Staying focused while studying from home

In situations like these, where we have to stay at home and study or attend school, staying focused can be a big issue. You're in your home, and most likely studying in your room. It's so easy to just jump into bed and scroll through TikTok all day, or watch the 6 seasons of Brooklyn Nine-Nine on Netflix (hehe guilty!!) In this article, I'm going to run through some ways to stay focused while studying at home and hopefully put your mind at ease!

(I will provide the research articles if you are interested in reading more!)

1. Have a morning routine.

Wake up at the same time every day (I prefer to wake up an hour before my classes). This means you are not messing up your sleep schedule (as I did - don't recommend) and you can make the most out of your day.
Have a nutritious breakfast, such as cereal or egg and toast, whatever you prefer. Don't forget to have your coffee or tea (if you drink these!). Eating breakfast is super important because it gives your body essential nutrients. Studies show that skipping breakfast can have significant effects on your cognitive functioning. In other words, eating breakfast means you perform better in tests and your memory is better when learning. Don't skip breakfast!! (Read more here)
Brush your teeth, wash your face, shower and change out of your pj's. Put on some other clothes - staying in Pj's will make you want to go straight back to bed!
Or even better, do a small workout, go for a walk, a run, youtube some fitness videos! A morning workout makes you more alert and awake, excellent for boosting energy and reducing fatigue. It can also improve attention, visual learning and decision making (read more here). It doesn't end there, exercise can also reduce stress, by creating more endorphins in your body!
Make your bed. It's a small thing but can really help set you up for the day. If you organise your personal things, then you'll be able to organise your school things. No one wants to mess up a tidy bed!
Open your blinds and windows, get the sun and fresh air in! Truth is, your room probably hasn't seen the sun in many, many years! Use this as an opportunity to change that! And it can be a change of scenery for you while you're studying!

2. Organise yourself

Find a suitable environment in your room or house to study, Make sure you have a large desk space, a PowerPoint to put chargers in, space to put all your books and a window as a break.
Make a checklist of everything you need to achieve in the day. If you want to be more specific, break it up into specific time frames. Checklists can help with the feeling of accomplishment, crossing out everything is quite satisfying! If you don't want to handwrite, there are heaps of free apps online. Just do a quick google search! Don't forget to add in breaks if you're putting everything down to the specifics!
Block distracting websites off your laptop. You will definitely be using your laptop or computer to study, and it can be very tempting and easy to accidentally find yourself watching Tiger King on Netflix (highly recommend it btw!). One of the more popular websites is Forest which you can download, block websites and grow trees! It's available for both laptops and phones! Turn off your notifications, especially for Facebook or any social media apps on your laptop. It is so tempting to go on those apps when messages keep popping up on the side of the screen. Don't do it!
Put your phone on the other side of the room, or in another room. Practise social distancing from your phone!! If your phone is next to you, chances are any bit of self-control you have goes out the window and you end up scrolling through TikTok or Instagram for hours. Just get rid of the distraction. Turn it on mute, and put it somewhere far from you. You'll get so much more work done this way, especially if you have assessments or exams.

3. Studying

Space out your study sessions. Don't just sit down from 9-5 and do everything you possibly can. You probably won't learn anything. Instead, do 50 minutes on one subject, then have a 10-minute break. Then do another 50 minutes on another subject, and then a 15-minute break. The total amount of time spent studying will be the same as a study marathon. In addition to learning the material more deeply, spacing out your study can help beat procrastination.
Focus on skills, not grades. If you need to memorise things, such as names, dates etc. using flashcards are really helpful. You can then review these periodically throughout the day, rather than trying to cram. (Read more here studying with flashcards). Do practise questions to make sure you understand the content. In science and maths, these can help you make sure you know the formula and any methods. In humanities, practising ensure's you know how to write a bomb a** essay, and you're including all the right things when answering questions.
Reading is not studying. I know a lot of us are guilty of this, but reading over your notes, especially when they are on your laptop and you're trying to get them done before the class, is not the best way to learn. Learning requires you to actively engage with the material. Highlighting and underlining can keep you engaged with the text, they aren't good ways of learning the materials and making sure you can make connections between the texts. (Read more here).

4. Staying sane

Schedule downtime in your day. This could simply be going and talking with your family or having lunch all together. Especially during a time like now, it's so important to maintain contact with other people (safely). You're most likely isolating at home, so go and spend some time with your family, you're parents could actually be pretty cool!
Once you've completed all your work or finished your set timetable, watch some Netflix, read a book, do your favourite hobby, do anything but school work. This means that your mind can have a break, ready for the next day! Unless you have an assignment that's due soon, take some time out for yourself!
Schedule some Zoom group calls with your friends! It may start to settle in that you're really missing them, which is perfectly normal! Video chatting with your friends can help you feel better, and you're still staying safe!
During the day, make sure you have some healthy snacks. This could be things like vegetable sticks or fruits, or crackers. Make sure its nutritious, candy and cake is not good! And if you're going to eat any carbohydrates, make sure you don't eat so much that you start to feel tired while studying! Sticking to healthy food, especially while studying ensures you are getting the right nutrients in your body!
Drink plenty of water! There are sooooo many health benefits of drinking water. Fill up a bottle and put it next to you. Anytime you need a quick 15-second break, take a sip of water! Plus, you'll stay hydrated and be healthy! If you want, add in some fresh fruits into your water, such as lemon. Lemone is a good source of Vitamin C, it improves your skin quality and promotes hydration! (Read more here).

5. Other stuff

It's super hard right now and that's completely understandable. But do not worry, you will get through this!
If things start to get too overwhelming, take a breather, do some yoga, scroll through TikTok, talk to family and friends!

Believe in yourself!

We hope that these few tips have helped you as you study from home! As always, our DM's on Instagram are always open (@nesa.meemees) so feel free to DM us with anything! Make sure you follow us on there, we're pretty hilarious and post pretty good memes!

Don't forget, stay inside, self-isolate and practise social distancing!

*If you or anyone else is struggling with mental health, please seek advice from a professional.

** Advice in here is based on opinions, it does not reflect everybody.

*** We are not doctors, any advice given is from personal experience or from others. Please speak to a doctor if you have any questions or need medical advice.