Not the new shiny thing, but the old simple things.
Find a quiet place – where you are distraction free, where no one is going to come ask you a question, and, just as importantly, where you aren’t going to go find someone to ask a question.
Now I have you nodding along again. “Yeah, that makes sense,” you’re thinking. But will you do it?
Or will you be at the kitchen table trying to study after dinner while your kids/roommates keep asking for help with EVERYTHING? Will you be on the couch watching “This is US” with your book open in front of you while your roommate is talking on her phone with her crazy mother?
Take your copy of The Final Step and head out to the front porch, a coffee shop, library, park bench. Find a spot. I know it’s tougher with COVID, but I bet if you put some thought into it you can solve it.
If you already have a spot, hit reply and tell me about it. What makes it yours and what makes it unique?
Brian Wallace
P.S. Want a free copy of The Final Step? Run a group sale for your school and you’ll get your copy for FREE. Your friends and classmates get a huge discount (thanks to the savings on shipping), and you get your book for zero dollars. It’s a total win. Hit reply and I’ll send you the details.