I was puzzled by the fact that many of my students reported problems with focus and concentration during the study.

Outside of the study activities, these students were able to focus wholly on what they were doing, but when it came to studying, their minds would wander and they’d struggle to stay focused.

This article shares 21 lessons I’ve learned from working with different students that have fallen into the habit of not being able to focus when they study.

1. Classical music will help you focus

You can focus when you’re studying by listening to classical music.

1. Studies from Stanford University have shown that listening to classical music can help students absorb and understand new information more easily.

Classical music engages both the right and left hemispheres of the brain, which is why it helps you to focus and also improves your memory.

At North Central University, Dr. Masha Godkin has investigated the effects of music on our brains.

She found that classical music can take you from the beta brainwave state to the deeper alpha state and even further to the theta state.

Therefore, you should bring in some classical music to focus on your studies.

2. Eliminate distracting noises by listening to white noise.

If you surround yourself with constant noise, it will distract you from learning.

Noise may be a problem at home, or it may be a problem at school. If you’re having trouble focusing because of noise, then you should know about “white noise” as a possible solution.

What is “white noise”?

It is a random mixture of sound frequencies, it has been found to be good for concentration and focus.

White noise has a similar effect to the sound of a waterfall, leaves rustling in the wind, a fan, or a fuzzy TV.

Since white noise contains all the different frequencies it makes other sounds harder to hear.

So, listen to “white noise” to reclaim your focus level.

3. Find an accountability partner to boost your focus

If you want to step out of your comfort zone, you need to push outside of your comfort zone.

Having an accountability partner can be a good idea.

The accountability partner can be your friend or a classmate.

The idea is to make a pre-commitment to study for a certain time period during a particular day. Let it be 1 Hour of study time.

You can do it through a live video app as Google meet, Zoom, or Zoho.

Both the participants are required to turn on their webcams during the 1 Hour study time. This means that while studying together, you can see each other.

If you don’t give an explanation for why you left your desk, your study partner can report you.

In this way you are accountable to someone, thus you are able to maintain your focus level.

4. If you’re not in the mood, take 1 minute to prepare yourself mentally

Sometimes you may not even feel like sitting down at your desk or opening your book.

When you’re feeling this way, try to take a minute to prepare yourself mentally.

To get yourself to do the thing you need to do, start with 1 minute of getting ready.

Set a timer for a minute and tell yourself that you’ll start study when the timer goes off.

By doing this, you will be much more likely to start working after you take a minute to prepare.

This is called “implement intention”.

When you tell yourself that you’re going to do something, it makes it easier to get started on the task.

The trick is to create an implementation intention before starting a study session and in this case, it is to set a timer for a minute. 

If you find it hard to motivate yourself to start studying, take a minute and mentally prepare yourself before you begin.

5. Try to focus on why you’re studying rather than the results of studying.

Why?

Because, it’s not really possible to change the outcomes, but it is possible to change the processes.

For example, being a good student means getting good grades, and you can’t control what the teacher gives out as grades.

But studying at least 3 hours every day is something that you can control.

Here’s one more reason to focus on the process rather than on the outcome.

The outcome could be something that may not come to pass for a long time.

On the other hand, engaging in this process every day is what makes it possible for you to get better at it.

If you want to be successful, it’s important to measure the success of your process rather than the outcome.

6. Declare why you want to study hard

The best way to sustain your studies is to have a clear goal for how it will change your life.

Give yourself reasons to study hard by writing it down.

It can be helpful to write a list of reasons you want to study hard and keep the list close by so it’s easily accessible when you most need it.

For example, you might write down:

“I want to have a broader perspective of the world.”

“I want to be able to think for myself and not simply follow the path of other people.”

“I want to be a person who always tries to do their best.”

“I’m determined to get as much out of my classes as possible.”

This simple process of writing the reasons clearly will help you focus on your studies.

7. Take a video of yourself while studying

Perhaps the most important video you can create is of yourself studying.

This tip may sound funny but it works.

Set up your webcam or your phone camera to record a video of yourself studying.

When you are doing anything that requires concentration, such as writing or studying, make sure that you are videoing the activity.

You can use this method to capture a detailed video of what you are doing.

What you will end up capturing is your daily routine.

It’s a useful way to keep yourself accountable for your time commitments.

8. It is important to keep track of your progress

When you start studying, it can be easy to get disheartened by the amount of work and deadlines that seem to crop up every day.

But if you take one thing away from this article, let it be this: it doesn’t matter how much work you do if you don’t keep track of it.

There are many benefits to keeping track of your study progress.

As a student, it’s important to know how your course load is affecting your grades.

First, it gives you an idea of how much time you need to complete tasks in a week.

Studying is an activity where progress isn’t always easy to measure, but when you keep track of the tasks you have completed, you’ll be clearer about the progress you are making.

When you set some guidelines for yourself regarding how much time you can spend on specific things, this will allow you to stay motivated no matter how much time you find yourself spending on unproductive tasks.

9. Try doing some deep breathing exercises before each study session.

Deep breathing is one of the best ways to improve your focus.

When you breathe deeply, it sends a message to your brain to calm down and relax.

Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience researchers studied the effect of breathing exercises on the body’s production of noradrenaline.

When studying, you can improve your concentration by considering what role noradrenaline plays in the brain.

By regulating your breathing, you can optimise the levels of noradrenaline in your body.

The researchers found that by using this breath-centered practice, participants became calmer and steadier in the face of interruptions.

When you want to study and have a lot of thoughts shooting through your mind, try this simple breathing exercise:

• Go somewhere where you’ll be undisturbed and close your eyes.
• Breathe in deeply through your nose for four seconds,
• hold it for 4 seconds,
• and then slowly breathe out through your mouth for 4 seconds.

Before you start your study session, do this exercise.

Feel the peacefulness that comes with a sense of control over your life.

10. If you study in bed, you’ll be less productive.

If you lie or sit in bed while trying to do anything productive, it will be harder to do it.

One way to make sure you succeed is to make studying separate from the place where you sleep.

You should avoid studying in places that you associate with sleep, to strengthen your association with studying.

In addition to the fact that you will be less productive studying in bed, you will either be lying down or sitting cross-legged.

Neither of these positions is good for being productive.

So make sure to work at a proper study desk every time you have to work!

11. Get a good night’s sleep

One of the main reasons for poor concentration on studies is sleep deprivation.

However, you should ideally get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep before a day of intense activity.

If you do not have a good night’s sleep before a busy day, you run the risk of being less productive.

A good night’s sleep can do wonders – it can help you feel alert and refreshed, instead of drowsy and tired.

A good night’s sleep is shown to improve problem-solving skills and enhance the memory performance of students.

So, sleep well and stay focused.

12. Before you start studying, make a plan for the day

Plan out your studying for the day and make it as detailed as possible.

The reason for this is because you must know what you’re going to achieve during each study session.

Prepare a detailed study schedule before you start studying. Include when and where you will study, as well as the order in which you will cover your materials.

Here’s an example of a plan for studying: Read pages 64 to 76 of the Chemistry textbook and create a mind map.

When you have a plan, you will be more likely to achieve your goals because you will know what to do and when to do it.

Break big tasks into small chunks so that you will have a better idea as to whether you can finish them in the next study session.

Creating a detailed plan allows you to track both your progress and your current level of skill.

Be sure to always set specific goals for each study session, so you can best plan how to allocate your time.

13. Make a list of your study tasks and projects

Before you begin your study session, make sure that you’ve clearly defined what you want to achieve during this study session.

Write down the goal or task that you will complete during the session.

Write down what you’re working on at the moment, and leave it on your study desk. It is helpful in getting your thoughts down on the exact actions you need to take.

If you just write “Do science assignment,” it’s not specific enough. There’s nothing in the goal that pinpoints the end result and gives you focus.

“Just do science assignment, questions 9 to 12” is more specific, so you are more likely to stay focused.

14. Share a timetable with your family that you will study for the day

It’s a good idea to get your timetable ready.

It’s important to keep yourself on track and be accountable to your timetable.

Let your family know that you are working on something important and they shouldn’t disturb you.

But, how?

Post your study schedule on your bedroom door or in the kitchen.

When you let your family know that you’re going to take a break from other activities in order to study, they’ll be less likely to demand that you give them your time.

If you’re working on something, then your family would know to leave you alone.

In general, this is a simple tip that will help you to concentrate when you are learning.

15. Put all your digital distracting devices in another room

In today’s world, it’s so easy to get thrown off course by the multitude of notifications coming from your digital devices.

Many love their digital devices so much that they keep them within reach at all times.

But the problem is, these devices can be super distracting.

This means even when you are trying to concentrate on your studies, if you have your tablet or phone nearby, you will be tempted to check them every few minutes.

That’s why the best way to focus on your studies is to physically remove your digital devices from the room that you are working in.

One of the keys to productivity is to minimize temptations.

The inconvenience of moving from one room to the next will force you to resist checking your phone.

16. Make sure you know when you’ll stop studying each day

Many students think they should study many hours continuously, but that isn’t necessarily true.

Doing a few hours of study a day is much better than doing eight hours of superficial work in one shot.

But many students think their study habits will magically improve just because they work hard.

Be smart about how, and how long, you study. The idea is to study smart.

You should set a strict deadline of when you should stop studying each day, such as 8:30 pm or 9 pm, and make sure that you do not do any work after that time.

Knowing how much time you have to study helps you to concentrate on the task at hand.

You won’t be wasting time, because you’ll know that there’s a deadline for when you should have finished your work.

You’ll spend less time and get better grades.

17. Use these apps to get rid of digital distractions

The first app I recommend is the Freedom website blocker app which helps you to focus on your studies.

This app helps you regain your attention span and increase your productivity.

When you study, the app will block distracting websites.

If you’re doing one task, it can be smart enough to block out all distracting websites so you can finish that task as quickly and as well as possible.

My next recommendation is the Forest app.

If you are familiar with the Forest app, then you know how effective it is. It is a top productivity app.

You can turn your study session into a tree by using this app.

At the beginning of your study session, you plant a tree and it starts to grow.

But if you exit the app, the tree dies – and nobody wants to kill their beloved virtual tree.

By using these two apps, you’ll be able to study more efficiently.

18. The less on your desk, the more you can focus

In the presence of clutter, your brain will have to process more information, resulting in slower processing.

This is what the researchers at Stanford University discovered.

To help you stay focused, clear your desk of all unnecessary items. For example, you might need a notebook, a pen, a pencil, an eraser, and a calculator.

If you need a textbook, notes, or other materials on your desk when studying, make sure you only have these materials and nothing else.

Before you study, make a list of all the items that you will need so that you can ensure that they are within your reach.

If you study in a messy environment, take a few minutes to clean it up before you begin.

When your space is tidy and organized, it’s easy to focus because there’s less that’s vying for your attention.

19 Use headphones or earphones while studying

Using earphones or headphones while studying is a good way to improve your concentration regardless of whether you want music or not.

They isolate you from the outside world, so you’re not distracted and can focus on the task at hand.

Students who wear earphones while studying have more success studying because their attention is undivided.

Because the earphones signal to others that you are occupied, they will be less likely to interrupt your study session.

The act of putting earphones on is a signal to yourself that you should concentrate.

20 It’s good to keep track of how much you study each day

Track how many study sessions you complete in a day.

This will force you to be more proactive about your study sessions.

Let’s say that you typically study in blocks of 40 minutes.

Before you begin, you might decide that your goal for the day is to study for at least 4 forty-minute sessions.

As you make progress on your study sessions, keep count of all the sessions that you’ve completed.

If you record how many study sessions you complete each day, you’ll focus on doing the work rather than on the result.

This way, you’ll complete more work!

21 When you’re about to get distracted, write it down

Whenever you sit down to do some work, keep a small notebook or pad of paper and pencil next to you.

If you’re about to get distracted by a thought, write it down.

If you’re about to feel tempted to do something, write it down.

If you’re about to feel a negative emotion, write it down.

Let’s assume that you are working on your Maths sums when you get the urge to check your social media notification.

Instead of taking your mobile phone, write down: “check social media notification”.

Once you’re able to admit that you’re feeling distracted right now, it will be easier to go back to work.

This technique is effective because it allows you to create an interruption buffer.

This means you can continue to learn without getting distracted.

Conclusion

All students struggle with staying focused while studying, especially when they’re feeling tired or distracted.

There are several strategies you can employ to improve your ability to concentrate.

As described in this article, there are many ways that you can harness the power of your mind to stay focus on your studies.

It may not be possible for you to follow all these twenty tips to concentrate on your studies.

So try at least a few focus tips from this article and work them in your study routine, from today.

If you do this you will find your study sessions more productive.