Revision and deadline season is upon us, and motivation levels can tend to fluctuate. While I am no expert in eliminating distractions, here are some techniques, apps and ideas that I have used in the past that have proved to be effective!
- Use the Pomodoro Technique
I discovered the Pomodoro technique during my first year as an undergraduate student. It has proved effective for me through my graduation year, in both essay writing and whilst preparing for exams.
As per the Pomodoro Method, you work for twenty-five minutes, following which you take a five-minute break, repeating this four times before taking a longer break. You can read more about it here if you want to try it out, and there are plenty of apps available with set timers for this method.
- Get a Website Blocker App for your phone or your laptop
SelfControl and Cold Turkey are two applications which I found particularly useful to minimise or eliminate technological distractions. You can choose the websites you would like to block (including ones like Amazon, Netflix and Youtube) and you can set it for either a specific period of time, or for the entire day.
- Meditation for motivation
While meditation has been associated with stress reduction, it can also help you focus and get in the zone. Headspace (which is free if you have a Spotify premium with student discount) is an app which has between one to twenty minutes of guided meditation particularly for stress, focus and motivation.
There are also plenty of other apps that are free with iOS or Android that have short and easy to follow instructions to meditate. The LSE Faith Centre also offers free Mindfulness on Mondays sessions from 12-1pm.
- Change your study surroundings if you are losing motivation
Most of the time, studying in the same spot can help you focus and be more productive. Sometimes though, you need to step out for motivation and get a change of scenery.
There are plenty of libraries around campus which LSE students can access for free, as well as cafes with good coffee, plug-points and WiFi (most of which can be found on this extremely resourceful blog by an LSE student).
- Find out what works best for you!
Everyone has a different style of learning. Some of us thrive on technology and apps, others enjoy mind-mapping, writing out notes, making cue cards or audio-notes. The best way to get through exam season is making sure you’ve figured out what works best for you, and making changes when you need to!
Written by LSE Social Media Ambassador Soumya Khedkar.