How To Stay Focused While Studying
May 23, 2024
We’ve all been there before. You have some school work to do, so you gather the motivation to start studying. You might begin well, but after a while your mind wanders, your phone buzzes, or the neighbour’s dog starts barking, and soon enough you’ve lost your flow.
How can you avoid this? We’ve gathered some of the best tips and research for keeping your study space as distraction-free as possible.
Go Off The Grid
We all know how distracting our devices, especially our phones, can be while we’re trying to focus! But it’s not just those pesky notifications that divert your attention. Studies have found that even if you don’t use your phone, just having it within reach can reduce your concentration. Putting your devices out of sight, or better yet, in a different room, can help keep you on task.
Take Control of Your Devices
We often have to use our devices as a study tool, so we may not always be able to put them away. But if you know which particular things about the device distract you, you can sometimes control these. Using ‘do not disturb’ functions, disconnecting from Wifi, only opening tabs that relate to your current work, or using an app or browser add-on that blocks social media can be helpful.
Control The Noise
Depending on your preferences and which subjects you’re studying, you may need a quiet or slightly noisy environment to focus. If you need quiet, it can be helpful to ask those around you to keep it down, use noise-cancelling headphones, or seek a quiet spot like a backyard or library to study. And if you prefer a bit of noise, listening to music or studying in a busy area like a cafe can be productive. A note on the music-while-studying-debate: generally, if you’re reading or writing then, lyric-less music is best, but if not then music with lyrics is fine.
Take Breaks
It seems counterintuitive, but it’s important to take breaks to ensure that you can focus for long stretches of time. Generally, our brains start to wander after about 30-40 minutes of focused work, so taking 10-15 minute breaks each 30-40 minutes can help you return refreshed. Just make sure you hold yourself accountable to the exact time you plan to start your next study session or break! Moving around during breaks can help your brain reset too (even if it’s just going to grab a drink of water).
Do One Thing at a Time
There’s a lot of research that shows multitasking is not effective, because it means you concentrate less on all the things your attention is divided between. Generally, catching up with friends or watching a TV show while studying won’t work that well. Best to work on studying first and fully enjoy the other things you want to do later on! Working on one study task at a time will also be most effective.
Take Care of Your Health
It’s hard for your brain to focus on complicated schoolwork if you’re tired, hungry, thirsty, or stressed. Taking care of your health is very important regardless of school, and as a bonus it will also benefit your studying. Make sure you sleep enough each night (8-10 hours), eat regular and balanced meals, and drink enough water whenever you feel thirsty. When you’re studying, keep some snacks and drinks on hand too! And if you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed by anything, it can be helpful to talk it out with a trusted person.
See if you can implement any of these tips into your next study session! While distractions are inevitable, the more you’re able to control them, the more you’ll learn!
