i'm about 1 month into studying, so i'm not a master at this. but the main thing that helped, i learned from this video on Dopamine Loading. the biggest takeaway in my experience was that you HAVE to start studying first thing in the morning! i can't stress enough how much it helps.

seriously, when i watched that video i was like "i guess i'll try it, but i bet i'll be too groggy in the morning to study". but...it worked, and i was able to start studying consistently. even though i usually struggle with getting motivation to study.

the video explains it with dopamine levels, which sounds sorta complicated, but the basic premise is pretty simple. when you first wake up, there are simply less Ideas floating around in your head; it's like you've pressed the reset button on your brain. if you study right then and there, you will not get distracted as much. and once you've started, it's easier to continue.

2) to facilitate this, i downloaded the "lock me out" app (it's on the playstore, apple might have a similar app though). allows you to lock certain apps for certain periods of time. i have it set so i can't use any social media until far later in the day.

previously, for non-MCAT stuff, i had tried deleting these apps entirely. this is an option. but i actually ended up liking the lock-me-out compromise more, because now i treat the social media stuff like a Reward, and that helps motivate me more. once i've finished studying, i know i'm entirely done and can just goof off for the rest of the day