How do you concentrate whilst trying to revise?

Anyone have any useful tips to keep concentration levels up

(edited 8 years ago)

I put a little post it on the wall in front of me, reminding me of what I am ultimately working for which in my case is a place at med school. Also, don't bring your phone into the room you are revising in, even if it is there but off you will still feel tempted to use it. Finally, I like to have the window open as I can't seem to concentrate when the room is warm or stuffy I just feel like taking a nap instead :biggrin:

Reply 2

pseudonymegg

stab myself in the leg if I procrastinate/ stray off topic ... after a while I become like a Pavlov dog

Reply 3

mackemforever

Original post by NabeelM

I have my AS exams coming up but I can't seem to find the motivation and concentration to revise.
Could you all just share some tips on staying motivated and concentrated when revising? and what helps you the most.

Thanks

Break it up into small chunks, because that way you know that you're not having to work for hours at a time and it seems much more manageable and it's simpler to stay on track.

I've always done about 20 minutes on, 10 minutes off, throughout the day. That way I get plenty of breaks to get up, stretch my legs, and do something else for a few minutes, but over the course of a day still get plenty of work done, but because it's done in short bursts there is no real reason for me to procrastinate as I know I'm never far away from my next short break.

Reply 4

SiminaM

I don't. That's my problem :cry:

Gonna try that stabbing&pavlov dog thing but with something less painful.

Reply 5

Lil08

Switch off the interwebs.

Reply 6

TVIO

Just force yourself to work for 10 minutes. If you really don't want to work after that, don't because it won't be effective revision. But the majority of time (80-90%) I found myself wanting/being able to carry on working, often for several hours.

Reply 7

Reviloed

Try binaural beats they have worked for me and I honestly think they were why I got good gcse grades and did well in my AS mocks. Try binuralbrainwave in youtube and look at his study section/playlist they are said to stimulate the mind helping you learn and memorise easier but also have loads of comments from people explaining how it helped them concentrate

Reply 8

Puddles the Monkey

Original post by pseudonymegg

stab myself in the leg if I procrastinate/ stray off topic ... after a while I become like a Pavlov dog

Original post by SiminaM

I don't. That's my problem :cry:

Gonna try that stabbing&pavlov dog thing but with something less painful.

Please don't be stabbing yourselves? :lolwut:

Some less dangerous ideas:

Do 20 pushups when you find yourself drifting. (Plus, the exercise will help you to feel more energised/able to concentrate)

Give your phone/internet password/gameboy to a trusted family member and tell them not to give it back to you until you've done your revision.

Use positive re-enforcement instead: give yourself a little reward when you've finished a sprint of revision - like 5 minutes playing a game or chatting to your friends.

Use something like the pomodoro technique to build up your concentration skills slowly. It's like a muscle, you need to start small (like, 10 minutes at a time) and get better with practice. :dumbells:

Reply 9

aranlong

Positive reinforcement is my go to method. If I revise consistently for two hours then I will give myself an hour of anything time. Usually ends up being a show on netflix and some programming. That way I have something to look forward to and can easily pull 6-8 hour revision days when I need to.

Also (shameless plug) you can check out my revision timing app based on the pomodoro method on the google play store https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.scopesoftware.revisiontimer

(edited 9 years ago)