Summer break, unlike winter and spring break, is an awfully long time for you to be away from your academic life. If you haven’t cracked a book since June and are having a hard time getting back into study mode, it’s time to take some steps to bring you up to speed.
Here are some tips for you to learn how to stay focused in college:
Organize yourself
First things first. In order to spend your time wisely, you need to assess what you have on your plate. Start using a planner or Google Calendar to map out your schedule. Having a visual can help you understand your time commitments and allow you to plan around them. Include important information such as:
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Your classes schedule
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The exam schedule for that semester if it’s been posted
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When you have practice or rehearsal for other activities you’re involved in
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Part-time jobs
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Trips including spring break and long weekends
Routine
Having a routine is one of the best ways to boost productivity. Maybe your best study environment is in your room. Maybe it’s at a specific desk in the library or under a tree on the campus lawn. Wherever you find that’s best for you, make that place your study area. Try to arrange to study at the same time every day as well. By creating a routine with timing and environment, you’re essentially turning on a switch in your brain that says, “Now it’s time to study.” Students who create routines are more effective than students who study at random intervals and in different environments. By the time the brain gets adjusted to the novelty of the new environment or new time of the day, you’ve lost valuable study time.
Study groups
If there are study groups for the courses you’re taking, why not join them? Study groups can be an excellent way to boost your grades and stay on top of the material. You’ll also be interacting with other students who take their academic life seriously, creating a supportive environment for you to focus.
Don’t overextend yourself
If you find yourself in a situation where you’re juggling coursework with a part-time job and athletics as well as being student body president and editor of the school newspaper, maybe it’s time to re-think your commitments. In the end, you won’t be able to do justice to any of these activities and you’ll end up burning out and possibly even flunking out. Choose the activities that are most important and rewarding to you and cut back on the other obligations.
Get enough sleep
If you have a sleeping disorder, don’t waste time, get treatment. If you don’t have trouble sleeping but you don’t get enough sleep because you’re busy socializing or your schedule is too full, then you’re going to run into trouble. Sleep is essential for proper brain functioning and skimping on sleep can lead to bad moods, low energy and problems with concentration. The average adult needs 8-10 hours of sleep in order to achieve optimum brain function. Bottom line: get your z’s.
Cut down on social media
Nothing like social media takes your focus off your work and onto who went to last night’s party and what he or she said/wore/did. The danger of social media is that it is both highly addictive and a rather sneaky time-waster. Even if you don’t spend hours at a time scrolling through your Facebook or Twitter feed, the 10-15 minute stretches that you do spend scrolling through it every day can add up to hours over the course of the day. Best ways to get it in control:
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Turn off the sound alarms for updates and messages
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Designate specific times to check your messages rather than checking randomly (or constantly) throughout the day
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Limit the amount of time you spend on it
Designate time for socializing
Nobody said you had to stop socializing in order to be a good student. In fact, social activities are a great way to switch off the academic mode and allow the brain to relax. Having fun and connecting with other students is an essential part of college life and will allow you to return to your studies with renewed energy.
