How Do UPSC Toppers Keep Away Distractions Like Laptops, Mobiles And The Internet While Preparing For The Exam?
Preparing for any exam needs hundred percent of your attention, focus, and above all, dedication. And the heat increases with the rising competition. For the exams like UPSC and the Civil Services, sacrificing is the first step among the many of the things you have to face, As the UPSC exams are near, you would be needing all the concentration, and let off with the things which are diverting your mind from your target. And for that, we have some guide for all the aspirants. Read on to know how you can avoid the distracting force to keep way miles away from you.
Let’s talk about each distraction you have mentioned one by one.
Laptop- when the prelims approached, I watched many videos in one go, say for 4–5 hours, to get the gist of the topic.
I watched 5 movies a night before in one go.
Whether the laptop is a curse or a cure?
Mobile- Mom called me and said me not to worry. It reduced my tension to half.
Another person is chatting endlessly for hours on WhatsApp.
Whether the mobile a curse or a cure?
Internet- I sat at 10 in morning, wrote answers, read the current affairs material and switched off the net at 1 pm.
I am YouTube and going crazy over Justin Bieber songs for hours.
Whether the Internet is a curse or a cure?
Remember, the problem doesn’t lie in them but in us. We ourselves create the distraction out of it.
Now, how to keep away from it?
- While studying over the net, keep an FB tab open just to check it for a minute after 15-minute study. It will keep your mind fresh. However, it has two disadvantages. First, its hard to come back to the main tab just after a minute. Second, checking pictures of your friends on honeymoon, travelling, celebrating festivals etc might hurt you (it hurts very much at times). For first, it will show how much power you possess over your devil heart (its very small practice but it helps in a long run). Second, don’t get hurt and remember that it was your decision and not others and so you must be happy with it. Further, no event is as happier as it looks on the Internet.
- Delete non-important items from your laptop and mobile. Once you won’t have a movie, even if you will want you won’t be able to do anything.
- Partition time for the Internet, calling family and friends. Even if it is studying over the Internet, it has to fall in some time. You can’t just sit on the Internet the whole day in the name of studies.
- Award yourself. Like ‘if I will be able to complete 2 chapters, I will use WhatsApp for 10 minutes’ or ‘ if I will save 20 minutes and complete these 50 pages in 80 minutes, I will watch a 20 minutes friends episode’.
- Avoid going into Internet debates. Avoid commenting on every single picture or status you see. There are many people who comment on various issues without knowing the ‘A’ of the topic and then we get into explaining them and the cycle will keep on going. Totally worthless.
- Try to use mobile for reading the notes which you have made online or the current affairs while outside.
- Make a list of the things what you are missing out. Like chatting with girls/boys, watching movies, reading kindle, watching YouTube, Instagram or Facebook. Now, make it a kind of secondary motivation to clear the exam. Clear the exam soon and then complete the list. I had the Interest towards some books so I made the list and it worked as a motivation. After the mains got over, I read some of those from the list in next one month.
So the crux is using all these things judiciously. It’s up to you how you utilise it. Toppers are not from Mars and they don’t abandon these things. They just make better use out of it.
So, now you have the mantra to clear that exam. So, pull up your socks and get ready for that exam.
NLC wishes all the very best to all the aspirant who will be giving exam.
Source: Quora.