How To Stay Focused While Studying

While staying focused when studying can be challenging, it is not impossible. For a lot of people, studying is a time when the limits of their attention span are pushed.

With a little extra effort and some smart strategy, staying focused can be easy.

So how can you stay focused when studying?

Ways to increase focus when you study

Here are some ways to stay focused when studying.

1. Use your willpower

This is an obvious one. It might seem silly but it really isn’t. It’s surprising how far a little willpower can go when it comes to remaining focused.

Very often, the issue with losing focus when studying is the fact that people cave in to their impulses. For example, they get the urge to check their phone and they do so. Little to no resistance at all! They just want to check their phone and they do it.

Putting willpower in that equation can change things. Is it foolproof? Not always. One can have willpower and still cave. But it can be a huge help if implemented correctly. Willpower even becomes stronger with practice.

It’s a simple but effective technique. If you want to remain focused, just stay focused. Don’t give your mind a choice.

If you break and end up getting distracted, don’t be too harsh on yourself. Just get back to work and try again.

2. Control potential distractions

I understand that people need to keep their phones next to them in case of an emergency.

But a gossipy text is not an emergency. A social media notification is (probably) not an emergency. You can leave your phone near you if you need to but just turn on a do not disturb feature if it has one.

Same goes for other potential distractions. Keep them away from you as best you can – again taking into consideration that some distractions may be genuinely important.

I.e. if you have kids or pets you need to stay close to them and hear if they need anything. In situations like that it’s about finding your focus despite chaos.

3. Put up a reminder to stay focused

Sometimes people lose focus because they genuinely forget to stay focused and their attention shifts away. A reminder can help keep you in check.

Put a sticky note with a reminder on your desk, for example. When you feel like getting distracted, refer to it as a way to reorient your mind back to studying. Bonus points if you put something that motivates you on the sticky note so you are constantly aware of the reason why staying focused matters.

Leave your phone on a notes app with a reminder opened. If you unlock your phone and you’re met with it, it can serve as a reminder to get back to work and also make it more difficult to get distracted.

You’d need to close the app and navigate away to another one.

This puts a lot of time between when you get distracted and when you shift your attention to the distraction. This timeframe (albeit small) is an opportunity to reconsider what you’re doing, back out of it, and get back to work.

4. Be in a comfortable setting

Being uncomfortable gives you a legitimate excuse to get distracted. If you’re slouched over with bad posture and your body is getting sore, you should be distracted.

Don’t give yourself this excuse. Make sure you’re studying on a comfortable desk with a comfortable chair. Position the height so that your head doesn’t have to bend down too much and you avoid slouching over (which could compress your lungs and limit oxygen intake).

It’s not just physical comfort, though. Noise can be uncomfortable so make sure your study space is quiet. If need be, get some noise cancelling headphones.

Eye comfort is pivotal, as well. If you’re studying on a screen, set the brightness comfortably and turn on night mode if needed.

Don’t forget to blink. Once in a while, take an eye break to gently massage around the eyes (make sure you are gentle, though).

Look at something 10 or 20 feet away for a few minutes every once in a while (preferably during your scheduled break times).

5. Create a schedule and stick to it

Lay out the times when you plan on studying and the times for your allotted breaks. Build your study schedule around your day to help organize your study times.

Specify which subjects or topics you will study and when. If you end up getting ahead and grasping a topic quickly, you can switch to another one and be ahead of schedule!

Don’t adjust your schedule except in an emergency. Otherwise, if you’re study time is 1 hour with a 10 minute break after, follow it. If you’re supposed to start studying at 2 P.M., start studying at that time.

Set alarms if you need to.

A schedule can help establish order in your study routine. In turn, this decreases the chances that you’ll get distracted or that you’ll procrastinate.

It gives you specified break times which are justified distractions. Knowing that a break is coming can be motivation to keep going for that stretch.

Make sure you keep to your schedule unless something really urgent changes things.

6. Practice focusing

Focusing is a skill which resembles many others in that practice helps fine-tune it. The more often someone focuses, the more easy focus becomes.

Try focusing more times in the day (i.e. increase the frequency of periods in the day when you focus on a task).

Also, try focusing for longer periods of time progressively. For example, one day you may focus for 20 minutes straight without a distraction. Then you take a small break for two minutes and get back to work right away. Then the next time try doing 30 minute bursts of focus.

This is just an example and you may be able to do more or less than 20 minutes. That’s fine. Work on increasing your focus levels gradually.

If you can set a new personal record, do so. There’s no rule that you have to get distracted after 30 minutes, for example. If you find that you can keep going then keep going.

The intensity of your focus is also an important consideration. If you feel you don’t “fully” focused then practice increasing the depth of your focus. Get immersed in what you’re studying and train yourself to be able to maintain this deep focus.

7. Make knowledge easy to absorb

When studying, it’s possible there’s a lot of complex information you have to take in. This can make studying quite the challenge and even make it a little boring.

If you feel that there’s too much knowledge for you to grasp, try changing your study method.

Try chunking the information, for example.

Divide the material into topics and subtopics. Write out notes for yourself under these sections. The point of this is to clearly be able to see how things relate to each other – to form connections between them.

Use Q&A style notes to test yourself.

When knowledge is easy to absorb it becomes easier to focus.

8. Make studying fun

Write out a little quiz for yourself. Try getting up and pretending to give a lecture about the topic you’re learning.

Pretend you’re explaining it to someone (even if you’re just by yourself).

When you learn new things, form relations between them and knowledge you already have. Form connections between the unfamiliar and the familiar.

Find ways to connect the knowledge you learn to daily life. If you have fun while you study you’re more likely to stick to it and not get distracted.

9. Remember the rewards of studying

Are you trying to get straight A’s? Are you trying to enter a certain career path you’re passionate about? Do you simply want to do well in school?

There are many rewards that come with studying – many rewards that come with staying focused. Remember these. Keep them in the back of your mind while you study.

Knowing the “why” helps with motivation. And motivation helps with staying focused. Remind yourself of the benefits of studying and let that encourage you to stay on course. If your attention diverts, jog your memory with the “why” and get right back to studying.

10. Take breaks

Attention spans can wear until it becomes hard or impossible to focus.

This isn’t a sign of lack of discipline, it’s normal. Breaks are a way to recharge and refresh focus. They’re an opportunity to rest the mind so you can get back to work.

Taking breaks is important when trying to stay focused. After a certain amount of time studying, you should be taking a certain amount of time for rest.

Focus for 1 or 2 hours, then take a 10 or 15 minute break. Walk away from your homework and rest up. Lie in your bed, eat, pace in the room, etc. Do something to get your mind off homework. Gently rub your eyes to refresh them, as well.

Make sure you take breaks and make sure you stick to their limits. Set a timer or an alarm. Once it’s over, get right back to work. Don’t let your break go above your scheduled amount.

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Check out these posts!

• How To Memorize More Easily When Studying
• 10 Ways To Get Good Grades
• How To Avoid Getting Distracted