How to Study for Long Hours?

While studying for exams, we look for efficient ways to maximize focus, effectively manage time, and study for an extensive duration. Think about the relief you’ll feel after completing the syllabus for an exam and finally getting some time to relax. While some believe that studying with short breaks is useful for retaining knowledge, it is possible to squeeze more hours into your study routine without losing focus. So, if you are looking for tricks and techniques on how to study at home or at college consistently for long hours then, you’ve come to the right place! Let’s explore helpful tips and tricks for extending your study routine without worrying about knowledge retention and focus.

Explore our exclusive guide on How to Increase Concentration!

How to Study for Long Hours Without Getting Bored?

Want to study for 10+ hours without getting distracted or bored? Well, it isn’t an easy task, to begin with. But you can surely train your mind to stay focused and away from distractions through certain exercises. Here is how you can study for long hours without falling into distractions:

1. Set Achievable Study Tasks
   First of all, start with setting practical goals for yourself. Take up chapters and concepts that are more scoring, topics of your interests as well as where you are lagging behind and then set a practical schedule and achievable tasks.
2. Learn to Prioritize
   You must always know which concepts, topics or subjects you need to focus more on and thus prioritize them accordingly. Swap subjects between an hour or 45 minutes or any other time you will feel bored and take up an interesting concept. You can always use a unique subject combination of interconnected subjects or topics which will increase your focus and learning power.
3. Create the Best Focused Environment to Study
   Finding a peaceful place to focus on your studying is also essential for minimising distractions and boredom. So, you must first look for a place where you won’t be disturbed for a long time (or however long your study time is) and then turn off all the distractions. Put some peaceful study music and then begin.
4. Incorporate Breaks
   While studying for long hours, you must always incorporate short breaks to relax whether it’s just for a stretch, a long walk or a scroll through your feed. Make sure to put a timer on your breaks and don’t get carried away.
5. Add Some Fun to your Study Sessions
   Next, you must also try to make your study time fun either by asking a friend to study with you or adding music or engaging learning methods. This doesn’t mean that if you have set a 10-hour study session, you will be watching concept videos throughout these long hours. Rather you should take a certain chunk of your study time, and call up a friend for a group study session or use a learning app to finish up some tutorials. For the remaining time, you must incorporate focus and minimum distraction to get the best out of your time.
6. Nap when Needed
   Napping has been found to be useful for recharging our brains and improving focus. You can nap for fewer than 30 minutes in between your study time and it is always better to take this nap at the same time every day as this will sync it with your circadian rhythm.
7. Active Not Passive Study
   Most of us often study passively for long hours without even realizing that we didn’t take away much from our study session. The best way to study actively is to write down your own notes, make flashcards of concepts, or learn through the memory palace technique. This means you must stay involved while learning anything so that you are not on autopilot throughout the session.

Science-backed Technique to Focus While Studying

Here are some of the best science-backed techniques to focus on while studying:

• Meditate for at least 20 minutes every day
• Create a study schedule
• Use soothing study music
• Turn off all the technology that distracts you
• Prepare a perfect study spot
• Get up for a walk or workout
• Train your mind to focus for a longer time
• Schedule breaks in between your study
• Don’t be a multitasker!

Even with trying all these techniques, you can slowly train your mind to learn to focus whenever you study but you should remember to not try too hard, always take a few minutes to relax when it becomes difficult to focus.

Essential Tips & Tricks to Study for Longer Period

As discussed, it is possible to stretch study hours and this can be achieved by following certain tricks. Know about studying for long hours without getting tired then go through the enlisted points:

Keep Your Mind Fresh

General advice would be to keep your mind fresh and well-rested before you begin. A tired and groggy mind is not even useful for a shorter study session as it may result in a lack of motivation and prolonged procrastination.

Recommended Read: How to Memorize Fast?

Organise your Task List

Always organise the topics of your day and start with the difficult ones in order to complete them as early as possible. This way, you will be left with the easier ones at the end of the day. 

Play Peaceful Music to Focus

Instrumental music can amazingly help you in concentrating and focusing on your studies. There are many websites and online platforms offering free audio playlists for better focus, less stress as well as enhanced concentration. Stay away from loud music as it can distract you though it mainly varies from one person to another on which type of music helps them focus. So, plug in your earphones, zoom out of the outside world and dive deeper into the topics you are studying.

Eat Healthy

An empty stomach can result in a bad study session and you may also feel lethargic if you’ve eaten too much fast food.

Steal a Power Nap

Steal a nap between different subjects or topics. Our mind has limited powers and may stop working after a period of time due to lethargy. Hence, taking power naps might prove useful. 

Physical Activity

Indulge in exercises and other physical activities to keep your mind and your body fit. Being physically active has a positive impact on our brain which further helps in improving focus.

De-Stress

Avoid taking stress about exams. It is necessary to ensure that your mind is not full of worries and tensions when you are sitting down to study. Having a clear mind will help in retaining more information.

Must Read: How to Concentrate on Studies the Right Way?

Short Intervals

Take regular breaks during long study sessions. These breaks will work as restoring sessions for your mind giving you some space to freshen up and concentrate better with a relaxed mind. 

Plan your Day

It is advisable to plan your study sessions during the day because you can stay less drowsy in the daylight which will further assist in increasing your productivity. 

Check Out: Productivity Improvement Techniques

Find a Study Space Where You Can Focus Better

The study space you have chosen will also play a central role in whether you are able to study for long hours or end up getting entangled with distractions! Select a peaceful study room where you won’t be distracted or you can also shuffle between your usual study space and a library or a greener space where you can concentrate easily and move away from the noises and bustling life.

Related Read: Best Direction to Study

Keep Up the Motivation!

While curating a schedule, taking regular breaks and ensuring your physical well-being are important, it is also crucial to motivate yourself from time to time whenever you feel down or demotivated. Get some interesting Motivational Quotes printed for your study space or create DIY posters for the surrounding environment colourful and positive! Whenever you feel low or demotivated, spend some time with your friends, watch a movie or spare some quality time with yourself. Remember you will be able to focus better only when you are motivated and optimistic otherwise, you’ll end up cramming stuff which would be of no use.

Explore the Best Motivational Science Quotes!

Find Interesting Ways to Study

In the words of the endearing fictional genius ‘Rancho’, you must always “reach for excellence and success will chase you!” As you plan your studies for long hours, the first and foremost thing you must keep in mind is to explore innovative methods to learn and remember the topic you are studying. Some of the best ways to study for longer periods are:

• Create flashcards and colourful notes to remember essential concepts.
• Use memory hacks to learn formulas and terms.
• Learn concepts through visuals like videos, pictures, etc.
• Find interest in the topics or subjects you are studying by weaving stories around them!
• Give yourself a reward every time you complete a lengthy or difficult subject.
• Make realistic goals that you can achieve in time and don’t push yourself excessively.
• Teach the topics you have learned to someone else.

We have accumulated the list of Best Learning Methods for you!

How to Stay Focused for Long Hours

By now you have understood how to study for long hours, however, to study with full potential, staying focused is important. Given below are some techniques which can help you stay focused for longer periods:

• Avoid distractions
• Set a timer to complete a task
• Drink plenty of fluids
• Meditate for at least 15 minutes
• Focus on one task and then move to another
• Write a success mantra on your table or keep a calendar/wall hanging having quotes which motivate you

How Longer Study Sessions Can Be Helpful?

Strategizing your time during exam preparations is extremely important. Defining how many hours you will need for each subject or concept will depend on your strengths and weaknesses. A subject may take you a lesser time than someone who will be able to grasp it for a longer duration. Retention of knowledge varies for every individual. Due to this fact, there are students who spend a longer period of time studying something that others may take less time in completing. This is why mastering the art of studying for longer periods’ becomes crucial for establishing an effective routine.

• However, the habit of studying for long hours can only be developed gradually. When you study for a longer duration without distractions, you are more likely to learn quicker and retain knowledge for a longer period of time.
• Potentially, your daily knowledge retention will get better if you train your mind to concentrate for an extensive period.
• With longer hours, you will also have an ample amount of time to rectify problems and identify the weaker concepts that you need to focus on.
• Better and thorough learning is useful, however, it is necessary to ensure that you are not cramming up the subjects. The quality of studying is more important than the number of topics that you have covered.

Study for a Long Time at Night

Most students have the tendency to start studying for examinations only the day before or a few days beforehand. They want to study for lengthy periods of time without giving any thought to their health, which is the worst error someone can do. So here are a few actions to do in order to simplify your study routine.

• Do at least 10 minutes of exercise in the evening.
• Study with bright lights instead of at night or in the morning
• Keep the conversation light for the evening.
• Investigate and discover what works for you.

FAQs

Hopefully, this blog provided you with helpful tips and techniques of study for a long time. You can always contact the Leverage Edu mentors that can help you master your competitive exam preparations with the best coaching and preparatory sessions thus increasing your chances to get into your dream university.