Living in such a fast-paced and technologically advanced society, the pressure to do well academically and attain the necessary educational qualifications can be very overwhelming. With so much going on around us, coupled with the need to manage daily responsibilities alongside school, it is no wonder why many of us are often drained out and distracted from our work at hand. While staying focused amidst the hectic schedules we have may be a daunting task, it certainly isn’t impossible.
With the help of some self-discipline and these 4 tips, hopefully we’ll all be able to curb these distractions and concentrate a little better!
1. Stay Organised
Juggling your work across several subjects can be stressful, which is why staying organised to ensure you’re on track for all your work becomes ever so important.
Schedule your time beforehand by making a to-do list or establishing a routine, whichever you prefer! You know yourself best, so find a studying style that suits you. By having a gauge of what you aim to accomplish the day, it will motivate you to allocate time working towards the goals you set for yourself. For me, as someone who gets fidgety after doing the same thing for prolonged periods of time, I know that solely focusing on 1-2 subjects per day does not work for me, and thus, I’ll schedule my time to pace myself to complete a bit of each subject throughout the day.
2. Track Your Time
Be practical in allocating time to completing your tasks. Many times, I catch myself spending longer than I need to on a certain piece of work, which drains a lot of my energy and I become restless afterwards. As such, to avoid this, roughly gauge the time you need and allocate accordingly.
To ensure that you’re not spending a huge amount of time scrolling social media or playing games etc, use the feature on your phone to limit your time usage on certain apps that you frequent. Personally, my friends and I took turns setting passwords for each other so that we all could stay disciplined and focused at work together. You can also use Pomofocus, a free Pomodoro timer app online to help in your time management and boost your productivity.
3. Take Breaks
To ensure that your workflow is sustainable in the long run, reward yourself by taking breaks throughout the day! Many of us often overlook the significance of this, especially nearing the exams period, but I think it’s crucial to bear in mind that studying till this extent will take a mental toll on you and lead to burn out. (trust me, I’ve been there many times)
Reflecting on my Secondary and JC journey, as stressful as studying gets, I wished that this did not come at the expense of my mental health, where I could enjoy the process of it a little more. Reward yourself throughout the day to ensure that you can better manage your stress. If you’re starting to feel lethargic or restless, have a snack, scroll through your phone for 10 minutes, or have a stroll around the supermarket (my personal favourite haha).
4. Be Physically Healthy
To put it simply, a healthy body fuels a healthy mind. In order to avoid burnouts and have copious amounts of energy, ensure that your basic needs are met, i.e stay hydrated, get sufficient sleep, be well fed etc. Doing so allows your body to recharge after long periods of productivity, and hence, to be less lethargic and more energetic throughout the day.
I, personally, relate to and understand how easy it might be to neglect one’s health when you’re already consumed by work on a daily basis. However, it took me quite some time to realise that it is not an either-or dichotomy. Try to incorporate a few aspects of a healthy lifestyle into your daily schedule if it’s easier for you!
Conclusion
While you may find these tips to be a tad repetitive, don’t undermine the importance of it. After all, while you’re a student now, why not make the best out of your school life and apply these 4 tips to see if they suit you? If you have tried everything you can think of but still have trouble focusing, it might be worth looking into whether or not you could study with a tutor. Perhaps a physical tuition lesson would be a great way to discipline yourself and get past distractions!
Overall, I hope you’ve gained some fresh insights from this blog post!
