How do I prevent daydreaming while I'm studying?

Question

My problem I guess can be categorized as daydreaming, but what I think is happening is actually my mind going off on its on tangent to try to assimilate what I just read, for instance reading about PC hardware. I'm taking a programming class and the first chapter touches on PC hardware such as the processor, memory, etc. The chapter describes how data goes from user input into memory then to the processor and so forth.

All of a sudden I'm not reading, but envisioning some guy at a desk writing calculations on a scratch piece of paper with the words "main memory" on it and he's got the word processor on his forehead. I realized I at some point faded into my little vision of what I had just read.

This is terribly annoying. And I believe this only happens when I'm reading material that is intended to explain stuff because I don't have this wandering imagination issue when I read "The Da Vinci Code"

Make it stop. I want to be able to concentrate on my homework.

Thanks everyone,
Jose

Answer 1

Fall fully asleep! (j/k)



If possible, play lively music, but not something with a monotonous beat. Don't play too loud, or you'll not be able to concentrate.



Do a brisk 5-minute walk before starting to study.

Answer 2

When you read something that explains things step by step...then visualizing is perfectly OK. Let it be ok and stop fighting it. But you need to CONTROL it to be sure that you are recounting what you read instead of a mindless daydream that is totally disconnected. What I am saying is that this is not a bad thing. Just make it work FOR you.

Answer 3

Maybe you're just not interested, In boring classes my mind wanders, but when I'm having fun on class and learning something interesting I'm fine

Answer 4

you tend to day dream when you aren't interested in something. so try to tell yourself you have to read this and concentrate.

force yourself to concentrate.

Answer 5

switch classes