It’s so easy to get distracted in this day and age. With things like social media, friends, family and noisy surroundings which all influence our focus, it’s understandable why some people find it difficult to concentrate. Everyone has the ability to concentrate. If you don’t believe me then think of a time when you were so deep into an activity that required your undivided attention. Like playing a game for example. That game required your concentration and you were successfully able to display it. That kind of concentration can also be applied to studying when you follow these tips below.
11 Effective Tips on How to Concentrate on Studies
Choose the right place
How well you concentrate depends on your surroundings and environment. So to encourage concentration, choose a quiet, well-lit place like a library or study room. Turn your phone off or leave it at home, make sure your work space is nice and tidy and you sit on a chair that promotes good seating posture.
Plan your study and make it a routine
When you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Planning is essential when studying. You need to draw up a study timetable and stick to the schedule. Break your study sessions into little segments as this will make it easier for you to absorb information and concentrate.
Create a work routine whereby you have a beginning, middle and end because our holistic brains love structure as opposed to things that are left incomplete or hanging midway.
Also, set yourself a time limit; our brains adjust to the limit we set ourselves which enables us to deliver the required amount of work within that time frame.
Turn off social media that distracts
It is very important to block out all forms of distractions, especially social media on your phone and computer. This also includes instant messaging, video games, and news and entertainment sites. If you lack self-control, there are apps which act as website blockers such as: SelfControl (for MAC desktops) and SelfRestraint (for PC users).
Learn actively
Learning proactively is helpful on how to concentrate on studies as when your mind is active, it’s less likely that you will get bored soon and will have better concentration. Here are three ways to learn actively:
Set realistic work goals for yourself and break down tasks into bite-size chunks so you don’t feel burnt out. If your attention span is limited, set goals that suit it. Could it be 10, 15 or 20 minutes per segment? Figure out what yours is then adjust yourself accordingly.
Reward yourself for hard work and use it to motivate you even further, instead of moping about what you didn’t manage to get done. I’m not saying overlook being lazy but next time when you asses yourself and dig out the negatives, think of realistic ways you can concentrate and study better. In respect of all of this, continue to reward yourself for your efforts and bring yourself down less.
Share your thoughts and feelings with friends and family regardless of if it’s good or bad. You may end up sparking up an interesting conversation that motivates you to do better.
Know when to have a rest
Working non-stop without breaks will do you more harm than good so make sure you take regular breaks in between your study time. Think of your breaks as rewards and don’t feel guilty for having that time to yourself. You could take short 5-minute breaks every 30 minutes and longer ones every 90 minutes. Breaks give you a chance to re-freshen your mind and refuel, this is why it’s so necessary to take that time out. Also, don’t allow studying to consume so much of your day that you end up missing out vital bonding time with family and friends.
Reflect and adjust
Monitor your progress and make the necessary improvements to your study routine. Some questions you could ask yourself are:
What are my main goals?
What do I want to achieve this week?
What tasks do I need to complete today?
Is my work schedule and technique working out for me?
Is there any room for improvement?
Tallying your mental wanderings
Get hold of a 3x5 inch card and divide the card into three segments by drawing two lines, then label them “morning”, “afternoon”, and “evening”.
Every time your mind wanders do a tally in the right section and keep one card for each day. As you improve you will see the tally count decrease.
Visualize
You know those times where concentrating is not an issue for you? Try and put yourself in that situation and study once you get into that mind frame. It can help your study session flow seamlessly.
Listen to your body
We all have times when we work best. Some people work best during the day while others are buzzing with ideas during the night. Figure out which time you work best and study during that time. Listening to your body and working when you have high energy levels, helps you produce better quality work and retain more knowledge.
Get enough sleep
Sleeping has numerous benefits. It is also a resort to how to concentrate on studies. When you sleep, your hormones are regulated and it’s a natural way of refuelling after all the exhaustion you put your mind and body through working and studying. Trying to focus while you’re tired is like trying to focus when you’re sedated. You just can’t. So make sure you get a sufficient amount of sleep.
Eat healthy
Eating healthy will keep you energized and have you ready to tackle tasks. You really are what you eat, so if you eat a lot of healthy foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains then your mind will be in a much healthier state too. Try to stay away from white carbohydrates, fatty foods and sugar as they are bad for you and do the direct opposite of what the healthy foods do.
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