Personal Blogs

Some weeks ago, I noticed a comment from a student I was supporting. They reported they have had some trouble focussing. I reflected on this, and realised that I sometimes have the same difficulties. It sometimes, of course, depends a lot on what is going on in my life.

Here’s some thoughts that I shared:

• Little and often sometimes works; if I find my mind wandering, this means I might need a break.
• Plan; a fellow tutor said that he told his students to ‘make an appointment with their studies’, which is a great way of looking at it. Form a habit. Make sure you keep that appointment. Also, if it helps, tell others that you’re studying. That way you won’t be disturbed (in theory).
• Drinks; cups of tea work for me. Okay, tea is a stimulant, but I can’t help but think that there’s something in tea that helps!
• Make sure you’re not hungry, but also make sure you haven’t just polished off a big meal.
  Rewards; make deals with yourself – say, ‘I’ll give myself a reward when I’ve read, reviewed, or understood something’, and that something might be a section of text, an activity, or a sample exam paper question (or questions). The reward might me whatever works for you; a walk, music, TV, a night out with friends or family – whatever works for you.
• Sleep and exercise; find a balance. If you’re way too tired after a day at the office, it can be hard to focus. If you’re tired and want to do something, perhaps choose a study task that doesn’t need a huge amount of concentration – such as, sorting out all your notes. You’ll familiarise yourself with what you have written.
• Reflect on when you work best. Some people work better in the early morning, other people work better in the evening; some are larks, others are night owls. Choose the period of the day when you’re most likely to concentrate.
• Put your phone in a different room. Or, put it on silent mode and put it behind you, so you can’t be distracted by it if it lights up.
• Keep the goal in mind; degree level study is difficult and is hard work.