How I Stay Focused — 5 Things I Do to Maximise Productivity
With the new university semester coming into full swing, I thought that it would be good to list down a bunch of tips that have helped me stay focused when I revise or prepare for the next lesson. Hopefully, some of these tips would be helpful for you! Please keep in mind that everyone is different, so what works for me may not work for you.
- Use your phone to timelapse
Personally, this is one of my favourite ways to stay focused. With the prominence of technology in our lives, it’s tough to look away from our phones, especially when you hear the buzz of a notification. Even if you manage to resist the temptation to look at your phone, your mind will be partially preoccupied with the curiosity of the unread notification.
Thus, something that has really helped me is to use my phone to timelapse. If you want to take this a step further, use these timelapses and stitch them into a study vlog. I find that this helps because I end up having something satisfying to look back on later and I love editing videos as a way to chill. Furthermore, to make these timelapses substantial, you will be less likely to stop the time lapse so that you actually have something to look back on instead of just a 5-second clip.
If you need to use Whatsapp or Telegram to talk to people when doing work, especially for team projects, just install it on your computer so that you don’t have to use your phone.
2. Mute Everything
I’ve been practising this since entering Secondary 1 and it’s worked out pretty well for me all these years later. Basically, I mute everything on my phone: social media, communication, random apps… all of them. I only have notifications on for one or two chats and that’s only because I’m scared that I’m needed for a family emergency.
It’s helped me a lot in getting tasks done. Since I’ve been doing this for such a long time, I’ve also developed a system where I periodically check my messages so that I don’t miss out any important information. I would say it’s a bit of an uncomfortable experience when you first start, but you get used to your phone staying silent after the first month or so.
Personally, I don’t allow in-app notifications or banner notifications. As an iPhone user, I don’t allow notifications when I download apps, saving me the hassle of needing to manually turn them off later on.
3. Declutter your Workspace
I find that I am more motivated to work continuously when my table is clear of clutter, since it gives me more space to put the things that matter like my readings and devices. Sometimes, it’s inevitable that your table becomes cluttered with items, but you don’t need a full clean up to have a clean work space.
If you’re short on time, I find that placing the clutter in the closet (or somewhere out of sight) temporarily works because I am a strong believer in “out of sight, out of mind”.
4. Have a Study Vlog/Study With Me Play in the Background
I’m someone who enjoys studying with background noise but music can sometimes be very distracting. Thus, I usually turn to putting study vlogs or study with mes in the background to help me study, especially because I’m someone who studies better when the people around me are studying as well.
Some channels I enjoy listening to are @spudstudy and @studychaii! Alternatively, putting on ambient noises like ASMRs (I like keyboard typing, cafe and hotel lobby ones) or brown noise works as well. If you really want to listen to music, I recommend Lofi music instead because its relaxing, consistent rhythm makes it easier to focus as compared to pop songs.
5. Snack Cravings? Drink Water Instead.
When I study, I tend to get cravings for snacks high in salt or sugar content like potato chips or gummies. While good snacks to watch TV, they definitely aren’t healthy to consume on a regular basis. I’ve taken to substituting these cravings with water, mainly because I often forget to drink water.
Studies have shown that you may have difficulty focusing when you are dehydrated, so this is a pretty good way to ensure that you get your 2 litres per day. Sometimes, when I really can’t bring myself to drink water, I like to make myself tea to help me destress and focus better.
I hope that these tips help you out! Once again, these tips work for me, but may or may not work for you. However, I find that the most difficult part of focusing is the first half an hour as you get into the groove. Experiment with different ideas and just go with the ones that help you!
Do you have any tips I didn’t mention here? State them in the comments :) Byee~
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