You’ll like this part — increasing concentration is totally within your control. It’s only a matter of knowing how to optimize the time you have available.
I’ll share 5 tips that have worked well to boost my concentration.
Tip #1. Practice the 4–7–8 breathing exercise.
If you haven’t already, try this exercise today. It will change the way you feel and think. The 4–7–8 breathing exercise is simple. Here’s some background on this practice that was created by integrative medicine practitioner Dr. Andrew Weil. And, these are steps:
- Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of 4.
- Hold your breath for a count of 7.
- Exhale completely through your mouth, making a loud whoosh sound to a count of 8.
- Repeat the 4–7–8 cycle four times.
Tip #2. Commit to reaching ONE study goal a day.
The best way to get your mind on board to concentrate is to start the day with a question: “What is the one thing I am committed to completing today?” This will encourage you to think strategically about the day, keep you focused on your top study goal, and force you to prioritize the one goal that you want to reach. Here’s how you can practice it:
- Write the question in big bold letters on a sheet of paper and hang it on your bedroom or bathroom wall. Pick a location where you can easily see the question as soon as you wake up (next to your bed or the bathroom mirror, for example).
- Read it out loud as you start your day. Take a few moments to think what you want to prioritize, and then come up with an answer and say it out loud too.
- As you go through the day, make sure you’re working on completing what you’ve identified as your study goal for that day.
Tip #3. Dedicate your morning to the most complex cognitive tasks.
Why study early? You take advantage of your circadian rhythm and maximize your brain’s peak performance which happens 2-4 hours after you wake up. Use this time to focus on what requires the most concentration — reading, writing, coding, analyzing, critical thinking, or problem solving.
- When should you study? If you wake up at 8, your peak times are between 10 and 12. You can extend this time for another hour or so to maximize your peak performance and wrap up an important section, chapter, or lecture.
- What are the benefits? Doing your hard work early in the day allows your brain to focus fully on the problem at hand, with fewer distractions from your environment, and with energy that you’ve gained from a restful night.
Tip #4. Use a timer for your study sessions.
For most efficient studying, you don’t need to be sitting at your desk for hours. Use a timer to better manage your study session. That way you allow your brain to focus in a more targeted and effective way. Here are some examples of how a timer can help:
- Read and review study material. Set the timer to 30 or 60 minutes to maximize concentration; or, for really short bursts of study, try the Pomodoro technique which consists of 25 minute blocks of time.
- Practice exam questions. Use the review questions from your textbook or professor, or create your own list based on the most important concepts from each chapter. Write the questions down. Then, use the Pomodoro technique to rehearse for the exam. Give yourself a short time to answer each question, and go down the list until you’ve covered them all.
- Take breaks. When you’re done with one timed segment, step away from your desk and do something completely unrelated to work: get some fresh air, stretch, have a snack, grab a cup of coffee or tea.
Tip #5. Become a master at taking notes.
It’s not helpful to just sit and read the textbook passively for hours at a time. You need to write stuff down. Writing improves your brain’s cognitive skills, makes retention of information easier, and boosts memory. Here’s how to take effective notes:
- Write down what’s relevant. This includes key concepts, ideas, and topics. Don’t waste time writing down every single word — instead, identify what’s relevant to the topic. An excellent example of how to write important information is the Cornell Method.
- Use bulleted lists. This saves time, enables you to skim the material when you need it, helps you locate information faster, and makes the review process easier.
- Color, color, color! Get organized with multi-colored pens, markers, or highlighters to emphasize the most important sections. Use specific colors to highlight top priority concepts, then pick other colors to identify second level priority items such as examples and additional information.
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