I really don’t believe that anyone who is enrolled for NEET coaching watches daily soaps or dramas . Neither do they engage in heavy socialising nor in serious sports . Social media serves as an entertainment for unwinding after a long study . Food is a major solace and if it’s exciting restaurant food , then all the more . I don’t even count any of the above as a major source of distraction . So what distractions do you expect ? These actually are all deviations at an emotional or a mental level . The poor child has given up all the actual fun in life , abandoned friends and so called boy/ girl friend type friends , deactivated Insta account and yet unable to focus . So what are these factors ? And can they be overcome ? Let me enumerate the following chaotic situations, which I call them distractions to a great extent .
- Lack of a goal – Yes , you do have a common final goal , that is to crack NEET and get into a decent college of your choice . But what lacks is an achievable small goal and an even smaller micro goal . A micro-goal could be as small as finishing chapter 13 of Unit 10 today and should be a subset of a bigger goal of completing Unit 10 of Biology in the current week . Remember that with each action of yours , you are going one step closer to your final ultimate goal of cracking the NEET .
- Lack of a time table – This is the most common factor lacking in almost all students. When I say time table – I mean the following things . Firstly how many subjects you will do daily . Secondly , the number of hours for each subject. Thirdly, which hours specifically will be devoted to those subjects. Fourthly , what topics will you cover on those days . Of course the fourth point depends upon the weekly goal for that particular week .
- Lack of adequate policing – Remember you are only 17 years old and it’s very likely , almost to the tune of being sure , that you will falter on the time table. So here you need Regulation . Thus could be a study partner . Or even a parent or a mentor, who keeps track on whether you follow the time table or that . The moment the time table for the day fails due to some reason, you have to make the next one immediately after making the necessary adjustments .
So at no point , you can function without a time table .
- Lack of clarity– This is one of the most common blunders . Remember confusion is the most common distraction. Confusion can be regarding which authorities to follow , what MCQ book to solve or what goal to have in mind . Clarity is the essence of success. So de clutter yourself of all necessary stuff . Mental and material. In the last 6 months prior to exam , you must have minimum number of books in your daily shelf . Apart from NCERT textbooks , you may have a maximum of 2 mcq books . Too many books , papers , and files lying around just steals of your clarity and makes your vision blurred regards how much is over and how much is remaining.
- Getting demotivated by less test marks – If the test marks are not up to your expectations, definitely you need to identify what and where you went wrong . You need to evaluate your marks seriously and check if there is a concept loss or a info loss . Both things need a correction. Attempting a test with inadequate data is a waste of time . But what commonly happens , is a circle of disappointment due to less score and an ensuing demotivation and thus feeling that it’s redundant to study anyways . Here you get trapped in a negative viscous circle . So what’s necessary is an objective evaluation of the score and an immediate correction. Always remember that the only desired emotion during these two years is – Will . ( if that’s an emotion ) . This is a compete action game of high level execution and there is no space and scope for any drama of either joy or sadness .
- Comparison with your peers – Believe me , this is the most toxic thing . You have a friend who studies with you , travels with you , or has scored lesser than you in the class 10 th . And suddenly he or she beats you in a biology test . This is like the most devastating news for you . And funnily, if you believe me at this point , this should actually be the most insignificant news to you . Do you realise that there are additional 17 lakhs out there who are also competing with you? Have you thought of some girl of your height , weight and status in another remote city in a different coaching class is also your competition? So please stop these petty thoughts and remember that they are only proving contrary to your progress . By the way , parents engage in such dramas more than the students themselves. The only truest fact is that you only compete with yourself and surely do engage in this self improvement by maintaining a personal record.
So get going . Set a Goal for the week and thus the day .Stay away from baits . Make time tables to reach your goal . Try to work them. If not , make still the next one . Remember, be realistic while setting a goal . Take into consideration the college , coaching class hours and test schedules . Don’t give an excuse that there is no enough time . Tell yourself that if someone there has done it , you can do it too .
Dr Himani Tapasvi
MD FRCR ( London )