[aspencookie]

I just barely finished Section 2 Chapter 3 of FAR, every time I open the book i get bored and start youtube videos, yesterday i was supposed to finish the third section but all i did was watch stupid youtube videos and go on reddit till 11:30pm. I was supposed to sleep at 10pm and wake up at 4am to start studying. None of this happened. On top of that I have to look for a better position to fulfill this stupid work experience requirement, so far i have put in two applications. Can someone suggest what I can do to stop being so unproductive after work. This is my schedule.

8 to 5 work
5-630-ish get home..depending on how late i get off work
6:30 to 8-ish walk the dogs and entertain them till they are satisfied, they can be very very demanding
8 to 10 try to focus on job applications/studying

i am single and have no kids. my semester starts next week and i am taking two accounting classes, one online and one in person.

[jeff]

Wake up early (5am)
Study at lunch
Study at a coffee shop and hour after work
Walk the dogs for 30 minutes.

I just added 4 study hours to your day.

Get the NINJA Audio for your commute … 30 min x 2 ways x 5 days = 5 hours/week.

I just added 20 hours of study time with minimal adjustment.

You also need some pressure. Schedule your exam 3.5 weeks from today – you'll get yourself in gear.

AUD - 79
BEC - 80
FAR - 76
REG - 92

Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS)
NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE | Another71

[aspencookie]

Wake up early (5am) – i can do that, i will try tomorrow

Study at lunch – i was going to go to the library by my office at lunch yesterday, instead i went to Popeyes and watched the Aaron Hernandez trial on Youtube

Study at a coffee shop and hour after work – hmmm..i have to go home otherwise my dogs get depressed if i dont come home on time

Walk the dogs for 30 minutes. – probably not possible cause i have to walk each dog separately cause they excite each other and start pulling in two different directions, very hard to control a great dane going in one direction and a labrador going in another direction

Get the NINJA Audio for your commute … 30 min x 2 ways x 5 days = 5 hours/week. — i have been thinking about purchasing Ninja products since Rogers is too expensive for me this early on in the game.

thank you for your help!!!!!

[rb2017]

I've had the same problem before but at the end of the day, Youtube will still be there after you pass your test.
If you buy the Ninja Audio lectures, which I highly recommend, you can listen in your car as Jeff mentioned, but you can also listen while you walk your dogs. Another option is to get a temporary dog walker.
This exam unfortunately makes you make a lot of sacrifices.

AUD - 77
BEC - 86
FAR - 75
REG - 77

No need to worry, my accountant handles that.

[Anonymous]

If you don't sacrifice the instant gratification of youtube, reddit, twitter, facebook, snapchat, etc., etc. to study for the exam you will fail. Ask yourself “what is more important, watching videos or getting your CPA license?”

[aspencookie]

thank youu i will look into ninja products today

my mom tried to walk the dogs before and all they did was sit on the sidewalk in front of the house and wouldnt move until i came out and walked them. they are just extremely demanding but i dont mind spoiling them endlessly they are like my kids

[jeff]

At the expense of coming across as rude…

Is it possible that you don't want to be a CPA bad enough yet?

You have to want it more than your desire to goof off on social media…more than your desire to make excuses about your dogs being depressed.

Buckle down…knock the exam out. No excuses.

🙂

AUD - 79
BEC - 80
FAR - 76
REG - 92

Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS)
NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE | Another71

[jeff]

^ I had to want to pass more than my desire to come home from work and play Madden on PS2.

We all have our “thing” that distracts us…let's face it…the CPA Exam is boring.

People come up with reasons to clean closets and organize kitchen drawers to avoid studying pensions. It happens.

AUD - 79
BEC - 80
FAR - 76
REG - 92

Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS)
NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE | Another71

[Char143]

Honestly, if you really get into it you find yourself forgetting what is happening around you. I put my phone across the room, I keep it on silent, I sit at a table with nothing on it, and if I find myself going to yahoo or google I yell at myself. I tell myself “f that kardashian story, BE A CPA” lol.. The youtube video will always be there, the show/movie you want to watch can be recorded and watched later. Watch a youtube video after you finish an entire section, make it a prize for yourself. You'll feel less guilty…I tell myself after every hour or topic, I can play on my phone for a little, and I've realized I don't even care to stop and do it and I just keep hitting topics. Once you're in the mood you stay in it for a while.

AUD - 84
BEC - 79
FAR - 78
REG - 79

I'm done! 🙏🏼

 

Licensed CPA

AUD (2/16)-84
REG (05/16)-69 Retake (7/16)-79 (ty ninja MCQ)
BEC-TBD
FAR-9/8/16

[mjbey1s]

“Until you want to succeed more than you want to breathe, you will not be successful”

This quote worked really well for me. It wasn't until I drilled this into my head a million times that I started to realize that the short-term pain was worth the long-term happiness and success I would receive afterwards. I kept feeling bad for myself about how I would be studying all over the holidays and wanted everyone to feel bad for me. And then I thought, “who cares”. No one is going to feel bad for me. Just study and get it done.

Granted, I am still waiting for my score to be released on February 7th, but I have confidence and faith that I passed and I will officially be a licensed CPA. If for some reason I fail, then I will go back to the drawing board and pass it on my last try before a test expires. The main thing is, you have to get your head right and make the CPA your life. Until you do that, the majority of people are not able to pass this exam….

AUD - 83
BEC - 82
FAR - 80
REG - 83

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”

― Paulo Coelho,

Ethics - 96

[aspencookie]

I kinda have told myself that im gonna pass every exam on the first go, like there is NO FREAKIN WAY im gonna attempt it over and over again, im only giving myself one chance. So currently im starting with FAR which seems the worst. I have glanced at Audit and BEC but it seems theory heavy which i can do.

Yes, I want to be a CPA. I just have to have a lot more discipline. The max i can focus is 30 minutes on any one section. At first I was not even able to do the first page of the first section but then I made myself do it..then i did the second page..then the third. I tried that technique that CHR1437 is talking about and it seems to work most of the time.

I just have to get off youtube and reddit and start using lunch time for studying.

thank you all!

[Anonymous]

Sometimes you need to fail a section in order for you to realize there is a learning curve and putting in half the effort just won't cut it. I took FAR first and definitely underestimated it – I did the bare minimum with a good amount of social media and going out with friends mixed in. It's a good reality check when you get your first failing score because then you realize that you can't just skid on by. I'm not saying you should fail and I hope that you don't, but we all need that wake up call where we realize, as Jeff said, that we have to want it more than watching Youtube videos.

[Tncincy]

Well, today is your intervention….we fellow ninja's are encouraging you to get down to business. Deal with your fears and excuses, turn off you-tube and etc and pass the test. Time goes by so fast before you know it, it's quarter 2 no passing grade, no studying, New years resolution to get it done down the drain, ore vows to get it done and it's quarter 3; spring time, fishing, sleep overs, headaches, but no studying and no passing grades. So no more procrastination, deal with it dogs, friends, you tube,etc and get it done.

It begins with a 75
Been here too long as a cheerleader.....time to pass

It begins with a 75
Been here too long as a cheerleader....ready to pass

[Ryan – Just Another Dollar]

there is NO FREAKIN WAY im gonna attempt it over and over again, im only giving myself one chance.

@OP – It sounds to me like you're setting yourself up for failure. I'm not trying to be a Debby Downer or discourage you, but the number of people who pass all 4 sections on their first attempt without any failures is less than 20%. A little bit of a struggle/failure is good for all of us, it teaches us to keep pushing in life even when things get hard.

It took me failing FAR on my first attempt to really decide I wanted this and to force myself to stop making excuses (pets, work, friends, entertainment, money, etc.) My girlfriend sat me down and told me she believed in me but wasn't willing to sacrifice all of our free time if she didn't believe I was putting in 100% effort to passing. After that, I bought Ninja MCQ to supplement my Roger course and told my friends I'd be back playing video games 3-4 nights/week when I was a CPA. 8 months later I became a CPA, moved with my family to a new state, and changed jobs for a 25% pay increase.

This process forced me to grow up and realize what was really important in life and how to drop everything and devote myself to goal attainment. I did go back to playing video games, but only one night a week. I did go back to YouTube, but only a few of my favorite channels and not every single video they put out like I used to.

TL>DR:
Put in MAX EFFORT now so you can be done and have as much time as you want with your dogs/family after you pass and for the rest of your life.

B - 88 (2/16)
A - 84 (4/16)
R - 73 (6/16), 82(7/16)
F - 67 (1/16), 84(4/16)

Ethics - 93

Roger course & Ninja MCQ - HiYa!

[Accountant183748]

I don't want to come off as rude either, but do you think perhaps you should wait to study until after you take your classes and find another job? I don't know if two hours in the evening is enough to fill out job applications, do homework for your classes and study for your CPA exam.

You could also try to get up two hours earlier and study for two hours in the morning and an hour during lunch for your exam and two hours for HW and job applications in the evening. You could turn off your phone while you are studying to avoid getting distracted. Maybe even block FB, YouTube, Reddit, other websites if it's that bad. I know your dogs needs walking, but it shouldn't affect them too much for you to take an hour after work to study and make it home an hour later than usual. They will get used to it if you create a routine. You mentioned your mom tried walking them and they wouldn't, but have you tried walking them together. She takes one dog and you take the other – this way you might be able to cut the walk down about 45 minutes. Otherwise, I would walk each dog 30 minutes max – not until they are satisfied. You could always take them for longer walks on the weekend. Dogs are smart – they will adjust to the new routine 🙂

Since you mentioned you have trouble focusing, I would recommend the Pomodoro method. Basically you focus for 25 minutes and then take a 5-minute break. It really works as a way to stay focused – just make sure your breaks are only 5 minutes. If you do 4 Pomodoros (2 hrs) then you take a 15 minute break.

As the saying goes, “if something is important, you will find a way; otherwise you will find an excuse”. It looks like right now you are finding excuses because maybe it isn't important enough yet. Like Jeff said, we all have our “thing” to distract us, but in order to pass these exams we have to make sacrifices, especially if you want to pass them all on the first time!

Good luck!

[djhagerm]

I blocked certain websites through an add-in so I stayed focused. Sometimes you just get stuck on websites for no reason at all.

I agree – if you want it bad enough you will sacrifice to make it happen!

Good luck and stay focused.

done as of 12/16/2016

R - 86
B - 79
A - retake 7/7/16
F - 76

[Author]

Replies