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I am always so tired when studying. My energy levels are so these days balancing volunteer work with studying, writing my personal and diversity statements and summer school. How do you guys stay focused?

I learned to manage my time well in high school because of running. That really helps for situations like you are describing. You cannot do everything and certain things have to be done at specific times of the day. Just planning out your schedule and prioritizing what has to happen versus what you want to happen should make a big difference.

If I'm tired when I'm studying, I either take a break or sleep. At some point in time your ability to be productive stops. Being easy on yourself helps too. It's okay if you are not always on top of everything you are hoping to be.

Drink a shit ton of coffee

I work full time during the summers, so I feel your pain.

I study during my lunch break to offset some of the studying I'll have to do when I get home. Also, if you get home from work early enough/done volunteering early enough, taking an hour nap and a shower could wake you up.

It's helpful to give yourself a little bit of a break between studying and work. You'll feel slightly more refreshed. However, don't get lazy and just postpone studying until the next day because you want to keep resting. Stay diligent.

Exercise and diet are both huge too. Avoid carb-heavy meals and sugars before and during studying; typical snack foods are basically the worst if you're trying to keep awake and focused.

zhenders wrote:Exercise and diet are both huge too. Avoid carb-heavy meals and sugars before and during studying; typical snack foods are basically the worst if you're trying to keep awake and focused.

I was gona start this when I move back to campus. What do you suggest?

zhenders wrote:Exercise and diet are both huge too. Avoid carb-heavy meals and sugars before and during studying; typical snack foods are basically the worst if you're trying to keep awake and focused.

I work full time and study both before and after work but this is so valid. I don't have time to exercise everyday but what I eat def impacts my energy levels. I was eating like crap when I first started studying but now I prep my meals for the week, the weekend before. Basically I prep my meals on Sunday for the whole week. This helps because 1) Sundays I have more free time and I don't waste time thinking about what to eat/prep during the week when I could be studying 2) you're less prone to eat unhealthy snacks/meals when you have something prepared.

hope that's useful!

Also, make sure your are drinking enough water. If you are dehydrated, you feel tired.

chueca910 wrote:

zhenders wrote:Exercise and diet are both huge too. Avoid carb-heavy meals and sugars before and during studying; typical snack foods are basically the worst if you're trying to keep awake and focused.

I work full time and study both before and after work but this is so valid. I don't have time to exercise everyday but what I eat def impacts my energy levels. I was eating like crap when I first started studying but now I prep my meals for the week, the weekend before. Basically I prep my meals on Sunday for the whole week. This helps because 1) Sundays I have more free time and I don't waste time thinking about what to eat/prep during the week when I could be studying 2) you're less prone to eat unhealthy snacks/meals when you have something prepared.

hope that's useful!

but what exactly are you guys eating!!!

I recommend baked or grilled chicken with rice or pasta. Also mix in some green vegetables. Try and cut out unncessary sugars and eat as much protein as you can. Any more specific questions, just messge me!

EDIT: Water and coffee are the only two fluids you need to be drinking!

Sean_33 wrote:I recommend baked or grilled chicken with rice or pasta. Also mix in some green vegetables. Try and cut out unncessary sugars and eat as much protein as you can. Any more specific questions, just messge me!

EDIT: Water and coffee are the only two fluids you need to be drinking!

its really hard for me to drink coffee without sugar and cream will that be okay??

NigeranOU wrote:

Sean_33 wrote:I recommend baked or grilled chicken with rice or pasta. Also mix in some green vegetables. Try and cut out unncessary sugars and eat as much protein as you can. Any more specific questions, just messge me!

EDIT: Water and coffee are the only two fluids you need to be drinking!

its really hard for me to drink coffee without sugar and cream will that be okay??

lol I mean...that's still a crap ton of sugar. Is it the coffee you really like or do you just need the caffeine? If it's the caffeine try green tea. I'm not really a coffee person so I'm biased.

And as for food, protein: chicken, fish, beans, veggies: be adventurous

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I've heard about the neurological benefits of omega-3 but I don't eat any type of fish. Never even tasted fish. Any other foods that are rich in omega-3?
I take the supplements but I've heard from many people that they don't do anything.

Mint-Berry_Crunch wrote:I weirdly found that every time I ate raw salmon (like in a poké bowl or in sushi) my PT scores would go up.
So now I've added salmon oil supplements to my normal vitamin stuffs. Turns out omega 3s are awesome.

wow. I'm about to look up some fish recipes like ASAP! hahahahaha fish buffet anyone???! Not a huge salmon fan though. What about halibut or tilapia?

also, does crustacean count like shrimp?

It really depends upon your personal food preferences. If you really like carbs, chose healthy, complex ones which are slower to digest. Avoid breads, chips, crackers, etc; go with mixed nuts, veggies and a dip of some kind, and/or real cheeses.

Fruit in moderation can be okay, but again, that's a lot of sugar; apples are a good option for their fiber content, which helps slow their digestion.

Honestly, if there were any two big "study diet" changes you could make for a big impact, it would be these two:

1. Avoid grain, corn, and potato based foods prior to and during prep.
2. Avoid processed foods altogether if possible.

These are pretty big changes for many people, but the impact to your energy levels will almost certainly be super-significant!

Exercise-wise, again, everyone's different; small changes can have big impacts. If you're not doing anything now, add 20 minutes a day of something easy and fun, and you'll feel noticeably different after 3 or 4 days.

Best of luck!

Hi, sorry to jump in,
but are you guys cooking by yourself or buy&eat out?
Just wondering whether should buy&save time or cook to have nutritious food.

stcait wrote:Hi, sorry to jump in,
but are you guys cooking by yourself or buy&eat out?
Just wondering whether should buy&save time or cook to have nutritious food.

I find it to be incredibly cost-prohibitive and time-consuming to eat out healthily. That's the rub: crap food is cheap and fast eating out; good food is slow and expensive.

Cooking is a phenomenal life skill; if you don't cook now, give it a shot. The same $10 at home can get you an AMAZING meal; elsewhere, $10 gets you a quarter pounder meal.

PoopNpants wrote:Drink a shit ton of coffee

TITCR.

zhenders wrote:

stcait wrote:Hi, sorry to jump in,
but are you guys cooking by yourself or buy&eat out?
Just wondering whether should buy&save time or cook to have nutritious food.

I find it to be incredibly cost-prohibitive and time-consuming to eat out healthily. That's the rub: crap food is cheap and fast eating out; good food is slow and expensive.

Cooking is a phenomenal life skill; if you don't cook now, give it a shot. The same $10 at home can get you an AMAZING meal; elsewhere, $10 gets you a quarter pounder meal.

True...what kind of stuff do you make? Do you cook everyday?

stcait wrote:True...what kind of stuff do you make? Do you cook everyday?

You asked the other guy but fwiw I would do all my cooking on Sunday. I'd make two big dishes, and split those into four meals to bring to school. Then I'd treat myself to lunch with friends or jimmy johns one day of the week. I do a lot of shopping at trader joes because I find it easier to shop healthy their so the stuff I'd make would be a mix of whatever I saw they had that I felt like. Then I'd throw in a side of veggies (usually lentils and mushrooms or brocorri)

Companion Cube wrote:

stcait wrote:True...what kind of stuff do you make? Do you cook everyday?

You asked the other guy but fwiw I would do all my cooking on Sunday. I'd make two big dishes, and split those into four meals to bring to school. Then I'd treat myself to lunch with friends or jimmy johns one day of the week. I do a lot of shopping at trader joes because I find it easier to shop healthy their so the stuff I'd make would be a mix of whatever I saw they had that I felt like. Then I'd throw in a side of veggies (usually lentils and mushrooms or brocorri)

Hi thanks for your reply,
How long do you usually take to cook the big meals?

stcait wrote:

Companion Cube wrote:

stcait wrote:True...what kind of stuff do you make? Do you cook everyday?

You asked the other guy but fwiw I would do all my cooking on Sunday. I'd make two big dishes, and split those into four meals to bring to school. Then I'd treat myself to lunch with friends or jimmy johns one day of the week. I do a lot of shopping at trader joes because I find it easier to shop healthy their so the stuff I'd make would be a mix of whatever I saw they had that I felt like. Then I'd throw in a side of veggies (usually lentils and mushrooms or brocorri)

Hi thanks for your reply,
How long do you usually take to cook the big meals?

2 hours at most

Companion Cube wrote:

stcait wrote:

Companion Cube wrote:

stcait wrote:True...what kind of stuff do you make? Do you cook everyday?

You asked the other guy but fwiw I would do all my cooking on Sunday. I'd make two big dishes, and split those into four meals to bring to school. Then I'd treat myself to lunch with friends or jimmy johns one day of the week. I do a lot of shopping at trader joes because I find it easier to shop healthy their so the stuff I'd make would be a mix of whatever I saw they had that I felt like. Then I'd throw in a side of veggies (usually lentils and mushrooms or brocorri)

Hi thanks for your reply,
How long do you usually take to cook the big meals?

2 hours at most

Nice, maybe I wanna try that then.
Hopefully it doesn't go bad cuz of the weather...so hot these days.

stcait wrote:

Companion Cube wrote:

stcait wrote:

Companion Cube wrote:

stcait wrote:True...what kind of stuff do you make? Do you cook everyday?

You asked the other guy but fwiw I would do all my cooking on Sunday. I'd make two big dishes, and split those into four meals to bring to school. Then I'd treat myself to lunch with friends or jimmy johns one day of the week. I do a lot of shopping at trader joes because I find it easier to shop healthy their so the stuff I'd make would be a mix of whatever I saw they had that I felt like. Then I'd throw in a side of veggies (usually lentils and mushrooms or brocorri)

Hi thanks for your reply,
How long do you usually take to cook the big meals?

2 hours at most

Nice, maybe I wanna try that then.
Hopefully it doesn't go bad cuz of the weather...so hot these days.

Get an ice pack bruh