Alright, so check it – you’re stuck in class, clock’s barely ticking, and you’re about to lose it. Been there, done that. So, I started experimenting, just to keep my brain from turning to mush. Here’s what I did:
- Doodle like crazy: I’m talking full-on abstract art in the margins of my notebook. Started with random shapes, then tried to make them into something, anything. Keeps your hands busy and kinda focuses your mind, y’know?
- Invent stories: Looked around the room, picked a couple of people, and started building a backstory for them in my head. What’s their deal? What are they hiding? Totally ridiculous stuff, but it ate up some time.
- Paper football championship: Classic, right? Folded up a tiny paper football, made a goalpost out of a pen and eraser, and had a silent tournament against myself. Got pretty intense.
- Code in my head: This one’s for the nerds (like me). I just started mentally working on a little script, like how to automate some boring task. I mean, not actually writing code, just planning it out, thinking through the logic. Helped me stay sharp.
- Listen really closely: Okay, this sounds boring, but I tried focusing on the professor’s voice, picking up on little nuances, the way they structured their sentences. It’s like a weird kind of mindfulness. Sometimes, you even learn something!
So, how did it go? Well, the doodling was the most reliable. Always something to draw. The story thing was good for a laugh, but sometimes I got too distracted thinking about it. The paper football? Let’s just say I got caught a few times. The coding thing was surprisingly effective – felt like I was actually being productive, even though I was just spacing out. And the listening thing? Yeah, I actually paid attention sometimes. Not all the time, but sometimes.
Overall, it wasn’t a perfect solution, but it definitely made those excruciatingly long lectures a little more bearable. Try it out, see what works for you. Just don’t get caught playing paper football during a final exam, okay?
