Now focus!
You might be used to finding yourself in this situation:
Trying my best to stay focused and get that 30 pages of reading done after 4 hours of lectures. My mind jumping around from thought to thought while my eyes are scanning the pages.
"Oh my, I still have to get that essay finished and I really need to get started on biomechanics.
How late is it? Do I have time left or do I have to change for dance-class already?"
Uhmm, what did I just read?
Move that butt
3...2...1...NOW!
the three of us press the play-button and Evy greets us cheerfully. Yes, that's right, this couch-potato (all right mom, you were right just a little) started running. It isn't much yet, but you have to start somewhere. Evy Gruyaert is a Belgium running-coach helping you to reach a 5 or 10 km goal. She tells you exactly when to start running and when to start walking (sorry, this is only helpful for Dutchies/Belgians, but if you are a non-Dutch speaker, you can always search for a running app that suits you best). The podcasts also include music that fits the speed you are walking/running at and provides you with advise along the road..
What I notice immediately is that my concentration starts to improve, and believe me, I needed that a lot.
Plan that shit
Write down everything you need or want to do for every day of the week, preferably provided with time needed and approximately timing for at which point of the day you want to get a specific point done. This way you'll get a clear view on your to-do's. Also take in some extra time so you can eventually finish one or more items of your list that took longer than you expected too.
Stay hydrated
From experience I can tell that a bad headache can kill your concentration. I myself am not that good of reminding myself to drink water (if I'm not thirsty I won't drink), which brings me to an unpleasant situation at some point. At the end of the day my body finally lets me know I drank not enough through giving me a serious headache and dry eyes. Not exactly something you want during your I-am-trying-to-focus time. So: Note-to-self: stay hydrated! Make sure you carry a bottle of water with you and empty it at least once a day. Alternatively, drink tea. Recently, I tried the herbal teas of Pukka and I looove them.
So get yourself a nice and big cup of tea and a cozy blanket and be productive!
Plant a tree
My mentor advised my to start using some sort of timing-app, like Pomodoro. And since Pomodoro isn't all that motivating I searched for another app, which I found. Forest is a simple but effective app. You can set a timer by planting a virtual tree, if you open another app, your tree will die. It might not sound that effective, but it helps me a lot. I tend to be distracted quite easily and my phone is one of the larger evildoers. The tree dying when you open another app creates some sort of mental barrier. Oh, and in case you don't want to only plant a virtual tree, the app provides an opportunity to plant a real-life tree through donation. Isn't that awesome?
This article is NOT made in collaboration with any of the companies named above
For the Dutchies: Ik zal voorlopig alleen nog in het Engels schrijven. Het vertalen van de artikelen kost best veel tijd en door mijn artikelen maar in één taal te schrijven hoop ik tijd te sparen om meer artikelen te schrijven. Ik heb vertrouwen in jullie capabiliteit met betrekking tot het lezen van Engels, is het inmiddels immers niet bijna een tweede moedertaal geworden?
the three of us press the play-button and Evy greets us cheerfully. Yes, that's right, this couch-potato (all right mom, you were right just a little) started running. It isn't much yet, but you have to start somewhere. Evy Gruyaert is a Belgium running-coach helping you to reach a 5 or 10 km goal. She tells you exactly when to start running and when to start walking (sorry, this is only helpful for Dutchies/Belgians, but if you are a non-Dutch speaker, you can always search for a running app that suits you best). The podcasts also include music that fits the speed you are walking/running at and provides you with advise along the road..
What I notice immediately is that my concentration starts to improve, and believe me, I needed that a lot.
Plan that shit
Write down everything you need or want to do for every day of the week, preferably provided with time needed and approximately timing for at which point of the day you want to get a specific point done. This way you'll get a clear view on your to-do's. Also take in some extra time so you can eventually finish one or more items of your list that took longer than you expected too.
From experience I can tell that a bad headache can kill your concentration. I myself am not that good of reminding myself to drink water (if I'm not thirsty I won't drink), which brings me to an unpleasant situation at some point. At the end of the day my body finally lets me know I drank not enough through giving me a serious headache and dry eyes. Not exactly something you want during your I-am-trying-to-focus time. So: Note-to-self: stay hydrated! Make sure you carry a bottle of water with you and empty it at least once a day. Alternatively, drink tea. Recently, I tried the herbal teas of Pukka and I looove them.
So get yourself a nice and big cup of tea and a cozy blanket and be productive!
Plant a tree
My mentor advised my to start using some sort of timing-app, like Pomodoro. And since Pomodoro isn't all that motivating I searched for another app, which I found. Forest is a simple but effective app. You can set a timer by planting a virtual tree, if you open another app, your tree will die. It might not sound that effective, but it helps me a lot. I tend to be distracted quite easily and my phone is one of the larger evildoers. The tree dying when you open another app creates some sort of mental barrier. Oh, and in case you don't want to only plant a virtual tree, the app provides an opportunity to plant a real-life tree through donation. Isn't that awesome?
- What helps you to stay focused? -
This article is NOT made in collaboration with any of the companies named above
For the Dutchies: Ik zal voorlopig alleen nog in het Engels schrijven. Het vertalen van de artikelen kost best veel tijd en door mijn artikelen maar in één taal te schrijven hoop ik tijd te sparen om meer artikelen te schrijven. Ik heb vertrouwen in jullie capabiliteit met betrekking tot het lezen van Engels, is het inmiddels immers niet bijna een tweede moedertaal geworden?
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