Does your phone usually ring in the middle of the class? Do the social media notifications ping while you try to sleep? Don’t worry – you are not alone in the battle against distractions! We are here to help you find answers to how to focus on studies!
When we dig deeper into a world full of distractions, we find out that we are wasting a large chunk of time, every single day. So how to focus on studies? Assessments and exams demand your undivided attention and irregular habits create a maze of interruptions while you study.
In this article, we will find you a way around these intrusions and increase your concentration. Let’s get started and find out about how to focus on studies.
How to concentrate when studying?
Have you ever wondered why some friends read the menu card at a cafe carefully while others just order the first thing they see? Why are some so particular about taking notes in the class while others snooze? Well, you probably already know the answer: habits.
Just like our habits of eating and meeting others, concentration is also a habit. You already know that studying with concentration is important but still lack the practice to pay attention. The reason is that concentration needs to be worked on like other habits need work. Let’s read ahead to find out how to concentrate when studying!
Making new habits is easy
Well, the truth is, every time you want to create a new habit, it may not be that easy at first. After practice and repetition of the same habit, you will become more accustomed to it.
Therefore, nothing is hard to do when you get used to doing it. This includes reaching school on time, doing homework everyday, and not leaving exam preparation till the last minute.
#1 Cue of creating a new habit
Whenever you are trying to create a new habit, the first step is to attach a cue to it. For instance, every time the doorbell rings, you check who’s at the door. That’s a habit many of us have. Similarly, every time your phone rings, you pick it up without much thinking. The doorbell and the phone ringtone are cues to your habit.
Think of cue as the lights of a traffic signal: the moment you see the red light, you stop, even without thinking. Red light is the cue to our habit of stopping.
The cue to concentration can be a certain time, such as 4:00 PM. It can also be switching off the internet and the phone. So, the moment you switch off the phone, your brain receives a cue that it has to go into concentration mode.
Eventually habits start to work like magic! They happen by themselves and you wouldn’t have to worry about how to activate them.
#2 Habits need a reward!
Rewards can come in many forms. So, when you stop at the red light, your reward is a sense of satisfaction and responsibility that makes you “feel good”. Similarly, when you attend to unnecessary surfing of the web while studying, you have a feeling of excitement. In other words, we fulfill our habits because we receive rewards!
If you come across a person who wakes up every morning at 5:00 AM, your reaction might be of surprise or shock. However, the person who has this habit feels rewarded every single day. The same is true for long distance runners and people who accomplish impossible tasks by habitual practice.
How are these people able to do this? Because they receive a reward. If you can set a reward for yourself after each successful practice of a habit, your brain will easily remember the habit next time.
Need some examples? If you want to break the habit of eating while studying, then promise yourself a favorite snack every 30 minutes of studying.
If you want to break the habit of looking at the phone for news, promise yourself an hour of news at the end of an hour of work.
How to ignore old habits?
While you are trying to develop new habits, you might still be clinging to some old ones too! For instance, if you are trying to not attend to the phone while studying, you may still attend it on some days and become distracted when it rings.
You can ignore an old habit by consciously ignoring the cue of the old habits. It is like pressing the button in an elevator for 5 years and now you want to learn to press another button – you need to consciously pick the button you want to push!
Preparing for exams? Overcoming the habit of delaying studying
Procrastination or the habit of delaying studying, taking notes, and preparing for exams is perhaps the most common cause behind poor performance. We believe that every student has the ability to become a successful student with techniques to overcome this barrier to performance.
#1 Pomodoro technique:
One of the smart study tips is to follow Pomodoro technique. Study with a deep focus for 25 minutes then give yourself a short break. Give yourself a small reward for coming so far. Then start studying again for 25 minutes and so forth.
#2 Making and changing habits:
Delaying studying is also a habit, so you can change it by using the above mentioned techniques of making habits.
Study effectively at home with concentration!
How to study effectively at home doesn’t always mean studying for long hours. To prevent the study burn-out and maintain good grades, you need to learn to study smart:
#1 Long hours of study vs focused study
You will return from breaks much more focused! Focused study is usually not the one that’s done for 12 hours straight. Instead, it is the one that may last 30 minutes but is productive for you.
#2 Have some fun while studying
Remember to have some fun while immersing yourself in studies. Enjoy the process of learning more than the grade. This is an interesting way to bring focus to studies. Once your brain is trained to know that you are not going to starve it of fun and relaxation, your brain is more willing to take the load of studying.
#3 Sleep well and take naps
At least 7-8 hours of sleep before the exam is very important to a focused performance during the exam. Sleep not only relaxes you in general, rather it is a powerful way to organize your thoughts and material that you have learned. Of course, you don’t do so consciously, but your subconscious is very much active during sleep.
#4 Try journaling everyday
Writing about your day helps you focus your thoughts better. This is a general focusing activity and not specifically related to studies.
Write anything you like. Ideally, just 5-10 lines is enough for a day. You can choose to write about something that inspired you, a good joke or a memorable instant you created that day. It will help you be in the “now”. Time management is sometimes all about grounding oneself: If you feel in the moment, you are worry free and more keen on learning.
#5 Keep time for friends, family and chores
To avoid monotony and boredom, keep time for other activities. When we overdose ourselves with friends’ company or completely cut ourselves from them, we are giving a negative signal to our brain. We need to strike a balance between the two to be able to actually become productive.
Why is time management so important to acing final exams?
The importance of time management is already emphasized in schools. That is because all periods and classes are bound by time boundaries: Students need to submit work on time, take final exams on time, and graduate to the next class in time.
Therefore, you will see that formal learning and training has strings attached to time. That is because certain learning outcomes have to be achieved by the students within a time limit. If you value time, you would not have to bloom later than others. You will know your targets early and will make an effort in the right direction.
Do you want to know how you can maximize the day to achieve your targets of studying? Let’s learn to schedule our day and minimize distractions.
#1 Time blocking technique
A popular strategy of scheduling your day is “time blocking”. It is a simple yet effective way to maximize your time by blocking time for specific activities.
For instance, if you have to study physics, you will select a time and block it for all other activities. Block works like a lock and doesn’t allow you to do anything else in the blocks.
#2 The day theming technique
If you need to prepare for your exams and you need to cover one subject everyday, then day theming will work best for you. You will dedicate each day to one subject only. In this technique, you don’t need to set aside time blocks for each sub-task. Day theming may not work well for everyone because it requires that you have developed habits of removing distractions already.
#3 Task batching technique
Task batching technique is used to group similar and smaller tasks together. You will also schedule a specific time for each smaller task and define a larger time frame to finish all the small tasks.
For instance, if you need to solve the example exercises of math. First assign time for each example. Then you will assign a time for finishing all the examples. You can use task batching during an exam as well when you will time and group the tasks.
Now, let’s hear you in the comments below! What are your favorite takeaways from this post?
Remember to download the Noon App and keep learning.