Beat Distractions: Tips for Increasing Focus During Study Sessions by MBBS students

Hello future doctors. I know how easy it is to be distracted during NEET preparation. There are so many things waiting to distract you, your friends, social media, some TV show, or your hobby, it’s very easy to be distracted.

Given the peer pressure that we face in our teenage years, keeping up the concentration becomes impossible. There are some rules that I followed to study with more focus and clear NEET. Here they are:

Delete all social media apps for 2 years. 

This might sound like the biggest sacrifice that one can make in their teen years. When I was preparing for NEET it was very difficult for me to let go of social media too. But to earn something, you have to lose something. If we can’t even leave behind something as insignificant as social media then we cannot expect to get results. We cannot ask for our dreams to come true without working for them. 

To be extremely honest, social media is a very transient thing. It doesn’t even matter when you get to college, nobody cares about your profile picture or your caption. Scrolling through social media is the easiest way to waste your youth. You decide for yourself. Do you want to scroll away all your energy or do you want to be someone in your life? 

Delete the app! Or if you want to follow NEET influencers for tips and sheets then use an anonymous account. Use it for some time then delete it. Do not let it become a habit. 

Work reward loop. 

Personally, studying for long hours is very difficult. I get distracted in between and don’t get back to work. So to make sure that I can work for long hours, I include my distractions in my schedule and then limit the time I can spend with these distractions. Confused? Let me break it down to you. 

During my NEET preparation, I loved to read novels and paint. So every hour or so, I’d get distracted and start reading a novel instead of the NCERT. To deal with this, I started setting tasks for the day and after each task, I read a chapter from my novel. This made me excited to work as I was waiting to read my novel but also made sure that I did not ignore my studies and kept reading novels. 

This is a very good method and can be applied to any hobby, even watching TV Shows. You just have to make sure that you are setting a good, long enough task. There should be a healthy balance between work and leisure for maximum productivity. 

No work, no fun. 

This tip is even more important than the above given positive reinforcement loop. Even though this hack will work on the punishment psychology, it will discipline you. Whenever I did not complete my task for the day, I did not indulge in any of my hobbies. I wouldn’t watch TV series, I wouldn’t paint, I wouldn’t read novels, I wouldn’t go out either. I set this rule to discipline myself and ensure that I am working consistently. 

Yes, some days when I was feeling burnout and wanted to take a break, I took a break and did whatever I wanted to. The key is to identify the difference between tiredness and laziness. When I was being lazy, I deprived myself of these fun activities, which helped create a strict discipline in me. Although this does lead to feeling a lot of guilt in the long term, it does help with discipline. 

You could use this rule for social media too. No indulgence when you are being lazy. 

Regularity

The above two points when followed strictly create a regular study schedule. In some time, you will want to work even without a reward. This is because you will form the habit of working and you will start to enjoy it. 

The short dopamine rush from the fun activity will be associated with the task too. This is just how your brain works. You just have to condition it like Pavlov’s experiment. 

Regularity is also very important for memorization of things. When you work daily, you revise daily. This revision will lead to a fool proof memory that will help you recall answers within milliseconds. All in all, it is a win-win situation. 

A good study table and lots of coffee

I keep saying this in every blog, nobody should study on their beds! Your body is in the habit of sleeping at that place, it will naturally feel lazy and drowsy on the bed. 

Get a table and a chair. Arrange your books on the table, set up a motivation wall in front of it, keep some almonds with you, a 2 liter water bottle, your class notes and stationary; everything within reach. And then get to study. If you create a good work environment, it will help you study a lot. If you cannot set up an elaborate study table just sit on the floor, but absolutely NO sitting on the bed. 

If you feel lousy even on the floor or the study table then drink some coffee. We all know that a lot of coffee is not good as it will lead to a crash of energy and sudden drowsiness. So, try to keep drinking water to stay hydrated and drink a limited amount of coffee. We medicos like to keep smelling coffee powder during study sessions too. It is weird, yes. But it works. 

A partner?

You can always study with a partner, it’s a thousand times more efficient if your partner is also equally hard-working. You guys can look out for each other. When one of you feels lazy the other can keep up the motivation and vice versa. It will also help with setting goals and completing them.  

You do not even have to study everything together, just study your own stuff while sitting together. Seeing someone else study motivates you to study. Then after individual study sessions are done, you can quickly teach each other your topics. Teaching is also another great way to get feedback on your work. You will be able to identify the gaps in your understanding.

White noise. 

If you are studying in a noisy environment then put on your headphones and put on some white noise. White noise is music that helps you focus. This will help when sitting in public libraries or cafes or even at home. 

Just make sure that you do not open your phone and start using social media instead. Focus. 

Just do it yaar. 

One bitter truth? Nobody can give you a mind-blowing tip that will make you work if you do not want to work. Nothing in this world can motivate you if you have decided you’d rather spend your time on social media or TV series.

The only motivation that will sustain you is the one that comes from within. The urge to work more, the need to be something in life, to do something. To make your parents proud. Nothing can make you do all this if you do not feel strongly about it.

Conclusion:

As I said, you can beat distractions during study by:

1. Making sure you do not waste time on social media; DELETE THE APPS.
2. Set a small reward for yourself like watching an episode of your favourite show or painting after each big task.
3. Try to avoid indulging in any hobby if you have not completed your task.
4. Try to maintain a good study schedule. Regularity will create habit.
5. Set up a study table or sit on the floor to study. Avoid studying on your bed!
6. Drink up coffee and get to work. No excuses.
7. Put on some white noise if you are sitting in a noisy place.
8. Sit with a study partner. Cheer on each other.
9. You can each other topics that you have studied, this will encourage active learning.
10. Reflect and look for the thing that makes you work. Stop being lazy.

All in all, NEET is not an easy commitment. It is the most competitive exam in the world with 25 lakh applicants.

Your questions should be about the syllabus and about the study pattern, not about the motivation to work.

Motivation is not something I can or anyone else can give you. You have to bring that yourself and we will work on the rest together. Remember why you started, think about the white coat, think about your very own stethoscope, think about all this daily.

You can do it. But only if you start working and keep working.