We’ve all been there: Sitting at a desk or table studying intently, and then, Thoughts from all over the place invade our brains and we get distracted. If it’s not our thoughts, it’s our roommates. Or neighbors. Or kids..
The 5 Steps To Focused Study:
- Get Rid of Obvious Distractions
- Anticipate Your Physical Needs
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 musicshould 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 andother external study distractions, so you don’t lose focus when someone wants to chat.
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.
- Choose an Appropriate Time
If you’re a morning person, choose the a.m. for your study session; if you’re a night session, 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.
- Answer Your Internal Questions
- Get Rid of the Negativity
- Don’t be afraid to ask for a little quiet if you’re studying in a public place. Here are four polite ways to get people to pipe down when you’re trying to study.
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’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 open up your notes. It’s amazing how quickly studying can become an awful burden with just a poor frame of mind. Here are the top three negative statements people make about studying, and a quick, easy way to fix each one of them.
Tips:
- Use a good pen like the Pilot Dr. Grip. Sometimes a leaky or uncomfortable pen can undermine your study session.
- 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.
- 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.
By: Gladys C. Cruz | Teacher – III | Cabcaben Elementary School
