To Concentrate and Focus on Studies with 30+ Powerful Tips
Do you have trouble concentrating on studies? Do not worry: it even happens to the best students. Maybe you just have to modify your study patterns, try out a new technique, or simply create a really effective curriculum that allows you to pause as many times as necessary. With the right system, concentrating will be easier.
Create a good environment for proper concentration
Choose the right place.
Choose a quiet place with the right atmosphere.
Whether it’s your bedroom or a library, choose a quiet environment with no distractions so you can concentrate. There should be no television, no pets or anything that could be an easy distraction. What’s more, you should have a comfortable chair and good lighting. You should not force your back, neck or eye. Yes, pain also counts as distraction.
For example, do not study just in front of the television, but only do your homework at the time of commercials. Watch a little television or listen to the radio just as a quick pause, as if it were the moments to go to take water or fresh air for a few minutes.
Sit in a chair at the desk or desk while you study.
Do not study in bed, except maybe if you read up your blankets, supported vertically with a strong reading light behind you. However, do not get dressed in the blankets, but they will make you want to sleep. And worse, you will start to associate your bedroom with the studio, an impulse that you should definitely avoid.
Have everything you need to study. Your pencils, pens, fluorescent pens and your books should be within your reach so you do not get distracted while studying. If necessary, arrange the area so that the disorder does not affect your mind. There must be no reason to get you up and interrupting you.
Even if you are not sure you need something in particular, it should still be in your area of study. All your textbooks, notebooks and papers you need (remember your official curriculum) should be within your reach. Literally, this is the system for success. Use your laptop if necessary for your studies; otherwise keep it away from you.
Have a snack nearby.
Make it simple for you to repeat, for example, a few nuts, blueberries, strawberries, ¼ apple or squares of a black chocolate bar. Have water on hand too. Do not drink too much coffee, teas with caffeine or some other energy drink (otherwise, you’ll be up all night). These drinks will inevitably make you have ups and downs of energy that will leave you very tired, and pinching and slapping will not be the solution.
Are you looking for some “superfoods”? Studies show that blueberries, spinach, squash, broccoli, dark chocolate and fish are foods that boost brain energy, which can make you study.
Write your study goals. Just for today, what do you want (or do you need) to achieve? What do you have to do to feel that you have done what you needed to do? These are your goals and will help you to move forward during your study time.
Make sure they are feasible
If you have to read 100 pages this week, read them daily from 20 to 20. Do not cover more than you can afford. Keep in mind your time limits, too. If you only have 1 hour free at night, do the most important thing first.
Make sure your cell phone and other electronic devices are turned off. This will help you avoid the temptations that divert you from your task and allow you to stay in your plan. Just use your computer if you need it for your studies. If you do not need it, it will be an unnecessary risk. As for your cell phone, put it in airplane mode unless you need it for an emergency.
On the Internet there are pages and programs like SelfRestraint, SelfControl and Think that block the web pages and programs more difficult to resist. Understand and analyze if you need Facebook blocked during the next hour. Do not worry, you’ll see it again.
You can play background music at low volume. For some, music helps to concentrate; for others, no. Try and see if it works for you. A little background music can make you forget that you are going to study and not have fun.
Remember that the ideal music to study may not be the music you normally enjoy.
Usually the music you do not know is better, because recognizing a song causes the mind to begin to wander or feel like singing. Experiment by listening to other genres and see if there is something you like but you can easily lend it and stop paying attention.
Try using a background generator that plays natural sounds, such as bird chirping, rain, a river stream or other nice sounds to help you keep studying. There are several free tools on the Internet.
Stay focused
Make yourself a schedule. If you have a long night of studies scheduled, make a plan for the day. Try to study for periods of 30 to 60 minutes with breaks of between 5 and 10 minutes. The brain needs a pause to recharge. It’s not that you’re lazy, you just have to let the brain synthesize information.
Try changing subjects every hour to avoid getting bored and saturating your mind. Too much information on a subject can put the brain in autopilot mode. A new subject will keep your mind and motivation awake.
Take some time to worry or think about other things.
Sometimes, it is difficult to study because the real world sneaks into our minds, whether good or bad. We feel we have no control over our thoughts, but we do. Repeat that you will think about that problem or that girl or boy when you finish. You will feel a little consolation knowing that you will do it later. And when the time comes, the impulse might have disappeared.
If you begin to feel your mind wander, stop in the dry. Take a second pause to clear yourself and then pick up your material. You are the director of your thoughts. You started them and you can stop them too!
Have pen and paper next to you and write down everything that comes to your mind during your study sessions. Do those things or think of them when it’s time for a break.
Varies your method of studies.
Let’s say you just finished reading 20 pages of a textbook. The last thing you should do is read the next 20 pages of the next textbook. Better, try some cards. Make a few tables to help you remember those economic figures. Listen to your French recordings. Do a type of study that puts into practice other skills and exercises other sections of your brain. It’s that simple: you’ll be less boring.
It will also be easier to process for your brain. Varying the skills you use will help your brain process the information received faster and retain it. Time will pass faster and you will remember it better.
Award yourself.
Sometimes it takes a little incentive to move on. If getting good grades is not enough of a reward for you, do something else that will keep you focused on your studies. Maybe some sweets or eat some gustito in front of the television? A walk to the mall? A massage or a nap? What would make studying worth living?
If possible, have your parents participate. Can they help you give you an incentive? Perhaps getting better grades may exempt you from having to do your least favorite duty or may temporarily increase your tip. Ask them if they are willing to create some sort of prize plan. It’s never wrong to ask.
Go back, if necessary.
Have you ever been given worksheets that you wanted to complete, but were not you completely clear on what you meant? This is how we sometimes feel when we study. It recognizes when it is necessary to go back and simplify things. If you do not know the basics, do not try to solve the content. First study part by part.
When you get a question like “What was Christopher Columbus’ position in the Court of the Catholic Kings?”, It will help you to know who Christopher Columbus was. First find out about it and then move on to the question itself.
Make the study more active. Teachers know this, but they almost never say it: reading can be boring, especially when it’s a topic you do not enjoy. To make the study more effective and to make it easier for you to concentrate, use active reading techniques. This will prevent you from rambling and will guarantee you high grades. The following are some ideas:
Ask questions as you read.
Take your eyes off the page and summarize out loud what you’ve read.
Make notes about concepts, characters, plots or events described. Use the fewest words and give short examples to express yourself. Abbreviate the words in your notes. Write down the page numbers, titles and authors in case you need them again to do a bibliography or other task.
Make a test as part of your note-taking while reading and use it for a review.
Connect to the Internet, but disconnect when your pause is over. During the break, take advantage of your time online. Go directly to Facebook.
Turn on your cell phone and check if you have lost messages or calls. Do not spend time answering them, unless it is an emergency. Enjoy all your favorite activities from your breaks, but just take a few minutes. Get out of your system and go back to school. You will feel a little better having been “connected”, even if only for a few minutes.
This small recharge session does wonders for concentration. You may think that it will distract you and divert you from your path, but in the end you will see that you can do more. Whenever you use your pause wisely, it will be so.