Concentration & Distraction

Concentration and focus looks a bit different for everyone so it’s important to explore strategies and customize them for you.  

Choosing a Study Environment

Take the time to evaluate your study locations. Where possible choose spaces or adapt your space to accomplish the following:  

  • Minimize interruptions. Choose a place where you’re unlikely to be interrupted or distracted. 

  • Choose comfortable settings. Ensure the environment is comfortable (lighting, temperature, etc.) but not so cozy that you’ll fall asleep. 

  • Think about noise control. Find a space where you can either tune out ambient noise or control the noise levels. 

  • Find break-friendly options. Look for a location that allows you to take productive breaks, such as having space to walk around, windows to look out of, and access to water. 

If your usual study space isn’t working well, try different locations and keep checking in with yourself: Are you able to focus, or are you getting easily distracted? 

Student studying with headphones on in an office setting
cell phone with a sticky note on top that says "later"

Acknowledge and Respond to Distractions and Interruptions

Distractions can come in many forms, both external and internal. 

External Distractions might include noise, conversations, TV, music, phone alerts, and more. To minimize these: 

  • Identify triggers. Recognize what typically distracts you. 

  • Remove distractions. When possible, remove these distractions from your workspace. Turn off alerts, set your phone to do not disturb, and let others know you’re working. 

  • Block them out. Sometimes you don’t have control over the noises around. Experiment with headphones, white noise, instrumental music, facing a wall or window and other techniques to reduce the degree to which those distractions interrupt your focus.  

Internal Distractions can be just as challenging, including hunger, fatigue, stress, and wandering thoughts. Here are some tips: 

  • Jot down thoughts. Keep a piece of paper nearby to jot down distracting thoughts. This way, you won’t worry about forgetting them, but you can set them aside and refocus. 

  • Take breaks. If you can’t stop thinking about something, take a short break to walk, talk to someone about it, write about it, or do something to clear your mind. 

  • Stay nourished. Keep snacks and water handy. Learning is hard work, and your brain needs fuel. 

Student smiling and walking down campus stairs while holding a notebook and waterbottle
Desk with lots of sticky notes, one hand holding a slice of pizza, and one hand typing

Stop Multitasking

When it comes to studying, multitasking is ineffective and a myth. Research has shown that people who are multitasking are actually not doing two things at the same time. Instead, they're switching back and forth quickly between tasks. The result is that performance on both tasks suffers, and those who do this task-switching are less likely to remember information later on (Dzubak, 2008). While there may be other areas of our lives where multitasking is useful, studying and problem solving are not one of these. Learning and mastery require deep concentration, and the interruptions and distractions that come from trying to do more than one thing at once make it harder to focus and decrease your chances of recalling that information later. 

5 Tips for Boosting Concentration

  1. Schedule breaks. Unfocused studying can be a sign that you need a short break prior to trying to refocus. Having breaks scheduled reduces the chances of your getting off track between the breaks. 
  1. Vary your study strategies. If you lose focus when studying in one way for a long time, vary the ways you study.  Try studying in one way for 20-30 minutes and then study using a different strategy. The variety can help refresh your focus. 
  1. Try a fidget toy. Having something in your hand to fidget with while you study can give you an outlet for energy while maintaining your focus on the studying.  
  1. Work in small bursts. Creating short high intensity study times can help motivate you to accomplish small tasks quickly. Try the Pomodoro technique to get started and adjust the work times to match your needs.  
  1. Study with someone else. Body doubling, or working in the same place as someone else who is also focused on work/studying, has been a trend for a few years, but even before that, studying with a study buddy has been a popular way to add accountability to your study session.