For some reason I originally posted this in the 2015 resolutions thread as an aside to my actual resolutions. Felt it might better be answered in a thread of its own.

Often times when I'm reading a book in Japanese, watching news clips, or some other type of studying, I feel I may better focus if standing. Has anybody tried a standing desk, and has it improved your concentration? Too often I begin browsing the internet when doing whatever and it obviously isn't great for improving my ability. Obviously suddenly standing won't solve everything but just a thought. Certainly when I read I enjoy standing sometimes and walking back and forth only to stop when entering a new word into a dictionary. At work some folks have Varidesks which is relatively cheap in the grand scheme of options at $350, and transitions from sitting to standing, and vice versa. I think it would be wise to try standing at work for a week or so and see how I feel before purchasing anything.

That being said I wanted to learn what tidbits you guys had to increase your focus. Whether you turn on extensions that prevent you from browsing productivity-killing websites or the like, I'd love to hear how you improved your learning environment.

Man it's been a while since I have self studied Japanese so some tips would definitely help! (school has kept me so busy sigh)

I have read similar things in regards to standing or even sitting on an exercise ball while working on their desks but I have no personal input on it.

Timeboxing via the Pomodoro method helps but I always feel overwhelmed at the end of the day to do it again the next despite all that I accomplished. What has worked though was keeping myself away from social media when I know I need to focus. Social media though fun is nothing more than a time sink and that time could be used to be more productive. So to do this, my cell phone is on silent and in another room and I don't dare login into social media.

I don't use any blocking app or anything but just have so many tabs open in relation to what I'm trying to focus on (this past year it's all been school-related, i.e. math or articles related to my research paper) that I only focus on those tabs. It seems chaotic but it's been working so far

Yeah I use a blocker app. http://www.proginosko.com/leechblock.html is great in my experience, but I imagine most any of the similar plugins would help. You can dodge any of these blocking extensions by using a different browser of course, but for me it's exactly enough annoyance to remind me that I shouldn't be going to site X anyway.

e: also use https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detai...delahlfoji on my chrome

I find Pomodoro a bit much, but I keep a kitchen timer on my desk set to 40 minutes. 40 minutes is a good amount of time in which to achieve something without being so long that I disregard the timer to procrastinate.

I use leechblock to block websites where I procrastinate (including this one) until 9pm. Of course, I frequently unblock things and do it anyway, so a second mechanism is needed.

My most recent re-addition to my productivity tools is HabitRPG, which has helped stop me from unleechblocking things and generally getting stuff done.

If there's one thing that needs to be done every day - doing it at roughly the same time every day is good, I think. Anki I do first thing (when doing it at all...) and reading is always just before going to sleep.

Sitting and doing something boring like studying can make someone sleepy. Standing, on the other hand, can sort of curb that feeling of boredom and sleepiness.

For example, if you use flash cards or an app on a smart phone while studying, you could pace back and forth and keep yourself even more alert/awake.

As for whether standing directly enhances focus outside of what I mentioned, I'm not really sure. But if you stand and walk while studying, you'll definitely get some light cardio in. Which is probably better than sitting in itself.

Focus can suggest eliminating distractions, which is good, or mental strain/effort, which I think is bad for language learning.

I think doing language learning activities in a distraction free but relaxed environment, with a relaxed mindset, is best.

This is just speculation, but I imagine standing would add distractions (because your line of sight is expanded, you can see out the window, look at everything in the room, etc.) and physical strain, and in general cause you to "work harder", which in the case of language learning, in my experience, means you strain yourself to try and memorize things (the absolute worst thing you can do).

This type of incentive might be great for certain types of work, where attention to detail and constant alertness are paramount, but it doesn't seem good for language learning.

When I study, I do so on my phone (S3), which only has learning or reading related apps on it (less because I intended it that way and more because I don't like mobile games). Surfing the net on it is a pain, so I generally don't, except to read Imabi.

I lie in bed to study Anki or read, because it removes most physical distractions and I find I can hold a book or my phone most comfortably in bed (also prevents neck-strain from looking down). I can't sit comfortably without supporting myself with my arms, so I can't say if this is just a personal comfort or not.

Aside from text-heavy forums, I don't use social networking sites, so I can't say how to avoid things like Twitter or Facebook; however, I'd like to say that they are stupid and big wastes of resources. Maybe being insulted for your excessive use of such sites helps?

If I'm doing a lot of studying, I timebox between ten and twenty minutes of study for a length of not study. For 'not study' time, I move around to maintain proper blood-flow (supposedly good for memory and concentration as well, but I'm more concerned with my cardiovascular health than that).

As for standing, I find standing in place to be very distracting; it places unneeded strain on your feet and knees, which you need to prevent from locking (if you care about maintaining your joint health). From experience, excessive time on your feet (even if you walk around) can cause permanent nerve damage (I lost feeling in a toe in less than three months at a job requiring me to stand while working). While it seems unlikely you would clock such time studying, I don't think it's good to push it for potentially no return (which is why I think standing desks at work are stupid unless they are regularly switched between sitting height and standing height, which is impractical, from my understanding).

As for moving, I've tried reading and studying on a treadmill, but I couldn't concentrate on it at all (I either concentrated on walking or on the text). You might be able to do audio only exercises though; I use music to keep my mind entertained while at the gym (especially while on an elliptical), and judging by how much I concentrate on that, I'd hypothesize that audio studies would easy to do while at the gym. Since I don't use treadmills anymore (boring), I can't say how easy concentrating on audio would be on them.

It's generally unhealthy to do too much sitting, lying, or standing, so if you study standing up, sit down during breaks. If you sit or lie down, get up.

You're going to laugh, but: electronic cigarettes

Whenever I'm doing anki reps and I fail more cards than usual (Usually due to fatigue), when I take a puff or 2 from my ecig and then I suddenl;y start doing way better at my reps. The effect only seems to last 10-15min or so, so enough to finish my reps but not much else.

note: I am not a smoker and rarely use ecigs. this probably won't work for regular smokers

[s0apgun]

juniperpansy Wrote:You're going to laugh, but: electronic cigarettes

Whenever I'm doing anki reps and I fail more cards than usual (Usually due to fatigue), when I take a puff or 2 from my ecig and then I suddenl;y start doing way better at my reps. The effect only seems to last 10-15min or so, so enough to finish my reps but not much else.

note: I am not a smoker and rarely use ecigs. this probably won't work for regular smokers

http://www.gwern.net/Nicotine

Nicotine is a nootropic and promotes a behavior its associated with so if you use it as a reward for studying for 30 minutes you will start to form a habit because your brain wants to be rewarded.

Only thing that really works for me is coffee and some music.

juniperpansy Wrote:You're going to laugh, but: electronic cigarettes

That could be somehow related to the attention boosting effect of chewing gum.

Chewing gum helps you concentrate for longer, study suggests

Quote:Kate explained: "Interestingly participants who didn't chew gum performed slightly better at the beginning of the task but were overtaken by the end. This suggests that chewing gum helps us focus on tasks that require continuous monitoring over a longer amount of time."

[Zgarbas]

What works best for me is having dedicated places. If I'm at home doing reps I can take 6-7 hours for 1 hour of active studying (if I get around to any), even with leechblock and everything in place. It's because I suck at self-control.
A cafe where you go to especially for studying. A library. Your research lab. A park. The bathtub. The moment you leave the comfort of your leisure place in favour of one which you associate with studying, the focus kicks in. The key is to not let the leisure aspect kick in... There's this one floor at the library where I tend to always run into people so I often space out there or stop to start chatting, and I noticed that my concentration levels are way below what they are at the floor above, even if I'm not talking to anyone at the time.
I also bought a tablet (not an expensive one) especially for studying and forbid myself from browsing the Internet on it. It's almost always in airplane mode and I only take it out when I am about to study. Unless I'm at home (where I can get distracted by outside elements), I almost always finish my reviews in one go, have better concentration, and frankly I'm not even tempted to get distracted; I use it when doing Anki reviews or to write down notes when I'm reading academically. Best $80 I've ever spent.
(of course, the problem is getting yourself to go to these places, and forming the habit)

s0apgun Wrote:http://www.gwern.net/Nicotine

Nicotine is a nootropic and promotes a behavior its associated with so if you use it as a reward for studying for 30 minutes you will start to form a habit because your brain wants to be rewarded.

Only thing that really works for me is coffee and some music.

Its important to point out that Nicotine's strong habit forming (ie: addictive) potential only really comes when its paired with a MAOI. This is why cigs are so addictive and why ecigs are great for cutting that addiction.

[Zgarbas]

Are they? I've not met a single person who actually quit nicotine with them. I've met a few who were proud to have switched entirely to ecigs, but since they often have *more* nicotine, and are less regulated, I never considered that to be improvement. (ignoring the fact that almost all ecig smokers I know *do* smoke regular cigarettes fairly regularly when they run out of oil)

Anything can become an addiction if you turn it into a habit, and that sounds like a really strong habit right there. One thing that still messes me up is the fact that I would often take cigarette breaks when studying or working. Past the 1h mark, even with more than one year since I've stopped associating the two (I quit smoking 8 months ago after a long hiatus from studying), I still find myself craving a reward.

They help you concentrate because you just took an active break and reward which you believe will help you concentrate and therefore it does. Do the chemicals actually matter in such a situation?

For starters, not playing DotA 2 helps.

[s0apgun]

The nicotine definitely has an affect on your concentration and as a reward sector in your brain. Pair that with taking a mental break to smoke a cigarette just strengthens that reward. E-cigs are leaps and bounds better for your health than regular cigarettes. Nicotine hasn't really been proven to have any negative health side affects except when cross studied with other bad affects from different chemicals in cigarettes. The reason cigarettes are bad for you is because the chemical additives in them such as lead when ignited creates radiation that you inhale into your lungs. Over time all that radiation exposure lead to cancer. Check out this video on that

*could really go for a cigarette now sigh*

[RawToast]

Flamerokz Wrote:For starters, not playing DotA 2 helps.

Heh, learning Japanese did the opposite for me. I stopped playing League of Legends after a few weeks, good riddance to that time(and money) sink.

Quote:The nicotine definitely has an affect on your concentration and as a reward sector in your brain.

If I hadn't just got over the withdrawal effects (from the equivalent of ~half a roll-up a day), I'd be up for giving this a try. Then again, an addition to studying might not be a bad thing....

I recently started standing while studying and definitely noticed an improvement. If you try it out make sure to gradually transition from sitting all the time and take breaks. Aside from serving as an aid to keep you awake, it naturally puts your body into a power pose. You can check out this awesome TED Talk (it's only 20 min) for more information about power poses and how they can positively affect the mind after just 2 minutes:

Quote:Social psychologist Amy Cuddy shows how “power posing” — standing in a posture of confidence, even when we don’t feel confident — can affect testosterone and cortisol levels in the brain, and might even have an impact on our chances for success.

http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_...ho_you_are?

Essentially the increased testosterone and decreased cortisol can help improve both focus and memory while studying, along with other positive effects.

While watching the video I imagined a class full of madmen raising their voices with vindictive power poses. Political cartoons also come to mind. Power for power's sake isn't pretty, but for the intended purposes, I approve. Self-control and feelings of mastery definitely help you feel more confident about yourself, and this would transfer over to any study.

On occasion, it may be difficult to learn the same amount of new cards every day, due to a feeling of being boxed in. So, to learn new cards in Anki while viewing studying as an open-ended and exciting experience, I've set 'new cards per day' to zero in all decks and, if there's time after reviews, I increase the deck's new card limit by 2-4 periodically based on desire or interest (in a Subs, Vocab, or Grammar and Sentence Example Deck - inputting any relevant information while reading or browsing the 'net).

With this approach, learning becomes adaptive and begins to reflect how much I'd like to learn at any given moment, as opposed to how much I feel I must learn. The only problem here is consistency, so leaving Anki open and having a fair amount of enjoyable Japanese input is essential to keep the ball rolling, so to speak. A sense of relaxed focus on "study and learn Japanese" is the type of atmosphere and environment I've tried to create. I usually drink coffee/tea in the morning and run through reviews steadily, so the day's free. Good posture, not necessarily in an attempt to feel powerful but to study more efficiently, also keeps one focused and free from distraction. Sitting upright as opposed to a slumped posture boosts mood and has been shown to increase clear and positive thinking.

I've found the obvious to be most helpful. I focus better on studying when I am well rested, I am getting what I think is a good amount of exercise, and I am not stressing over something like tests for school. If you're super busy with your classes, you need to get them under control before doing something like anki or studying Japanese (unless Japanese -is- one of your classes.. ). When the semester ended for me, IE when my Korean class ended, I focused tons better on Japanese. I'm not a full time student I just take night classes to stave off boredom.

Aside from the above, I also love that anki lets you customize the difficulty of a card with the step function in options. I can make a card show up again in 20 seconds or whatever I want, then again in 5 minutes. I find this really helpful. Having it appear again quickly is almost a guaranteed correct response even if I didn't know it and that in itself helps me focus. I usually get it right the second time too and I think it's because I'm on a roll so to speak.

I don't smoke so I can't speak to cigarettes or real cigarettes. I do like coffee and I sometimes drink it to help me focus but I can't say I truly notice a difference. The most critical for me are the 3 things mentioned above. If one is lacking, and I still need to focus, say if I failed to get enough sleep (which is a pain in the butt), then stuff like other people said can help - standing up, going to a certain place like a library or cafe. I think if I'm sleepy leaving my apartment is probably the best thing to do. Or take a nap. Napping can do wonders. I have an app on my iPhone that wakes me up before I enter deep sleep, whatever that is, and it seems to work. Best thing is to already have gotten enough sleep and not need a nap of course.

s0apgun Wrote:Only thing that really works for me is coffee and some music.

This! Whenever I want to write, or study (for school, language learning), or just focus on something, I go to a coffee shop nearby, buy a javanilla shake, put on my headset, and just block everything out. It also helps to turn off the wifi/mobile data on my gadgets, just so I won't be tempted to check my emails or tweet or something like that.

Flamerokz Wrote:For starters, not playing DotA 2 helps.

Oh, believe me, college helped me get rid of my DotA problems. Hahaha. =) Couldn't afford to waste any more time on the game, unfortunately.

It's probably best to avoid multitasking basically all the time. If you're constantly checking something on your computer or phone, putting on the TV or music to listen to while doing a chore, etc., you just get used to having some entertainment every few seconds. It becomes really hard to concentrate on anything for a long time. If you want to learn to concentrate better while studying, you have to practice by concentrating on everything you do.

The alternative is to go to a place where you can't multitask--like going to a cafe without bringing your cellphone.