How To Learn If You Struggle To Focus

Focusing is a major part of being able to learn well. A lack of focus can make it harder to retain info and maintain resilience in the face of distractions.

Those of us who struggle to focus may find learning an arduous task. Some people are just more capable of working through this, but others could use some help.

There are great techniques that can make learning easier for people who struggle with focusing (and even for those who don’t).

Ways to learn if you struggle to focus

If you struggle with finding your focus to learn, there are some strategies that might be able to help you.

Here are some ways to learn even if you struggle to focus.

1. Take breaks

While excessive breaks may be an issue with a lack of focus, taking breaks is also important in moderation. Attention spans can and do fade away the more they are used. It’s kind of like how a muscle gets tired and needs to be rested.

The longer you have to remain focused and work on a task, the more likely your attention span will wear. Eventually, this can cause or contribute to a lack of focus.

If you reach a point where your attention span is maxed out, continuing to focus despite this can just lead to a crash. You may even reach a point where you simply stop learning, whether you want to or not.

Taking breaks helps the attention span recharge and recover. This allows you to get back to focusing and learning with a refreshed mind.

Working in bursts of focused learning with small breaks in between is better than just trying to go for the long haul and focusing without pause.

To maximize your ability to focus and learn, take intermittent breaks. Make sure (and this is important) that these breaks are reasonable in length.

Don’t let a break (which can be a good thing if used correctly), turn into an excuse. A 5 minute break every hour or a 15 minute break every 2 hours is reasonable. A 4 hour break after 15 minutes of focus? Please don’t.

2. Sleep

By now it’s no secret that sleep is extremely important for focus and memory consolidation. Whether you have a strong ability to focus or not, sleep is important.

No matter how well you think you can function with lack of sleep, it’s still important to get a fair amount of good quality shut-eye.

Lack of sleep can cause focus problems or make existent ones worse. Sleep should be non-negotiable in your schedule. Have a cut off time when everything has to stop and you need to sleep. Make it the same time every day.

Leave stress and anything else that may keep you awake behind you. Calm down and get your rest.

3. Microlearning

Microlearning is a learning technique that involves intaking small amounts of knowledge in short bursts. It’s focused on learning in short time periods, with usually one subtopic.

To learn a larger concept with microlearning, just divide it up into smaller components which can be easily absorbed.

Say you’re studying for a test. Instead of reading through 10 pages of notes, for example, divide up your material into topics. Try to be narrow while also incorporating the necessary information in a concise manner.

Then, learn these in short bursts. Review them. Look away from your notes and repeat what you learned in your head. Then move on to the next topic.

Microlearning is helpful for people who struggle to focus because it’s less info coming at once. Topics are also covered in shorter time periods, which can make it easier for those who struggle to stay focused.

Microlearning can help you learn more content more effectively if you struggle to focus with longer form content.

4. Learn visually (videos and infographics)

While envisioning what we read and hear can be helpful for learning, being able to see it is a step up. Having that visual representation associated with the info can make a difference. It gives us an example that the information can be associated with.

Try forming a mental connection between a visual example and written materials that you can refer to when you learn. If you learn something that’s associated with something on a visual, establish that correlation mentally.

For example, say you have an infographic and written material about how the lungs function. When you read about one point, stop and go see the associated part of the visual.

If you don’t have a picture, infographic or video available to you, pull one up online. Find a picture or video about what you’re learning and use it.

Visuals can make knowledge more absorbable and easier to retain. It’s a great way to use more than one of your senses in concert to increase learning potential and overcome difficulties focusing.

5. Make learning fun

Not every topic has to interest us and keep us invested. Being able to learn any topic and feel entertained is a skill in itself, but if you find that learning can bore you sometimes, then you’re not alone.

When you add boredom to lack of focus you could find knowledge retention even more difficult. The solution to this is to try to make learning fun.

One way to do so is to just genuinely be invested in what you’re learning. Try to relate what you’re learning to your life.

We can’t always be completely and totally invested whenever we just want to be, but linking things to your life can help.

Another way you can make learning fun is changing the structure of it to make it more tolerable and entertaining. For example, learn something then stand up and pretend you’re giving a lecture on it. Make up examples ask yourself questions, whatever.

Also try changing up how you learn. Maybe read standing up or listen to a lecture/podcast/etc. while lying down.

Learning may not always be fun. But what you can do is try to make it as entertaining as possible. This can help offset some of the challenges that can come with a lack of focus.

6. Be motivated

If there’s a strong reason to learn, learning becomes easier. If there’s a reason to focus, losing focus becomes harder.

Motivation can significantly increase your focus. Getting into a motivated flow can help boost your learning potential.

What are your goals for learning? Think of how good it would feel if you successfully learn what you need to.

Remain cognizant of your goals both for learning and for life. Keep these in the back of your mind to serve as morale boosts.

7. Try, no matter how you feel (even if you’re not motivated)

Motivation can come and go. When it’s there it can be a great help. But you may not always be motivated. So remember that while motivation can get you pumped to learn and focus, it also can’t be the only thing that you rely on.

It’s not just motivation. It’s mood, drive, desire, boredom, laziness, etc. Any of these can affect your capacity to learn and stay focused.

Don’t depend on motivation, nor on any other mental state, to dictate whether or not you can learn or focus. If you need to focus, do so.

Don’t ask your mind for permission. Work regardless of how you may feel. Having that willpower and ability to maintain consistency can make a huge difference.

8. Repetition

Repetition can be a great help for memorization. The simple act of repeating a concept more than once can help you retain it.

If you have trouble remembering something (whether you struggle to focus or not), try using repetition.

Simply read, view, listen to, etc. the material twice or even more than twice if you have the time. The more you repeat it, the more likely it is to be memorized.

9. Don’t get distracted

If you already struggle to concentrate when you don’t get distracted, minimizing distractions is important for achieving better outcomes. Be strict with yourself about having unrelenting focus.

Someone who struggles to focus may already find it difficult to retain info and/or stay on track. Adding distractions could make this much worse. When distractions are out of the way, the chances of losing focus decreases.

Does this mean losing focus becomes impossible? No. But at least you’re not making a bad problem potentially worse by adding distractions that take your focus away.

Keep any distraction source as far away as you can. If your distraction can’t be too far away from you (like a child, pet, phone, etc.), find ways to keep them in sight but out of mind unless you’re needed. Sometimes you may just need to work despite them being nearby.

10. Don’t multitask

Multitasking can make it harder to focus even for some who don’t already have this problem. If you struggle to focus as it is, dividing your attention by multitasking will likely just make this problem worse.

When multitasking, focus is distributed amongst more than one task. This brings with it the risk that the quality of each task just gets compromised. While multitasking may be viewed as efficient, it’s actually just increasing the risk of doing poor quality work.

Not only that, but sometimes multitasking can even be dangerous. So avoid doing it as best you can. Instead put more of your effort into one task, get it done correctly, then move on to the other.