I'm a person who loves books. During my several-months-long break from school (between August and what is now to be January 7th), I've dusted probably 3 novels a week. I have trophies for the number of books I've read in elementary school. That being said...sometimes I run into reading assignments that make me want to rip out my eyes or hair or both because they're just so dang boring.
It happens. Something in our brain decides that the things we want to study are suddenly things we don't want anything to do with because the things we want to do suddenly become the things we have to do. There's a bit of negative association there, which isn't helped when the book is written in a boring way, or we are reading something for an elective that we honestly don't care much for.
Despite all that, if we want the good grades, we feel the need to buckle down and bite the bullet. This can then lead to more resistance, more intimidation, and then, procrastination.
Which we all try to avoid, right?
I have a few tricks that get me through reading such boring material, and these tricks work for me. But I've compiled that list, plus stuff I've seen through the net, and perhaps you can find something that works for you.
First, get rid of all distractions.
Oh boy. The biggie. If you're a parent, or are at work, or are freaking out over something else in your mind, you may have to find a way to work around this. First thing is to set a designated time to work on your school stuff by planning out your semester and planning out your assignments. Try to treat this time as if you were at work. Your kids, spouse, dog, cat, horse, whatever...they can't come and take you away from work. There's a boundary there, right? Of course, you will need to go take care of things if something arises, and who can forget the interview that was interrupted by fun little ones:
But distractions can be anything. I recommend planning out your assignments because anxiety over deadlines is one hell of a distraction. Who can focus when they're worried? I deal with anxiety on the daily, and I've kind of worked around it, but when you're in the grip of it, and you have other things to worry about, absorbing your reading is going to be the last line on your brain's priority chain.
Ask for help in wrangling the kids for the time you need to study. Toss Fido a bone, Whiskers some catnip, a remote to your husband, and put on Golden Girls for your mom (or House Hunters for my mom). Then, get to work.
Understand your learning style and utilize it.
Not everyone learns the same way, and this is really good to know because you can use it to aid in your studying, but then you realize you possibly could have done better in school in the past had you been taught with your learning style in mind. One of my learning styles is Aural learner, and I NEED music in the background to sort of like...set the pace for my brain. When it comes to reading assignments, I turn on either heavy metal, electronic for studying, or other studying music with a fast tempo. I can't read in silence, and while the music doesn't necessarily help me absorb things, it sort of...keeps me focused.
I am also a Solitary and Visual learner. I have sort of an advantage in that I can easily read and absorb what I read. But it's hard to do so with people hanging out and asking questions or distracting me. Go ahead and take the test to see which one you are!
After you know, try to incorporate things that cater your learning style into your reading assignment. I use music to keep myself focused:
- For visual learners, try doodling out ideas or constructing out images in your mind of what you read. Create little symbols in your mind's eye. Watch some Youtube videos as you go along. Take notes. Mind-map.
- For aural learners, try music, talking out loud, or even (if you can), have someone read the passage out loud to you. My dad works well by talking things out with himself. It cracks me up and sometimes I ask him who he's talking to.
- For a physical learner, you may have a bit of a harder time focusing on the reading material. Try getting up and moving around. Read while you walk. This can be tricky to master, but it can be done. Pick a place with very little people and sort of just...keep an eye
Count the pages...
A friend of mine asked for help in a reading assignment because she just couldn't get through it. I asked her how many pages there were. About 250...so about the size of a novel, give or take. I told her that, and she was like oh...I dust novels this size easily!
Most of our reading assignments aren't books-all-at-once, but chapters. Count the pages and realize just how much work is being asked of you. 20 pages? Ok. You can do this. You are more powerful than this assignment!
Break down the reading into chunks...if you can.
If you've waited until the last minute to do the reading, ignore this for now. But in the future, try breaking down the reading into smaller chunks so that you don't feel like you have to sit for a long time and get through a heavy reading assignment all at once. For example, set aside 30 minutes a day for reading. Do it on your work breaks, or lunch breaks. And once that time slot is over, set it aside. Separate the chunks depending on how much you can tolerate reading in a given time period, and when the reading assignment is due.
For example, I can tolerate reading large chunks of a textbook for long periods of time...but I get antsy about an hour in. But the chapters are due every week. So I separate the chapter into chunks that I know will only take me one hour to get through.
Annotate as you go.
Get your notebook out and write notes as you go, if it seems important. Write the page number of where you found that tidbit of info...that way you don't have to go back and re-search your book for the info, if you need to cite it.Don't read it all.
I know a teacher reading this is groaning, but let's face it...we don't have all the time in the world to read every word. If you don't have this time, read the bolded items, pay attention to tables and graphs, and big details. Usually, textbooks compound information so you may feel like you need to read all of it, but maybe just skim and if something catches your eye, write it down.
If you need to, employ reading guides or tutors to help you get through the material. Some textbook companies have websites now with extra material that is condensed and also easier to digest. Google some learning help for your text, or concepts you don't readily get, and see if some other way of phrasing what you're learning helps the info stick.
Audiobook it.
I took a children's lit class last quarter with a big list of books to read. Most of them were easy picture books, but there was Harry Potter and The Watsons Go to Birmingham. I could easily get through these books in leisure time, but I didn't have leisure time. So, I purchased the audiobooks and listened to them while doing other work. It worked out and I actually paid better attention to what was going on in the books. Plus, the narrator for The Watsons was very entertaining.
Sometimes we have to turn what we have to do into what we want to do. What do we want to do? Be entertained, of course! And if you can turn an assignment into entertainment, then you've done some psychological reworking of your own processes! And hopefully, have gotten a good grade at the same time.
Ask for help.
Ask someone who has taken the class before for their notes, or for any help they may be able to give you regarding the reading. If you need someone to read to you in order for you to understand the material, see if someone can help you with that. And if all else fails, ask the professor! Sometimes they have their own tips and tricks that can help you get through the info. Sometimes they even have study guides for you to look at, that way you can just focus on the important stuff!
