Creating an Inspirational Study Space

Sometimes we need a reminder of why we are working toward our chosen goals.  We can become so overwhelmed when we focus on the small picture. I'm going to anoint such issues as "small picture problems". Oh we're familiar with these. "Small picture problems" can include that homework assignment you've been avoiding, the test in that really difficult class that you're dreading, that admissions essay that you've been surfing the web vigorously trying to avoid. During times of hardship, discouragement, and procrastination, we need to be able to evoke what I call "Big Picture Perspective". Set your mind to diffuse mode when it comes to inspiring yourself. Focus on the larger outcomes of all of the hard work you’re putting in now: career advancement better economic situation, career change, providing for your family making the world a better place.

There is a special process that I used in order to create an inspirational study space. I surrounded my study space with things that inspired me.  The very setting I chose for studying was inspiring to me. 

For the record, I love coffee shops like Starbucks and Coffee Bean.  

I also love the beach. 

Sometimes, I’d go to the Santa Monica Promenade to study.  I went to Starbucks or Coffee Bean.  I preferred Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf because it was more quiet. 

I settled in set up my study space, and ordered my favorite drink. After I’d studied for a block of time (30-40 minutes) I’d take a break, sip my drink, and listen to my favorite tunes on my iPod.  Then I got back to work.  After repeating this pattern, four hours would easily pass by. On the way home, I’d stroll by my favorite bookstore and music store and enjoy my walk to the bus stop. I was a student, so I couldn't afford to do this every day, but I would try to do this four times a month. 

I was able to create a similar inspirational workspace in the library, student center, and other places I chose to study.  I would leave these study sessions feeling so accomplished and happy.  I was happy to learn what I was learning and to be able to make various connections between the concepts I was learning about and how they applied to other classes I was taking.  In addition, I was enjoying the educational process on my own terms.  Another important element of this process is that I was prepared to answer questions the next day in class in a thoughtful and engaged manner. The ability to discuss, ask questions, and answer questions deepened my engagement and my knowledge in a very deep and significant manner. 

One of the things that I used to do was set up my study area as though it were my very own desk. My in-depth study sessions were a solitary yet enriching activity.  My motto: I'm hard at work. Don't bother me when I'm studying. Chaz Bundick of Toro y Moi and Les Sins fame summed up my modus operandi during those sessions very well...

I treated school like a career, so I mirrored my goal by setting up my workspace like an office desk. I prepared my materials, set up my computer, notepad, binder, pens, pencils and highlighters. Then I took out a small photo album that held pictures of those I love. I also took out a copy of an inspiration collage I made to inspire myself and placed in on my desk. By creating an inspirational space to study I did a number of things.

1. I took ownership of my educational experience.
2. I engaged in "Big Picture Perspective", which reflected my changed mindset about the learning process.
3. I made my learning experience fun and enjoyable...my study time became something I looked forward to.
4. I created a space for learning that was facilitative in the enhancement and deepening of my learning experience. I'd even venture to say that I created a sacred place in which my determination, love of learning, and pleasure centers were nurtured and activated.  I know-pretty intense, eh?
5. I became my own teacher as I gave myself the permission and the time to create my own study apparati: practice exams, mock presentations, self-made charts, and independent essay prompts.
6. I established an important ritual around my practice of studying that involved establishing a safe place for learning, surrounding myself with inspirational and pragmatic study apparati, changing my paradigm regarding my view of studying, and learning in a way that integrates academic knowledge with my knowledge of myself and the world around me.