9 tips for not getting distracted studying and learning fast

For some people, preparing to study for a test can be a real challenge, especially if they tend to get distracted during study time.

In this article We will review different tips so as not to be distracted by studying, which will help you significantly to enhance your concentration when it comes to focusing on the topics that you need to learn to master the subject and pass the tests in the best possible way.

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9 tips to avoid being distracted by studying

Much of academic performance depends on our ability to focus on what we must study. As the days and weeks passed, The difference between listening to distractions or not is decisive if we want to learn well.

In the following list we will see several tips and recommendations to avoid getting distracted by studying; Applying them during the study sessions will guarantee getting the most out of them.

1. Find an appropriate environment

The first thing we must do is select a suitable place to study. Several factors must be taken into account that influence the selection of the work environment.

Ideally, it should be a quiet place, away from any kind of annoying sounds. (sonic pollution) among other distractors.

It is also recommended that the place of study is not a place that we associate with rest (for example, our room).

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2. Pre-gather materials

It is not enough to find a quiet place; It should also be a place where we have the necessary resources for the study at hand; It is useless for us to study in a quiet place if we do not have the required material and that forces us to get up and go looking for things many times, which exposes us to distractions.

An effective way to simplify the study process is to Properly arrange all the materials you will need before starting to study, so that the study is as little interrupted as possible.

If you have the information on an external storage device or email, it is It is recommended that you download it to your computer and have it on hand on your desktop, to have more comfort.

3. Find study partners

Finding good study partners is an important motivational factor, because we can learn better when we interact with people who have goals and level of knowledge similar to ours.

Making study groups helps to cover more content regarding the topics of the evaluations; each one could dedicate themselves to studying a subject in depth, and then, in the collective discussions of the study days, explain it to the rest of the classmates and resolve doubts.

4. Take food on hand

Having snacks available for study is a good way to enhance our way of taking advantage of time. We can reward ourselves with a small snack when we finish studying a subject for an hour, for example, and then take a break.

Besides, studying hungry is very difficult, and depending on where we are, looking for a bar or restaurant could take us too long.

5. take breaks

The breaks are important to be able to consolidate in the best way the knowledge that we are memorizing. If we study continuously and do not allow our brain to properly process new content, it will be more difficult for us to remember that content in the future.

Ideally, take scheduled breaks. You can set an alarm to make sure you don't miss the moment to interrupt the study dynamic. On the other hand, it is a good idea to have defined the exact time of each break. This is one of the easiest tips to avoid getting distracted from studying, because you just have to set alerts on your watch or smartphone and obey them when they go off.

6. find the motivation

Arranging to study against our own will is not something that greatly favors our concentration, the ideal is to look for the reasons why we should carry out the study. Thus, we can get an internal motivation that will help us enhance our concentration.

A good way to get this kind of motivation is set an achievable short-term goal, so that we can go after it and feel that we are moving positively towards its achievement. For example, review a chapter of the syllabus finishing it in the next 4 hours.

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7. Avoid postponing goals

Once you have everything you need to start studying, you may have intrusive thoughts that make you put off studying, and instead of sitting down to read you start doing something else. This happens many times when, for example, we believe that we will practically pass a course and therefore we want to avoid thinking about it as much as possible, which happens by not deciding to study to prepare the exam.

The ideal is to recognize these thoughts and combat them quickly. For this, it is important that you follow short-term and very specific sequences of actions. For example: "when I finish eating I will go sit at my study table", "when I am at my study table I must open my notebook of notes", etc. This way, you will always have a clear idea in mind of what you should do and when you should do it.

Don't let procrastination take control of your actions, when you have everything ready in front of you, immediately start the study activity that you have planned and you will see how as you progress the intrusive thoughts and the temptation to leave the task for later go away dissipating.

8. Manage anxiety

In general, the feeling of anxiety is present when we feel that we have many pending issues and we have not advanced anything. Managing this anguish is important, because if it is very intense it can paralyze us, trying not to expose ourselves to anything that reminds us of that obligation.

One way to avoid this characteristic feeling in exam times is to make a schedule with the topics to study, all in order of relevance. In this way, we will be able to focus on these tasks in a sequential manner, favoring an immediate perception of our progress, and we prevent anguish from taking over our mind. The more orderly we are when planning our study day, the further away we will keep anxiety.

9. Regulates computer use

Currently our academic and work activities revolve a lot around our electronic devices (computers, smartphones, tablets, etc.), which undoubtedly represents a help in achieving the information. However, we must bear in mind that these devices can also play a distracting role for our mind.

The ideal is to use them to get the material we need and the specific knowledge that can help us study properly. If you see that you use them a lot to distract yourself, you can try to do without them while you study, or set clear limits on their use. (for example, always have them disconnected from the Internet).

Thus, we must adapt the study environment to what we know about what has a greater capacity to distract us. If you have noticed that the presence of a digital device makes your attention divided when thinking about what you may be missing in that time on social networks, for example, it is best to limit your access to this platform or to those Internet pages during the study session.

Bibliographic references:

• Fuentes, L. and Garcia-Sevilla, J. (2008). Handbook of the psychology of attention: a neuroscientific perspective. Madrid: Synthesis.
• Styles, E. A. (2010). Psychology of attention. Madrid: Ramón Areces Study Center.
• Torrano, F.; Fuentes, J.L.; Soria, M. (2017). Self-regulated learning: state of the art and psycho-pedagogical challenges. Educational Profiles, 39(156), 160-173.