Things To Do in Boring Lectures
It’s often hard in boring lectures to keep focused. Often focus is required but impossible to produce and other times the lecture is legitimately boring and the topic such that you can drift in and out and not miss anything important. I would like to say that I always pay attention in my lectures but that would be lying and lying on a blog seems like a pretty low thing to do. These are five things I like to do in lectures when I just can’t pay attention. The key to doing other work in lectures is making it look like your actually paying attention (so listening to your MP3 player, reorganising your makeup bag, making phone calls/sending text messages etc. aren’t recommended). Make whatever you do involve a lot of writing and be as subtle as possible.
1. Prepare for tutorials
If you’ve got a tute coming up get out whatever you need to do/read/write and do/read/write it. This can often be subtle AND related to the lecture topic. Very productive activity.
2. Engage in forward planning
This is one of my favourites. Writing to-do lists, writing information in my diary etc. Can be subtle, makes you feel very organised.
3. Do reading
If your textbooks look anything like mine then this is easier said than done on a tiny lecture theatre desk but it’s worth a shot. Hard to do pull off, though, if you’re in a history lecture and taking notes from a giant book on your desk called “Material Chemistry for Engineers”
4. Plan essays
Another thing which is easy to do and subtle. The problem only occurs when you run out of essays to plan.
5. General other studies
If there’s anything else you have to get done try doing it. Got a computer and need to look up the call-numbers of library books? Do it. In fact, this one is a lot easier on a computer – the internet is a wonderful place. But you could also try writing essays or assignments or blog posts (not entirely school-related, I know).
Once you’re in a boring lecture you’re stuck. These tips will help you be productive and at the same time present. They might even make that hour go more quickly.
September 8, 2006 at 6:40 am
It’s surprising how flexible seems to be your university system by being able to combine different kind of subjets from humanities to social sciences or sciences.
September 8, 2006 at 10:06 pm
Hector – it helps that I’m taking a double degree, I get to do humanities subjects in my arts degree and law subjects in my law degree. The chemical engineering book was just an example but if I really wanted to I could do a science subject as an elective.
September 9, 2006 at 11:52 pm
I wish I could. Here there’s only some places you can do a double degree ‘easily’ and the options are very reduced. There are some things I think are great about your educative system.
Greetings
October 7, 2006 at 11:02 pm
good
February 4, 2007 at 8:45 pm
[...] Or maybe those are just excuses for me to avoid econs homework. Confirm kena screwed tomorrow. Need to multitask during econs lecture (actually I thought it through – multitasking during lectures is better than ponning them: firstly, you will be there to take down important and crucial notes (but that’s about it), and secondly people won’t arrow you. You also get to increase productivity, since you can do more work in the 70 minutes, as compared to just listening to the lecturer – honestly, who listens to the lecturer 100% of the time!?) Those are the reasons why I wouldn’t ask people to pon lectures, and instead ask them to increase productivity. Like this! [...]
February 4, 2007 at 9:21 pm
[...] really what The Potential Blog suggests you can do in boring lectures: These are five things I like to do in lectures when I just can’t pay attention. The key to doing [...]
February 23, 2007 at 2:26 pm
It sounds like you mind cannot slow down, or you’re trying to be funny. Hope the double major is rewarding for you on every level.