I have difficulty concentrating during my revision (B7, B9, B12).
Time, topic and performance Figure B.5 shows the correlation between concentration performance and time. Until you reach time T, investing in an activity can lead to an acceptable performance. After passing T, the performance drops quickly.
The ‘timing’ of time T is affected by the following factors:
• In the case of a difficult text or a new a text or topic, the T moves further to the left
• The more limited the knowledge of a topic, the further T moves to the left.
• If a text is clearly structured, the T moves further to the right.
• The more experience you have with a topic, the further T moves to the right. Figure B.5 Performance and studying time
Once you pass time T your efforts are no longer in relation to your performance. A break is necessary. Do not use your brain during the break. Do not enter into a difficult debate or have a ‘heavy’ telephone conversations. The same also applies to tv-zapping. This is not a very relaxing activity. They require the same or comparable amounts of concentration as you need when studying. You can eat an apple or any other type of food that contains ‘slow sugars’ (your brain uses a relatively high amount of sugar), do some shopping, go for a run, clean up your room, listen to music on your I-pod. If you are functioning well and well-fed (B15), a break of fifteen minutes should be enough for you to begin concentrating again.
Beginners (starting a new course) can manage this pattern for three times one hour in a row (B12). After that a longer break is necessary. So, when you begin a new course, starting to study intensely shortly before an exam will not work. When compared to your High School performance, time T is located much further to the left, this is also because most study material has not yet been covered in class. Many students realize this only after their first exam period (if ever).
Principles of good Energy Management
1. Watch what you eat. Avoid simple, sugary carbohydrates, moderate your intake of alcohol, add protein, stick to complex carbohydrates (vegetables, whole grains, fruit)
2. Exercise at least 30 minutes at least every other day (it produces an array of chemicals that the brain needs: endorphins, serotonin, dopamine, epinephrine and norephinephrine amongst others). The time you invest on exercise will be more than compensated with improved productivity
3. Take a daily multivitamin and an omega-3 fatty acid supplement
4. Moderate your intake of alcohol (it kills brain cells and accelerates the development of memory loss)
5. Get adequate sleep:
• Stop eating two or three hours before you go to sleep.
• Don’t drink alcohol or coffee containing caffeine before you go to bed.
• Try to avoid sleeping during the day, you will sleep deeper during the night.
• Create regularity: go to bed and wake up around the same time every day. Sleeping out or Staying up disturbs your biological clock.
• sleep in a clean bed with a good mattress.
• Make sure the climate in your bedroom is cool, well ventilated and calm
• Try to avoid using your bedroom as working or living room, if this is not possible make a division between different functions be using for instance a room divider.
