Studying is often the bane of my existence. I know too well the dejection of staring at the same math or science problem for 10 minutes straight and the feeling of giving up and deciding to take a “ (i.e., scrolling on my phone for 30 minutes).
If you can relate to this predicament, let me offer a solution that just might change your whole outlook on schoolwork: our local library.
Studying with my friends at the Saratoga Library has boosted my productivity by tenfold. The library’s studious environment helps me focus, as everyone around me is being productive, which makes me feel bad about being on my phone. Being in a public space also makes me self-conscious about the fact that someone can always watch me, so I’m peer-pressured into focusing and not going off-task on my phone.
While I’m there, I like to follow the Pomodoro method, a study technique that involves a high period of focus for a set amount of time (usually 25 minutes), broken up by short breaks (usually five minutes). My favorite way of enforcing this technique is following along with YouTube “study with me” Pomodoro videos that conveniently block out the time for me.
To get a break from my screen, I spend those five- or 10-minute breaks having controlled socializing time with my friends. The short break allows me to reset my brain from whatever subject I was just-hyper focused on, leaving me refreshed and ready to tackle the next task. It also gives me time to socialize outside of school, as my busy schedule means I often don’t have time to hang out with my friends.
However, being productive while in a room with friends is a tricky balance to maintain. Admittedly, there have been days where my friends and I all decide to take a break and accidentally spend two hours talking, or decide we’re hungry and spend 20 minutes “going to the vending machine.” Though these occasional distractions occur, I am extremely productive most of the time.
Nowadays, I go to the library whenever I can (its hours go as late as 9 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays and 6 p.m. on other days). The amount of time I’ve spent there is slightly concerning; sometimes it feels as if I am at the library more than I am at home.
If you are someone like me — bedeviled by a modern teenager’s low attention span and prone to doomscrolling — try going to the library and studying with friends. You never know, it just might make you the student you’ve always wanted to be.
