As a student at a University, sometimes it can be hard to motivate yourself to not stay in bed all day. One activity that helps keep my focus is playing the guitar. I found that playing the guitar helps me refocus when I need too and overall can be very fun if you learn at your own pace.
In the past, I had tried to learn to play the guitar, but teachers always seemed to make the subject matter obnoxiously boring. Anyone who has tried to learn any instrument knows that sometimes the more tedious work of the instrument can be very unmotivating.
It was not until I was in college that I was able to fall in love with the instrument I once knew. I discovered that it was okay to learn at your own pace and that music is all interpretational. This is what allowed me to pick back up the instrument, no more deadlines, no more tedious work, just fun at my own pace.
Another reason I have grown to love the guitar is through its ability to help me refocus. As a student that’s diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder and chooses not to take prescription medicine it can sometimes be hard to make myself focus. Often, I find myself working for about ten minutes before I lose focus and must find some way to get myself back on track.
In the past I used YouTube videos to give my brain a “rest,” but I found that I would more than occasionally fall into the dark rabbit hole that is YouTube. Hours would pass before I resumed my assignment, and normally I would return to my task more tired than I had previously felt. The worst part is that I was completely unaware of how much time I was spending watching videos.
Today, instead of YouTube, I use the guitar. The guitar continues to stimulate my brain, but not in a draining way. I also find that I am not as tired when I resume any task because I don’t lay down to watch videos. It is also easy to set a 15-minute timer rather than just mentally telling yourself, “Okay, I’ll resume my work after 3 YouTube videos.” To put it simply, guitar always leaves me wanting more, but is easy to put down and resume any previous tasks I had already started.
Playing the Guitar in College 