Bizzare studying problem.

[Aimless1990]

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I need someone to tell me why I always do this. Even though I have my Anatomy final tomorrow, I'm sitting here reading for 30 minutes and then surfing the internet for an hour.

Problem is, I WANT to study, I NEED to study but I just cant. I do want to be a doctor and pass my steps, but I just have no idea why I'm always doing this, it's been a habit since high school (if internet is not available, I just lay down or something)

 

[deuce924]

I need someone to tell me why I always do this. Even though I have my Anatomy final tomorrow, I'm sitting here reading for 30 minutes and then surfing the internet for an hour.

Problem is, I WANT to study, I NEED to study but I just cant. I do want to be a doctor and pass my steps, but I just have no idea why I'm always doing this, it's been a habit since high school (if internet is not available, I just lay down or something)

This doesn't sound bizarre. It sounds like you are burnt out and are procrastinating. The best advice I have ever received about procrastinating is that if you feel like you are procrastinating than just stop studying and procrastinate. Study for 15 minutes of ever hour and spending the other 45 minutes on the internet will just waste your time and make you feel guilty. Just cruise the internet for 2 or 3 hours and then go back to studying. Hopefully you will feel refreshed and will be able to study for longer periods of time.

 

[red10]

you're going to have to force yourself to go somewhere without distractions (whether that's a library or a coffe shop or outside somewhere, w/e works) and study.
I procrastinate so bad on things I don't want to do or that I know are hard. But usually the worst part is sitting down to study and committing to it. After that it's like "really? I was all anxious about this?".
But you have to MAKE YOURSELF do it with every ounce of will power you have. Check your email, check sdn, get a soda, get a snack, go to the bathroom, get comfy, etc. get all those things you do to procrastinate/take a break out of the way and then commit yourself to studying for 30 mins or until you cover X amount of material.

it's hard, but so is med school and so is life. And as my father always says "If it was easy everyone would do it"

 

[turkeyjerky]

leave your f'ing house and get away from your f'ing computer.

 

[Depakote]

I try to find more engaging ways to study.

I either use audiocast lectures (which paces me), annotate whatever I'm reading (which forces my learning to be more interactive) or do practice questions. This way my learning keeps me involved and I'm less likely to get bored and to try to do something else.

Push comes to shove, take breaks, but set a timer.

 

[NTF]

You just need to cut that 1 hr of "break" time down to like 10-15m and up that study time to like 45-50m. Then you're golden. Have breaks that are fun planned into your study routine and it should go smoother.

 

[theVster]

leave your f'ing house and get away from your f'ing computer.

This.

I brought a laptop to school (already had a desktop) second semester when I thought it would "help me". My grades went down as a result of procrastination. If you need no distractions GET AWAY from anything electronic.

 

[surftheiop]

I need someone to tell me why I always do this. Even though I have my Anatomy final tomorrow, I'm sitting here reading for 30 minutes and then surfing the internet for an hour.

Problem is, I WANT to study, I NEED to study but I just cant. I do want to be a doctor and pass my steps, but I just have no idea why I'm always doing this, it's been a habit since high school (if internet is not available, I just lay down or something)

My guess is you subconsciously know that you've already learned enough info to meet your goals on the test, otherwise you would be really scared and probably glued to the textbook.

 

[silverhorse84]

My guess is you subconsciously know that you've already learned enough info to meet your goals on the test, otherwise you would be really scared and probably glued to the textbook.

Possible, but not probable. What the OP is saying sounds an awful lot like burn out to me - I had the same situation a few weeks ago at the end of the school year. I was scared I'd fail the exam, I knew I didn't know enough, and yet I couldn't get myself to study.

What others have said is right - take breaks when you need to, but you're going to have to force yourself to study. You're going to feel horrible if you don't study. If you can get to a place with no distractions and force yourself to at least study somewhat, you'll feel a lot better. Don't expect for it to get better quickly. And, once the exam is over, definitely take a longer break from school stuff - go out and do something completely non related to medical school.

 

[medking]

I need someone to tell me why I always do this. Even though I have my Anatomy final tomorrow, I'm sitting here reading for 30 minutes and then surfing the internet for an hour.

Problem is, I WANT to study, I NEED to study but I just cant. I do want to be a doctor and pass my steps, but I just have no idea why I'm always doing this, it's been a habit since high school (if internet is not available, I just lay down or something)

Apparently you don't want it enough. It's that simple.

 

[theVster]

Apparently you don't want it enough. It's that simple.

And you're an ass. Everyone experiences burnout in different ways--this is CLASSIC burnout, and it has nothing to do with not wanting something enough or whatever. Just because he is having trouble concentrating does not mean he's not motivated to become a doctor.

Anyway a little more helpful advice to the OP--this is very common. You are best off taking a break, clearing your mind, and then getting back to work. This is very common during first year since you're adjusting to the material and the level of work, as well as the amount of effort that needs to be put in (especially with a bloody hard class like Anatomy).

 

[da8s0859q]

Apparently you don't want it enough. It's that simple.

OP, I think many of us have hit that point that you're talking about. I sure did and am very much thinking about going to paper for my M2 year, largely to avoid the internet/distractions thing since that was my big problem.

Just a matter of restructuring how you do things; doesn't necessarily have anything to do with not wanting it enough.

 

[C5toC9]

You guys are overplaying this. It's just procrastinating. Everybody on this forum does it. It's not that bizarre, don't give yourself too much credit.

Just buckle down, take away the computer, and get your ass down to it. Better yet, fail an exam in med school, and you will probably not do this again.

 

[da8s0859q]

You guys are overplaying this. It's just procrastinating. Everybody on this forum does it. It's not that bizarre, don't give yourself too much credit.

Just buckle down, take away the computer, and get your ass down to it. Better yet, fail an exam in med school, and you will probably not do this again.

Well yeah, definitely procrastinating, but I think there's a difference between just putting something off and being entirely unable to focus... ever had those moments where you cannot study to save your life?

 

[C5toC9]

Yeah usually when I was too busy browsing youtube and facebook

 

[WellWornLad]

I need someone to tell me why I always do this.

Short answer: laziness

Slightly longer answer: your mesolimbic dopamine pathway is arranged such that short-term, low-value rewards are valued much more than high-value rewards that require delayed gratification. In behavioral science terms, you're relatively impulsive and devalue future rewards much more steeply than most of your med school colleagues.

Unfortunately, impulsiveness (or, rather, the lack thereof) is a great indicator of success in fields such as medicine, where you're constantly sacrificing short-term gratification for some far-off payout. Google "delay discounting," impulsiveness, etc.

I think there's a difference between procrastinating (not studying) and burnout (studying, but what you're studying won't even stick in short-term memory).

 

[medking]

And you're an ass. Everyone experiences burnout in different ways--this is CLASSIC burnout, and it has nothing to do with not wanting something enough or whatever. Just because he is having trouble concentrating does not mean he's not motivated to become a doctor.

Anyway a little more helpful advice to the OP--this is very common. You are best off taking a break, clearing your mind, and then getting back to work. This is very common during first year since you're adjusting to the material and the level of work, as well as the amount of effort that needs to be put in (especially with a bloody hard class like Anatomy).

OP said it was a habit since hs.

If OP is really doing all he/she can to try and study, then I agree, it's burnout. But if the OP can do other "fun" things but just can't study, then it's a matter of not wanting something enough and always taking easy street.

 

[theVster]

OP said it was a habit since hs.

If OP is really doing all he/she can to try and study, then I agree, it's burnout. But if the OP can do other "fun" things but just can't study, then it's a matter of not wanting something enough and always taking easy street.

I don't believe it's ever that clear cut.

 

[medking]

I don't believe it's ever that clear cut.

It is.

To me it seems like the OP has never really asked for help or thought of ways to motivate himself/herself. I could be wrong though. Maybe the OP can clear up this point.

If you want something bad enough, you will ALWAYS look for ways to obtain it. Whether you ultimately obtain it is another story, but you can always continue to look for ways.

 

[radiodoc99]

Just separate yourself from the computer or learn ONLINE! There are many things online you can learn from.

 

[oar2386]

Adderall and redbull, problem solved

 

[Mr hawkings]

The OP is asking about how to stop being destracted by the internet on an Internet forum.
Asking for help to fix the problem is actually making it worse cos he/she is now going to check the responses several times a day now instead of focusing on the books .

You know what the problem is. Fix it and stop giving yourself more reasons to go online

 

[amine2086]

I need someone to tell me why I always do this. Even though I have my Anatomy final tomorrow, I'm sitting here reading for 30 minutes and then surfing the internet for an hour.

Problem is, I WANT to study, I NEED to study but I just cant. I do want to be a doctor and pass my steps, but I just have no idea why I'm always doing this, it's been a habit since high school (if internet is not available, I just lay down or something)

Procrastination is not a bizarre problem, it is a very common problem. You mentioned you need to study and you want to study, so find a distraction free place (no computer and no bed as these are things that seem to distract you) to study and hit the books.

 

[illegallysmooth]

I'm 3 weeks away from starting med school, but I do this ALL THE TIME.

Here's what has worked best for me:

If I need to be on a computer, I download whatever lectures or materials I need and then disable the internet connection so I can't sit on facebook or SDN.

If I'm reading a really GREAT book or doing something else I keep wanting to go back to, I let myself do it for 10 or 15 minutes after studying for 50-60 minutes. It's a nice little break, and it motivates me to get through the next block of studying.

 

[rmbsstock]

:cry::cry:

 

[Aimless1990]

This doesn't sound bizarre. It sounds like you are burnt out and are procrastinating. The best advice I have ever received about procrastinating is that if you feel like you are procrastinating than just stop studying and procrastinate. Study for 15 minutes of ever hour and spending the other 45 minutes on the internet will just waste your time and make you feel guilty. Just cruise the internet for 2 or 3 hours and then go back to studying. Hopefully you will feel refreshed and will be able to study for longer periods of time.

But then I can't stop myself at the end of 2-3 hours, I just try to avoid studying for some reason!

you're going to have to force yourself to go somewhere without distractions (whether that's a library or a coffe shop or outside somewhere, w/e works) and study.
I procrastinate so bad on things I don't want to do or that I know are hard. But usually the worst part is sitting down to study and committing to it. After that it's like "really? I was all anxious about this?".
But you have to MAKE YOURSELF do it with every ounce of will power you have. Check your email, check sdn, get a soda, get a snack, go to the bathroom, get comfy, etc. get all those things you do to procrastinate/take a break out of the way and then commit yourself to studying for 30 mins or until you cover X amount of material.

it's hard, but so is med school and so is life. And as my father always says "If it was easy everyone would do it"

I wish your dad said something like "life is easy son; now go watch cartoons"
that would make things much smoother.

As for committing; I do sit there for 30 minutes, but then some of it just goes poof. For instance, I will read the material and won't even recall 5%

leave your f'ing house and get away from your f'ing computer.

😱

I try to find more engaging ways to study.

I either use audiocast lectures (which paces me), annotate whatever I'm reading (which forces my learning to be more interactive) or do practice questions. This way my learning keeps me involved and I'm less likely to get bored and to try to do something else.

Push comes to shove, take breaks, but set a timer.

I tried annotating, but as I'm not a very quick reader, it takes forever to finish. Sometimes I can't even cover it before I go to bed.

You just need to cut that 1 hr of "break" time down to like 10-15m and up that study time to like 45-50m. Then you're golden. Have breaks that are fun planned into your study routine and it should go smoother.

That's what I tried before I made this thread, obviously it failed lol.

This.

I brought a laptop to school (already had a desktop) second semester when I thought it would "help me". My grades went down as a result of procrastination. If you need no distractions GET AWAY from anything electronic.

But then I just stare at the wall or something; didn't you read the last part of my post?

My guess is you subconsciously know that you've already learned enough info to meet your goals on the test, otherwise you would be really scared and probably glued to the textbook.

Ehh maybe, overconfidence perhaps?

Apparently you don't want it enough. It's that simple.

I expected one of these comments.

And you're an ass. Everyone experiences burnout in different ways--this is CLASSIC burnout, and it has nothing to do with not wanting something enough or whatever. Just because he is having trouble concentrating does not mean he's not motivated to become a doctor.

Anyway a little more helpful advice to the OP--this is very common. You are best off taking a break, clearing your mind, and then getting back to work. This is very common during first year since you're adjusting to the material and the level of work, as well as the amount of effort that needs to be put in (especially with a bloody hard class like Anatomy).

I hope so; upper class men were saying it's common first year; only they said it like 8 months ago and I'm still facing this issue. I REALLY hope this doesn't continue into second year.

OP, I think many of us have hit that point that you're talking about. I sure did and am very much thinking about going to paper for my M2 year, largely to avoid the internet/distractions thing since that was my big problem.

Just a matter of restructuring how you do things; doesn't necessarily have anything to do with not wanting it enough.

Hmm that's a good idea, I could try that out. Thanks!

You guys are overplaying this. It's just procrastinating. Everybody on this forum does it. It's not that bizarre, don't give yourself too much credit.

Just buckle down, take away the computer, and get your ass down to it. Better yet, fail an exam in med school, and you will probably not do this again.

I've failed Anatomy exams before; not all of them obviously but more than I'd like to admit. Maybe it's just the fact that I've internally given up on the subject because my subconscious brain has decided that it's nearly impossible to digest.

Well yeah, definitely procrastinating, but I think there's a difference between just putting something off and being entirely unable to focus... ever had those moments where you cannot study to save your life?

All the time!

Short answer: laziness

Slightly longer answer: your mesolimbic dopamine pathway is arranged such that short-term, low-value rewards are valued much more than high-value rewards that require delayed gratification. In behavioral science terms, you're relatively impulsive and devalue future rewards much more steeply than most of your med school colleagues.

Unfortunately, impulsiveness (or, rather, the lack thereof) is a great indicator of success in fields such as medicine, where you're constantly sacrificing short-term gratification for some far-off payout. Google "delay discounting," impulsiveness, etc.

I think there's a difference between procrastinating (not studying) and burnout (studying, but what you're studying won't even stick in short-term memory).

Well then what kind of fields are favorable for people like me?

OP said it was a habit since hs.

If OP is really doing all he/she can to try and study, then I agree, it's burnout. But if the OP can do other "fun" things but just can't study, then it's a matter of not wanting something enough and always taking easy street.

This could be it actually. Not bragging or anything but my Dad made mid six figures and I was pretty much "spoiled" in a sense. Not one of those brats though, but I'm used to getting things quickly and easily; how I made it this far is beyond me.

It is.

To me it seems like the OP has never really asked for help or thought of ways to motivate himself/herself. I could be wrong though. Maybe the OP can clear up this point.

If you want something bad enough, you will ALWAYS look for ways to obtain it. Whether you ultimately obtain it is another story, but you can always continue to look for ways.

Maybe I don't want to be Mother Theresa like you do; I just want an ok place to live, beer and a nice wife who I can share my happiness with (includes physical happiness)

Just separate yourself from the computer or learn ONLINE! There are many things online you can learn from.

I tend to read Anatomy on Wiki rather than books or notes :]

Adderall and redbull, problem solved

Sad thing is, I took Adderall once and just surfed the internet all night :\
also remember doing some crazy **** like running around my house for no apparent reason :\

The OP is asking about how to stop being destracted by the internet on an Internet forum.
Asking for help to fix the problem is actually making it worse cos he/she is now going to check the responses several times a day now instead of focusing on the books .

You know what the problem is. Fix it and stop giving yourself more reasons to go online

Look how right you were!

I'm 3 weeks away from starting med school, but I do this ALL THE TIME.

Here's what has worked best for me:

If I need to be on a computer, I download whatever lectures or materials I need and then disable the internet connection so I can't sit on facebook or SDN.

If I'm reading a really GREAT book or doing something else I keep wanting to go back to, I let myself do it for 10 or 15 minutes after studying for 50-60 minutes. It's a nice little break, and it motivates me to get through the next block of studying.

Will give this a try; thanks for relating!

Aimless1990, I would call this a form of "anxiety" .
You know how large the material is, or how hard it is, (even if you are familiar with it), but you are anxious to start because you are afraid to get overwhelmed.
The best way to deal with this anxiety is to start by breaking the material to manageable sections, that you feel comfortable with. It is like breaking a huge piece of steak to a bite size pieces. Also, take little breaks and every time you finish a section reward yourself like get coffee, take a shower, eat nice fruit you like..
I hope I was able to help

The problem isn't the steak; its the fact that I'm drinking the shake next to it and filling myself up!

 

[medking]

But then I can't stop myself at the end of 2-3 hours, I just try to avoid studying for some reason!



I wish your dad said something like "life is easy son; now go watch cartoons"
that would make things much smoother.

As for committing; I do sit there for 30 minutes, but then some of it just goes poof. For instance, I will read the material and won't even recall 5%


😱




I tried annotating, but as I'm not a very quick reader, it takes forever to finish. Sometimes I can't even cover it before I go to bed.



That's what I tried before I made this thread, obviously it failed lol.



But then I just stare at the wall or something; didn't you read the last part of my post?



Ehh maybe, overconfidence perhaps?




I expected one of these comments.




I hope so; upper class men were saying it's common first year; only they said it like 8 months ago and I'm still facing this issue. I REALLY hope this doesn't continue into second year.



Hmm that's a good idea, I could try that out. Thanks!



I've failed Anatomy exams before; not all of them obviously but more than I'd like to admit. Maybe it's just the fact that I've internally given up on the subject because my subconscious brain has decided that it's nearly impossible to digest.



All the time!




Well then what kind of fields are favorable for people like me?



This could be it actually. Not bragging or anything but my Dad made mid six figures and I was pretty much "spoiled" in a sense. Not one of those brats though, but I'm used to getting things quickly and easily; how I made it this far is beyond me.




Maybe I don't want to be Mother Theresa like you do; I just want an ok place to live, beer and a nice wife who I can share my happiness with (includes physical happiness)



I tend to read Anatomy on Wiki rather than books or notes :]



Sad thing is, I took Adderall once and just surfed the internet all night :\
also remember doing some crazy **** like running around my house for no apparent reason :\



Look how right you were!




Will give this a try; thanks for relating!



The problem isn't the steak; its the fact that I'm drinking the shake next to it and filling myself up!

Apparently you don't want it enough. It's a relative thing. People can want different things, but the concept is the same. Sounds to me like you just can't match your efforts with your abilities.

Your problem is quite simple: you are probably not smart enough to keep up your study habits and achieve whatever grades you want. Gotta get your lazy butt off the chair and work for what you want.

Good luck.

 

[da8s0859q]

Apparently you don't want it enough.

You're probably a more motivated person than him in terms of making yourself do what you need to do, but isn't telling people they "don't want it enough" a little presumptuous?

 

[radiodoc99]

Try fun learning methods like online lectures, video, audio, flashcards, reading SDN for question posts, reading emedicine or journals when bored. Keep it all medicine

 

[reedman]

print out your notes and go to a coffee shop. a little coffee helps wih the boredom and when you need a break you can just observe the people, listen to music, or read whatever free publications they have.

 

[medking]

You're probably a more motivated person than him in terms of making yourself do what you need to do, but isn't telling people they "don't want it enough" a little presumptuous?

This is med school, it's not impossible.

If one got in, that person has enough smarts to succeed. It comes down to knowing ones own abilities and putting the right amount of effort necessary to achieve whatever goals they may have. If it's honoring all classes, then so be it. If it's passing all classes, then so be it. I am not one to judge ones goals.

And in general, if you're not motivated enough, then don't complain. You put yourself into this situation.

 

[physics junkie]

I suffer from the same problem and found a solution a long time ago. I pretty much doubled my productivity after blocking my internet and saw a significant boost in my exam grades.

If you're on Windows XP or Vista set up a program called WebAllow( http://weballow.com/ ). It is an internet 'parental control' filter except that instead of taking a blacklist approach where it blocks questionable content you can have a whitelist where you only designate certain sites to allow and block everything else. Personally, I've allowed usmlerx.com, my school's email, and other school resources.

Then, you password protect WebAllow. For me, my girlfriend controls my password and I control her's(she's in medical school too). When she hasn't been around I've figured out another trick: I pick a complicated password in weballow, like Xy34;.tj49'hg and then email it to my gmail account. I then turn on weballow(with gmail blocked). The password is too obscure to commit to memory so when I want my password to unblock myself I go to the school computer lab and log in to my gmail and retrieve it.

I've had my obstacles on the way. When I found out that WebAllow only blocks internet explorer I had to remove my ability to install other browsers. Then I found myself dicking around on other programs on my computer...so I set up the standard parental controls in windows to block all applications except OneNote, Excel, and Word.

Now that I've switched to a macbook pro the apple parental controls are pretty easy to set.

I've regained a significant chunk of my study time by doing this. Some days I was spending 3/10 hours at the library working...now I'm up to 8/10 and 2 hours staring at the walls. I've stayed this way for a year. If I turn off the parental controls, I'm back to the old me.

Oh, and when I was in your position asking the same question I got the same replies along with the "change your habits", "you must not want it that much," and "you need more discipline."

Ignore all of that. They simply don't understand what an internet addiction means. Some people can't study with the radio on or with the TV in the background(can't help but watch). It's the same way for guys like us and the internet. You don't even know that you're browsing your 4358754495 RSS feeds until you've already wasted half an hour.

If you have any questions, shoot me a PM with your phone # and I'll help you get set up. I've been meaning to put together a YouTube tutorial on this for a while now...but I'm too busy being productive!

 

[da8s0859q]

It comes down to knowing ones own abilities and putting the right amount of effort necessary to achieve whatever goals they may have. If it's honoring all classes, then so be it. If it's passing all classes, then so be it. I am not one to judge ones goals.

And in general, if you're not motivated enough, then don't complain. You put yourself into this situation.

Agree on the first part, agree to disagree on the second. Not sure what year you are, but surely you've had your own motivation to get **** done wax and wane, no?

 

[medking]

I suffer from the same problem and found a solution a long time ago. I pretty much doubled my productivity after blocking my internet and saw a significant boost in my exam grades.

If you're on Windows XP or Vista set up a program called WebAllow( http://weballow.com/ ). It is an internet 'parental control' filter except that instead of taking a blacklist approach where it blocks questionable content you can have a whitelist where you only designate certain sites to allow and block everything else. Personally, I've allowed usmlerx.com, my school's email, and other school resources.

Then, you password protect WebAllow. For me, my girlfriend controls my password and I control her's(she's in medical school too). When she hasn't been around I've figured out another trick: I pick a complicated password in weballow, like Xy34;.tj49'hg and then email it to my gmail account. I then turn on weballow(with gmail blocked). The password is too obscure to commit to memory so when I want my password to unblock myself I go to the school computer lab and log in to my gmail and retrieve it.

I've had my obstacles on the way. When I found out that WebAllow only blocks internet explorer I had to remove my ability to install other browsers. Then I found myself dicking around on other programs on my computer...so I set up the standard parental controls in windows to block all applications except OneNote, Excel, and Word.

Now that I've switched to a macbook pro the apple parental controls are pretty easy to set.

I've regained a significant chunk of my study time by doing this. Some days I was spending 3/10 hours at the library working...now I'm up to 8/10 and 2 hours staring at the walls. I've stayed this way for a year. If I turn off the parental controls, I'm back to the old me.

Oh, and when I was in your position asking the same question I got the same replies along with the "change your habits", "you must not want it that much," and "you need more discipline."

Ignore all of that. They simply don't understand what an internet addiction means. Some people can't study with the radio on or with the TV in the background(can't help but watch). It's the same way for guys like us and the internet. You don't even know that you're browsing your 4358754495 RSS feeds until you've already wasted half an hour.

If you have any questions, shoot me a PM with your phone # and I'll help you get set up. I've been meaning to put together a YouTube tutorial on this for a while now...but I'm too busy being productive!

See, you wanted it enough to the point where you figured a good system for yourself.

Well done.

 

[medking]

Agree on the first part, agree to disagree on the second. Not sure what year you are, but surely you've had your own motivation to get **** done wax and wane, no?

Oh for sure. Don't get me wrong. There are definitely times when I feel like doing nothing. I think it happens to all of us. But in the end, I put in enough effort to reach my goals.

The problem I see with the OP is that he/she seems like they are able to do fun things without a problem and concentrate for those things, but when it comes to studying, they can't. To me this just seems really weird. That's all.

 

[Random Anesthesiologist]

It could be a million and one things, but from the answers it looks fairly common.

I know I've spent hours at a time on the net while putting off other necessary time-sensitive tasks, and for various reasons.

I may have been procrastinating because I was feeling lazy that day, or I may have been delaying the start of my task because of the overwhelming nature of actually getting started or completing the task. Or it may have been burnout from the end of the year.

At any rate, the best thing that helps me is to make lists and break big tasks down. That and thinking about how hard those student loans will be to pay back without my M.D. from failing. 😱

 

[basupran]

Excellent idea! Wish I had thought of it. I would either leave my laptop in the locker or leave the charger at school so I could only take an hour or so of internet breaks.

I suffer from the same problem and found a solution a long time ago. I pretty much doubled my productivity after blocking my internet and saw a significant boost in my exam grades.

If you're on Windows XP or Vista set up a program called WebAllow( http://weballow.com/ ). It is an internet 'parental control' filter except that instead of taking a blacklist approach where it blocks questionable content you can have a whitelist where you only designate certain sites to allow and block everything else. Personally, I've allowed usmlerx.com, my school's email, and other school resources.

Then, you password protect WebAllow. For me, my girlfriend controls my password and I control her's(she's in medical school too). When she hasn't been around I've figured out another trick: I pick a complicated password in weballow, like Xy34;.tj49'hg and then email it to my gmail account. I then turn on weballow(with gmail blocked). The password is too obscure to commit to memory so when I want my password to unblock myself I go to the school computer lab and log in to my gmail and retrieve it.

I've had my obstacles on the way. When I found out that WebAllow only blocks internet explorer I had to remove my ability to install other browsers. Then I found myself dicking around on other programs on my computer...so I set up the standard parental controls in windows to block all applications except OneNote, Excel, and Word.

Now that I've switched to a macbook pro the apple parental controls are pretty easy to set.

I've regained a significant chunk of my study time by doing this. Some days I was spending 3/10 hours at the library working...now I'm up to 8/10 and 2 hours staring at the walls. I've stayed this way for a year. If I turn off the parental controls, I'm back to the old me.

Oh, and when I was in your position asking the same question I got the same replies along with the "change your habits", "you must not want it that much," and "you need more discipline."

Ignore all of that. They simply don't understand what an internet addiction means. Some people can't study with the radio on or with the TV in the background(can't help but watch). It's the same way for guys like us and the internet. You don't even know that you're browsing your 4358754495 RSS feeds until you've already wasted half an hour.

If you have any questions, shoot me a PM with your phone # and I'll help you get set up. I've been meaning to put together a YouTube tutorial on this for a while now...but I'm too busy being productive!

 

[MexicanDr]

I have the same damn problem as the OP! If its not the internet, then I read whatever I can reach [except what I have to study]... or just lay in bed, or freaggin think about other things...

Its weird, because knowing I HAVE to do it, I ll just put it away... I ll surf the web, go to the store, watch tv, or think, think think..and not do it...

I have always wondered if it can be ADD or some other thing...

 

[medking]

I have the same damn problem as the OP! If its not the internet, then I read whatever I can reach [except what I have to study]... or just lay in bed, or freaggin think about other things...

Its weird, because knowing I HAVE to do it, I ll just put it away... I ll surf the web, go to the store, watch tv, or think, think think..and not do it...

I have always wondered if it can be ADD or some other thing...

Now I don't know the definition of clinical ADD, but I'm assuming it doesn't equal laziness.

Knowing you have to do something and not doing it, while being able to do other things is just laziness, not ADD. People like you don't help yourselves by thinking a disease is causing your problems.

 

[MexicanDr]

Now I don't know the definition of clinical ADD, but I'm assuming it doesn't equal laziness.

Knowing you have to do something and not doing it, while being able to do other things is just laziness, not ADD. People like you don't help yourselves by thinking a disease is causing your problems.

Correct..

Any advise on how to get my game on and stop messing around!

 

[Narmerguy]

Correct..

Any advise on how to get my game on and stop messing around!

I've always found fear to be extremely effective...seriously. I don't think my fear was high enough my first year of undergrad, GPA dropped a ton second semester, never had problems since. Sometimes you just gotta bomb the dang thing to bring it home.

 

[Guyton Killah]

Get your lazy *****$ to the library and stay away from sdn 😛

 

[Aimless1990]

I suffer from the same problem and found a solution a long time ago. I pretty much doubled my productivity after blocking my internet and saw a significant boost in my exam grades.

If you're on Windows XP or Vista set up a program called WebAllow( http://weballow.com/ ). It is an internet 'parental control' filter except that instead of taking a blacklist approach where it blocks questionable content you can have a whitelist where you only designate certain sites to allow and block everything else. Personally, I've allowed usmlerx.com, my school's email, and other school resources.

Then, you password protect WebAllow. For me, my girlfriend controls my password and I control her's(she's in medical school too). When she hasn't been around I've figured out another trick: I pick a complicated password in weballow, like Xy34;.tj49'hg and then email it to my gmail account. I then turn on weballow(with gmail blocked). The password is too obscure to commit to memory so when I want my password to unblock myself I go to the school computer lab and log in to my gmail and retrieve it.

I've had my obstacles on the way. When I found out that WebAllow only blocks internet explorer I had to remove my ability to install other browsers. Then I found myself dicking around on other programs on my computer...so I set up the standard parental controls in windows to block all applications except OneNote, Excel, and Word.

Now that I've switched to a macbook pro the apple parental controls are pretty easy to set.

I've regained a significant chunk of my study time by doing this. Some days I was spending 3/10 hours at the library working...now I'm up to 8/10 and 2 hours staring at the walls. I've stayed this way for a year. If I turn off the parental controls, I'm back to the old me.

Oh, and when I was in your position asking the same question I got the same replies along with the "change your habits", "you must not want it that much," and "you need more discipline."

Ignore all of that. They simply don't understand what an internet addiction means. Some people can't study with the radio on or with the TV in the background(can't help but watch). It's the same way for guys like us and the internet. You don't even know that you're browsing your 4358754495 RSS feeds until you've already wasted half an hour.

If you have any questions, shoot me a PM with your phone # and I'll help you get set up. I've been meaning to put together a YouTube tutorial on this for a while now...but I'm too busy being productive!

😍 It's like an e-god who heard my prayer. Believe it or not, prior to making this topic I was looking for something like this on the internet but only found some lunix progs. I'll send you a PM! Thank you!!!!