How to Study Without Getting Bored

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Co-authored by Ted Dorsey, MA

Last Updated: November 4, 2024 Approved

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Studying By Yourself

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Studying With Others

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Studying is not always the most interesting task within your day, but it is a necessary one. Even though it is required, everyone has gotten bored at one time or another while studying. Although this is a common problem, there are some steps you can follow in order to keep boredom away while you study.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Studying By Yourself

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1
Find a suitable place to study. One of the most important aspects of studying is finding the right place. Although you don't want to get bored, you want to make sure you are in a place that is free of distraction. Distractions are counterproductive to learning and will actually cause you to become more bored because you are reminded of the things you could be doing other than studying.^{[1]
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- Find a place that is well lit and temperature controlled. The light will help you stay focused and on task and the moderate temperature will help you avoid being too cold or too hot, both of which can lead to distraction and cause boredom.
- Make sure there is enough room for you to spread all of your materials out. Also make sure it is tidy. If you are more organized, you are more likely to stay on task and not get bored.
- Try other locales besides your bedroom or home. There are many distractions that can crop up while you are surrounded by your familiar environment. Places such as a library quiet floor are great places to study. It is made to be quiet, you are only surrounded by your study materials, and you are not likely to be interrupted since most people are there to study as well.
If you are too comfortable in your study environment, you are likely to get distracted, bored, or fall asleep. Avoid lying down when you need to study. You want a chair that supports your back and body, but don't sit in a chair that is too comfortable. You don't want to get bored or sleepy, which will defeat the purpose of your study session.^{[2]
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One reason you get bored maybe because you have no clear idea of where your study session is going or what you need to accomplish. Plan ahead and have what you want to do in your mind before you begin to study. Layout what you know you need to get accomplished and how long you need to take to complete it. This way, you will have a clear objective, which will help you combat boredom. If you know when you can go back to playing video games or talking to your friends, you will be more likely to concentrate of your studies.^{[3]
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Mix up your topics. To help you not get bored while you are studying, you should change up the topics that you are studying. It is unlikely that you only have one subject to study for at a time, so mix up what you study every half an hour to an hour or so. For example, study history for 45 minutes, math for 45 minutes, and English for 45 minutes before looping back around to the beginning. Make sure you don't spend all your time on one aspect of your content. If you switch it up often, you will be less likely to get bored of the subject that you are studying.^{[4]
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- Try leaving your favorite subject to last so you have something to look forward to. You can also choose to study this subject a little longer than the others, which will help keep you on task longer without getting bored.
- You can also lead with the subject you like second best, leaving your least favorite subject for the middle. That way, you will start with something you like and have your favorite subject to look forward to while you are studying the subject you hate.
Studying during the time of day where you are most awake and active can help you study for longer periods of time without getting bored. You will be more aware and more likely to take in what you are studying as well. If you study at the same time everyday, you will get into the habit and train yourself to be in study mode at that time of day. This will help you not get bored because your mind will get used to the activity and be less distracted by other stimuli.^{[5]
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Take breaks. Sitting in the same position for hours, especially when you are studying for a big exam, can lead to massive bouts of boredom. Try breaking it up with small breaks every hour or so. If you have been sitting down for a long time, take a stretching break. Reward yourselves every hour with a 10 minute basketball break or take a short jog around the block.This will get your heart pumping and help keep your mind focused on the tasks at hand. Plus, the less time you spend in one place, the less likely you are to get bored with the activity you are doing.^{[7]
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- You can also take a snack break as well. During one of your breaks, make yourself a healthy snack. Eat a snack high in protein and fiber, which will leave you fuller and will help you stave off boredom caused by hunger later in your study session.
- Try a half a cup of trail mix made with walnuts, almonds, granola, and raisins. You can even throw in a few dark chocolate morsels. These ingredients will fill you up and give you the fuel you need to keep going.
If you find some of the material that you are working on to be a little dull, try making it into a game or making flashcards.^{[8]
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Reward yourself. One way to help you get through a tough study session is to have something to look forward to when it's over. Tell yourself that you can have a large ice cream cone at the end or you get to start the next level in your video game. Even make plans with your friends for an hour or so after you know you'll be done studying. However, tell yourself that you can only get the reward if you truly focus while you study.
- If you are working toward a goal like that, you will be more likely to focus on your tasks and not get bored because you have a fun event or tasty treat waiting for you when you are done.^{[9]
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Take notes as you go. If you keep your mind and body engaged as you study, you will be less likely to get bored and distracted. While you are reading a chapter in a textbook, have a notebook out and jot down important notes about what you are reading. Not only will it help keep you engaged, you will also be learning more because you process the information once as you read it and then again as you synthesize the information to write down.^{[10]
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- Try writing your notes in cool, funky colors. This will make the task visually appealing to you and help keep you interested in your notes instead of getting bored with the task.
- You can also use highlighters and write in your book to help you stay engaged with the material. Pick colorful highlighters that you enjoy using to increase your interest in the task.
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Avoid electronics. If you have your cell phone or laptop right with you when you study, you are less likely to pay attention to studying and will become bored easier. Leave your phone in your bag or somewhere else out of sight and try to leave your laptop at home. You won't be as bored, but you will not be studying. If you remove the temptation, you are less likely to get distracted and get bored.^{[11]
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- If you need to have your laptop for study materials, avoid searching the internet, going on social media sites, or playing games.
- Let your friends know that you will be unavailable for the time being while you are studying. That way, they won't try to interrupt you or cause you to get distracted. Plus, if you know they aren't trying to get in contact with you, you are less likely to let you mind wander and get bored.^{[12]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Studying With Others

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1
Find a study group. If you get bored and distracted easily when you are studying on your own, try working with a study group. You are all studying the same materials, so you all have a common goal. Look for people in your class that also might benefit from a group study session.^{[13]
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- You want to make sure the people you choose are people you can get along with. You want the study session to be productive, not full of drama.
- Although you can socialize a little bit when you first meet up, make sure you don't waste a lot of time just talking. Try to get straight to studying as soon as you can.^{[14]
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Ask each other questions. One of the benefits of studying in a group is that they can help you understand concepts you aren't sure about. If you have a question, ask one of your group members to help you understand. The whole group will benefit from the discussion. If you were alone and confused, you would be more likely to get bored because you couldn't engage with the material. Now, you can engage with the material and with each other in order to better understand the information.^{[16]
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- This can help those who fill uncomfortable asking questions in class. If you are too shy or embarrassed to ask your professor when you are in class, you can ask one of your group mates instead. This way, you avoid any uncomfortable situations and can get the help you need.^{[17]
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A great way to learn tough material is to teach it to others. In your study group, assign each other sections of the information to reteach to the study group. This way, not only will you benefit from teaching it to others, you will also get to learn from your group mates and get a different take on the material. Plus, with so many people talking about different topics, it will be really hard to get bored while you study.^{[18]
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Quiz each other. Once you have studied in a group for a while, you can start quizzing each other on the information you have been learning. You can make flash cards or try a round robin approach, where each group member asks a question to the group and, once it gets answered fully, the next person gets to ask the question. This will help you stay engaged in the information because it isn't just you quizzing yourself.^{[19]
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- In situations like this, the others are there to help you see different angles and to help you come up with ways to remember the information.^{[20]
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Make the information into a game. When you have a ton of people, you can create multi-player games to help you all learn the information. If you love a sport, make it into a study game. Find a board game you all like and turn it into a study session. Before you know it, you will all have the information memorized and you will not have to worry about boredom.
- Play a basketball game like Horse. Every time any of you miss a question, you lose a letter. To gain a letter back, you have to get the question right without looking at the answers. This will get a little competition going and help you all learn the material.
- Take a board game like Trivial Pursuit and turn it into a study game. Assign a subject or facet of your subject to each color. For example, if you are studying history, you can break your questions down into categories based on centuries, decades, or large concepts you need to remember. Each time you land of a specific color, you have to answer a question about that topic.

Supercharge Your Studying with this Expert Series

Do you want to make your studying more efficient, learn more quickly, and remember more information? Check out these expert articles.

1

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Create Good Study Habits for Exams

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Question

How can I cure my boredom while studying?

Ted Dorsey, MA
Academic Tutor
Ted Dorsey is a Test Prep Tutor, author, and founder of Tutor Ted, an SAT and ACT tutoring service based in Southern California. Ted earned a perfect score on the SAT (1600) and PSAT (240) in high school. Since then, he has earned perfect scores on the ACT (36), SAT Subject Test in Literature (800), and SAT Subject Test in Math Level 2 (800). He has a BA in English from Princeton University and a MA in Education from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Ted Dorsey, MA

Academic Tutor

Expert Answer

If you're studying something you find boring, you have two options. The first is to pretend that you actually find the information fascinating. That can make it seem more engaging to you. The second is to find a way to relate the section to your own life, which can help you be more motivated to keep going.

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