Gaaaaaaaaaaah brain huuuuurts.

July 22, 2009 3:46 PM

How can I extend my concentration for longer?

I'm in a fix and have six weeks to prepare a lot of material for a doctoral exam. This involves lots and lots of reading. I can make it about 4 hours before my concentration is shot, but I need to squeeze in a couple extra hours a day. I already get quite a bit of exercise, so I'm not sure that will help, but what tips and tricks do you have to refresh your concentration when you need to poop some more work out--to put the brain-hurtiness at bay? I don't really have a choice here, due to my own poor planning.

No speculation on whether I can or should be doing this--I can and I have to and that's about it. Thanks.

posted by anonymous to work & money (12 comments total)

Some people frown on this, but it is used and abused for just this purpose quite often. Academic steroids if you will.

Adderall.

Other than that, I've found 15 minute breaks really seem to help every 2 hours or so.
posted by Arbac at 3:59 PM on July 22 [2 favorites]

Go to GNC. Its called ripped fuel. You'll lose a bit of your appetite...but you will be able to sit through mind-numbing stuff for hours. EXCELLENT for writing.
posted by hal_c_on at 4:03 PM on July 22 [3 favorites]

So I just finished my doctoral exams last month. I had been studying 6-8+ hours a day for them for 12 months.

I would never recommend drugs (other than coffee) and definitely didn't use any.

The thing that worked miracles for me was running. My daily schedule was this:

4 Hours: Reading
2 Hours: Run, Shower, Lunch
4 Hours: Reading

I was only a very casual runner before exams, but through studying for exams I started to rely heavily on running to "reset" my brain before the next study session. The key was to run for more than 45 minutes and to let my mind wander.

Good luck!
posted by chrisalbon at 4:10 PM on July 22 [1 favorite]

I take Adderall by prescription and can say that it definitely helps with focus. It does speed up the heart rate and other stuff that I would think indicate caution if you've never taken it before, IANAD.

Back in school, well before I was diagnosed with ADHD, I would sometimes prepare for exams by (among other things, obviously) playing Minesweeper for a half hour or an hour. Something about it being a repetitive, solveable mental activity would sort of put me in a meditative state better for concentrating. To each his / her own, I guess; "mindless" activity like running or something for me usually leads to ruminating about my problems and so does the opposite of focusing me.
posted by XMLicious at 4:20 PM on July 22

If Ripped Fuel is anything like it was around 1996, I don't advise it for anyone who needs to sit still and study. If you need to pick up a car and throw it at an airplane maybe, or fight off the Persian army with a sharp stick. But then again I never did drugs what do I know.
posted by rahnefan at 4:54 PM on July 22 [5 favorites]

I've been reading a book called 'Brain Rules' that has a lot of helpful tips for increasing productivity. The very first chapter is on the importance of exercise, which you clearly have covered, but there are also chapters on sleep (napping for just 30 minutes can increase productivity by up to 40 percent), stress (and why it's bad for learning), short term and long term memory. It's also easy to read and seemingly well-researched. Here's the book's official website with helpful media.
posted by farishta at 5:22 PM on July 22

I like Think O2 tea, it helped me concentrate while reading for my exams, but there's also Yerba Mate which I discovered later.
posted by mulkey at 5:32 PM on July 22

Modafinil/adrafinil, sublingual methylcobalmin, vinpocetine, huperzine a
posted by zentrification at 6:30 PM on July 22

A nap (no longer than 20 minutes) followed by a cup of good coffee (with no or minimal sweetener) works wonders for me.
posted by philip-random at 6:45 PM on July 22

Coffee in judicious amounts; not a ton more than usual but just a bit extra, or else smaller amounts spread out through out the day (ie, 8-10oz/three times a day instead of one 32 oz coffee. Don't binge on it late in the day when you're feeling worn out--that's a recipe for disaster! I also like the cliched walk around the block with a 10 minute call to a friend. Otherwise what's worked for me is generally taking care of myself so I'm not distracted by feeling groggy or physically unwell: getting enough sleep, eating well, with a lot of protein and fruits/veggies and not much sugar and carbs, not having much or any alcohol. Getting daylight every day is really good--study outside or in front of a window. Breaking up the day with exercise like Chrisalbon stuggested. Work with your personal schedule to maximize your time--for example, I can concentrate best early in the morning or late at night, but mid afternoon is a waste zone, so when I can I use that time to either exercise, or do something that doesn't involve concentration but needs to be done (dishes, filing, whatever).

If you possibly can, take some time each day to do something relaxing that doesn't involve staring at a screen or reading, like going out with friends. Or give yourself a half/full day off every week to 10 days--you need at least a few little breaks to really be able to make it through.
posted by min at 7:09 PM on July 22 [1 favorite]

ugh, given the typos in that comment I shouldn't be suggesting anything on concentration! My apologies.
posted by min at 7:10 PM on July 22

Caffienated mints or drugstore caffeine tablets (ie, Wake-ups) are what I use when I'm not in the mood for a million cups of coffee.

I also find it easier to concentrate if I wear earplugs. I don't mean that I like working in silence- I do not, and in fact I actually tend to put the music louder so I can still hear it through the earplugs. I think what helps is actually just the feeling of something in my ear canals. I may have trained myself to enjoy this sensation as a coping mechanism in my former office, which was open-concept and "creative", which is to say "loud"... but the enduring result is that earplugs really help me focus. Cylindrical foam ones are my favourite kind.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 8:25 PM on July 22