How to Concentrate on Studies

Are you having trouble in concentrating on your studies? Well, don't worry – it happens to the best of students. To concentrate on your studies, you may just need to shake up your study patterns, study in a quieter place free of outside distraction, try a new technique, or simply come up with a really effective study plan that allows your mind breaks as often as you need. Experiment until you find what works for you. With the right set-up, concentrating should be easier.

1 Choose the right spot. A quiet place with a suitable environment. Whether it is your room or a library, choose an atmosphere that is silent & free of distractions in order to concentrate. It should be away from the TV, pets, and anything else that spells for an easy distraction. What's more, you want a comfy chair and good lighting. There should be no strain on your back, neck, or eyes – pain is also a distraction.

• For example, do not study right in front of a TV; you will only do your homework when the advertisements come up. Go to get a "snip" of TV or radio only as a quick break – exactly as if it's a few moments to go to get a drink of water or "fresh air" for a minute.
• Sit in a chair at a table or desk while you study. Don't study in bed, except maybe reading on top of your covers, propped upright with a bright reading light behind you. However, don't get under the covers – you'll just want to fall asleep. What's more, you'll start to associate your bedroom with studying and that's definitely an impulse you want to avoid.

A standing desk does a remarkable job making you focus on your task (in addition to being a healthier option to sitting).

2 Write down your study goals. For just today, what do you want (or need) to get accomplished? What should you do to be able to walk away feeling like you've done all you needed to do? These are your goals, and it will give you something to work toward during your study time.
Make sure they're doable. If you have to read 100 pages this week, break it down to 20 pages a day – don't bite off more than you can chew. Keep in mind your time constraints as well. If you only have one free hour tonight, do the most important thing to get done?

3 Make a timetable. If you have a long night of studying ahead of you, make a plan for the day. Aim to work for 30-60 minute periods with 5-10 minute breaks in between. Your brain needs the break to recharge. It's not laziness – it's letting your brain synthesize the information.

• Try to switch subjects every hour or so, too, to prevent yourself from getting bored and saturating your mind. Too much of one subject and your brain will start going on autopilot. A new subject will wake up your mind and your motivation.

4 Make sure your cell phone and other electronic devices are turned off. This will help you avoid temptations to be off-task and allow you to stay on your plan. Only use your computer, if you need it for your studies; otherwise, it's just an unnecessary risk. As for your phone – put it in airplane mode unless you need it on for an emergency.

• There are website and software blockers like SelfRestraint, SelfControl, and Think that can keep you away from the websites and software that are the hardest to resist. Understand yourself and whether you need Facebook to be blocked for the next hour or so. Don't worry – it'll come back.

5 Reward yourself. Sometimes we need a little pick-me-up to keep ourselves going. If the good grades aren't enough of a reward, create something else to keep you concentrated on your studies. Maybe some sweet treats and some noshing time in front of the TV? A shopping spree? A massage or a nap? What would make studying worth your while?

• If possible, get your parents involved. Could they help supply you with incentive? Maybe getting better grades could get you out of your least favourite chore or could temporarily up your allowance. Ask them whether they're willing to help work out some type of reward plan – it never hurts to ask.

6 Set aside time to worry or think about other things. Sometimes it's hard to study because the real world keeps creeping into our minds, good or bad. We feel like we don't have control over our thoughts, but we do. Tell yourself that you'll think about that problem or that girl or boy when you're finished. You'll feel a bit of solace knowing you'll get to it eventually. And when the time comes, the urge may have actually passed.

• If you start to feel your mind wander, stop it dead in its tracks. Take a second to shake it off, and then resume with the material. You are the ringleader of your thoughts. You started them, and you can stop them, too!
• Keep pen and paper besides you and write down everything that comes to your mind during your study sessions. Do or think about those things once you're having a pause.

7 Consider playing background music softly. For some people, music helps them concentrate. For some, it doesn't. Try it out and see what works best for you. A little something in the background can make you forget that you're just studying instead of out having fun.

• Keep in mind that the music that's right for you to study to may not be the music you traditionally like. Traditionally music that you don't know is better because recognising a song makes your mind wonder or even sing to it. Experiment with listening to other genres to see whether there's something you enjoy but can easily tune in and out.
• Try to use a background noise generator that plays natural sounds such as bird chirping, rain, river stream or other pleasant sounds in order to help you study. There are several free tools available online.

8 Make notes on the concepts, characters, plots, or events described.Use as few words as possible and brief examples to tell what you mean to say. Abbreviate the spellings of what you write in your notes. Note page numbers, titles and authors of books in case you need to refer to them again for a bibliography or another reason.

• Create a quiz as part of your note making, as you read and use it later for checkup and a review.

9 Do the least pleasant tasks first. While fresh, you can sizzle with the highest powers of concentration at your disposal. Do the most critical and deep background concepts early before moving onto easier (less challenging) but necessary grinding out of details. If you do the easier tasks first, you will be thinking about and stressing about the harder ones the whole time, reducing your productivity and ability to focus.

• That being said, avoid bogging yourself down when reading, or getting stuck and defeated on difficult problems or essay questions. Sometimes the least desirable part of an assignment may be too time-consuming and it could drain/kill all your available time. So try to limit your time and self-supervise to move on to easier matters, if absolutely necessary.

10 Get enough sleep. The benefits of sleep are practically innumerable. Not only are your hormones regulated and information synthesized, but it helps you fire on all pistons the next day, too. In fact, trying to focus while overly tired is physically similar to trying to focus while drunk. If you can't concentrate, this could be why.

• Most people need between 7-9 hours of sleep a night. Some a little more, some a little less. How many hours do you like to sleep, when you don't have to set an alarm? Try to get that every night by going to bed a bit earlier than usual, as required.

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