Newsletter October 2006

Ways to improve your concentration

Have you ever been unable to recall information in a test situation but an hour later been able to remember the information with clarity? This may suggest that you were not concentrated during the test. In this issue of our E-Newsletter we would like to provide strategies that are likely to improve your concentration.

Concentration is the ability to direct one's thinking in whatever direction he or she would intend.

Improving concentration is like learning a skill and learning a skill takes practice. There are some specific skills that can be learned to enhance concentration and by practicing them, it is likely to improve one's success as a student. Factors that can impact concentration include the study environment and the structure you have for your study time. Each category can include numerous strategies. It is not necessary to do all of them. However, the more of them you use, the more you are likely to improve your concentration.

Study Environment
Structure for Study Sessions

Study Environment

Distraction free - Make the environment as distraction free as possible, think about where you concentrate best. It is often difficult to study where you live, so look for a corner in the library that is quiet and facing a wall (not a door with people coming and going or a window with a distracting view).
Conditions - Try to implement and adopt the following conditions:

  Chair and Desk: sit on a not overly comfortable chair at a table. Sit up straight to aid concentration rather than sprawled out in a similar-to-sleep
        position.

  Lighting: make sure you have adequate light. It is essential to keep your attention focused on what you are studying. So your eyes do not tire, use
        indirect lights to avoid glare and ones that don't flicker are conducive to studying.

Temperature: set the room temperature so you won't feel too hot or too cold.

Materials you need for studying are present - It is important to make sure you have everything you will need for a particular study session present
when you begin. If you are going outside your room to study, think through what you will need to accomplish your study goals and take it with you.

Structure for Study Sessions

   Develop realistic goals for the study session - Having a specific, realistic goal for all study sessions is essential. Expecting to accomplish too much in
   the time you have leads to discouragement. Setting and achieving goals leads to a sense of accomplishment. This is also critical for reducing stress and
   meeting deadlines. Underestimating how long a task will take is likely to result in having less time to do another task, which causes stress. Thus, estimate
   for each course the number of hours you will need to study and work up a flexible time schedule (Including all your obligations). You probably will need to
   modify your schedule from time to time.
Chart your energy levels - Study your most difficult courses at your high energy times. If you are Sharpest early in the morning, Study your most
difficult course then and later in the evening work on your easier courses or the ones you enjoy the most.
   Decide the order in which you will complete tasks - This makes your study plan more specific. It's generally best to begin with difficult or boring
   subjects. Your ability to concentrate will be highest when you begin studying and the task is more likely to take less time if you are at your best when you
   are doing it. It is easier to find the motivation to do things you like to do, even when you are tired or have less energy.
   Rest or Stretch Time - Remember to take short breaks. Lectures are usually 50 minutes long, and that is about the length of time most people can
   direct their attention to one task. This is an average approximation. Your concentration time-span might be longer or lesser than 50 minutes. When you
   take a break, get more oxygen to your brain. Get up and walk around the room for a couple of minutes. When you sit for a long period, blood tends to
   pool in our lower body and legs (because of gravity). Our calves serve as pumps for our blood when we walk, getting blood flowing more evenly
   throughout the body. As a result, more oxygen is carried to the brain and you are more alert.
   Plan a reward - Planning to reward yourself when you have finished your study session can be very effective with helping you accomplish the tasks you
   need to complete. Nevertheless, make sure you are setting restraints and do not allow yourself the reward until you have finished studying your quantity
   for the day. Rewards might be things like watching a TV show and eating your favorite ice-cream, talking with a friend, going to a movie, or anything else
   you enjoy doing.

You probably will begin to notice some change within few days. You'll notice considerable improvement in four to six weeks of training your mind, using some of the skills that follow. And that is a short period of time considering how many years you have spent not concentrating as well as you would like.

Sources:

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