How do you study if you have a terrible attention span and don’t use any medication?
I’m really struggling with studying math right now. I have tried all the common advice I've switched my phone off, I've put all of my distractions away, I use brown noises, I study in a quiet place, etc. However, my mind is constantly opposing me.
Math, in particular, is very hard because I won't be able to read and solve problems and when I get the answer wrong, I'll try again and then get it wrong again and feel like I am finished and very frustrated. During my reading, my mind wanders off to some other day dream or scenario. I have to remind myself to keep moving to that page, all the time again and again.
Sometimes, I find myself sitting there with nowhere else to go but thinking, and then I realise that an hour has gone past and I haven't done much. It makes me feel like there's this amount of time I'm spending that I could be doing something more.
**This is something that concerns me a lot because I have an important exam in within a month, which might have a great impact on my future. This attention and motivation problem has continued for years and is making preparation a challenge.**
What helped for those who have had a similar experience? Did any techniques, exercises, food, drink, supplements? Mental tips help? Don't mind if it's just a placebo effect, but I'm still curious to hear what worked for you.