How to improve focusing

Is it possible to improve your focus? If so, how do you improve it? How do you not zone off when studying or being on shift?

Reply 1

Rachel_ysj

Official Rep

Original post by knightfullpurple

Is it possible to improve your focus? If so, how do you improve it? How do you not zone off when studying or being on shift?

Hi there!

I'm currently a YSJ university student studying teaching so have a lot of deadlines to work towards. Being a student teacher also requires a lot of work so time management and focus are things I have really had to work on over the past 3 years.

I find that my environment has a huge impact on my focus towards my work. For me personally, I struggle to work anywhere which has distractions such as at home, around other people or in a loud place with a phone present. Therefore, I will choose to work somewhere such as the university library (in particular the silent sections with the least distractions). I like this because it makes me feel accountable for my work ethic as I am in a public place where other people are working hard. This also helps with maintaining that work and home-life balance which I feel is very important.

I also find that even just changing the environment (such as from working in your bedroom to your kitchen) can really help to refocus your brain. It is important to find somewhere comfortable but perhaps not somewhere too comfortable where you'll fall asleep!

Finding what works best for you is important, for example, if you find it difficult working in silence, you could make a suitable playlist of music which supports your study mood.

Working in small chunks also helps with motivation to continue with work. This could be through setting a timer for how long you wish to study for or saying to yourself that you only have so long to get X amount of work done. Using a visual timetable and checklist of broken down things you need to do to achieve an end goal can help with this.

Ultimately, everybody is different and will require different techniques which allow them to focus the most. Trial and error is good and it is also important to acknowledge that not everything will work for you but focus is still possible.

I hope that was helpful! Hopefully these techniques are useful, although there are many more out there! :smile: