“Focus People Focus!”

That’s the phrase I hear running through my mind every time I set my desire to do something, and find myself getting distracted.

This too is the phrase I remember hearing the Drama Director shout when I kept messing up my theatrical lines in the production “Spunk” while in graduate school at Lehigh University.

“Focus People Focus!”

This is the phrase that I want to tattoo on your mind, for it is the root cause for low academic performance and sub par school grades. It’s also the foundational reason successful people are successful – they know HOW to focus.

With so may things going on in our society, with access to so many resources, with varying life responsibilities, and not to name all this twitter, facebook, and youtube stuff on the internet (in which I’m all on), FOCUS can be challenging for the common student.

Whether you are a high school student, a college student, online student, or an adult student raising a family while working a full-time job I have something for you.

Before I give you these essential ways to focus better while studying, here are few motivators to support my claims:

• “When you write down your ideas you automatically focus your full attention on them. Few if any of us can write one thought and think another at the same time. Thus a pencil and paper make excellent concentration tools.” – Michael Leboeuf

• “One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus; we never concentrate our power. Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular.” - Anthony Robbins

• “If you stay focused and right on track, you will get to where you want to be.” – Michelle C. Ustaszeski

• “The sun’s energy warms the world. But when you focus it through a magnifying glass it can start a fire. Focus is so powerful!” – Alan Pariser

Let me say this, as an academic success speaker who speaks to students at educational events, youth conferences and college events, and run an online internet business, lead a family, and author books – FOCUS sometimes is still a challenge for me, but as I reflect back, FOCUS has produced some great things in my life pertaining to my own academic success and still does today – and will for you too.

If you have issues  staying focused while studying, do this:

1 – State Your Desired Goal

When you go into any study session, if it’s at home alone, on campus at the library, or in a group session – state your goals. At the beginning of your study time, write down what you desire to accomplish during this study time. (It may seem nerdish, but the group will love you for it too)

2 – Set a Time Frame for Intentional Focus

When you make a decision to study your school work, set a specific alloted time to focus. On purpose write down, ”For the next _____ Minutes I focus on______ only.” By writing this down, this helps you to stick to the desired goal at hand and it triggers your mind to be intentional.

3 – Declare Your Reward  for Intentional Focus

Rewarding yourself is a great motivator for focusing for a set period of time. For example, you can reward yourself by simply taking 10 minutes to enjoy something you love… playing a video game, talking to your bf, chatting on the internet, eating ice cream, or whatever you desire. The key is to make sure your compensation is relative to what you achieved. After you reward yourself, then get back to focusing.

4 – Turn Off All Distractions

This seems obvious right? But i have found that distractions are the #1 enemy to you accomplishing any goal, and our goal is to focus on the school assignment. Therefore turn it all off…the TV, the iPod, the stereo, the cell phone, the internet, the tweets, the pokes, the video games, everything. Even go so far to let your family, friends, and classmates know. “For the next ______ minutes, I need to  completely focus on studying so leave me a message or I will get with you at later specific time.” (That a great voice mail greeting or facebook status)

5 – Remove Clutter and Keep Things Clean

Dr. Laurence J. Peter once said, “If a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind, what is the significance of a clean desk?”

By simply cleaning your work area or study area it allows your mind to be clear, which will also eliminate distractions.

6 – Gather Only the Resources You Need For Studying

This is self explanatory but I must stress to only have in front of you everything that you need for one specific subject. If it doesn’t relate with the class you are studying for, remove it completely from your study area.

Want more info on how to properly create a study area then click here. If you want to see the two main reasons for the bed, then watch this video, cause studying is not one of them.

7 – Read Through All Your Written Notes From Beginning to End

To maximize most of your study sessions, start from the beginning reading all of your study notes aloud, and highlight the areas that you will need to spend more intentional focus time on. Make sure you don’t stop but continue to move forward with your notes, then review those trouble areas.

7.25 – Read Textbooks and  Other Resources, Work Problems, and Review All Notes To Enhance Comprehension

Here’s where you spend the majority of your study time. After doing the above 7 steps with discipline, you will find that as you go through this step your retention of information will be better, because you are now completely zoned in.

As a follow up to this article, I will give you some ways to better focus while in class. Until then you can see here for more study tips, from note taking, reading, listening in class and even how to properly C.R.A.M.

As I echo my Drama Director. “Focus People Focus!”

Possibly Related Posts:

• How To Overcome Test Anxiety In School & Instantly Improve Your Test Scores By Asking Yourself ONE Simple Question
• 7.25 Life Lessons You Must Learn From Michael Jackson’s Movie “This Is It”
• 7.25 Simple Academic Habits Now that “School” Is Back In
• 7.25 Ways to Set and Achieve All of Your Academic Goals
• Academic Note Taking is as Simple as Jotting Down a Phone Number