Take Scheduled Study Breaks
Posted on June 12 2019
Have you ever noticed that after you spend a long time studying it becomes harder and harder to avoid distraction?
That might be because you’re not taking enough breaks. More to the point: You might not be taking the right kinds of breaks.
Many students take sporadic breaks. Their phone buzzes, and they stop studying to return a text message. An alert pops up on Instagram, and they take a quick break to see what a friend posted. But these sorts of interruptions can be detrimental.
You don’t have to completely ignore your phone, but consider committing to the “10-5” study plan. That’s 10 minutes of studying, followed by a five-minute break to do anything you want.
With the 10-5, instead of being interrupted for a few seconds at a time, you can focus on what you’re doing for long enough to understand content, memorize concepts or respond to questions with complete thoughts.
And, for many students, this actually provides more time to focus on things like social media -- a full 20 minutes of every hour.
That might be because you’re not taking enough breaks. More to the point: You might not be taking the right kinds of breaks.
Many students take sporadic breaks. Their phone buzzes, and they stop studying to return a text message. An alert pops up on Instagram, and they take a quick break to see what a friend posted. But these sorts of interruptions can be detrimental.
You don’t have to completely ignore your phone, but consider committing to the “10-5” study plan. That’s 10 minutes of studying, followed by a five-minute break to do anything you want.
With the 10-5, instead of being interrupted for a few seconds at a time, you can focus on what you’re doing for long enough to understand content, memorize concepts or respond to questions with complete thoughts.
And, for many students, this actually provides more time to focus on things like social media -- a full 20 minutes of every hour.
