There are plenty of distractions that can be found once you make it to college. New friends can come knocking on your dorm room door. Your roommate could be ruffling around on the other side of the room. Your dorm neighbors could be blaring music that echoes down the hallways. Include your phone, game console and TV, there are countless ways you can lose focus while studying and working on assignments.
But sometimes, a student’s biggest distraction is themselves.
You might go get an unnecessary drink of water at a fountain, or glance around at surroundings you’ve already scanned multiple times. You might sit back in your chair in class or lay back on your bed while studying and just zone out entirely. Before you know it, you’ve only typed half an introductory paragraph after an hour of having your head in and out of the clouds.
If you struggle to focus while taking notes in the classroom, studying for the big exam or typing that important essay, you are far from alone. Thankfully, there are methods to put an end to the madness. Here are different things you can do if you struggle to focus!
It seems simple, but removing yourself from distractions takes a committed effort!
If you prefer to study in your dorm room, put up distractions like your TV remote, video game controllers and cellphone. You could go as far as unplugging your TV and gaming console so you’re unable to turn them on all together. Turning off your phone instead of putting it on silent is the best way to keep yourself from turning a quick notification break into a 20 minute news feed scroll.
The best thing you can do to get away from anything distracting is to move yourself into a study room. There’s never too much going on, you’re away from electronics and its typically very quiet. Students often find a study room to be the best location to study and focus!
If you struggle to focus because of background noise, wearing some ear buds will help drown out sounds like student chatter and help you lock in to the task at hand. Taking it a step further with soundproof headphones can work to block out any outside noise entirely and can further eliminate the chance of any distraction.
Playing your favorite songs or even listening to white noise can help strengthen your focus on your assignments. Listening to music can also calm your nerves and eliminate anxiety you may have while studying for a big exam.
It’s just something about a beat and rhythm that just unlocks a whole new level of motivation within you!
Being focused is what you always want to be when doing homework, but doing homework for long periods of time can cause your brain to wear down and can cause you to seek out distractions more frequently.
Allow your mind to relax and decompress for a few minutes at a time. Giving yourself personal mini breaks to recharge will actually help your productivity once you get back to your studying.
This should be the only time you allow yourself to check your phone to text people back and scroll social media. Give yourself about 5-10 minutes before you get back to the grind. Don’t burn yourself out trying to do homework the whole time!
If you struggle to focus in class, it may be due to your posture.
Slouching and sitting low in your chair promotes the opposite of strong focus. It becomes easier to zone out and be sidetracked when you aren’t sitting properly and it signals your body that you’re in rest mode while you should be in the middle of taking important notes. Laying down while trying to study in your dorm room is also not the best way to put maximum attention toward your assignments.
The best thing you can do is seat yourself upright at a desk. This will help put your brain into work mode and activate your focus!
Sometimes we find it really hard to focus because the only thing we want to do is go to bed. We’ll lay our heads down on our arms in class and “rest our eyes” while we’re in the middle of studying. This can all be avoided by getting the appropriate amount of sleep on a nightly basis.
Getting a minimum of eight hours of sleep each night will help you feel refreshed and energized throughout the day, and taking a nap in the middle of the day if you’re able to can give you an extra boost.
Being sleepy can make it hard to remember bits of information you studied the night before, and that’s bad news on test day. Getting a good nights rest can help you memorize more information!
Sleep is a great way to maintain high levels of energy necessary to focusing on tasks everyday. Eating and drinking the right amounts each day is just as important.
It’s a real struggle to focus on your school work when your stomach is rumbling. Making sure you don’t miss breakfast, lunch or dinner and staying hydrated will keep your body’s energy levels high.
Keeping a snack near by like crackers or fruit snacks can improve your focus levels. Having a water bottle within reach is also a good idea while doing your homework!
The biggest keys for those who struggle to focus on studying are to avoid all distractions and be well rested and nourished. Being organized, having music to ease your mind, and taking stress relieving breaks can also increase your drive and improve your level of focus. With the right amount of energy and a stress free mind with nothing to disturb you or turn your attention elsewhere, your essays and assignments won’t stand a chance!
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