A Study Guide for Students that lack Focus, recalling Course Content or Motivation

Are you struggling with study motivation, remembering course content, book pages or have a short focus time because you get distracted?

Then this study guide below is for you!

I have read so many posts in a student community about losing focus, motivation or not being able to recall content, that I have decided to write a small study guide for you with tips that helped me personally the most so far.

Note: You do not need to implement all points - read through it and try out some different approaches, I want you to find the most suitable for your situation.

Bonus tip: Trying something for 20 minutes is not the way to go here. Implement some strategies from below and try them for a few weeks. Document your progress (important) so that you can reflect after 3 weeks if something has changed - if not, check if you were really invested in it or try a different approach.

Grab a tea or coffee and let’s get started.

First: Setting the stage

Before we actually do stuff it is important that some requirements are figured out:

1. Environment: Where do you study and how? Some people can work better in silence at home, some better in public spaces or even in Cafés. Find your best environment for the tasks you have to do. Figure out if you need silence, being alone or with others etc.

2. Workspace: It should be tidy and organised, usually the less items, the better your focus. Each item on the desk has the possibility to distract you. The workspace must be clean.

3. To-do list: Workspace and environment is figured out, now we actually need to know what we have to do! What I recommend: Do a weekly to do list, and if possible broken down on days. Important: Make it short and realistic, you need to be able to actually hit the goals. Usually I have 3-5 bigger tasks for the full week, everything else is just second priority.
   Bonus tip: Do a second loop through the list when you wrote it down for the week, then take a red pen and cut out what isn’t really necessary to do. We want to tackle our main tasks that bring us towards our goal, everything else comes after if we have time.

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Second: Do what needs to be done

We have set the stage for success. Now let’s look at how to actually work productive:

1. Notifications: The main enemy of focus nowadays is - surprise - our phone! It is the constant bombardment from notifications combined with the strong fomo of missing an important message, comment or like that we give way more importance as it should deserve. Main point here: Turn off all Notifications on your phone, and I mean all! Your phone should be dead like Silent Hill.
   I’m doing this for 2 years now and you know what? I’ve never missed a really important call or message yet. We overemphasis the importance of ourselves and being constantly available.
   PS: This includes also notifications on the Laptop that you work with. Close the Mail programme and every other application that isn’t related to your current task.

2. Timer technique: You can split your session into time blocks such as the promodoro technique. You do that by stuyding for 25 minutes and 5 minutes rest. You can change the numbers if you want. More minutes study, more rest. Personally I prefer to without a timer because also the 5 minutes breaks can be seen as distractions. Sometimes you are within your focus and just want to finish, a short break would rather distract you then, but worth a try!

3. Music or silence: This point is for preference - if you like to work with noice cancelling, just headphones or none at all is a personal choice. When working I am listening to music where I do not need to follow a lyrics. This includes classic, phonk / hardwave, melodic music, movie soundtracks (highly recommend), or even GOA and hardstyle for those who like it a bit more energetic. I can also recommend many study playlists from YouTube.
   But remember: Even Music is input for the brain so it can be seen as small distractions, honestly I wouldn’t personally work without it.

4. Early bird or late night owl: Depending on your sleep rhythm, daily schedules and social network this can vary per person. So what you can do is to figure out your best brain activity time. When is the time you have the most energy to do undistracted work for a few hours. If you want to figure that out, make sure that your test is actually at least 2 or 3 weeks. Waking up early one day and try it out is not sufficient volume. Especially the early birds know that it is hard to stick to an early morning routine because you have to be in bed on time to get your hours of sleep in.
   Whereas late night owls might miss out on the morning or are forced to wake up on some point due to school and therefore also not get enough sleep.
   Bonus tip: Technically every human can be an early bird. What we need to ensure is that we get our least amount of sleep hours in. If you go to bed at 9 pm you will have had enough hours of sleep at 5am. Except you’re a newborn but I assume they don’t read this…
   Honestly, try it out for 3 weeks and document the results!

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Three: Study techniques in short

Below are many study techniques I’ve tried over the years, I hope that helps. Ordered in effectivity and with some spacing so the list is easier to read.

1. Active Recall

   Testing yourself forces your brain to retrieve information, which builds strong, lasting memories. It’s the single most effective study method.

2. Spaced Repetition

   Revisiting material over time strengthens memory and prevents forgetting. This method works best when combined with active recall.

3. Feynman Technique

   Explaining a topic in your own simple words exposes gaps in your understanding. It transforms passive learning into deep learning.

4. Interleaving

   Mixing topics in one session improves problem-solving and adaptability. It trains your brain to tell subjects apart and apply knowledge flexibly.

5. Output Over Input

   Practicing with questions, essays, or problems builds mastery faster than just rereading notes. Doing creates understanding.

6. Dual Coding

   Combining visuals with text helps your brain process information through two channels. It’s great for memory and comprehension.

7. Pomodoro Technique

   Short focus sessions with breaks keep your brain alert and prevent fatigue. It’s especially useful for long study days.

8. Blurting

   Writing everything you know without notes helps test recall and identify weak points. It’s a fast self-check method before exams. (As discussed with the timer above).

9. Study Before Sleep

   Reviewing before bed improves memory during sleep. It’s a simple but effective daily habit.

10. Blocking Distractions

    Minimizing distractions protects focus and boosts productivity. It’s basic but essential for all other methods to work.

I have tried to put the most important parts into this Blog post.

Motivation and “how to focus” is a very broad and personal topic. There are many approaches to it and Method A might work for you but not your friends. If you think there is an important point missing, please comment below!

I hope this blog helps you out if you’re struggling - you will get through it!

If you have a focus like our friend here - don’t worry!