08-15-2013, 02:12 AM
How to Focus On Studying in 6 Steps
1.Get Rid of Obvious Distractions
It's not smart to study with your cell phone on, even if it's set to vibrate. As soon as you get a text, you're going to look. You're human! You can't focus on studying if you're chatting with someone else, too. So the cell phone is off limits.
Turn off the home phone, too, along with the computer (unless you're prepping on it) and any music with vocals. Study music should be lyric-free! Post a sign on your door for people to stay away. If you have kids, find a babysitter for an hour. If you have roommates, head out of the house to the least popular spot in the library. For that one study session, make yourself inaccessible to people and other external study distractions, so you don't lose focus when someone wants to chat.
2.Anticipate Your Physical Needs
If you're studying intently, you're going to get thirsty. Grab a beverage before you open the book. You may even need a power snack while you're working, so grab some brain food, too. Use the bathroom, put on comfortable clothes (but not cozy), set the air/heat to best suit you. If you anticipate your physical needs before you start studying, you'll be less likely to need to get out of your seat and lose the focus you worked hard to gain.
3.Choose an Appropriate Time
If you're a morning person, choose the a.m. for your study session; if you're a night owl, choose the evening. You know yourself better than anyone else, so choose the time when you're at the height of your brain power and the least tired. It'll be much more difficult to focus if you're battling fatigue, too.
4.Get Rid of internal Distractions
Sometimes the distractions aren't coming from the external – they're invading from within! We've all sat down to study and had worries and other internal distractions invade our brains. "When is she going to call me? When am I going to get a raise?"
When these distracting questions invade, accept them, then push them aside with a logical answer.It seems silly, but if you answer your own internal questions, you'll focus your mind back where you want it to go. If necessary, write the the worry down, solve it in a simplistic manner and move on.
5.Get Physical
Some people are just antsy. They need to be doing something, and their bodies don't make the connection that they are doing something during studying. Sound familiar? If you're one of these kinesthetic learners, get out a few things to anticipate an "ants in your pants" issue: a pen, a rubber band, and a ball.
6.Get Rid of the Negativity
It's impossible to focus on studying if you have all sorts of negative ideas about studying. If you're one of those people who say, "I hate studying!" or "I'm too upset/tired/sick/whatever to study, then you must learn how to flip those negative statements into positive ones, so you don't automatically shut down when you start. It's amazing how quickly studying can become an awful burden with just a poor frame of mind.
Tips:
1.Work with quality material seem stupid but you won't put the blame on the material
2.Wear comfortable, not cozy clothes. Your mind will associate relaxing with sweatpants or pj's. Choose something you'd wear to school or a movie.
3.Tell yourself something positive in case you get distracted despite following the steps
above: "I know I lost focus, but I'm going to try again and make sure I'm successful this time." Positive encouragement goes a long way even if it's coming from you.
4.Drink your favorite beverage while studying as a reward for your ability to stay focused. Keep it non-alcoholic!
1.Get Rid of Obvious Distractions
It's not smart to study with your cell phone on, even if it's set to vibrate. As soon as you get a text, you're going to look. You're human! You can't focus on studying if you're chatting with someone else, too. So the cell phone is off limits.
Turn off the home phone, too, along with the computer (unless you're prepping on it) and any music with vocals. Study music should be lyric-free! Post a sign on your door for people to stay away. If you have kids, find a babysitter for an hour. If you have roommates, head out of the house to the least popular spot in the library. For that one study session, make yourself inaccessible to people and other external study distractions, so you don't lose focus when someone wants to chat.
2.Anticipate Your Physical Needs
If you're studying intently, you're going to get thirsty. Grab a beverage before you open the book. You may even need a power snack while you're working, so grab some brain food, too. Use the bathroom, put on comfortable clothes (but not cozy), set the air/heat to best suit you. If you anticipate your physical needs before you start studying, you'll be less likely to need to get out of your seat and lose the focus you worked hard to gain.
3.Choose an Appropriate Time
If you're a morning person, choose the a.m. for your study session; if you're a night owl, choose the evening. You know yourself better than anyone else, so choose the time when you're at the height of your brain power and the least tired. It'll be much more difficult to focus if you're battling fatigue, too.
4.Get Rid of internal Distractions
Sometimes the distractions aren't coming from the external – they're invading from within! We've all sat down to study and had worries and other internal distractions invade our brains. "When is she going to call me? When am I going to get a raise?"
When these distracting questions invade, accept them, then push them aside with a logical answer.It seems silly, but if you answer your own internal questions, you'll focus your mind back where you want it to go. If necessary, write the the worry down, solve it in a simplistic manner and move on.
5.Get Physical
Some people are just antsy. They need to be doing something, and their bodies don't make the connection that they are doing something during studying. Sound familiar? If you're one of these kinesthetic learners, get out a few things to anticipate an "ants in your pants" issue: a pen, a rubber band, and a ball.
6.Get Rid of the Negativity
It's impossible to focus on studying if you have all sorts of negative ideas about studying. If you're one of those people who say, "I hate studying!" or "I'm too upset/tired/sick/whatever to study, then you must learn how to flip those negative statements into positive ones, so you don't automatically shut down when you start. It's amazing how quickly studying can become an awful burden with just a poor frame of mind.
Tips:
1.Work with quality material seem stupid but you won't put the blame on the material
2.Wear comfortable, not cozy clothes. Your mind will associate relaxing with sweatpants or pj's. Choose something you'd wear to school or a movie.
3.Tell yourself something positive in case you get distracted despite following the steps
above: "I know I lost focus, but I'm going to try again and make sure I'm successful this time." Positive encouragement goes a long way even if it's coming from you.
4.Drink your favorite beverage while studying as a reward for your ability to stay focused. Keep it non-alcoholic!