When studying, it’s essential to make sure your surroundings are as effective as possible. Simply putting the time in isn’t enough if you’re constantly distracted and unable to focus your attention.
Here are five quick and easy tips to make the most of your study space and ensure quality revision for your CIMA exams.
#1: Get rid of clutter
Clean your desk or table before you start. It’s a simple and seemingly obvious tip but something that many students forget to do.
Having your phone, loose papers or any other clutter means there are other things vying for your attention. A clean desk will help you stay focused on the work you want to get done.
#2: Disable your phone
Phones are powerful and tempting distractions. Just having it out of sight isn’t always enough, especially if you’re particularly social.
Before you start studying, turn your phone off. If you’re using it for a timer, consider an activity-limiting app to prevent you wasting time. I recommend FocusMe, which also works for most laptops.
#3: Be careful with sound
Revising to music can be tempting. Especially if it’s energetic and upbeat, as you may feel you need the energy and enthusiasm that comes with a great playlist.
Unfortunately, it’s easy to focus more on the music than the material. If you struggle to revise without sound or are dealing with disruptive background sounds, try using ambient music or white noise such as rain.
#4: Don’t watch the clock
Revision is best done with a timer. Decide how long you want to study in advance and set a stopwatch or alarm to let you know when you’re done.
Once you start, avoid looking at the time. This can be tricky if you’re studying on a laptop, but it ensures you’re staying focused on your learning and not getting demotivated while there’s a long time left or careless toward the end.
#5: Don’t get up after starting
Before you start, take care of basic needs. Visiting the bathroom before you start and make sure you’re sitting comfortably with good posture.
Always have a bottle of water with you during revision so that you can take care of thirst and stay hydrated. Consider eating a light snack; salted peanuts and rice cakes my favourites as they’re energising, but not distracting.
Finally, when you study, make sure to take a note of any distractions or interruptions. Use this to make any changes you need to your study area, but also to recognise any patterns which may need a more long-term solution.
Do you experience problems staying focused during revision? Are there any special techniques you’ve found? Let me know in the comments.
The CIMA Student 
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