7 Tips to Concentrate on Studies
Desai Pruthvi S
Youth is a time full of energy. You have so many things around you – Friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, goals, games and yes, some forbidden things as well.
Youth is a crucial time to concentrate on studies, staying focused and build your career. Now that seems like a problem to many young people as they find it difficult to concentrate. They start something, do it for 2, 3 or maybe 5 days and then get distracted.
They get fascinated by newer things easily, then leave the task at hand and start exploring something else. This cycle keeps repeating again and again. Nothing gets completed. Life becomes a mess.
If you want to excel in your studies, you need to stay focused.
Here’s a story about the power of focus.
There once was a man who wished to had water. He got out, chose a spot at random and started digging. After 15 minutes, he got bored “Oh! There’s no sign of water yet, I think this is not the right spot. Let’s go and find another one.”
He left that spot and started digging at another place, there too, he got bored pretty soon. Once again, he was in search of the ‘right’ spot. He kept on doing that till evening and finally ended up with no water in sight. Frustrated and discouraged, he went back home and told his wife everything. The wife thought for a moment, smiled, but didn’t say anything.
The next day, early in the morning, the wife went out, examined several spots carefully and chose one which she thought was ‘right’. She started digging-15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour…the clock was ticking and she was digging the spot with all her might. The man was curious.
The sun, birds and the trees around were surprised at her determination. By the sunset she had water. She was happy and her husband was delightfully surprised. “How did you do that” the man asked?
“Focus!” the wife replied.
Getting distracted easily and not staying focused can cost you quite a good things in life. Develop your focus and see yourself tasting success.
Here are 7 tips to help you out.
#1
Being ‘Jack of All Trades and Master of None’ will do you no good.
The human mind has a tendency to accomplish EVERYTHING. You want to become a cricketer, an astronaut, a model, a singer, an engineer, a movie star, and what not? Well, the good news is, it’s possible to achieve all of your dreams.
Yes, it’s possible – only in your fantasies.
The reality is, you can specialize in certain area(s) only. It’ll be better if you realize that you were not born to become an all rounder. In fact, there’s no need to become one.
When I stated training for voice acting, I tried quite hard to master as many as 4 languages-Hindi, English, Urdu and Sanskrit. I was trying really hard but wasn’t getting anywhere. And then one day, I realized that it was a total waste of my time. Then I started concentrating on the languages that were really important for me get successful in voice overs, and that strategy helped me a lot.
So, do you realize now that there’s no point in trying to become an all rounder?
There’s no need to pursue a lot of things You have a special gift, a special talent to share with the world. Stay focused and become an expert in your field.
#2
Set Your Priorities
Life is short. You never know how much time have been assigned to you. You need to find out what really matters to you. If you are clear about what is it that you want from life, the journey becomes a lot easier and makes much more sense. Not being clear about what you want will just make you drift here and there, and believe me, that is a PATHETIC situation. (Because I have been in such a position myself for quite some time.)
Here’s a simple exercise to help you make your priorities clearer. Take a pen and paper. Sit where you’ll not be disturbed for 15-20 minutes. Think of all the things you want to do in life and start noting them down on the paper. Keep writing. List every single thing on paper.
When you are done, take a good look at the list, close your eyes and ask yourself-out of all these things, what matters to me the MOST?
Keep your eyes closed for some time. Now look at the list again. Put a tick mark on the things you feel matters to you and put a cross on the rest, no matter how fancy or good they appear.
Start noting down all the things you put a tick mark on, on a fresh paper. These are the most important things for you. These are your priorities. Stay focused on these ONLY.
#3
Choose Your Friends Wisely
My definition of ‘friend’ is quite simple-A friend gets happy when he sees you happy and gets sad when he sees you in a sad mood.
Have you ever thought about your friends? Are they really friends or enemies in disguise? Now, before you think I am crazy, let me tell you one thing straight in your face-there may be some people in your ‘friend circle’ who are not even worth calling friends.
You might doubt me at this moment but there are some ‘friends’ of yours, who feel good when they see you in trouble. I know it sounds harsh, but facts are facts.
People who really care about you will help you succeed, while others who want you to fail (even unconsciously, because they are jealous of your looks, talent or charisma) will leave no stone unturned to distract and demoralize you in the name of ‘good advice’. Beware of them!
#4
Say No to Time Stealer(s)
Useless and unwanted ‘whatsapp’ texts in your mobile, ‘forwarded’ messages in your email, unwanted people ringing your door bell just to have a ‘chat’- these are some examples of time stealer(s).
A time stealer could be an activity or a person that may push you off track. If you let such things overpower you, you’ll soon find yourself with no real time left to focus on what really matters to you.
Register your mobile number for DND (Do not disturb service), send an email to the people who keep sending you ‘forwarded’ emails (about the world’s craziest, sexiest, funniest and deadliest things) that you don’t want such emails in your inbox. Ask them to remove you from the list.
Also, if you don’t like someone disturbing you when you are studying, let him/her know – in the face. It’s about your studies and eventually about your career. Get serious!
#5
Opt for High Performance Gadgets and Services
Technology has made our lives much easier than before, but most of the times we under-utilize it. Technology has one deep meaning-to give you more free time to do things you really enjoy. So, it would be helpful if you could opt for high performance gadgets and services. i.e. mobiles, computers and high speed internet connection. Having a high speed internet connection may look like a waste of money, but in reality, it’s a boon. It lets you finish more in less time so you can focus more on productive activities.
#6
Practice Focus Exercise
Mind, if trained properly can help you stay focused and get maximum results from your efforts. Here is a technique to help you develop focus.
Take a white A4 size paper sheet, put a dot in the center with a black pen. Hang the sheet on a wall. Now, sit about 3 feet away from it in a relaxed position. Focus on the dot. Initially, it’ll require a lot of effort as your mind will revolt, random thoughts will appear out of nowhere, but with practice you’ll be able to focus with greater ease.
Try not to blink your eyes for as long as you can with ease and keep increasing the time little-by-little everyday. This exercise puts a lot of extra stain on your eyes and make them water. So be careful to do it gently.
This simple yet powerful exercise can greatly assist you staying focused on a single task at hand. Do this daily for at least 21 days.
#7
Maintain a To-Do List
Staying focused gets easier when you know how you are going to spend your day. I highly suggest maintaining the all time classic ‘To Do’ list. Every day, make a list of all the things (depending on your priorities) that needs to be done and stick to that list.
When you know what is it that you need to do to achieve your goals, unproductive and time wasting activities disappear on their own and you can stay focused for longer time.
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