How to Stay Focused While Studying – 12+ Tips

In the age of information overload, it’s hard to stay focused while studying. It doesn’t matter whether you’re in high school, college or grad school – blocking out the noise can feel like an uphill battle.

But with the right routine, environment and plan, you’ll find it much easier to concentrate and stay on task. Here are 12+ tips to help you stay focused while you study.

How To Stay Focused While Studying for Exams

If you have an exam coming up, you probably have limited time to study. Whether you’re cramming the night before, pulling an all-nighter or studying days ahead of time, you can use these tips to help you stay on track.

1. Avoid Distractions

Distractions are the biggest threat to your concentration, and they are everywhere.

• Your phone
• Your friends
• Your TV
• Your pets

It’s easy to get distracted when you have so much going on around you all the time. Do everything you can to kick distractions to the curb while you study, like:

• Put your phone on airplane mode to avoid getting social media notifications or phone calls. Better yet – turn off your mobile device. Set a no cell phones rule for your study period.
• Studying in a room without a TV. Sit outside if the weather permits and it’s a peaceful place.
• Keep your pets outside of the room, or encourage them to settle down and relax while you study.
• Let your friends know that you’ll be unavailable until you’re done studying.

Make it easy to avoid distractions and you’ll find that you’re better able to stay focused on studying for your exam.

2. Set Goals

It’s not enough to just say, “I’m going to study for the test.” If you want to stay focused and succeed in your study sessions, you have to set goals.

• What do you want to accomplish during your session?
• What material do you want to cover?

Make sure that your goals are:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Time-specific
• Attainable

For added motivation, give yourself regular rewards for achieving your study goals.

It’s much easier to stay focused when you have an objective to achieve and a plan to get there.

3. Create a Study Ritual

Staying focused can be challenging, but you may find it much easier to stay on track if you have a study ritual. These are tasks that you do every time you study, and they can help you get into the right state of mind for each session.

A ritual may look like this:

• Head to your usual study spot at home (or wherever you normally study).
• Set up your space. Gather all of the material you will need for your session.
• Block out all distracting websites on your browser.
• Set your phone to airplane mode or silent.
• Set up any timers that you may be using for your study period.
• Grab a glass of water and a snack.

Creating a study ritual doesn’t have to be complicated. It just has to help you get into the right frame of mind for studying.

4. Have a Dedicated Study Space

Your study environment will play a big role in your ability to stay focused. Creating a dedicated space for studying will make it easier to cut out distractions and just concentrate on the task ahead.

Ideally, your space should be:

• Quiet. Avoid studying in the kitchen or other busy areas (like a coffee shop) where there’s bound to be noise and other distractions.
• Comfortable. Studying at a desk or table will give you some space to spread out. Avoid studying somewhere that’s too comfortable, like the couch or a bed. You don’t want to fall asleep in the middle of your study session.
• Well-lit. Low-light environments will make you sleepy and strain your eyes. Use a bright desk lamp or an overhead lamp to keep your space well-lit.
• Clutter-free. A clean, organized space will make it easier to stay focused. Clutter can be distracting and even stressful, so keep your study space tidy.
• Yours. There’s nothing wrong with personalizing your space. Hang inspiring photos, choose colors you love and make your space feel like yours. The goal is to create a study space that you want to be in.

These simple tips can help you stay focused when studying for an exam, but you can incorporate the tips below into your routine, too.

How To Stay Focused While Studying Another Language

Learning a new language is hard. But no matter what combination of learning methods you use, you still need to study. Dedicating time to learning the language is the only way you’ll reach any level of fluency.

But staying on track isn’t easy, especially if you’re already struggling with your studies.

If you’re having trouble staying focused when learning a language, here are some tips.

5. Slow Down

It’s harder to learn a language as an adult. Part of the reason why we struggle with grasping a new language is that we’re trying to cram as much as we can into every single session. And unfortunately, our adult brains tend to over-analyze things, which only makes it worse.

If you want to stay focused and actually retain the information you’re learning, then do yourself a favor and slow down.

Take the time to really absorb and understand each new thing you’re learning, whether it’s a new word or a new grammar rule. It’s much easier to stay focused when you’re not trying to rush from one thing to the next.

Take your time, and only focus on one thing at a time during your study sessions.

6. Study in Short Spurts

Many people assume that you have to study for hours every day to learn a language. You can spend that much time on learning (if you have it), but not everyone can really keep their focus and interest going for that long.

To stay focused, study in short spurts. Aim for at least 20 minutes per day total. That can be broken up into two or three hyper-focused study sessions, or all at once. The key is to break the materials down into manageable chunks.

Short sessions may help with your concentration and keep you from feeling overwhelmed.

7. Gamify Your Studying

It’s easy to stay focused and on track when you enjoy what you’re doing. With language learning – and for many other subjects – it can be challenging to make studying enjoyable. Gamifying your studying may help.

There are lots of language learning apps out there that help you learn and make it fun, too. They also incorporate different approaches, which makes it even easier to concentrate on your studies.

Some great language learning apps are:

• Duolingo
• Babbel
• Mango
• Memrise
• Drops

Apps like these are designed to keep you engaged, so you’ll enjoy learning.

How To Stay Focused While Studying at Night

Are you a student focusing on studying at night? It can be difficult to stay on track after a long day of classes and whatever other plans you had for the day. Here are some tips to help you stay focused.

8. Create a Study Plan

If you can only study at night, it may be helpful to create a study schedule. If you have a plan, you’ll be able to stay focused on whatever it is you need to accomplish on your to-do list.

Make a plan for what you want to cover and accomplish, and make sure that you stick to that plan. Block out time in your evening that’s just for studying and nothing else.

9. Listen to Classical Music

Studying at night can be challenging because you’re battle exhaustion and mental fatigue. But listening to classical music may help you stay focused and regain that mental energy you need to get through your session.

Studies have found that listening to classical music can help your brain absorb and retain information more easily. Music can engage your brain in a way that helps you pay more attention and make sense of the material that you’re learning.

Another study found that classical music helped older adults perform better on processing and memory tasks.

So, crank up some Bach and hit the books to improve your focus and the outcome of your study sessions.

10. Make Sure Your Study Spot is a Clean Space

Here’s a quick way to help improve your focus while studying at night – clean things up.

Research has found that clutter and disorganization can drain your brain’s cognitive resources. You’re studying at night when your brain is already tired, so it’s even more important for your space to be clean and tidy.

Clutter is a visual distraction that can lead to cognitive overload and hinder your memory. So, take the time to clean your space before studying to keep your brain in the game.

11. Take a Mental Break

It’s tempting to push yourself to study longer and harder, especially if you’re studying at night and just want to get it done.

But taking regular breaks is important for focusing and retaining the information you’re studying. Schedule in a 5-minute break here and there, or better yet, take a 15-minute break if you’re studying for a long period of time.

Research has found that taking at least a 5-minute break will give your brain a chance to refresh and increase your focus.

How To Stay Focused in College

Study time is even more important in college when your future and career are on the line. But how do you stay focused when you have so many other things going on? Here are some tips.

12. Get Regular Exercise

Make exercise a priority if you want to stay focused during your study sessions. Research shows that short bursts of physical activity can help improve concentration for up to one hour.

Staying active throughout the day can help you stay on track during your study sessions. Try hitting the gym or going for a walk or run before you sit down to study.

13. Get Plenty of Hours of Sleep

Sleep? When you’re in college? Who has time for it?

I know it’s hard to make sleep a priority in college, but it should be one. It’s difficult or impossible to stay focused when you’re dead tired. Concentration goes out the window. Sleep deprivation can severely impair your ability to stay focused, so do yourself a favor and get plenty of shut-eye if you plan to study.

15. Use White Noise to Block Out Distractions

Finding time to study is hard enough. It’s even harder to stay focused if you’re studying in a noisy dorm room or another loud place.

If you can’t find a quiet place to study, grab your earbuds and listen to some white noise. White noise can block out background noise, making it much easier to focus on the task ahead.

Final Thoughts

These tips will help you learn how to stay focused while studying, whether you have an upcoming exam, are learning a new language or are in college. With practice and consistency, you’ll find it much easier to stay on track during future study sessions.