Written by: Hannah Kim
Artwork by: Amy Cha
At least once in your life, you probably had the experience of reading the same sentence over and over again. Especially at a young age, students are forced to sit still and pay attention despite the overflowing energy inside of them. Though some students eventually learn how to control this energy and stay focused, others find this difficult. The higher your grade becomes, the more you are required to maintain a high level of focus in a pressured environment. Or, you might be the person who used to have a long attention span but recently discovered that you can’t maintain that focus for even a short period of time anymore. The moment you sit down, you try to reach for your phone, clean up your desk, grab a snack, and stare into space, getting absolutely no work done for hours. If this sounds like you and you are desperate to change, here is what you need to know to bring back your focus.
1. Assess how well you can remain focused
Before getting started, it is a good idea to first assess your mental focus to gain a better understanding of your current state. List out some standards of good and bad focus, such as staying alert, setting goals, daydreaming, and losing track of progress (Cherry, 2020). Then during a set amount of time, such as an hour, try to focus as much as you can. After the time is over, think back to how well you focused. Maybe you are able to sit down for a long time but your mind tends to wander. Maybe you can focus really well for 20 minutes then feel the urge to stand up. Maybe you have both of these traits. Regardless of what result you got, don’t feel discouraged and focus on what you can do to improve.
2. Get rid of distractions
One of the first things that you should do when you want to be focused is getting rid of all distractions. If your distraction is your phone, turn it off and put it somewhere far from you, like the living room or the kitchen. If your distraction is the people around you, tell them not to disturb you for some time or move to a quiet area (Healthline, 2019). You can also choose to work outside at a study cafe or a library, which provide great study environments.
3. Find a technique that works for you
Another great way to focus is finding a study habit that works best for you. This is where your assessment of mental focus could play an important role. If you are able to focus for a short period of time, you might want to try the Pomodoro technique. The method is simple: focus on work for 25 minutes, take a 5 minute break, then return back to work for 25 minutes. After four rounds, take a longer break of around 30 minutes then do the rounds again. If you tend to daydream often…
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