Study heaven should promote focus, downplay distraction
Study location has a profound affect on how long any particular task may take and how the human body and mind react to their environment will generally increase or decrease energy level and effectiveness of study habits.
Finding a place to study is the first and most important task of the assiduous academic and the general inclination of college students is to get comfortable.
Students want to lie down in bed, sink into the couch or recliner and turn on the stereo or television for some study-time company.
Wrong.
Studying in the same room where you sleep can send your body mixed messages – laying in bed or getting too cozy on the couch sets the body to sleep mode. The body begins to relax after a long day rather than retaining that energy and using it to finish that history paper or German translation.
Rather than let your body unwind, send it a message that energy is needed and begin a routine so your body and mind will remember the situation. Train your responses to your situation and environment.
The obvious environment for study is the library. Norlin Library offers a quiet workspace with the proper lighting and seating for the body to become energetic and the mind to focus.
It is especially important for freshman to go out and about to find that perfect study spot; a dorm room is far from the ideal place to study.
Televisions, video games and drunken roommates are something to be left behind when discovering that perfect place for cogitation – most dorms offer study rooms that can provide a quiet study environment only steps from student living space.
Students who live off-campus deal with the same distractions.
Though off-campus study opportunities may be greater and more diverse than those inside the dorms, they offer some of the same distractions.
The best bet is to find that quiet coffee shop or library corner rather than staying in the comforts of home.
It all comes down to experimentation. Everyone is different, so take some time to discover what works. Whether it is one of the many libraries and study lounges on campus, a local coffee shop or bistro or a cloistered study area at home – create a routine and stick with it.
Contact Campus Press Editor Brandon Springer at
brandon.springer@thecampuspress.com.
