Youth Counselling

I get distracted easily while studying

I’m studying in Std X and so far I have done well in my previous classes but I want to be the best. The problem is that I get distracted easily while studying; I am not able to focus. Due to this my results go down. What should I do? 
Riya (14) 

Dear Riya,

Your drive to do well in your Class X is a powerful goal. Yet, it looks like your inability to focus your attention on your studies is frustrating for you.

Managing distractions is about: creating interest and engagement, managing your energy levels and thus your attention span, and learning to delay other gratifications. Exercise and a good night’s sleep will help you to build focus.

The most effective way to learn well and increase focus is to make a practice test for yourself instead of using ready-made ones. When you make your own questions, you begin to learn up the answers alongside! Exchange your tests with a friend to make things fun!

Make your own notes using bullet points and graphic organizers — instead of reading, re-reading and underlining; or mugging up from study guides — which are someone else’s notes.

Make things fun and funny for yourself by comparing it to a movie, or a character from a book. Use dance steps, art, sketching — whatever makes a topic interesting.

Manage your energy and distractions by focusing during short 20 to 25-minute sessions with a 5-minute creative break in between, instead of studying for hours. Break up a chapter by topic and study it over several days; repeat it after every 2-3 weeks instead of cramming all at once. Quick-review your notes each day before you sleep. Short sessions help you to look forward to your break and also to say ‘No’ to distractions. Use your creativity to boost your focus!

Nasreen Hashambhoy is a Counsellor, Life Coach and a Facilitator of training programmes for schools and corporates. Through a combination of coaching, counselling and facilitation techniques based on cognitive science and positive psychology, she helps clients achieve their true potential. She is the author of the series Values In Action published by Better Yourself Books.

Nasreen Hashambhoy

Nasreen Hashambhoy is a Counsellor, Life Coach and a Facilitator of training programmes for schools and corporates. Through a combination of coaching, counselling and facilitation techniques based on cognitive science and positive psychology, she helps clients achieve their true potential. She is the author of the series Values In Action published by Better Yourself Books.