We’re all different is so many ways… we like different foods… have different tastes in music and film… some people feel the cold more than others…
The same comes to learning and studying. We all do it differently. It’s why different techniques for, say revision, work better for some than others.
And when it comes to studying, you might find you work better in certain surroundings than others do. In fact, there is a genetic argument around how easily a person is distracted when studying, and there is strong environmental (aka how you were raised) evidence. For example, a person raised in a noisy environment will almost always be harder to distract under noisy circumstances.
They key to your success is finding the place to study that boosts your productivity to the max. Here are a few of the most common concentration/studying/distraction traits, and the circumstances around the most common study areas.
A Dorm/Bedroom Vs A Coffee Shop
We’ve been brought up in the audio-visual era – an era where music and TV systems, and mobile devices have taken over our lives.
Due to a dependence on audio-visual stimulation, there are some people who feel genuinely uncomfortable in a silent room or in a room with no movement. Such people have a very hard time working in a dorm/bedroom without some sort of audio soundtrack running in the background, and such people may get far more done in a busy coffee shop amongst the hustle and bustle.
On the other hand, while a coffee shop may offer comfortable chairs and room temperatures, the amount of movement and noise may make it impossible for some students who prefer total silence to study.
Aversion or Inclination – What You Hated Will Follow You
Some children are typically taught to study in quiet areas, which means such children often grow up needing quiet areas with few distractions in order to study.
However, if a student severely disliked learning in this manner as a child, he or she may find they have a natural aversion to learning/studying in this manner as an adult and may find working in silence far more difficult.
This fact has been echoed by many experts who have shown that children who work in certain educational environments as children will gain a disdain for learning if they didn’t enjoy the process while they were young.
A Library – A Temple of Studying or A Dating Service?
Some students thrive in a library because there are rules, which means the most obvious distractions are out of bounds. For example, put a teen in front of a PC on his or her own, and there are far more interesting things to do than study, whereas these sorts of activities are strictly not allowed in a library and/or in most social settings.
On the other hand, there are some people who work better if they are able to control their environment. They may work better if they can study in their underwear with a heater blazing, or on their bed with a mug of tea rather than in a lecture hall.
Some students find it difficult to work in a library because there are more chances of socialising. There are also plenty of students who will study in a library environment until somebody they find attractive comes into the view line, at which point the studying person is dominated by urges other than those required to study. We’ve all been there!
Do Not Forget the Physical Settings
You shouldn’t forget the affect that seating has on your posture and comfort, and therefore on your ability to concentrate.
A student in a dorm room studying while sitting on their bed may enjoy reading, but will have a hard time writing or making notes because of the ergonomics involved.
Public seating can also affect one’s studying as, if the seating is uncomfortable, it can cause poor posture and back pain. For example, a student in a library may work very well but have a difficult time with the hard-seated chair, the inability to put one’s feet up, the inability to recline etc.
A few days in a chair that restricts movement or that has a poorly designed frame, and the student will start to ache and feel uncomfortable. It comes to a point where people dislike the idea of going to work or studying because of the way their lower back feels at the end of the day. Their mind links physical pain with the studying process, which is how aversion therapy works.
Usually, most public places provide the right kind of seating for different study environments, it’s up to you to decide which suits you best. Not all seats are equal.
The same goes for your overall environment. Try working in different environments, like a coffee shop, at home (both in your bedroom or in another room in the house) and at the library and see I which one you work the best.
Written by: Ruby Clarkson
Source:
https://www.whatuni.com/advice/student-life/best-place-to-study-for-maximum-productivity/76453/
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