Best way to improve concentration and memory while studying: When you sit down to work, you either let your mind wander or look at your phone. Do you recognize it?
Most people sometimes have trouble focusing.
But if it happens a lot, you might start to wonder why you can’t focus.
There are many things, like the things you do every day, that can make it hard to concentrate.
Some common things that can make you forget things and hurt your overall cognitive function are:
Sleep deprivation
Sleep deprivation, or sleeplessness, is when someone doesn’t get enough sleep, and it’s harder for them to pay attention and learn.
Sleep is needed to create a memory stick so that you can remember things in the future.
Depression
can cause you to lose your focus. It can also become a part of a negative feedback cycle in which losing focus makes depression worse.
To concentrate, you have to want to reach a goal you think is important. Depression makes this hard for you to do.
Too much worry and stress
Memory loss caused by anxiety can make you feel even more anxious, leading to a lack of concentration and memory while studying.
ADHD
One of the signs of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is not paying attention (ADHD). It might be hard to stay on task, keep your mind on one thing, or stay organized.
A person with ADHD might also find it easy to lose focus.
Nutritional deficiency
Vitamins and minerals for focusing and remembering.
Vitamins and minerals are important nutrients that you need to get from food or supplements for your body and mind to work well.
Fatty acids with omega-3
are well-known for how good they are for your health. Taking omega-3 supplements with a high concentration may be good for brain health and help improve some symptoms of brain fog, such as trouble focusing and remembering (Source National Library of Medicine).
Studies show that taking extra eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are omega-3 fatty acids, may be good for brain health, including memory, attention, and mood.
In a study with 176 adults who didn’t get enough omega-3s, taking 1.16 grams of DHA per day for 6 months made episodic and working memory better than taking a placebo (Source ncbi.nlm.nih.gov).
Omega-3 supplements may also help with depression and improve mood, which may help with brain fog.
One review of 26 studies found that taking omega-3 supplements with at least 60% EPA concentration and at least 1 gram per day may help treat symptoms of depression (Source ncbi.nlm.nih.gov).
Magnesium
Magnesium is an important mineral that is found in beans, seeds, and spinach, among other things. It’s needed for a lot of important bodily functions,
Many people don’t get enough magnesium in their diets, which can hurt brain health and cause symptoms of brain fog like not being able to focus.
Stressed people often have low magnesium levels, which can make them even more prone to stress (Source ncbi.nlm.nih.gov).
Stress can make you forget things, have trouble focusing, and feel anxious (Source ncbi.nlm.nih.gov,
Because of this, taking magnesium supplements can help keep magnesium levels at a healthy level, which may make you less susceptible to stress and improve cognitive impairment and brain fog caused by stress.
Some research suggests that magnesium supplements may also help treat anxiety and depression, which could improve brain fog caused by these common mental health conditions
L-theanine
help improve mental alertness, reaction time, and memory.
L-theanine is a chemical that is found in green tea and other plants in large amounts.
Some studies show that taking an L-theanine supplement may help improve mental alertness, reaction time, and memory.
A recent study of 69 adults found that a single dose of 100.6 mg of L-theanine improved their reaction time and working memory on cognitive tests (Source National Library of Medicine).
L-theanine supplements may also help ease stress and make you feel more calm and relaxed (Source National Library of Medicine).
Also, a small study showed that 200 mg of L-theanine per day was more effective than a placebo at reducing stress-related symptoms and improving sleep and some aspects of cognitive health (Source National Library of Medicine).
Reducing stress, getting better sleep, and taking care of your brain health may all help clear up brain fog.
B complex
Studies show that having too little or not enough of certain B vitamins can cause brain fog symptoms like memory problems, trouble focusing, and more.
Supplements may help lessen these symptoms in people who don’t get enough B vitamins.
For example, a study of 202 people with cognitive impairment and low or insufficient B12 levels found that taking B12 supplements helped 84% of them think better and 78% of them did better on tests of memory and attention (Source National Library of Medicine).
A recent study that looked at 39,000 people found that people with low levels of vitamin B12 had trouble paying attention and remembering things (Source National Library of Medicine).
Low or insufficient levels of other B vitamins, like vitamin B6 and folate, can also make brain fog worse, making it harder to focus and remember things
Because of this, taking a high-quality B complex supplement may help lower the risk of these brain fog symptoms, like having trouble focusing and remembering things.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble nutrient that is important for a healthy immune system, brain, and more.
If your vitamin D levels are low or you don’t get enough of it, it could hurt your brain health and make you feel like you have brain fog.
When a person has depression or depressive symptoms, they often have trouble focusing and remembering things.
People with depression are also more likely to not get enough of a number of nutrients, like vitamin D. (Source ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, Source ncbi.nlm.nih.gov).
Depression is more likely to happen if you don’t get enough vitamin D. Research shows that vitamin D supplements can help raise vitamin D levels and may help improve depressive symptoms like brain fog .
Other studies show that some people may have better overall mental health if they take vitamin D supplements. This includes mood, negative thoughts, and anxiety and depression symptoms (Source ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
sleep
Why is it important to sleep?
Scientists don’t fully understand why people need so much sleep, but they think it helps the body repair itself and the brain get organized. In short, you have to sleep so that your body and mind can work right.
People also think that sleep helps keep the heart and blood vessels healthy and the immune system strong. It helps the body grow and heal, and it keeps appetite and weight in check. Sleep helps you pay attention, remember things, and learn.
How to quickly fix a bad memory, improve concentration, and boost memory power.
Try some of these techniques the next time you study to learn how to pay more attention.
When you find one that works for you, make it a part of your study routine.
1. Record yourself studying with your phone or webcam.
This tip might seem odd, but it works.
Set up your webcam or phone camera to record a video of yourself studying.
The goal is to make people responsible.
Instead of having a friend check on your progress, a camera is watching everything you do.
Knowing you’re being watched will help you remember your goal.
You’ll remember that everything you do is being recorded just as you’re about to get sidetracked.
It is a good way to remind yourself that you promised to study.
2. Use Focusmate
Use Focusmate instead if you want to take it to the next level.
With Focusmate, you decide at least one day ahead of time to study for 50 minutes.
You are then matched with a real-life person who will hold you accountable.
During the 50-minute session, you must have your webcam on. This means that you and your study partner will be able to see and hear each other while you work together.
If you leave your desk without telling your study partner why, they can report you, and the same goes for you.
In the same way, your study partner can report you if you don’t show up to your study session or if you’re late.
If you don’t follow the rules, the system will mark you down. If your score falls below a certain level, the system will lock you out.
But if you do what you said you would do and finish your study session, the system will give you points.
3. If you don’t feel like starting work, take 1 minute to Sometimes you may not even feel like getting to work.
When this happens, give yourself a minute to get ready in your mind.
Set a minute on the timer and tell yourself you’ll start working when the minute is up.
By doing this, you’ll have a much better chance of getting to work before the minute is up.
This is called a “plan for implementation.”
When you tell yourself you’re going to do something, it’s easier to get started.
In this case, the goal is to set a timer for one minute before starting to study if you feel like putting it off.
So, if it’s hard to get yourself to start studying, give yourself a minute to get your mind ready.
By doing this, you’ll get rid of the trouble you were having.
4. Make a plan for the day before your first study session of the day.
Make as many specifics as you can in the plan.
This happens for a good reason. You need to know what you want to get out of each study session.
“Study science,” for example, is not a good enough study plan.
Here’s an example of a plan with enough details: “Read pages 25 to 32 of the science book and make a summary diagram.”
When you break a task down into smaller, more manageable parts, you can figure out if it can be done in the time you have to study.
Having a detailed plan makes it easier to track your progress, which is another benefit.
If, halfway through your study period, you’ve already done half of what you set out to do, you’ll know you’re on the right track.
Setting tasks to work on during each study session is a key part of being able to study well.
5. Write down why you want to work hard in school.
Having a clear idea of why you want to study hard in the first place is another way to stay on task when you study.
Write down why you want to work hard in school.
Keep the list close by so you can look at it and remind yourself of these things when you start to lose focus.
For instance, you could write:
• “I want to learn more so I can be a smarter person.”
• “I want to become someone who is more self-motivated.”
• “I want to make it a habit to do my best all the time.”
• “I want to learn as much as I can and make the most of my chances to do so.”
Instead of thinking about why something happened, try to think about why it happened.
Why?
Because you can’t always control the results, but you can always control the process.
For example, you can’t always change the fact that you get A’s in all of your classes. But you can control the fact that you study for at least two hours every day.
Here’s another reason to pay attention to the process instead of the result.
The result could be something that won’t happen until a long time from now.
The process, on the other hand, is something you do every day.
It’s much better to measure how well the process went than how well the result turned out.
6. Keep track of everything you’ve done.
Make a list of all the things you do every day.
Two things make this important.
First, it lets you keep track of whether or not you’re meeting the goals in your study plan.
If you aren’t meeting your goals, it may be because you didn’t give yourself enough time to do the tasks.
But if you finish your tasks early, you may be able to make your goals more ambitious.
Second, seeing that you are making progress is important for your morale.
When you study, it’s not always easy to tell how far you’ve come. But if you keep track of the things you’ve done, you’ll have a better idea of how far you’ve come.
This will help you stay motivated by reminding you that you have been productive.
7. Only put the things on your desk that you need for the task at hand.
When there isn’t a lot going on around it, the brain can process information better.
This is what researchers at the Neuroscience Institute at Princeton University found out.
So, it’s best to only put things on your desk that you need to finish the task at hand. This could be the assignment, a pen, a pencil, an eraser, and a calculator, for example.
Make a list of the things you’ll need when you study. Make sure that your desk only has those things.
Take a few minutes to clean up your study space if it’s a mess before you start working.
Keeping things clean and organized calms your mind and makes it easier to focus.
8. Do deep breathing exercises before each time you study to get your brain ready.
Deep breathing exercises help your mind become more focused.
Researchers at the Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience looked at how breathing exercises affect how much noradrenaline the body makes.
Noradrenaline is a neurotransmitter that affects how well you can focus.
By controlling how you breathe, you can get the most out of your noradrenaline.
“There is a strong link between breath-centered practices and a steady mind,” the researchers said as a conclusion.
Here is a simple breathing exercise you can do before you study that will help you relax and concentrate:
Close your eyes for 4 seconds and take a deep breath in through your nose.
• When you feel like you can’t take another breath, hold it for 2 seconds.
• Then let out your breath slowly through your nose for 4 seconds.
Do this exercise three times in a row before each time you sit down to study.
Now is the time to try it out and see how calm it makes you feel.
9. Don’t do homework in bed
Don’t try to get anything done while you’re sitting or lying in bed.
It’s important that where you sleep and where you study are not the same.
You won’t be able to study well in a place where you usually relax or go to sleep.
Also, if you study in bed, you’ll be lying down or sitting with your legs crossed.
Neither of these positions helps you concentrate the most. These positions might even give you a sore neck or back.
Also, you might fall asleep without meaning to.
So, always do your work at a good study desk. This is a good habit that every student should try to get into.
10. Change the temperature where you are studying
Make sure the temperature is just right where you study.
When the temperature in an office was raised from 20°C to 25°C (68°F to 77°F), researchers at Cornell University found some interesting things.
44% fewer mistakes were made when typing, and about 150% more work was done.
Most studies have found that the best temperature for working and studying is between 22°C and 25°C (72°F and 77°F).
So, if you can change the temperature of where you study, make sure it stays within this range.
11. Write down what you are working on right now.
Write down the task you’re going to work on every time you sit down to study.
Do this on a rough piece of paper and leave it on your study desk. So, it will be a constant reminder of what you need to be doing right now.
You need a detailed plan for each study session, just like you need a detailed plan for the day (Tip #4).
For the current study session, for example, writing “Do math assignment” is not specific enough.
“Do your math homework, questions 1 through 3,” on the other hand, is more specific and more likely to keep you on track.
12. Tell your family what you plan to study today.
Put your study schedule on the door of your bedroom or on the door of your fridge in the kitchen.
So, your family will know when it’s best not to bother you.
This is also good in another way. It also makes you feel more responsible for your actions.
By telling your family ahead of time when you plan to study, you’ll be more likely to stick to your plan.
Overall, this is a simple tip that will help you study more effectively.
13. Put all your digital stuff in a different room.
This may seem like common sense, but I’m surprised by how many of my teenage coaching clients weren’t doing this before I started working with them.
“Out of sight, out of mind” is true in this case.
Put your tablet and phone on silent and leave them in another room.
One way to be productive is to avoid being tempted as much as possible.
Also, even if you want to check your phone, you probably won’t because it will take too much effort to walk to the other room.
14. Use these two apps to stop being distracted by technology.
Forest is the first app I’d suggest.
When you use this app, your study time “turns into” a tree.
You plant the tree at the start of the session, and it starts to grow. But if you close the app, the tree dies, which is something no one wants to happen to their precious tree.
If you use the app, you’ll be able to study more effectively.
Having your phone close by while you study could, of course, be a distraction (as mentioned in the previous tip).
This means that you should be careful not to use your phone for anything else.
Freedom is the second app you can use to get rid of digital distractions.
You can set this app to keep you on track by blocking apps like YouTube, games, and social media.
15. Classical music is good to listen to while you study.
Classical music is another way to help you concentrate on your work.
The effects of music on our brains have been studied by Dr. Masha Godkin, a professor at Northcentral University.
She found that classical music can move your brainwaves from the beta state to the alpha state, which is deeper, and even further to the theta state.
Dr. Godkin says that music helps you focus and improves your memory because it can stimulate both sides of the brain.
Classical music with a fast tempo, like Beethoven’s Für Elise, helps students focus and remember more.
16. If you don’t like classical music, these two websites have music and sounds you might like.
Try Coffitivity instead of classical music if you don’t like it.
Coffitivity imitates the sounds you’d hear in a cafe to make you more creative and help your brain work better.
Research at the University of Chicago was used to make it. This study shows that we can think better and come up with better ideas when there is some background noise.
You could also try to listen to Brain.fm.
Brain.fm has music that is designed to help you get and stay focused.
I use Brain.fm almost every day because I’ve found it useful. By listening to Brain.fm, I can concentrate about 50% longer than I could before!
17. Use headphones or earbuds to study.
If you want to use Tips 15 or 16, you’ll probably want to use earphones or headphones.
But even if you don’t want to listen to music, wearing earphones or headphones is a good way to improve your focus while you study, even if you don’t want to listen to music.
Why?
Because they keep you from hearing what’s going on outside.
Putting on earphones or headphones tells other people that you are busy.
This makes it less likely that someone will bother you while you’re studying.
Putting on earphones or headphones will also help you remember that you are trying to study.
18. Keep track of how many times you study each day.
“What gets measured, gets done,” as the saying goes. This is also true for studying sessions.
Keep a record of how many times you study each day.
In this way, you’ll be more likely to get to work on time.
Let’s say you tend to study for 30 minutes at a time.
Before you start your first study session of the day, you might decide that you want to do at least three 30-minute sessions.
Keep track of how many sessions you’ve done as the day goes on.
By keeping track of points in this way, you’ll be able to focus on the work itself. Because of this, you’ll get more done!
19. Write it down when you feel like you’re about to get sidetracked.
It’s inevitable that you’ll get sidetracked from time to time when you’re trying to study. So you need a plan to deal with these things that keep you from working.
Here’s a good way to do things.
Let’s say you’re reading your science notes when you get the urge to check your text messages.
Instead of giving in to the temptation, write “Check text messages” on a scrap of paper.
After that, it will be easier for you to get back to studying.
You can do what you wrote down on that rough piece of paper during your next break. You can check your text messages in this case.
Why does this strategy work?
Because instead of just trying to fight the urge, you get to “do something” about it by writing it down. By doing this, you’re acknowledging the urge without giving in to it.
This means you can go back to studying, which is what you were doing before.
20. Set a time each day when you will stop studying.
This is probably not the advice you were looking for.
After all, you should try to study as much as possible every day, right?
No, because the goal is not just to study hard, but also to study smart.
You must, of course, work hard. But it’s also important to live in a healthy way.
So give yourself a strict deadline, like 9:30 pm, and don’t do any work after that. Every student has a different best time of day to study, but you should decide when you’ll stop studying each day.
This will give you some time to relax before bed. This means that you’ll be able to get the eight hours of sleep you need to do well in school.
Setting a time each day for when you’ll stop studying is also helpful in another way.
Limits that are clear help you focus on what you’re doing right now.
You won’t waste as much time getting sidetracked because you know you won’t have to stay up late to make up for the time you lost by putting things off.
What happened?
You’ll get better grades and learn more in less time.
Conclusion
Every student has trouble staying on task when they are studying.
But you can do many things to help yourself focus.
As this article shows, there are many ways to control your mind and make it work for you instead of against you.
So take at least a few of the tips in this article and start using them right away.
If you do these things, you’ll find that your study time is more productive and fun!
Sources and more readings
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