How to Concentrate on Studies the Right Way?

The 21st century, for the better or worse, has done one thing for certain, shorten our attention span. The demand for short yet informative videos or youngsters’ aversion for long articles and books, the reasons can be many. This translates into a lack of the strength and motivation to engage in activities that require prolonged periods of unflinching focus. This includes studies, job responsibilities, and countless other daily tasks. If you feel the constant need to check your phone or procrastinate for undefined durations, then fret not, you are not alone and here we are to suggest a few reliable measures on how to concentrate on studies more effectively!

How to Concentrate on Studies: Quick List

Here is quick list of tips that will help you in increasing your concentration-

• Find ‘Why’ you are not Able to Concentrate
• Divide your Day
• Find a suitable environment
• Create a study ritual
• Build Confidence/Will-Power
• Block distracting websites and apps on your phone, tablet, and computer
• Divide up and space out study sessions
• Take Breaks and Adequate Rest
• Use the Pomodoro Technique
• Find the best tools
• Have Stationery Nearby
• Focus on skills, not grades
• Avoid Leaving Things Right to the End
• Schedule downtime
• Engage in Other Productive Activities

Find ‘Why’ you are not Able to Concentrate

Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses as well as their own reasons for not being able to concentrate enough. Dig deep, notice your behavior and find out the reason that is obstructing you to concentrate. If it’s the internet, gather the courage and turn it off, if it’s one of your friends, avoid meeting him/her for some time. Tackling the task upfront is oftentimes the most effective way of solving it. Further, more than anything else, it involves having the courage to know yourself better and then work accordingly. Once you do this, you will not need to get rid of anything!

Divide your Day

The answer to ‘How to Concentrate on Studies? is not single dimensional but requires a cross-dimensional approach. You also need to understand that the effort you have put into making a timetable will go waste unless it comes to your use. However, it is most important that you fix a certain number of hours every day, though not necessarily in a predefined way. For this, using the Time Management Matrix can be an ideal solution. The rationale behind fixing the hours rather than a rigid routine is that it gives you the much-needed flexibility to work on other tasks without jeopardizing your studies.

Build Confidence/Will-Power

Whatever measures you take and the plans you follow, it crumbles down if you do not feel the confidence to apply it. Build up a positive attitude and steadily gather confidence. This will, in turn, lead to improved concentration levels. Realize the importance of your task right at the start, devise how you are going to go about it and stick to it even if someone says it is not the right way to study. Concentration behavior is as unique as a fingerprint and building up confidence will help you in not only knowing your answer to ‘How to Concentrate on Studies?’ but also in developing a positive outlook towards other career and life-related decisions thus aiding in personality development. 

Note: A psychologist at University College London developed a quite interesting theory called the ‘Load Theory’ in 1995. What this basically implies is that clean and tidy environments are actually not that effective towards increasing your concentration with respect to unarranged study tables. You can also try that.

Take Breaks and Adequate Rest

According to studies, a 15-minutes break after every 90 minutes is instrumental in maintaining your productivity. Unless you are superhuman, this not only prevents you from burning out at the end of the day but also helps you remember, revise and learn for longer periods of time. Moreover, staying up late at night takes a toll on your brain and body and it is a firm suggestion to all night owls, it is not sustainable. So, try to shift to morning routines as early as possible. Proper rest and sleep revitalizes your energy levels and increasing your concentration levels. This may hold your answer to ‘How to Concentrate on Studies?’.

Avoid Leaving Things Right to the End

If you are struggling with completing your assignment on time or are yet to practice questions on your recently covered topics in school/college, it is a sign of procrastination and leaving things until the last minute, in which case, you might end up in a scenario where it amounts too little too late. Furthermore, this also raises your stress and pressure levels which may end up messing up with your long-term productivity. One of the most influential tricks on how to concentrate on studies is to complete the assigned task proactively. That is half the work done already!

Have Stationery Nearby

If you desire, keep stationery like pens, pencils, notepads, markers, etc. on your study table. This helps in keeping you at the table if you are jumpy and also assists you in positively impacting your thinking process. For example, underlining with a marker or highlighter can help you remember, sticky notes are vital while revising, and so forth. Overall, it keeps your body engaged with the task on hand and improves your concentration.

Engage in Other Productive Activities

There are plenty of activities that help raise your self-awareness and in developing your own techniques to maintain a certain level of concentration. This ranges from watching motivational movies for students and reading popular poetry books to meditating every day for short periods and even taking strolls in the garden. In particular, the importance of reading and meditating far outmatches others as it helps in going beyond merely answering the ‘How to Concentrate on Studies?’ question and contributes to overall personality development and other career skills. 

How to Concentrate on Studies for Long Hours

Check out this video to know how you can concentrate on your studies-

How to Focus on Studying for Exams?

How to Concentrate on Studies During Exams? 

Examinations are more stressful and long-drawn than ever before [MCAT exam takes up to 7.5 hours], and sustaining a high level of concentration is imperative so that you do not blank out at any stage of the exam. Here are a few tips that you can apply: 

• On the day of your exam, rest and sleep as much as you can. It is of utmost importance that you start your exam day with renewed energy levels, fresh and a constructive frame of mind.

• Good concentration levels help devise your answering strategy for the exam, whether to complete the easy questions first or the knotty ones, and so forth. Furthermore, it also guides in getting around the odd tricky question.

• The need for concentration arises well before you enter the hall. It helps you remember the necessary items you need to bring, namely, admit card, pen, ID, etc.

Concentrating on Studies During Lockdown

With academic institutions shut across the world due to the COVID pandemic, online learning has become the new normal. However, studying at home remotely while maintaining your attention span can be a daunting task. So, here we are with some tips on how you can focus on studies during lockdown efficiently:

• Chalk out a weekly or a daily plan in advance.

• Explore different online learning platforms to cover different topics with ease.

• Though online courses can be viewed again, it is always advised to pen down notes.

• Take online tests to evaluate your progress and identify the weak areas.

• Meditate. It is important to maintain your peace of mind while staying and studying at home.

• Reserve time for other activities like reading a book, watching your favourite series, having a group conference with friends etc.

Finding the right answer to the ‘How to Concentrate on Studies?’ question is an internal process that takes a long time and persistent efforts to understand your strengths as well as weak areas. Take the assistance from the experts at Leverage Edu in developing your personal study plan for exams like GMAT, IELTS, etc so as to accentuate your skills and gain advanced knowldege! Click Here to book a free 30 minutes career counselling session right away!