You want to focus on your studies.
But despite your best efforts to concentrate, you always get distracted. And then you wonder if you’ll ever be able to focus completely on your studies.
The good news?
You can stay focused, by avoiding seven common mistakes I have outlined for you in this article.
Let’s begin with the first one.
1. Trying too Hard to Focus
When it comes to focusing on studies, most of us believe that distractions are bad and we must fight them.
In other words, one must try hard.
Not true.
You don’t need to fight with distractions because if you do, you give them more power, which eventually goes against you.
Let me explain.
Remember this simple formula:
The thing you give your attention to gets bigger.
Your attention to a subject attracts more of it. It doesn’t matter if you’re giving your attention to something you want or to something that you don’t want. If you’re focusing on it—talking about it, thinking about it, or even trying to avoid it, that thing will get bigger.
It’s so important that it’s worth repeating.
The thing you give your attention to gets bigger.
So when you’re trying hard to avoid distractions, what is it that you’re actually doing? You’re paying attention to distractions. And since the thing you give your attention to gets bigger, you’ll attract more and more distractions.
Not clear?
Okay, let me elaborate.
Recall the time when you first learned to ride a bicycle.
In the beginning, when you didn’t have the confidence to ride on a busy road, you chose a not-so-busy one for your practice session.
And most probably an interesting thing happened.
The road was wide enough, but there was a big tree on the sideways—and you were afraid of bumping into that. In other words, instead of enjoying the ride, you were focused on not getting bumped into the tree.
But no matter how hard you tried, eventually, you did bump.
Why?
Because you were paying attention to that tree the whole time (and you were justified in doing so because to avoid something, one must know what exactly they want to avoid, right)?
But life works in mysterious ways. You get right into the very thing that you want to avoid. The reason: your attention to it.
My point?
You cannot avoid distractions but you surely can focus on your studies.
Give total attention to your studies and do not worry so much about distractions.
“But distractions do exist, don’t they? How to handle them?” you protest.
Acknowledge them. And then, don’t give them any attention. Don’t talk about them. Don’t even think about them. Direct your complete attention to your studies.
See what I mean?
If you want to focus on your studies then don’t be anti-distractions. Be pro-studies.
Here’s how:
Acknowledge the Distractions
Distractions aren’t something new. They’ve always been there—even when your great-great-grandfather was a little kid.
The only difference?
Their names and forms have changed.
For example:
When I was a kid, distractions came with these names: “Comics, Gilli Danda, Kanchhe, Lattu, Cartoon shows, etc.”
And now, they have transformed into something different:
“Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, YouTube, internet, video games, Xbox, Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc.”
The good news?
Your ancestors survived them, I survived them, and you’ll survive them, too. So, acknowledge that distractions have always been there, and always will be.
Once you acknowledge their existence, take the next step.
Make Peace with Distractions
Now that you’ve completed the “acknowledgment” part, it’s time to make peace with the distractions. And for that, realize that distractions are of two types:
Distractions you can control.
Distractions you cannot control.
Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, WhatsApp, and things like that—are under your control. You can block them/stop using them anytime you want. But before you do that, ask yourself why you want to do that? Why do you want to pause or remove these distractions? Is it because you’re serious about your studies or because you think you’re supposed to?
Be clear about the “why” because unless your why is not clear, you’ll fall back into the trap of time-wasting habits again and again.
Remember, if you can spend time checking Facebook posts, Instagram photos, and WhatsApp messages, you can also give your undivided attention to your studies. It’s totally under your control. Distractions have no power over you. The power you think they have is actually yours. And now is the time to take it back.
Here’s how:
1. Inform the “forwarders”—the people who forward you emails/messages about the world’s craziest, sexiest, funniest, or deadliest things. Ask them politely to stop. And if they don’t seem to understand even after repeated requests, take a drastic step—block them.
2. Make it clear to your friends that you’re trying to concentrate on your studies, and they should refrain from texting you unnecessarily on WhatsApp.
3. And the most radical of all—give your smartphone a rest until your exams are over. Of course, Smartphones are useful and have their place, but studies are more important than “staying in touch.” At least for the time being.
So that was about the distractions you can control. What about the ones you have no control over?
Here’s a simple technique.
Get Around the Distractions
You can control your phone and social media. But some things in life are beyond your control, such as:
Outside noise—fruit vendors, vehicles, people talking, radios, TVs, loudspeakers, etc.
Does that mean you can’t do anything?
You can.
At least you can manage them.
True, you cannot stop the freezing wind from blowing, but you can surely cover your ears to keep yourself warm. The same is true for blocking unwanted noise. Here are some actionable ideas:
- Install heavy curtains—like really heavy ones—on your Study windows. Heavy curtains reduce the level of outside noise.
- Use small cotton balls in your ears to block out unwanted sounds. Sure, cotton cannot eliminate the noise, but it does block some.
- Try to study for long hours at night or early in the morning (when the outside sounds are minimal).
- Request a friend to give you study space if his house happens to be in a quieter neighborhood.
- Join your local library. Libraries are generally quieter than homes. And you can surely concentrate better on your studies in a library than in a noisy neighborhood.
The gist is…
You cannot manipulate the outside sounds, but you can indeed control your study timings, the environment, and the place of study. And with that, we’ve come to another mistake you might have been making, which is…
2. Multitasking
Multitasking keeps your attention divided. And it’s a BIG no if you want to focus on your studies.
Here’s why.
The habit of multitasking never lets you focus on one task. The result? Below-average, mediocre performance.
Can you imagine studying maths, science, and social studies at the same time? Or replying to WhatsApp messages while learning chemistry formulas?
Heck, no.
So if you’re serious about focusing on your studies, then remember a simple rule: The more you do a thing in a certain way, the more you train your mind to do that thing in the exact same way next time.
Multitasking trains your mind to divide your attention among various tasks. In other words, the habit of multitasking keeps your mind unfocused, and that’s the last thing you want if you’re trying to concentrate on your studies.
So what’s the solution?
Focus on one task at a time. Simple as that.
With that, it’s time for the third mistake.
3. Practicing Meditation to Stay Focused
Most people believe:
Meditation is the perfect tool for clearing the mind and focusing on studies. Well, guess what? It rarely works because what’s actually needed is concentration and not meditation.
Difference Between Concentration and Meditation
When you direct your attention to one and only one subject, it’s concentration. And when you watch the distractions (the thoughts) within your mind, that’s meditation.
Meditation helps you experience silence and bliss. But that’s not what we’re after. We’re trying to improve our concentration to focus better on our studies. So stay away from meditation because meditation doesn’t work for everyone, anyway.
And now, if you’re serious about your focus, then stay clear of the next mistake, which is…
4. Doing Everything in Your Head
Most of the time, we try to do everything in our heads.
We try to remember the tasks we need to complete and rarely note them down.
When it comes to studies, it’s a good idea to have your day planned in advance. That way you’ll be able to make your study schedule easily. And how do you do that?
By maintaining a “To-Do” list.
Yes, the good old To Do list.
Having a list on paper gives clarity and focus. Because when you know what you need to do on any given day, the time-wasting activities vanish on their own.
So, maintain a To-Do list and keep ticking off the tasks as soon as you complete them.
With that, we’ve come to the fifth mistake…
5. Trying to Become “Jack of All Trades”
Let’s say you want to become a cricketer, an astronaut, a model, a singer, an engineer, and a movie star—all at the same time.
Would that be possible?
In your dreams? Of course.
In reality: you can make your career in one (or two fields) only. There’s no such thing as an “all-rounder.” The sooner you realize it, the better.
Let me elaborate.
I write articles on personal development and I am also a voice artist (I record my voice for TV, radio, and websites. You can listen to my voice on audible).
While training to make a career in voiceovers, I tried mastering as many as four languages—Hindi, English, Urdu, and Sanskrit. And after a year or so of constant struggle, I realized I was getting nowhere.
Simply because I wasn’t focused. I was kind of “multitasking.” 🙂 So, I started focusing only on the languages that were critical to my success—and things improved.
My point?
Pursue relevant goals only. Don’t run after many things. You’ll just keep running around in circles, reaching nowhere.
And with that, you’re now ready to realize the sixth mistake.
6. Believing “Slow and Steady” Always Win the Race
Quite often, we do not take full advantage of technology.
The primary purpose of technology is to give you more freedom (more free time) to do the things you love.
So, don’t subscribe to a slow internet plan to save money. Instead, go for the fastest Internet service you can afford.
Of course, it will cost you more, but those extra bucks will be worth it. A high-speed internet connection lets you complete tasks in less time. And that gives you the freedom to concentrate more on your studies.
It’s a fair deal.
Now it’s time for the seventh and last mistake, which is…
7. Neglecting “Study Breaks”
The human mind is a fragile tool, and fragile things need more care than the not-so-fragile ones.
Study continuously for long hours and you’ll experience mental fatigue and burnout—which can really mess up your focus.
The solution?
“Frequent study breaks.”
Take a break from studies for 15-20 minutes every two to three hours. A study break breaks the monotony, refreshes your mood, and prepares you for the next session. Here are some ideas:
- Staring into the sky (it sounds weird, but try it. Looking into the sky clears the mind like anything).
- Sipping black coffee or tea ( I don’t think I need to elaborate on this one, do I? :))
- Listening to a song (or how about singing your favorite one?)
- Watching a funny video on YouTube (comedy refreshes the mind).
- Going for a walk down the street (walking can help uplift your mood and improve your focus).
The point here is not to “plan” your study breaks. Be spontaneous. Too much planning can cause boredom.
Now You Know How to Focus on Studies
Mistakes could sabotage your efforts to focus on your studies and achieve a great score.
Fortunately, avoiding such common mistakes is relatively easy now that you know about them.
And since now you know how to stay focused on your studies, it’s time for you to make a study timetable and get to work.
You’ll be amazed at how much you can achieve when you stay focused.
Good luck.