Tips for better concentration
This is the first September in many years that I am not sweating, crying, and hyperventilating in the UB (University Library) because of exam week. God, how many hours have I spent there, had many panic attacks and read, learned, and sometimes remembered many brain-breaking difficult things. If I'm not mistaken, the exam week is soon or now at the door for many, so my sympathy goes out to all of you. By the way, the deadline stress has not decreased; instead of papers and essays, I now have to finish posts and articles on time, and that also requires peaks of concentration. Therefore, for students, people with jobs, and actually everyone, tips to elevate your concentration to unprecedented heights.
1. Buy earplugs
I always bought those brightly colored things from Hema. You twist them to a point, insert them, and within a few seconds, you hear absolutely nothing anymore. Truly heaven on earth. That was also necessary in a study room with 150 people around me, but even when I'm alone at home, I put them in; even the quiet, always-present sound of the city is already distracting.
2. Discover which music helps
Personally, I get a mega concentration kick from techno, minimal, old house, and other types of music with a beat. Preferably a one-and-a-half-hour set from a DJ (Marek Hemmann, Magda, Gaiser, Gui Boratto, Joris Delacroix, or Paul Kalkbrenner) on Soundcloud or Spotify for that I-am-on-a-train-that-never-stops-and-I-just-keep-going feeling. You know what I mean. Jet, on the other hand, goes like a train on everything from Sam Smith, Alain Clark, London Grammar, or Ben Howard – it just depends on what works for you. So figure it out.
3. Ban social media
Because duh. Nothing is more enjoyable than spending hours looking at vacation photos of a complete stranger when you actually need to write a paper on the congruence of the verb with disjunctive subjects in Limburgish (yes, I did that). But be strict with yourself. I swear by the app Self Control, a program you can download on your Mac that allows you to block selected sites for a certain period. No Mac? No problem. Have a friend change your Facebook / Twitter / Instagram password, and she can only give it back to you once your paper / exam is over. Works like a charm.
4. Take enough breaks
Don't sit and grind for 15 hours straight because no one's concentration span is that long. ‘They’ say you can only concentrate optimally for 30 minutes non-stop. Of course, you don't take long breaks in between; just stretching your legs for 5 minutes is enough. I always did sessions of one and a half hours of studying / working and then a half-hour break. Determine in advance what you need to accomplish in that one and a half hours, and actually do it.
5. Don't set unattainable goals
Don't say, “Okay, today I need to have written 4 papers and learned the first 80 chapters of that exam.” Or, “Today I need to respond to all 50 open emails, attend those three meetings, and finish my pieces for tomorrow and the day after.” Setting unattainable goals means disappointment, and that means demotivation, and that means poor concentration. Don't make it too difficult for yourself but find a good balance.
6. Reward yourself
Have you completed something? Go for a little shopping, or browse your favorite sites, or chat with friends / colleagues, whatever it is, as long as it makes you happy. Worked on something for weeks? Close that period with a lovely dinner, a night out, a new bag, or a nice pair of pants. You need to close off boring things with fun things, that's just how it works.
7. Keep it fun
Especially during exams, make the most of it. Arrange to study with classmates or friends in a group. Don't always sit in the same boring UB but look for nice places in the city where you can also work. My UB is right next to the Spui in Amsterdam, a square with many nice cafes, including my local pub. In the weeks leading up to exams, we started at 09:00 and went on until closing time, 23:45. Afterwards, we would have one or two beers in that café, and that's how you end a heavy day with relaxation, which helps enormously. Just be careful not to have more than two beers because then you're obviously further from home than ever.
