I’m honestly still struggling with this too, but here are some things that I think can make a difference and help you out! Allison @lifeofthegrind also posted an infographic with more tips you can check out.

ENVIRONMENT

Physical Area: If you can, study in a place where you’re able to sit straight up and work on a flat surface. Organize it and clear the table to the best of your ability and set everything you will need for your study session nearby. 

Time: Note what time of day you study better and see if you’re affected by it; I tend to study best earlier in the day because my body thrives on sunlight and I either go outside or sit in a place with a lot of windows.

Noise: Some people study better in silence, some need ambient background noise, some need a certain genre of music, some need podcasts playing in the background, etc. Try a few things out and see what works best for you. Personally, I like playing coffee shop ambience in the background.

FOOD/DRINK

Water: You need it. Get a water bottle or cup or straw that doesn’t make drinking water a chore. I have a covered cup that has a straw so it’s easy to absent mindedly sip on while I work.

Coffee and Snacks: Avoid as much as possible. If you’re so inclined, make them at the beginning of your study session. After that, recognize when you’re using making another cup of coffee or grabbing a snack as a distraction. Also, for snacks, they’re more likely to waste your time since they keep your hands busy. My jaw tends to tense up and I study better when I’m chewing something, so I chew on a gum so it doesn’t distract me from my work.

Meals: They are important. Try not to skip them. Use them as breaks and remove all electronics so you don’t get sucked into your phone. Take an hour to make your food, maybe clean your area as it cooks, sit down and unwind and eat!

ORGANIZATION/STRUCTURE

Calendars: Use them. See what works best for you (Digital, Paper, etc) and stick to it. Personally, I use Google Calendar so I can put things in the minute I schedule them and it helps structure my day and gives me alarms so I don’t forget anything. Keep it simple and keep it to actual classes and appointments; if you include study time as an event, don’t break it down in the actual calendar.

Lists: Keep a scratch list of all the things you have to study/assignments you have to complete. At the beginning of your study session, take out the list and pick something to tackle, breaking it down into doable chunks. Be realistic and don’t go overboard!! It also helps to assign each chunk a time frame to keep yourself accountable and avoid spending all day on one thing. Physical to do lists usually work better for me, but you could also use digital ones if they’re easier for you.

Anchoring: Anchor your day around major tasks (waking up, taking a shower, meal times, attending class, etc.) and attach a routine to each task. For me this applies more to self care routines (attaching flossing and brushing teeth to bedtime, attaching washing my face and doing laundry to taking a shower, etc.) but it works just as well for studying. 

MINDSET

This is the hardest one, but you need to catch yourself and self-correct when you find yourself slipping into certain thought patterns. Go into study sessions thinking “I am going to come out of this better than I was” rather than “There’s no way I’m going to get all this done” because that leads to thinking that makes you feel like you might as well just quit.

If a certain question or concept isn’t clicking, make a note of it and skip it. Don’t let it frustrate you to the point of exhaustion. Sometimes I fall into the trap of “this is too important to skip” and waste time just staring at something that’s not working. Move on, do what you can do, and go back to it when you’re ready or when you can get outside help.

GENERAL TIPS

- If you’re having a hard time starting, set a timer for 5 minutes and make the commitment to actually try just for those 5 minutes, no strings attached. Sometimes this is enough to get the ball rolling.

- If you have a hard time paying attention during a video and it’s not the type of thing you take notes for or follow along as they solve a problem, do something that keeps your hands busy so your mind can concentrate. For me, this means things like knitting, crochet, folding clothes, etc.. If the lecture doesn’t have visual aspects, you could also do some mindless cleaning while listening. I swept my house during all my sociology lectures and learned more than I ever did sitting down.

- If you can’t focus on readings, try listening to them! Find audiobooks or use programs like speechify that read PDFs to you. I find following along the reading as I listen to the text makes it easier to process.

- Break things up into categories (like I did with this list!) and focus on one chunk at a time.

- Go easy on yourself <3 things are rough all over right now and the fact that you’re putting in effort at all is something to be proud of regardless of the results.