We have roughly two to three weeks of the spring semester left!
That means a lot of you are losing focus when it comes to doing projects and assignments. I feel you; it’s a rough time for all of us.
I thought it would be a good idea to give you some tips on how to get or stay focused to push through this last haul.
A good way to get focused is to keep food at your desk or work space. I understand that food gives you energy, but let’s be real… If there are snacks around I’m not interested in anything else.
You’ll also want a good chair for your work area. If you aren’t comfy while you’re sitting there pretending to do homework what good is that chair? You can go lay in bed and play on Facebook instead.
Speaking of Facebook, go ahead and turn off your phone when you’re trying to focus. Who cares if you’re expecting an important call or your kid is at the babysitter’s house?
Since you’re turning your phone, you might as well go ahead and turn everything off. Turn off your computer. Turn off your lights. Basically, get ready to make the room black like your soul.
While you’re at it just go ahead and clear everything off your desk. You’ve already given up on doing anything productive at this point.
You turned off your electronics and the lights. You’re basically ready for a nap. (And you have that comfy chair.)
Once you get that power nap out of the way, there are some other tricks you can do to get you focused.
Try putting on headphones. There are some great soundscapes, like the jungle or a thunderstorm, you can listen to rather than music with vocals. Granted that storm might make you drowsy for another nap.
You could also time yourself when doing a task. If you’re studying, use the method where you read (or whatever studying you’re doing) for a set amount of time, then give yourself a break to do something different.
I don’t like this method because when I take that break I lose focus for 30 minutes looking at Pinterest.
If you’re one of those people that like rewards, try giving yourself one when you take those breaks. Or you could set some other type of mini goal to reach in order to reward yourself.
I like this idea because I just use it to get food or my phone and get un-focused again, but this time with food.
If you’re really into planning and organizing, you could make a list of things you need to focus on. Make the effort to point out the important ones and strategize how to accomplish those first.
Or you could just be overwhelmed by the ever-growing list and just not do anything. Take another nap instead.
I’ve also heard that having your pet around helps you focus.
This is probably the biggest lie I’ve ever heard. When my dog is around, I’m either turning around to give her attention or to tell her to stop doing a thing.
Overall, there are plenty of great ways to get focused. That doesn’t mean we won’t find a way to make each of them lead to a nap or food.
Brittany Fletcher
Creative Director