Getting A's despite struggling to focus and being lazy

Hello!<br><br>I graduated with a degree in physics last year and I had always had an extremely difficult time focusing on the material. I would be listening to my friends talking about how excited they are to learn more and I was just over there with no interest. However, I still managed to get good grades. <br><br>I want to tell you guys my approach, and I think you might find it helpful. I did this in almost every single class and I got A's despite struggling to focus on the material.<br><br>**Why it works:**<br><br>1. **Active recall:** By constantly writing down what you notice, you are actively recalling information. Research has shown that active recall is better than passive learning.<br>2. **Rewording**: Paraphrasing and summarizing helps you to understand the material better.<br>3. **You don't need to understand everything yet**: By starting to take these notes early on, you are able to identify what you don't understand early on and allocate time to learn it. <br><br>**Step 1: Write everything down (Listening)**<br><br>When I first started taking the class, I always sit in the front row, directly in the middle of the classroom. I would write down every single thing that my teacher says. I wouldn't write the exact words verbatim, but I would paraphrase what he says by putting everything down in my own words. I would do this for every single class, listening to every single word my teacher says.<br><br>**Step 2: Write everything down (Reading)**<br><br>For my textbooks, I would also read and write down what I notice. I would write down the main arguments from a section, or what I don't understand. I would also identify what the textbook says about the topic that my teachers covered during lecture.<br><br>**Step 3: Identify what you don't understand and make a list**<br><br>As you are taking these notes, you will start to notice what you don't understand. Make a list and identify the things that you don't understand. Go through your notes and textbook again, identify why you don't understand them yet. Read again, and then write again. Then, go back to your original notes and update them with the new information. You can either strike out the old information and write the new one next to it, or write a new note with the updated information.<br><br>**Step 4: Learn**<br><br>Once you have made a list of what you don't understand and updated your notes, then comes the learning part. Now, you should focus on learning what you don't understand. Go read the textbook and take notes. I usually do this at night, and it's the best part. And it's not a chore, because you're only focusing on what you don't understand.<br><br>**Step 5: Review**<br><br>Then, you need to review. I would review all of my notes from the past and reread the textbook. I also found it helpful to go through the material with someone else. If you're lucky, you can find someone in your class who is just as motivated and dedicated to learn it. <br><br>**Step 6: Repeat**<br><br>Repeat the process throughout the semester. I usually do this every single week, until it's time to prepare for the exams. <br><br>**Step 7: Prepare for the exam**<br><br>When it's time to prepare for the exam, I would review everything again and make a summary of all the main points from the notes and textbook. This was usually the easiest part, because by now you would have written down everything in your own words, and all you need to do is put everything together. <br><br>**Conclusion**<br><br>For me, this method worked better than creating flashcards, concept maps, and anything else. I worked better when I was writing and actively recalling information. It's also helpful when your brain recalls information from memory. It just works.<br><br>The key here is that you don't need to focus on understanding it all right away. I always tell myself that I don't need to understand everything right now, because I will eventually. And it works.