Study Tips — Study Better

Put Unnecessary Notifications Away During Study

Focus

A notification doesn't need to be acted on to cause a distraction. The alert itself interrupts focus, even if ignored.

Why this may help

Each notification during a study session breaks concentration and requires effort to return to the previous focus level. Removing notifications before studying protects the session from these interruptions.

How to use it

Before beginning a study session, silence or enable a quiet mode on your phone and close non-essential browser tabs. Place the phone face-down or in a bag if it is a frequent distraction.

Step-by-step

1Before sitting down to study, identify the two biggest notification sources.
2Enable quiet mode or "do not disturb" on the phone.
3Close browser tabs unrelated to the study task.
4Place the phone out of direct line of sight.
5Allow important contacts to break through the quiet mode if needed.

Try this

Before your next session, put the phone on quiet mode and move it to a different surface from where you are studying.

Common mistake

Keeping the phone visible and relying on willpower to ignore it. Removing it from sight is more effective than intending to ignore it.

Easier version

If the phone must remain nearby, turn the screen face-down and enable only call notifications.

When it works best

Every study session, but particularly when studying subjects that require sustained reading or problem-solving.

Reflection

How many times did a notification interrupt your last study session? How much time did re-focusing take each time?

Related: Keep Your Study Space Simple

Decide What a Study Session Should Accomplish

Focus

A study session without a defined outcome often ends when the student runs out of motivation rather than when the task is complete.

Why this may help

Knowing what a session should produce — three summarised notes, five solved problems, a completed essay plan — creates a clear finish line. This makes it easier to sustain effort because progress is visible.

How to use it

Before starting, write one sentence describing what you will have produced by the end: not "study Chapter 3" but "write a half-page summary of the key terms in Chapter 3."

Step-by-step

1Define the output before opening any materials.
2Write it on paper where you can see it.
3Begin the session working toward that output.
4When the output is produced, the session is complete.

Try this

Write the outcome of your next study session before it begins. Keep that note visible while studying.

Common mistake

Using the passage of time as the only measure of session completion: "I studied for an hour." An hour of unfocused activity produces less than thirty minutes of directed effort.

Easier version

If defining the output is difficult, use this template: "By the end of this session I will have _____."

When it works best

Most useful for longer sessions and for subjects where progress can be hard to see without a defined output.

Reflection

When you look back at a study session, do you know specifically what you produced? If not, what would help you define that next time?

Use Short Focused Study Sessions

Focus

A session of thirty focused minutes often produces more learning than two hours of distracted study.

Why this may help

Attention has limits. Shorter, time-defined sessions make it easier to maintain concentration because the end is visible. They also allow the brain time to process material during breaks.

How to use it

Study in sessions of 25–40 minutes with a defined task. Set a timer. Work only on the task until the timer ends. Take a short break before the next session.

Step-by-step

1Choose one task for the session.
2Set a timer for 25 to 40 minutes.
3Work on only that task until the timer ends.
4Take 5 to 10 minutes away from the desk.
5Decide whether to continue the same task or switch.

Try this

Set a timer for 30 minutes and work on one subject only. When it ends, stop and step away for 5 minutes.

Common mistake

Using the timer method but continuing to check messages or switch tasks during the session.

Easier version

Start with 15-minute sessions if 30 feels too long. The habit of defined, focused periods is more important than the exact duration.

When it works best

Effective for most subjects, particularly mathematics, writing, and languages that require sustained attention.

Reflection

Do your most productive study periods happen during defined sessions or during open-ended studying? What does that suggest?

Take Useful Breaks Between Sessions

Focus

A break that genuinely rests attention is different from a break spent on a different screen.

Why this may help

Genuine rest between study sessions allows the brain to consolidate what was just studied. A break spent scrolling social media or watching video provides little of this benefit, as those activities also engage attention heavily.

How to use it

During breaks, step away from the study area, move around, drink water, look at something distant, or sit quietly. Avoid screen-based activities during short study breaks where possible.

Step-by-step

1When the session timer ends, stand up from the desk.
2Move to a different room or space if possible.
3Do something low-attention: stretch, walk, drink water.
4Return to the desk at the end of the defined break period.

Try this

After your next study session, take a 5-minute break away from any screen. Return to the desk after the break.

Common mistake

Checking social media during the break and continuing well beyond the break time.

Easier version

If leaving the desk is not possible, simply close all study materials, close your eyes briefly, and stretch for a few minutes.

When it works best

After every focused study session, particularly important after sessions involving heavy reading or problem-solving.

Reflection

After a break that involved a screen versus one that did not, how ready to focus are you when returning to study?

Restart After Getting Distracted

Focus

Getting distracted during a study session is normal. The important question is not whether it happens but how quickly the session resumes.

Why this may help

A distraction that causes ten minutes of lost focus is recoverable if the session restarts promptly. The same distraction becomes a lost hour if it triggers abandonment of the session.

How to use it

When distraction occurs, notice it without self-criticism. Look at the written task or session outcome. Return to the task.

Step-by-step

1Notice the distraction without extended judgment.
2Look at the task you wrote before the session began.
3Return to the specific point in the material where focus was lost.
4Resume, even if only a few minutes remain.

Try this

During your next session, if distraction happens, write the word "restart" and return to the task. Do this without further delay.

Common mistake

Treating a distraction as a sign that the session has failed and stopping entirely.

Easier version

Keep a small note that says "return to task" visible during sessions. Seeing it after a distraction prompts the restart.

When it works best

Relevant for all study contexts but particularly when studying subjects you find less engaging.

Reflection

What usually happens after a distraction during a study session? Do you return, or does the session end?

Keep Distracting Thoughts on a Later List

Focus

Thoughts about other tasks tend to arrive precisely when trying to concentrate on a different one. A brief capture method prevents them from derailing the session.

Why this may help

The impulse to act on a distracting thought often comes from anxiety about forgetting it. Writing it down removes the urgency without requiring action during the study session.

How to use it

Keep a small notebook or paper beside study materials. When an unrelated thought or task arrives, write it on the paper and return immediately to the study task. Address the list after the session.

Step-by-step

1Prepare a "later" notepad before the session.
2When an unrelated thought arrives, write it briefly.
3Return immediately to the study task.
4Review the later list after the session ends.

Try this

In your next session, keep a piece of paper labelled "later." Write any distracting thought on it and return to work without acting on it.

Common mistake

Acting on the captured thought immediately, which ends the session just as effectively as if nothing had been written.

Easier version

Use a single sticky note as the later list — keeping it small limits how many things can be added.

When it works best

Useful in any session but particularly effective during longer study periods with many competing demands.

Reflection

What kinds of thoughts most commonly distract you during study? Is there a pattern?

Study One Task at a Time

Focus

Having multiple subjects or tasks open at once creates the illusion of progress while reducing the quality of all of them.

Why this may help

Switching between subjects repeatedly incurs a mental cost each time. Understanding and retention are generally better when one topic receives sustained attention rather than being mixed with others in a single session.

How to use it

Before beginning, choose one task. Work on that task until the session ends or the task is complete. Do not open other subjects during the session.

Step-by-step

1Write the single task for this session.
2Put away or close materials for all other subjects.
3Work on the chosen task only.
4If the task finishes early, either extend it or take a break before choosing the next.

Try this

For the next session, put all subjects except one out of sight. Work only on that one subject.

Common mistake

Treating brief contact with multiple subjects as equivalent to focused study of one. Breadth without depth is usually less effective for understanding.

Easier version

If one subject feels too difficult to sustain for a full session, split the session: 20 minutes on one subject, then 20 on another — but without switching mid-task.

When it works best

Most effective for subjects requiring deep understanding: mathematics, sciences, writing, and languages.

Reflection

When you study one subject for an extended period versus switching between several, how does your understanding compare afterward?