Focusing at school can be hard. There are so many distractions that seem like they are more important than school even though they’re not. Over the course of many months, I have tried many techniques on how to study and complete my schoolwork so that you don’t have to. There are many ways to help you keep focus on schoolwork and other things in life. The list will start with the easiest and then grow in difficulty.
- Only focus on one thing at a time. It is easy to overthink things and try to work on everything at once. It is difficult but if you can master working on one thing at a time, it can help you focus on most things in life and relieve stress.
- Stare at a singular object for 30 seconds every day. This might sound unhelpful, but it is great at lengthening attention span and focus. Even though it might not seem like it, staring at a singular object for 30 seconds has helpful effects on how your brain processes visual data received by the eyes and lengthens attention span because of having to process the visual data.
- Listen to calming music, such as classical, jazz or white noise. The sounds of the music activate receptors in your brain, allowing you to hyperfocus on what you are trying to complete. Although, this tip only works after you mastered Tip 1. This is because your brain can’t hyperfocus on everything at once.
- Remember that is okay to ask for help in a subject, or anything in life, that you are struggling in. People, especially in the school system, are there to help you in difficult subjects. There is nothing shameful in asking for help.
- Accept that nothing is perfect and that you will make mistakes. This is the hardest tip to master. To make it easier to accept this fact, realize that if you don’t make mistakes, you learn nothing. Einstein once said, “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” Mistakes are a part of life. We need them to learn and grow. If we didn’t make mistakes, we would stay the same and not become, or have the grit to become, better people. In this case, the world would quickly become stale. Once you accept this fact, your life will become easier. You will not stress about getting a good grade or making it perfect. You will just try your best and you will be surprised at how well you could be without stressing over everything.
These five tips have helped me stay focused on school, improve my attention span and helped me stress less. If you try these tips, you will be surprised at your results. Start with the first tip, then slowly work up to the final one. They will help you stay more focused, alert and be less stressed – which we all need right now. I hope these tips help you keep a healthy school-life balance.
