The world inside your head is always more interesting than the one in front of you. But isn’t it frustrating that just when you sit down and decide to start studying with your most sincere intentions, your mind starts cooking up stories and you are virtually flown off to the distant lands of pointless thoughts.
Let us discuss some concentration building tips which would help you to focus on your task rather than your thoughts.
To begin with, it is important for you to examine your environment and look for disturbances. You have to create an environment which is calm and productive. Stay away from TVs, laptops and mobile phones- these distract you and destroy you! And if you have noisy neighbours, you could study in a nearby library.
Distraction will not allow your attention and retention powers to work at the most conducive levels. So it is important for you to separate out from the crowd and sit in a relaxing environment.
Some people have this habit of listening to music while they are with their books. YOU.ARE.NOT.SUPPOSED.TO.DO.THAT.
There are studies which prove that listening to music can improve your concentration power and help you remember more. But the common mistake each one of us makes is that we choose the wrong kind of music, we end up listening to songs that set our feet tapping. Not more than two of your senses should be activated at the same time. So try listening to classical instrumental music. It has a soothing effect on your mind.
The next thing that you have to make sure is that you haven’t placed your study table in front of a window. Sitting right in front of the window would make you keep looking outside which is obviously a much brighter and better world.
Have a plan. Instead of a general goal, have targets to be achieved on daily basis. Decide what you have to finish during the day and then further divide the hours. BE specific and have a schedule with deadlines. The human brain tends to recognize specified targets instead of random thoughts.
Choose a mixture of subjects and prefer starting with the subject or topic you dislike or find difficult. This way you would be done with the difficult ones right in the beginning, reliving you of the major stress.
Don’t study for long hours. Try not to sit for more than 1 hour at a stretch. Have recreation breaks in between. Short breaks refresh your mind.
The last things I would want to mention is that drink lots of water and keep your body hydrated. Also get a 6-7 hour sleep at night so that you wake up fresh in the morning. And prefer taking a bath as soon as you wake up; that will definitely freshen you up.
Don’t worry. Stay happy and focused.
About Carson Derrow
