If you’re in college, you know how important it is to focus intently on your work. You need to make an active effort to absorb information and get to grips with the material. It’s a constant pressure.
Unfortunately, many people struggle with “zoning out” and “glazing over” every time they want to learn something new. It’s not just annoying, but a direct threat to your college ambitions. If you can’t concentrate on the reading in front of you, how are you supposed to get your qualifications?
Glazing over and being unable to concentrate is more common than you might think. Thousands of students go through a similar experience every year, preventing them from learning new material. Just staring at a book and hoping the information doesn’t work.
But why does this happen? What is it that makes people glaze over when trying to learn?
You’re Not Engaged With Your Work
The most obvious answer is that you’re not engaged with the course you’re doing. The content doesn’t interest you because you can’t see how it will benefit you as you move forward in your life. There’s no end-goal to the process. There’s no reason to expend masses of effort acquiring new knowledge because the pay-off is uncertain or non-existent. Your brain throws its hands up in the air and says “I don’t want to expend energy pointlessly.”
If this is the case for you, then it is a sign that you need to reevaluate. You need to make sure that you’re spending your time well and not wasting it, learning things that don’t make a material impact on your prospects.
But what if the future does look bright if you get your qualification? What if you’re doing exactly what you set out to do and you’re happy with your choices?
You’re Physically Unable To Concentrate
If that’s the case, then you may need to look a little deeper. First, if you have ever taken performance enhances, look for signs of Adderall addiction. You may feel depressed and struggle to concentrate, undermining your ability to learn. Next, ask yourself whether you’re learning material in the right way. For some people, sitting down and reading stuff off the page is not the best approach. They need more active forms of learning that engage their learning faculties to the full. You may need to try more proactive strategies, such as mind maps, problem-solving exercises, and even recitations.
If none of that works, then it could be the case that you’re simply not engaged with the material. The trick here is to find a nugget of something in the topics you’re covering that interests you and gets you going. If you can find rewards in amongst all the dross for your efforts, then you’ll naturally become motivated, and learning won’t feel like an effort. It’ll just come naturally.
Just remember, if you struggle to concentrate on your work at college, you’re not alone. Even students with the best intentions can glaze over in the library and wonder what’s the point.
