Concentration Enhancement Techniques

Do you need to maximize your study performance? Do you need techniques to help you learn better? Developing better concentration is the first step. Study techniques will not benefit you if you are unable to concentrate.

Improving concentration is particularly important for those who combine work and / or family life with their studies or are returning to school after many years. It requires a lot of willpower and self-discipline.

The techniques we analyze next will help improve your motivation to study and your focus to achieve your goal.

Filter the information you receive

We live in an information-filled world. From political and economic news to cultural events, movie premieres to gossip, environmental development plans and, of course, social networks to other mass media; everything is on offer. We are bombarded with all this information around us and our concentration may suffer because of it.

If you want to focus on studying, you need to take steps to filter the information you receive and brighten your mind. You need to isolate yourself from receiving outside information to the extent that you need to focus. This means you don’t use social media, watch TV, listen to the radio, or read newspapers or magazines, as all of these distractions will make you procrastinate.

Don’t expect you to feel like you want to study

If you have to study, you have to study, whether you feel like it or not. We often think that everything we do is done to achieve enjoyment. No. No matter how boring it may seem to you, get along and don’t think about it any less.

Don’t succumb to the limiting ideology that everything in life has to be enjoyable or don’t expect you to feel enthusiastic about working. If you think so, you will easily succumb to the snares of the numerous distractions around you.

Focus on your goals

Remember every morning that you have great reasons to study: your own goals. You study for something and you only achieve it by studying. Every time you study, you take steps toward your goals.

Think every morning: how can I move toward my goals today? Forget what you want to do right now, and think about what you can enjoy then when you reach your goal.

Study first, then relax

It takes more time to internalize knowledge than to study it yourself. You absorb information during relaxation and it becomes a part of you, so relaxation is essential after studying. You need to rest to absorb the information. Sleeping for a few hours is not effective for studying.

You should include moments of relaxation in your study periods. Exercise for a few minutes every half hour, and take a 20-minute break every hour and a half so you can rest and relax – this is how the information settles in your brain. Close your eyes and let what you learn be absorbed.

Study before going to bed

According to some studies, sleeping after studying may improve your ability to remember what you studied and reinforce what you have learned. This is largely related to what we described in the previous section. Reading before going to bed can also work wonders in strengthening long-term memory.

However, this does not mean that you should steal your sleeping time. Depriving yourself of sleep for the sake of learning will greatly reduce the knowledge gained within the next three days.

Eat well and practice

Studying doesn’t mean you should forget to take care of your body’s health. Eating well and avoiding excessive caffeine and alcohol are key issues in studying for high performance. Foods high in essential fatty acids are good nutrition for the brain and seem to facilitate memory function and recall.

Exercise is also good for the brain, as the “extra supply” of blood and oxygen to the brain improves their function.