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How to Focus While Studying

Almost everyone has probably wondered why it is so easy to memorize a song, focus on video game strategies, or spend hours reading a pure entertainment magazine while trying to figure out how to focus on studies in the same way.

When the matter is serious, it seems that we are deceived by our mind, and all our ability to concentrate is gone in a flash. But when it comes time to dedicate yourself to that challenging test, it becomes a major concern. Do these situations seem familiar to you?

Fortunately, our brain can be trained to focus on a study routine, and that is why we created this article! Thinking about making your life easier and helping you do well in the tests, we separated valuable information. Want to check it out? Then read on!

How to get organized to start studying?

Discipline and organization are the watchwords for those who want to discover how to focus on their studies. After all, establishing a routine before anything else is essential – keep in mind that everything has its time. The student sometimes sabotages himself by doing exercises with one eye on the handout and the other on WhatsApp, Instagram, or Netflix.

Between us, it doesn’t seem humanly possible to revise the subject of Biology and marathon a series of 3 seasons in a single weekend, right? If you guarantee that you can do both tasks, something is lagging. We can even bet that it’s not the episodes of the show.

We recognize that being a multifunctional person is important. The power to carry out several activities simultaneously is a characteristic that is greatly appreciated both in academic life and in the job market. However, our brain does not always function with the same agitation as the corporate world, and underestimating it can be dangerous. After all, you lose all of this. Do you know the reason?

If you use two different sensory channels, the brain will process one information at a time. This means that if you are reading a scientific text while watching a music video on YouTube, you will hardly capture the information from these two channels with excellence.

“Ah, but I only work if I study with music …”, “studies claim that …”. Okay, my friend. Are you going to risk thinking that college exams are the same as high school literature? You may be overloading your brain with these attempts and therefore feel that you cannot concentrate.

What happens is that when information travels through channels that lead to the same brain, the organ will alternate attention between the two. That is, they will not be processed at the same time, which means that something will certainly not be absorbed as it should.

So come on! The first tip you need to know is that you need to organize your routine to stay 100% focused and thus be able to store the information properly. So run away while there is the time from anything that is distracting you at those times!

What to do to stay focused?

So that you understand how to focus on studies, let’s talk a little bit about neuroscience. First of all, it is good to know that our brain can hardly concentrate for a long time on the same task.

But that does not mean that we manage to read for just a few minutes, and it is over. Basically, after spending a lot of time studying, the brain gets overloaded and loses levels of willingness and concentration.

To replenish your energies, it is necessary to pause for a few minutes between one cycle of studies and another. It is an interesting technique to be also used in professional life. But, calm down! We will leave to talk about this later on.

Directly connected to this neuroscience issue, we have the cognitive aspects. Cognition is nothing more than acquiring knowledge, involving thinking, language, memory, perception, and reasoning, which is directly linked to intellectual development.

Based on neuroscience and studies on cognitive ability, we will now present some recommended attitudes to focus on studies, professional life, and other situations that will require total concentration.

Metacognition

Thinking is free, but it is possible to know and control our cognitive processes. This means that it is possible to think about our thoughts, assess what invades our minds, and look for alternatives to control each one of them.

Does it seem a little complex for you? Wait a minute, and we’ll explain it properly. When you do a self-analysis to understand how you deal with the most varied situations, you can understand how your behavior works. This is also true when it comes to focusing, concentration, and attention.

If you take a moment to think, you will surely answer very quickly what kinds of situations completely take your focus off. You can also see when your brain is tired, and difficulties in thinking begin to appear. With that in mind, it’s easier to know where to manage your resources and prevent things from reaching that point!

Mental Ability

Have you ever looked at your best friend or the smartest classmate and thought you would like to have the same understanding? Do you want to be more disciplined to do well in tests without difficulty? Well, know that this is possible!

Our mind allows this ability to be trained. Training can change the structural connections of the brain site where attention processing is located. For this, logical reasoning exercises like crosswords and riddles are excellent. A nice program to do on Sunday after lunch to keep brain activity high, isn’t it?

Mental triggers

Still talking about brain training, we also have the mental triggers to do that. A well-trained mind can respond to stimuli with immediate reactions. That’s where you can use some tricks.

You can use it, for example, in cases of distraction. When you realize you’re going to lose focus or get distracted by some nonsense, make up a sentence to get back to what matters. It is recommended that you take a test with your method, choosing phrases such as “focus”, “stay focused”, “go back to school”.

This is when many use music, but, as we talked about above, it may not be the best option for the goal you want to achieve. So take a deep breath and convince yourself that you need to continue studying.

Physical exercise

Physical exercise can also be a remedy for the body and mind. The rest are quite effective concerning cognitive aspects. Aerobic exercises like dancing, running, and walking can greatly increase your ability to concentrate. And you will certainly have fun with the practice.

Also, maintaining a balance between body and mind decreases the stress of everyday life. It also controls anxiety and helps a person to sleep better – and we know that adequate and regular sleep is essential for any student.

In our next article, we would talk about tips on focusing while studying. Watch out.