It's easy to get distracted when you sit down to study. We have a few helpful tips that might make it easier to focus.
Plan Ahead
Start off each week by mapping out when you have time to study. Even if you can’t manage to have consistent days, planning your study sessions in advance is a routine that will help keep you accountable.
Choose Your Study Space
Everyone has a different preferred study environment. What’s important is the environment is not distracting for you. Some people need to be in a familiar environment like a bedroom, while others need a space specifically for studying like the library. Once you choose an area, stick with it. Going to the same place to study every time helps your brain know when it’s time to buckle down and focus.
Be Prepared
No matter where you go, fill up your water bottle, gather your books and know where the nearest outlet is before you start. Nothing breaks your focus more than getting up to look for a pen or desperately searching for an outlet as your computer dies.
Take things one at a time
Realistically you’ll be working on multiple assignments a night during your study session, but splitting them into tasks can help keep you on track. Break up your session into 25 to 30 minute intervals with short breaks in between. For each block of study time work on one assignment. This helps you give all your attention to the task at hand, because you know you’ll be working on other assignments later.
Avoid Distractions
This tip seems like a no-brainer, but it has to be said. Turn off your social media notifications before you start studying and set your phone to silent. Take a moment during your breaks to check for important messages and then set the phone back down. We all know jumping on social media turns a 5 minute study break into a 30 minute study break. Getting up to stretch or making yourself a snack helps relax you, without getting you off track.
Keep at it
It takes practice for your brain to focus, that’s why building a routine of when, where and how you study is so important. The better the study routine is, the easier it is to get and stay focused. You will likely have trouble staying on task the first few times you try a routine, and that’s okay! Before you know it, you’ll be knocking out assignments like a true scholar.