Academic Concentration
The University Counselling Service has produced a large range of self-help leaflets. Why not have a look at the one on Concentration?
Some Basic Guidelines
1. Set aside a place for study and study only!
Find a specific place (or places) that you can use for studying (for example, the campus libraries, vacant classrooms, quiet areas in the student center, bedroom at home, etc.)
Make a place specific to studying. You are trying to build a habit of studying when you are in this place. So, don't use your study space for social conversations, writing letters, daydreaming, etc.
Ensure that your study area has the following:
- good lighting
- ventilation
- a comfortable chair, but not too comfortable
- a desk large enough to spread out your materials
Insure that your study area does not have the following:
- a distracting view of other activities that you want to be involved in
- a telephone
- a loud stereo
- a 27-inch colour TV
- a roommate or friend who wants to talk a lot
- a refrigerator stocked with scrumptious goodies
2. Divide your work into small, short-range goals.
Don't set a goal as vague and large as ... "I am going to spend all day Saturday studying!" You will only set yourself up for failure and discouragement.
Take the time block that you have scheduled for study and set a reachable study goal. (for example: finish reading 3 sections of chapter seven in my Psych. text, or complete one math problem, or write the rough draft of the introduction to my English paper, etc.)
Set your goal when you sit down to study but before you begin to work.
Set a goal that you can reach. You may, in fact, do more than your goal but set a reasonable goal even if it seems too easy.
Control of the Environment
1. Set aside a fixed place for study and nothing but study.
Do you have a place for study you can call your own? As long as you are going to study, you may as well use the best possible environment. Of course, it should be reasonably quiet and relatively free of distractions like radio, TV, and people. But that is not absolutely necessary. Several surveys suggest that 80% of a student's study is done in his or her own room, not in a library or study hall. A place where you are use to studying and to doing nothing else is the best of all possible worlds. After a while, study becomes the appropriate behaviour in that particular environment. Then, whenever you sit down in that particular niche in the world you'll feel like going right to work. Look at it this way; when you come into a classroom, you sit down and go to work by paying attention to the instructor. Your attitude and attention and behaviour are automatic because in the past, the room has been associated with attentive listening and not much else. If you can arrange the same kind of situation for the place where; you study, you will find it easier to sit down and start studying.
2. Before you begin an assignment, write down on a sheet of paper the time you expect to finish.
Keep a record of your goal setting. This one step will not take any time at all. However, it can be extremely effective. It may put just the slightest bit of pressure on you, enough so that your study behaviour will become instantly more efficient. Keep the goal sheets as a record of your study efficiency. Try setting slightly higher goals in successive evenings. Don't try to make fantastic increases in rate. Just increase the goal a bit at a time.
3. Strengthen your ability to concentrate by selecting a social symbol that is related to study.
Select one particular article of clothing, like a scarf or hat, or a new little figurine or totem. Just before you start to study, put on the cap, or set your little idol on the desk. The ceremony will aid concentration in two ways. First of all, it will be a signal to other people that you are working, and they should kindly not disturb you. Second, going through a short, regular ritual will help you get down to work, but be sure you don't use the cap or your idol when your are writing letters or daydreaming or just horsing around. Keep them just for studying. If your charm gets associated with anything besides books, get a new one. You must be very careful that it doesn't become a symbol for daydreaming.
4. If your mind wanders, stand up and face away from your books.
Don't sit at your desk staring into a book and mumbling about your poor will power. If you do, your book soon becomes associated with daydreaming and guilt. If you must daydream, and we all do it occasionally, get up and turn around. Don't leave the room. Just stand by your desk, daydreaming while you face away from your assignment. The physical act of standing up helps bring your thinking back to the job. Try it! You'll find that soon just telling yourself, "I should stand up now," will be enough to get you back on the track.
5. Stop at the end of each page, and count 10 slowly when you are reading.
This is an idea that may increase your study time, and it will be quite useful you if you find you can't concentrate and your mind is wandering. If someone was to ask you, "What have you read about?" and the only answer you could give is, "About thirty minutes," then you need to apply this technique. But remember it is only useful if you can't concentrate -- as a sort of emergency procedure.
6. Set aside a certain time to begin studying.
Certain behaviour usually is habitual at certain times of the day. If you examine your day carefully, you'll find that you tend to do certain things at predictable times. There may be changes from day to day, but, generally parts of your behaviour are habitual and time controlled. If you would be honest with yourself, you'd realise that time controlled behaviour is fairly easy to start. The point is that if you can make studying - or at least some of your studying - habitual it will be a lot easier to start. And if the behaviour is started at a habitual time, you will find that it is easier to start. And if the behaviour is started at a habitual time, you will find that it is easier to get going without daydreaming or talking about other things.
CUSU provides confidential, free, non-judgemental support and information to individual students. Contact the CUSU Education Officer, Welfare Officer or Women's Officer by email, phone or by dropping into the office if you would like support or information on any topic.