Good concentration skills include being able to focus at will, sustain concentration over a period of time, and focus on one thing at a time. Educators break concentration into three levels: light, moderate, and deep.
For the first few minutes when you sit down to study, you may be restless or easily distracted. This is the “light concentration” phase. Only very small amounts of information can be learned at this level.
After about five minutes of light concentration, you are likely to enter the moderate concentration phase. This stage is characterized by increased interest in the book, lecture, or other material you are trying to concentrate on.
After about ten minutes of light and moderate concentration, you may enter a stage of deep concentration. This is where the most effective learning takes place. You are absorbed by the subject, and difficult to distract. If you are distracted, you are able to ignore the distraction and quickly return to full concentration.
Many students never get into deep concentration mode. They move back and forth between light and moderate concentration because of distractions, lack of motivation, lack of interest in a particular topic, or lack of practice at prolonged concentration. These students may spend a lot of time studying but still accomplish very little.
Although some people are naturally better at concentrating, anyone can improve their concentration skills with practice. Here are some tips:
- Use physical or verbal prompts when it’s time to focus. At the beginning of a class or study session, tell yourself, “I will pay attention NOW!” or perform a specific physical action. This could be a deep breath, stretching your arms over your head, or tapping the desk with your knuckles. Over time, you will train your mind and body to associate this action with the beginning of concentration, and performing the action will trigger your focus.
- If you find a particular topic uninteresting, talk to a student who is very interested in it. Excited people can energize you, or help you understand the value they see in the topic.
- Motivation is difficult if you are overwhelmed or feel no sense of accomplishment. Goal setting is the best way to deal with this type of distraction. Set daily, weekly, and monthly study goals and reward yourself for progress.