Check out these 5 ways to increase attention span while studying immediately, as well as 5 ways to increase your attention span overall in the long term.


Check out these 5 ways to increase attention span while studying immediately, as well as 5 ways to increase your attention span overall in the long term.

You’ve got your to-do list written out, and you’re ready to get to work. But”¦ after a few moments, you inexplicably feel the urge to check social media or browse a juicy Reddit thread.

When you resist the urge, it keeps nagging in the back of your mind. Eventually, you give in. However, you wish there was something you could do to increase your attention span while studying.

With all the distractions in today's world, it's very hard to stay focused on studying for long periods of time.

Here’s the good news: there’s a scientific basis for the “modern” crisis of low attention span (I put modern in quotations because it turns out that the biological basis is not so modern after all).

In this article, I’ll first be covering why it’s so difficult to focus. Then, I’ll provide actionable steps to:

  1. increase attention span while studying immediately and
  2. to increase attention span overall in the long term.

Let’s dive in!

Spreads for planning, habit tracking, mood tracking, self-reflection, and more that you can use any month of the year.

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The “Modern” Dilemma of Low Attention Span

In 2015, Time published an article about a study on how people’s attention spans had changed since the start of the mobile revolution. According to the study, the average attention span had dropped from 12 seconds in 2000 to 8 seconds.

You might be thinking that phones are to blame for our crisis of low attention span. However, the issue traces farther back than the beginning of the 21st century”¦ In fact, it can be traced back all the way to our ancestors.

Our Insatiable Need for Overstimulation

I first came across the topic of overstimulation in this YouTube video from Better Ideas. I had always thought that my need to be constantly doing something””whether it was studying, watching a video, or web surfing””stemmed from an unalterable need to be mentally stimulated.

So when I came across this video, I was immediately intrigued.

Here’s a short summary:

Our ancestors were primed to react to changes in their surroundings. If a predator appeared, they needed to run. If prey appeared, they needed to hunt. As a result, the human brain developed to reward the recognition of novelty.

When a novel stimulus appears in your environment, your brain releases dopamine. Although commonly referred to as the “feel-good” hormone, dopamine isn’t actually responsible for making you feel good. It’s responsible for motivating you to do something.

Dopamine is the hormone that motivates us to do something.

In other words, when our ancestors saw prey, dopamine would be released, creating anticipation for the ultimate reward””eating the prey. This created an irresistible urge to go hunt down the prey.

According to the video:

We are still slaves of our dopamine reward system.

Despite the evolutionary changes, human brains still retain many attributes of the primitive brain. When a new stimulus appears in our environment, we still feel primed to check it out.

Think about when your phone buzzes or your doorbell rings. You immediately feel the need to check it out.

Of course, responding to novel stimuli is still essential to our survival. However, there’s a new type of stimuli that is specific to the modern age.

In the past, humans anticipated “normal” stimuli, like getting to eat food or finding shelter. However, our environments today are filled with “supernormal” stimuli, or stimuli designed to create as much pleasure as possible.

For example, the entire fast-food industry is built on this. Fast food is engineered to have the perfect combination of crunch and softness and an addicting amount of fat and sugar. It’s irresistible, and it’s designed to be that way.

Our phones, too, are an example of supernormal stimuli. Apps like social media provide instantaneous sources of entertainment and novel stimuli at every flick of your finger.

Our phones are an example of the superstimuli that inundate us in today's world.

In our society, we’re constantly inundated with supernormal stimuli, which generate bursts of dopamine, and thus, an irresistible urge to check out the stimuli.

So how does this relate to our attention spans while studying?

The reason we have low attention spans while studying is not just because our environments are often filled with distractions. It’s because we crave distraction.

The primitive part of our brain is designed to anticipate novelty. However, because we’ve been conditioned to anticipate supernormal stimuli, we no longer derive much pleasure from responding to normal stimuli””the satisfaction of having a productive study session or the pleasure associated with taking a walk in nature.

In essence, increasing your attention span while studying is a twofold process:

  • First, you need to get rid of distractions.
  • Second, you need to get rid of the craving for distraction and derive joy from the immediate task.

Luckily, there are ways we can lower our baseline stimulation level and find joy in normal stimuli again.

The strategies that follow are split into two sections:

  • The first includes 5 strategies to increase attention span while studying immediately.
  • The second includes 5 strategies to improve your attention span overall in the long term.
Click here to access 36 free wallpapers of quotes to motivate you to study.

Ways to Increase Attention Span While Studying Immediately

#1: Have a Dedicated and Clean Workspace

Our brains are primed to do the easiest task associated with a space. For example, if you watch TV on the couch, you’ll find that if you try to study there, you’ll feel a constant itch to turn on the TV.

Context affects our brains in significant ways. That’s why it’s so important to have a dedicated workspace, where you do nothing but work and study.

Have a dedicated workspace where you do nothing but work and study.

It’s also important to keep your workspace clean and organized. According to an article from the Harvard Business Review, a messy workspace overloads your senses with stimuli.

As a result, you won’t be able to focus, and you’ll also feel more stressed and anxious.

To keep your workspace clean and organized, check out these student desk essentials to maximize storage, even if you have a small workspace.

#2: Have a Distraction-Free and Clean Digital Space

According to Atomic Habits by James Clear (which is about how to build habits that can transform your life), the effort involved in resisting distractions drains cognitive resources.

People who appear to have the most self-control typically need to exercise the least self-control. That’s because they’ve primed their environments to have as few tempting distractions as possible.

Usually, when we think of our environments, we think of our physical environment. But the amount of our time and life we’ve dedicated to technology makes it impossible to ignore the digital spaces we occupy.

Keep your digital space distraction-free and clean in order to increase your attention span while studying.

While your physical environment should be primed to have no distractions, your digital environment should too.

Here are a few ways to eliminate digital distractions:

Turn Off Notifications

You can turn off notifications permanently, or you can turn on Do Not Disturb for specific periods of time.

I generally have Do Not Disturb on for all my devices during the day, so that I don’t get distracted by notifications.

Use an App/Website Blocker

Installing app/website blockers on your devices takes the burden of resisting distractions off of you. Instead, a digital automation will prevent you from using certain apps or websites.

This article provides several options that you can install now.

Create a Separate User Login on Your Desktop

A while back, I was browsing a Reddit forum about creating separate user logins for personal and school uses.

In the account dedicated for school use, don’t install any distracting apps and block all distracting websites so you can’t access them.

Go On a Social Media Detox

If you find that social media is constantly draining your time and mental energy, then challenge yourself to a complete social media detox.

I think we’ve all fallen into periods where the urge to use social media felt irresistible. I know I’ve been there before.

When this happened, I would delete all my social media apps. A few days after deleting the apps, I would feel much calmer, focused, and somehow cleaner. It realized social media had added unnecessary chaos to my life.

Taking social media detoxes helps me feel more organized and calmer.

Now, I delete all my social media during the week. On weekends, I allow myself to reinstall the apps and check updates. I’ve found that my urge to check social media while studying has disappeared.

Maintain a Clean Digital System

If your workspace is cluttered, it becomes difficult to focus. If your digital space becomes cluttered, it likewise becomes difficult to focus.

Therefore, it’s important to do things like clean up your file system. In Google Drive, I’ve created a hierarchical folder system that keeps all my files organized. Occasionally, I’ll also go through my desktop file manager to delete unnecessary files and organize files into folders.

I also organize my life through digital planning (check out the all-in-one planner app I use here). Keeping my digital space clean and organized helps me get work done with greater efficiency and focus.

#3: Stop Multitasking

To increase attention span while studying, you need to stop multitasking.

If you pride yourself on being a good multitasker, you shouldn’t. I used to think I was a master multitasker too. I would respond to an email while sitting in a meeting, or work on homework while trying to pay attention to a lecture.

The result? I never accomplished either task to the best of my ability. Now that I no longer multitask, I find that I can finish tasks with more efficiency and higher quality. I also no longer feel as overwhelmed””as though I’m trying to split my brain in two.

If you’re still not convinced that multitasking is a terrible idea, here’s some science:

Multitasking Kills Quality, Productivity, and Attention Span

According to this article from the Stanford Neurosciences Institute, a survey of college students showed that students who multitask tend to have lower GPAs and spend more time studying outside of class. In other words, multitasking not only hurts the quality of your studying but also your efficiency.

The article also mentions studies on media multitasking, which is the act of using two or more media types at the same time or rapidly switching between media types. According to these studies, media multitasking is associated with attention lapses and forgetfulness.

Media multitasking is associated with forgetfulness.

Multitasking Damages Your Brain

This article from Forbes summarizes the findings of several research studies about multitasking.

According to one study done at Stanford, multitasking is less productive than doing one thing at a time. In fact, people who believe they’re good multitaskers are typically worse multitaskers than people who don’t multitask frequently.

In addition, another study from the University of London showed that multitasking reduces your IQ. Yet another study from the University of Sussex showed that multitasking reduces brain density in the “anterior cingulate cortex, a region responsible for empathy as well as cognitive and emotional control”.

In conclusion, multitasking not only hurts your memory, efficiency, and attention span, but it can also cause long-term brain damage.

In short, just stop multitasking.

How do I stop multitasking?

If you’ve been multitasking for a long time, it might feel like second nature. As you’re studying for a test, you reach for a snack to eat. As you’re responding to emails, you also watch Netflix.

I eventually realized that one of the reasons I multitasked was that I often felt overwhelmed by everything I needed to do. As a result, I would try to do multiple things at the same time because it made me feel more productive.

The keyword here is “feel” because multitasking did not actually make me more productive. In fact, it often left me feeling mentally cluttered and dissatisfied.

Multitasking frequently left me feeling mentally cluttered and dissatisfied.

To combat this feeling of being overwhelmed, I started ranking my to-do lists by priority and time-blocking my schedule. For example, I would designate 15 minutes in my schedule for responding to emails and other messages. After that, I would refrain from checking my communications.

Assigning time blocks to specific tasks relieved my anxiety. I knew exactly what I needed to do and when. I also knew that I would have time to get to all my priority tasks, even without trying to do multiple tasks at the same time.

Spreads for planning, habit tracking, mood tracking, self-reflection, and more that you can use any month of the year.

#4: Take Short Breaks

If you want to increase attention span while studying, you need to allow yourself to take breaks.

According to an article from Cornell Health, “Research shows that taking purposeful breaks (anywhere from 5″“60 minutes) from studying to refresh your brain and body increases your energy, productivity, and ability to focus.”

However, checking social media does NOT count as taking a break. In fact, research shows that doing so decreases your productivity.

How can I remember to take breaks?

If you’re not used to taking regular breaks while working, I recommend using the Pomodoro method. I cover this method in my post on overcoming procrastination and boosting productivity.

In summary, it involves studying in 25-minute sessions with 5 minutes of rest in between. After 3-4 such sessions, you can take a longer break of 10-15 minutes.

The Pomodoro method is very effective for increasing productivity while studying.

However, I would like to note that just because the timer goes off at 25 minutes does NOT mean that you need to stop working. If you’ve entered a state of flow, stopping can disrupt your focus.

Instead, the timer is just a reminder that you should take breaks to prevent mental exhaustion.

#5: Listen to Music

Now, don’t jump yet because not all music is good for studying. However, not all music is bad either.

I used to have a teacher who banned headphones in the classroom because it was “scientifically proven that all music was distracting”. For years, I followed this dogma religiously.

In fact, it wasn’t until recently that I realized this wasn’t true. Background music can improve concentration in some circumstances.

According to an article from Psychology Today, music can improve focus if:

  • You’re doing a repetitive or boring task.
  • It’s music that you enjoy listening to.
  • You’re working on something that requires concentration, and the music does not contain lyrics. (If your task requires concentration, music with lyrics can be distracting.)
  • The music does not evoke negative memories and emotions.
  • It’s video game music. Research shows that video game music is especially conducive to concentration. Cue Wii music 10-hour loop (yes, seriously, click on the link).
Listening to some types of music can help increase attention span while studying.

Ways to Improve Attention Span in the Long Term

The aforementioned methods can help you increase attention span while studying immediately. However, improving attention span in the long term requires a decrease in the craving for distraction.

The following methods are changes you can start making in your life to lower your baseline stimulation needs. While these changes aren’t exactly easy, they will improve your well-being in the long run.

In addition to seeing an improvement in attention span, you’ll discover that finding joy in normal stimuli will help you appreciate the small things in life.

#1: Exercise Regularly

According to a study from the University of Granada, active people tend to have longer attention spans and cognitive abilities than sedentary people.

A possible explanation for this is that physical activity improves vagal tone. This is the part of the nervous system that regulates emotions and responds to stress, amongst other things.

Also, physical activity prevents neuro-generation.

Physical activity improves your attention span and health.

How long does it take for the effects of exercise to be seen?

Another study published in ScienceDirect concluded that acute exercise (a single session of exercise) has a positive effect on cognitive performance.

The magnitude of the effect, however, depends on factors like the intensity of the exercise.

Nevertheless, it is clear that regular exercise is something worth adding to your routine. Exercise can boost cognitive performance in both the short and long term.

#2: Choose Nutritious Foods

Not surprisingly, your diet also plays a role in your ability to concentrate. To increase your attention span while studying, you should opt for nutritious foods that give you energy and facilitate blood flow.

According to WebMD, these are foods that can help:

  • A small amount of caffeine
  • Natural sugars (such as from fruit) in moderation
  • Fish
  • Nuts and chocolate
  • Avocados and whole grains
  • Blueberries
Choosing nutritious foods is essential for improving your attention span.

Also, remember to stay hydrated while studying.

#3: Get Enough High-Quality Sleep

Sleep deprivation is one of the biggest culprits of low attention span.

However, the amount of time you sleep is not the only important factor. The quality of your sleep is just as important.

Here are a few ways to practice good sleep hygiene:

  • Put away electronics at least 30 minutes before bed. The blue light emitted interferes with sleep quality.
  • Take time to wind down before going to sleep. Do something relaxing, like reading a book or meditating,
  • Set a good temperature. According to the Sleep Foundation, the optimal temperature range is between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Keep your room dark and quiet. Light and sound, even small amounts, both interfere with sleep quality.

For more on reducing stress and winding down before bed, check out these productive night routines for students.

#4: Do Fun Activities That Require Focus

If you want to increase your attention span in all aspects of your life, doing high-concentration but fun activities is a great strategy.

These include:

  • Puzzles
  • Chess
  • Sudoku
  • Reading
  • Art projects (e.g. knitting, crochet, macramé)
  • Practicing an instrument
Learning and instrument is an example of a high-concentration, fun activity that can improve your attention span.

These are lower-stimulation activities that train your brain to focus for long periods of time. When you first start, you may find it difficult to focus. That’s okay.

Start small, and allot a few minutes for your chosen activity each day. Then, build up from there.

For example, start by reading for 15 minutes a day. Gradually increase that time to 20 minutes, then half an hour, and so on. Eventually, you’ll be able to read for long periods without getting distracted.

You’ll find that your attention span will improve in all tasks you set your mind to, like studying.

Download this list of 30+ daily habits to improve your life.

#5: Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the act of focusing your mind on the present. It’s the practice of letting go of stress and distractions””what was and what might be””and only focusing on what is.

It’s not easy, but it’s a skill that can be strengthened through practice, like any other skill.

Here are two ways to practice mindfulness:

Meditate

Following guided meditations is a great way to start including meditation in your routine.

In the beginning, try meditating for short amounts of time””even two minutes is an accomplishment. Gradually build up from there.

Take Mindful Walks

Taking a walk is a fantastic way to spend a study break.

While you’re on your walk, immerse yourself completely in the sensory stimuli around you. Notice things like the rustling of the leaves, the warmth of the sun, and the chirping of the birds.

Practice Mindful Eating

When you’re eating alone, you may immediately reach for your phone or YouTube (I’m definitely guilty of this).

But the next time you eat alone, challenge yourself to only focus on the food. Notice the way it smells, the different textures, and the layers of flavor.

Practicing mindfulness will help you take pleasure in lower-stimulation settings and thus train your brain to focus longer.

Practicing mindfulness will improve focus in all aspects of your life.

Overview of How to Increase Attention Span While Studying

In the modern day, we are all victims of the supernormal stimuli designed to irresistibly tempt the primitive side of our brains.

The reason we can’t focus is not just because we’re surrounded by distractions but because we crave distraction. Thus, increasing attention span while studying””and really, in all areas of life””requires not just an elimination of distractions but an elimination of the craving for distraction.

We need to lower our baseline stimulation needs. We need to relearn how to find joy in normal stimuli again.

In the world of superstimuli we live in, it's important to relearn how to find joy in normal stimuli and appreciate the small things in life.

To increase attention span while studying immediately, you should:

  • Have a designated and clean workspace
  • Have a distraction-free and clean digital space
  • Stop multitasking
  • Take short breaks
  • Listen to music (without lyrics)

To acquire greater focus in the long term, you also need to:

  • Exercise regularly
  • Choose nutritious foods
  • Get enough high-quality sleep
  • Do fun activities that require focus
  • Practice mindfulness

You don’t need to apply all these things right now. Instead, start with a few small changes, and you’ll immediately begin to see positive change. Take a social media detox for a week. Start exercising twice a week. Be more conscientious of your diet choices. Read for 15 minutes before bed.

Then, scale up from there.

Getting rid of bad habits and building healthy habits in their place is not easy. That’s why I wrote this post on how to build habits that stick, even when they’re hard.

While making positive changes in your life may be hard, you should focus on your long-term vision. If you start making changes now, think about where you could be a month from now. Three months. Six months.

A few months down the road, you could be a completely transformed person. You could be someone who finds joy in the satisfaction of a productive study session. Someone who anticipates the small things in life””a conversation with a friend, a walk in nature, a new book to read””and not just the unhealthy superstimuli our modern society is filled with.

Which steps will you be taking to transform your attention span? Let me know in the comments below!

Download this list of 30+ daily habits to improve your life.

Learning With Angie is a place to share honest, unfiltered advice to promote student success. So if you’re a student (high school, college, or beyond) looking for tips on productivity, studying, personal growth, and more to reach your potential, this is the place! To read more about Learning with Angie, click here.

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Learning with Angie was founded by Angie, a college student from Florida in 2022. Now we have a team of writers who are passionate about lifelong learning and the pursuit of continual improvement.

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