Studying can be pretty tedious for most students, especially if the student has little to no interest in the material in question. This’ll make it hard to concentrate right off the bat and make students feel helpless and persecuted.

It’s not as bad as it sounds though—a few steps can go a long way with helping students better their relationship with school and academics in general, developing effective concentration techniques.

1. Active Participation:

The most important step is to try and become an active reader, by having an open and inquisitive approach to the study material. This can best be achieved by imagining yourself engaged in an engaging conversation with the author. Stop regularly and ask questions. You may even write your questions down and later discuss them with your peers.

Remember, this is the key to not only increasing your concentration span, but also understanding the material in the most efficient way. It will require a little practice at first because it takes time to get comfortable with the idea of having a conversation with the author. However, with a little bit of persistent effort, you will soon be able to effectively concentrate on even the most uninspiring and monotonous texts.

2. Avoid Unnecessary Distractions:

One of the most common reasons for diminished or irregular concentration periods is the presence of overt but totally avoidable elements of interference. Hence, the best place to study is the library, or somewhere like it. Even though some students find the environment extremely dull, a few regular visits can help increase your comfort level.

If, however, you must study in your room, you should make sure that there are no computers, television sets or friends around to distract you. In case you have to study on the computer, try opening all your work in one go and then disconnect from the Internet. For online study sessions, it is advised to work in a library setting.

3. Organize Yourself:

This requires that you make an effective study plan and try to follow it as closely as you can. Review your daily activities and set aside a certain portion of the day, say 1-2 hours, for uninterrupted studying sessions. Moreover, make your surroundings as comfortable as possible. Ensure you have proper lighting and ventilation and that you are seated in a comfortable place. Having a neat and tidy room also helps to a great extent.

4. Motivate Yourself:

Set up an incentive system for yourself, whereby you can set targets and reward yourself upon their completion. If you manage to study for an hour, let yourself have 15 minutes of down time. Call a friend, watch a webisode, or get a snack. It’ll also let your brain get a little bit of recovery time.

5. Stay Healthy:

Lastly, make sure that you get an ample amount of rest each night, with an average of 8-9 hours of sleep. Moreover, look after your diet and eat well because it will help you stay fit. Also, spare time for keeping fit and activities such as sports, as it will eventually help you concentrate on things better.

Concentrating on studying is by no means an impossible task and all it takes is a little bit of determination. Anyone who is committed to following the aforementioned steps is bound to realize a marked difference in their performance in a pretty short time.