What to Do When You Lose Focus While Studying?

Some people find it hard to maintain focus on the subject at hand especially while studying. There are about a million things pulling you in every direction when you find a place to study, pull out your notes, and get down to the business of learning. Here are five solid ways to regain that focus if studying isn't the first thing on your mind.

When You’re Bored.

The junk you have to learn for school is horribly, exhaustingly boring. It's numbing your mind. Your brain is wallowing in a thick cloud of "Who cares?" and "Why bother?" so focusing on the subject is getting more and more impossible with every passing second.

The Solution: Reward yourself with something you do like after a successful study session. First, define your success then set a study goal like this: "I need to learn 25 different facts from this chapter and if I do it, I can download watch a movie." If you give yourself a reward for good behavior, you'll be more likely to offset the boredom by anticipating something fun.

When You’re Wired.

You feel like your legs are bouncing and you can barely keep your behind in your seat. You're a kinesthetic learner: all you want to do is move, and you're losing focus because of all those ants in your pants.

The Solution: If you can, get it all out of your system before you ever pick up a book. Go for a long run or hit the gym before you start studying. Try recording your notes and download the recording so you can study while you’re in for a bike ride.

When You’re Tired.

The only thing on your mind right now is sleep. You've worked all week; you want nothing more to do with studying. You need rest, and your drooping eyelids are keeping you from steady focus.

The Solution: Sometimes a 20-minute power nap can be all the motivation you need to zap a little life back into your system. If you're in the library then get up and go for a brisk, 10-minute walk somewhere cool. If you're still struggling to stay awake, then call it quits and hit the sack early that night. It would be better to get up a few hours early the next day to study after you've slept a full night.

When You’re Busy.

You're balancing so many different things in your life right now. Classes, volunteering, clubs, laundry, exercise and the list keeps going until you feel ready to explode. You're drowning in everything that needs to be done, so studying is difficult.

The Solution: The best way to manage studying in the midst of chaos is to take a half hour and set a study schedule for the week. Studying will always get pushed back unless you've made enough time for each during the week. Print a time management chart to get started!

I'm Losing Focus Because I'm Distracted

You can't stop thinking about problems, worrying about relationships and dwelling on unrelated ideas. You're sidetracked by everything, so studying is just too difficult.

The Solution: If you're the type of person who gets distracted by noise from the environment around you – then you have to isolate yourself during study time. Only study in a quiet place like the back corner of the library or your room if no one is home.