#boldlystudy

Do you have trouble staying focused?

Do you sometimes realise that your mind is wandering only 10 or 15 minutes after sitting down to work?

Do you often read the same page repeatedly without remembering any of it?

Try these strategies to monitor and improve your concentration.

Strategy #1: Take breaks

Humans aren't actually that great at working for really long periods of time and our brain needs rest. So it is really important to remember to take breaks.

When you begin to feel your mind wander and get tired, take a short break. If you know that your concentration span is short, try using the Pomodoro technique!  

The Pomodoro Technique:

Decide on the task to be done

Set a timer for 25 minutes

Work on the task until the timer ends

Take a short 5 minute break

Repeat 4 times and then take a longer 15-30 minute break

Ideas for Breaks:

Do some stretches

Get a snack or a drink

Go for a walk and get some fresh air

Watch an episode of your favourite show or a youtube video

Tidy your desk/room

Strategy #2: Plan your work to maximise concentration

If you have a long stretch of time to study, alternate studying for different courses. For example: if you have three hours to study, spend one hour on each of three different subjects. this way your mind gets variety!

If possible, alternate your study methods. For example: spend one hour reading, the next hour doing math problems and the final hour writing out some notes.

Do your most difficult tasks during *your* best time of day. Your body has natural highs and lows of energy concentration and motivation levels. Figure what these times are for you. Save shopping, housework or fitness activities for times when you're normally tired.

Strategy #3: Use study methods that enhance concentration

Absorbing large amounts of information for long stretches of time can be difficult. Try some of these effective study strategies to help maintain your concentration: 

Verbalise the information instead of reading silently to increase sensory input to the brain: read, write, recite

Teach the material to someone else. This helps you learn it  as well as helping you find weaker areas of understanding

When reading, use techniques such as SQ4R to help you keep focused and improve your retention of information

Make sure to use active revision techniques that will keep you engaged, such as practice questions and flashcards 

Strategy #4: Understand the Health-Concentration Connection

Your physical well-being can affect your concentration.  There can be lots of lifestyle things that are an unsuspected cause of concentration difficulties, such as:

Irregular sleep

(Lack of) Exercise

Eating patterns

Find a regimen that works for you and stick to it to help maintain your brain at its physiological peak.

Knowing how medications might affect your concentration is also important and needs to be taken into consideration when planning work.

Many mental health issues can also affect your concentration and most schools and universities offer various services to support you with this. It is important to make sure that you seek help when you need it.

Strategy #5: Deal with Physical Comfort

Writing Comfort: Your chair should be comfortable with good back support, but not so comfortable that it encourages napping. To help with posture, try raising your laptop/desktop so it is directly in your eye line. Try a keyboard tray to place your keyboard low enough that you don't need to raise your forearms to reach it (this helps avoid carpal tunnel syndrome).

Lighting: Proper lighting is essential to minimise eye strain and fatigue. Make sure you have good ambient lighting (general room lighting, like the ceiling light) because it is particularly hard on your eyes if you work in a dark room with only a desk light or the computer on. Try using a good desk lamp for reading or writing.

Temperature: The temperature should be warm enough that your hands and feet don't get cold, but not so warm that the room gets stuffy and you get sleepy. Layers can be good to control your body temperature as they are easy to get on and off, and will help regulate if you have unreliable heating. 

Strategy #6: Deal with distracting thoughts

There are lots of different ways that you can deal with distracting thoughts - find one that works for you. Here are two possible techniques:

Before: Mind Dump

Before a study session, set a timer for 5 minutes, take a pen and paper, and then write every thought that comes into your head - don't worry about it making sense or being neat. With an empty brain, you can focus on new things, instead of constantly dwelling on past things taking up valuable bandwidth

During: Designate a later time

Reduce the amount of time your mind spends wandering by designating a time to think about a problem. When you notice that you're not concentrating, say to yourself, "I'll think about that at 4 o'clock." Then, at 4 o'clock or whatever time you choose, sit down and think through whatever is bothering you.

Strategy #7: Refocus with the checkmark technique

Keep a piece of paper beside you as you're studying. Whenever you notice that your mind has wandered, put a checkmark on the paper and get back to work.

Making the checkmark is a simple way to help you refocus on your task because the mere act of doing this reminds you to get back to work.

Reviewing the checkmarks can help you determine the time of day when you concentrate the best and show you whether your concentration is improving.