Concentration Techniques for Studying

Concentration Techniques for Studying

Studying is an essential part of your academic life. Developing the ability to concentrate will not only aid you in your classes, it will help you later in life as you work on projects in your career or continue your education by acquiring new skills or degrees.

Most people struggle with concentration to some degree or another. The key to concentrating is setting up the right environment that fosters your ability to focus.

If you have no idea where to begin, take a cue from these tips to help you have productive study sessions:

Set Up Your Ambiance

It may seem like this isn’t important, but where do you think you’d have greater success concentrating: a library or a busy café? Don’t set yourself up for failure by choosing a spot where you know you’ll be distracted. Instead, choose a quiet, well-lit environment. Libraries are ideal places to study exactly because they’re designed for quiet studiousness. If you’re not able to study in the library, pick a place that has similar facilities and where noise levels are controlled.

Eliminate distractions

It can be all too tempting to answer texts or respond to someone’s post on Facebook or take a phone or Skype call from your parents. So, in order to ensure that you’ll be distraction-free, turn off your phone or put it on silent while you’re in study mode. If you’re using your laptop, make sure your alert settings for Facebook, Twitter and email are off.

Listen to Music

Some people find listening to classical music or jazz enhances their concentration abilities. In fact, a study was published by Sapienza University in Rome which found that listening to Mozart increases memory and concentration abilities. So tune your ipod to the classical station or load some Mozart before you crack open the books.

Make a Checklist

You can’t really concentrate if you don’t know what you’re studying for. Go through your schedule, look for exam dates and paper deadlines, go over your notes and write down exactly what you’ll be studying for during this session. It not only helps you get mentally organized, but it gives you a goal and can create a sense of accomplishment as you check things off your list.

Write Down Some Questions

If you’re unsure about a certain history topic or a math formula or how to conjugate for the future tense in French, then write down some things that you’re unsure about. This will help you focus your study time on things you actually need to go over rather than dividing your time equally among concepts you’re already confident about and things you really need to dedicate some extra time to.

Take Breaks

No matter how concentrated and intelligent a student, everyone needs to take breaks once in a while. Marathon study sessions are rarely productive as the brain gets overwhelmed with information and stops being capable of absorbing it. You’ll know when you reach that point when you keep reading the same sentence over and over again without being able to understand it or you find yourself struggling to keep going. Don’t torture yourself. Breaks are healthy. They allow your brain to reboot. They also relieve you from the physical discomfort of sitting still for long periods of time and can help prevent eye strain.

Try a Productivity Technique

The Pomodoro technique is a technique that champions the idea that productivity is enhanced by working in short stints. Try it:

• Study for 25 minutes
• Take a 5-minute break
• Study for another 25 minutes
• Take a 5-minute break
• Study for another 25 minutes
• Take a 5-minute break
• Study for another 25 minutes
• Take a longer break (half an hour or so)

Drink Water

Staying hydrated is important for so many things, including brain health. If you tend to drink a lot of caffeinated drinks, then you’re dehydrating yourself and should be taking in a healthy dose of water in order to make up for it. Though there’s no rule for exactly how much water each person should drink each day, about 2 liters of water/day is a good amount to aim for.

Developing good study habits and enhancing your concentration will help you throughout your academic and professional careers. Use these tips to help you study better