Guide · focus · 3 min read
How to study when you cannot concentrate — the basics, done properly, when you need to stop thinking about work
Concentration is usually a problem of task size, not willpower. Shrink the task until starting feels almost silly.
Start here
A short explanation first, because knowing why makes the doing easier.
Work thoughts are allowed to be there. They just do not get to drive.
If you only do one thing from this page, do the first point below. It is first because it removes the most friction for the least effort.
What helps
Decide the smallest possible unit: one page, five questions, one worked example. "Study history" is not a task, it is a category.
Write the question you are trying to answer at the top of the page. Reading without a question is how an hour disappears.
Test yourself rather than re-reading. Recall feels worse and works better. If it feels easy, it is probably not working.
What to do when it does not work
Stop while you still know what you are doing. Ending mid-thought makes restarting much easier than ending at a natural finish.
Work in blocks of twenty-five minutes with a real break. The break means standing up, not opening a different screen.
Put the phone in another room. Silenced and face down is not enough — the presence of it alone reduces available attention.
Questions people ask
Does music help?
Lyrics generally do not, if you are reading or writing. Instrumental or noise tends to be neutral to slightly helpful.
How do I stop re-reading the same paragraph?
Write one sentence summarising it. If you cannot, you were not reading it, you were looking at it.
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