It occurred to me as, I sat in the library “studying”, that I was probably the most unfocused girl in the world. I was constantly changing songs from one artist to another. And once the song was changed, I would find myself lost in scrolling through Instagram memes. I tried silencing my phone, but that gave me anxiety so I quickly put my ringer back on. Then I couldn’t stop thinking about all the other things I had to do! It’s hard for me to focus! I did my research into better focus tips, and I personally tried the tips listed. Hopefully, this will help you stay a bit more focused next time you study!
1. Figure Out Why You’re So Unfocused
In any situation, if there is a problem one needs to figure out the reason behind it. Loss of focus could be due to a lot of different things. If something is on your mind, take time to figure out why it bothers you so much. Stress can wear down your focus as well. Pin-point what you can’t stop thinking about and know that everything will turn out alright!
2. Make Room For Yourself
I got this idea from my roommate when she mentioned that she couldn’t do something due to her allocated study time. I thought this was a marvelous idea. There are just so many hours in a day to complete everything on your mental to-do list. One way to make that to-do list smaller is to try breaking up your day in a loosely planned schedule, so you can get the most done. When it comes to staying focused on your school work, make a few hours a day be your study sessions. Shutdown social media and stop scrolling on Pinterest! Create sessions based on your personal schedule. They can be as long as you want or as short as you need, especially if your classes are longer or closer together. Staying focused will be easily achieved through this system, and you’ll find more time for yourself at the end of the day!
Photo by Brigitte Tohm on Unsplash
3. Create Your Study Playlist
I love listening to musicals. So when I study now, I listen to a musical. It’s an easy fix to the “trying to find the perfect study song” problem. I personally enjoy the Hamilton soundtrack, but you can choose whatever you like! If you don’t prefer musicals, then select an artist you like to listen to. I always select songs that are calming yet upbeat. Slow songs make you sleepy, and sad songs, well, are sad songs. Either way, select a playlist just for your studies!
*If you are feeling spooky and in the Halloween spirit, I suggest listening to some Halloween music!
4. Use your phone as a stopwatch!
I thought this was another great idea for studying. When setting up your study sessions give yourself timed study sessions. Let’s say you set two hours to study for your classes. Break those two hours in four 25 minute study sessions with 10 minutes in the middle of the 25 minutes as breaks. These study breaks give you a moment to stretch or grab a snack just to take a breather. Who ever said studying had to be that focused!
Photo by Anete Lūsiņa on Unsplash
5. Invest in a Planner
Everyone, a planner is like your personal assistant. It can remember everything you put in it. It records important due dates, and most importantly it keeps your life organized. Organized equals focused. As I said earlier, I found myself trying to focus on the task at hand while thinking of the future tasks. A planner just simplifies what you should prioritize on at the moment. You can write down your to-do listed, making note of the thing you wish to accomplish.
I find that color coding my planner helps me also. I highlight my completed tasks in bright green. Sometimes marking out the completed items can make you feel like things are being accomplished, which keeps you focused more!
In conclusion, these tips can be life altering. Seriously, these tips will have a positive effect on your grades and your spare time. You will be focused in your studies, and a great deal more organized.