My Approach to Self-Study

Stay in Focus & Avoid Distractions

For me to stay focused while studying, I naturally only have related things within my vicinity. I sit at my computer, play my Study Lo-Fi playlist, open up Wezterm and Nvim, and open my browser to the resources and documentation I am studying.

I make sure everything else is closed before starting my pomodoro timer. I avoid having YouTube, Discord, or anything else within my view. Having these in my peripheral vision can distract my attention whenever I feel any “discomfort” during the study.

By “discomfort,” I mean those times when I feel I don’t want to study anymore and want to do something else “more enjoyable or sweet.” I enjoy studying, but when I am honed in on a problem or material that I am struggling with, this discomfort starts to creep in.

Instead of giving in to distractions, I check how much time has passed. I wait until my timer is up, get up from my chair, and take a needed short break. Walking around the house before I sit down helps me continue my focus again.

Focusing can be hard, and getting distracted can be easy. To properly focus, one should set up their environment and habits for success, making it difficult to be distracted in the first place.

I do not do much social media, YouTube, or video games. Instead, I get distracted by wanting to learn something else. Because of this, I believe it is very helpful to set the time, the environment, and focus for the duration in advance.

How that works for you is ultimately what you will need to figure out as you go through your journey; the earlier the better.

Consistency and Schedule

Having a set schedule is important to avoid procrastination. I hear myself at times saying, “I will start in 30 minutes” or “I can push it back for an hour and just study longer later.”

All of these excuses add up. Over a month or a year, a lot of hours that could have been spent learning are instead spent on avoiding it. I think setting a schedule—whether it be 2–3 hours a day or a mix of mornings and evenings—helps tremendously in the long run.

We are not sprinting from start to finish; it is a marathon. Having a schedule ready helps us get into the mindset of learning the material.

“Now that I’ve started, how will I stick to it?” That is called staying consistent. By having a set schedule, I have been able to make progress and log my desired hours for the week.

Together with the help of a pomodoro timer, I can consistently adhere to clocking in focused hours. Getting short breaks in between gives me the needed rest to continue another focused session.

Knowing that I spent good hours studying the previous day helps me take accountability for my own time. This urges me to start my next scheduled learning session with much more ease.

Avoid Burnout

Studying close to full time each day is a lot of hours. I decided that these hours were my goal, as this is both my passion and the only significant responsibility I currently have.

My goal is to get roughly 30+ hours of study in a week. My recommendation, however, is to decide how many hours you can personally set aside to focus.

Different people have different habits and limits. It is up to you to gauge what you can handle and how you will make the most out of it. For me, that meant portioning my time from Monday to Friday and keeping the weekends as a complete break.

If I ever feel the urge to study during my time off, I instead read articles or watch videos on game development. This separates me from my core study materials and gives my brain a needed rest.

The key takeaway here: Set time aside to completely be away so that your body and mind can make some recovery.

Keep Healthy Habits

I’d like to add this last, as it is incredibly important to stay healthy on this journey. As aspiring software engineers, we spend most of our time sitting at our computers. This is not naturally healthy for a human being.

It is crucial for our well-being and our learning to get good quality sleep. Don’t forget to eat regular meals to replenish your energy for upcoming activities throughout the day.

Exercise is also vital so our bodies stay strong. Sitting for hours coding can deteriorate our posture and overall health. So make sure to sit up straight, stand up when you take breaks, and always stay hydrated!