How to Study Effectively at Home: 11 Ways to Stay Focused

Gone are the days when student life was about attending classes, going to study groups, and sitting in the library for hours with your books. Education has now gone virtual, which means you can sit anywhere for lessons, have project meetings online, and set your preferred timings for study sessions.

But this also means that eventually, you'll find yourself unable to really study at home effectively because of so many distractions--your phone, the TV, house chores, errands, social activities--the list goes on! It's hard to dedicate a good amount of your time to studies at home. But don't worry, you can get there with a little bit of focus and dedication, and a lot of planning!

Read on if you want to know more about studying effectively at home:

Tips for Effective Study Sessions at Home

Create a Study Plan

The first step in planning your study sessions is to create a regular schedule that outlines your goals and objectives. Take a look at your syllabus, rearrange it in order of priority, and break down the lessons into manageable chunks. Then you can tackle these, one at a time.

You can also divide the material by day--Monday for Math, Tuesday for English--or order of completion, so you know how much time to dedicate to each of it. Use a planner or calendar to maintain this schedule, and review it regularly to make sure you're on track.

Need some help breaking down your tasks? Try our helpful tool Crunch!

Set up a Designated Study Area

Be honest--do you spend the majority of your time in bed, and have you been trying to study there too? Surely, you realize that it doesn't help you focus--how many times have you dozed off while trying to read? To get yourself into work mode, what you need is a clean, good study space that is optimized just the way you like it.

Make sure this is in a naturally lit room, with some plants for positive energy and maybe a few motivational posters on the wall next to your timetable. Don't forget to make sure there are plenty of switchboards to plug in all your devices!

Establish a Study Routine

Once you have a study plan and space ready, make up a routine to keep your days organized. Try to wake up at the same time every day, have something to eat before you sit down in your study space, and study for a consistent number of hours with scheduled breaks to stretch your legs and reset your focus.

The most important thing while creating your routine is to identify when you feel the most focused---for many people, mornings are the best time to be productive, and so that's when they get into monk mode and get the work done. But maybe you feel more alert in the evenings--which is okay! Just make sure you're planning your study sessions during this time, so you can work on other tasks before or after these hours.

Try Active Learning

Question improves learning--this is why teachers love to dedicate time each class to answer doubts! And you can do it by yourself too--at the start of every study session, ask yourself if you know the material you're about to read, whether you understand it, and what you want to achieve by the end of the session. This will help you focus on the important bits and cut out the miscellaneous material. And at the end of the session, you can make a note of what you've learned, and where you need more clarification.

Another important part of active learning is taking handwritten notes. Granted, all the material is now available online at any time you need it, but writing down things helps retain information and makes revisions easier.

Eliminate Distractions

Your phone, TV, and even your neighbors must be kept at bay during study sessions. You may think that taking a short break to answer some texts or have a chat doesn't hurt, but you may end up in a three-hour doomscrolling (or gossiping) spiral before you even realize it. So, make sure anything and everything that can distract you stays away and you have no excuses for not studying later!

Looking for an effective, no-frills website blocker to help you stay focused? Check out our tool Dopanope!

Try Learning Aids

Not everyone does well with the conventional studying method of reading the text over and over till you've memorized it. If you're a visual learner who's more comfortable with diagrams than paragraphs, find some helpful educational tools that help turn the rest of your lessons into infographics.

You can also check out YouTube videos that explain science, math, and other subjects in a more fun and interactive manner--just make sure these don't turn into another distraction!

Get a Good Night’s Sleep

No matter what age you are, you need at least 7-8 hours of sleep to help your mind and body relax and reset. Getting good sleep and waking up fresh and energized will keep you more focused and alert during your study hours.

So the next time you're studying late into the night and yawning profusely, consider just going to bed rather than gulping down another cup of coffee.

Keep up Good Habits and Self Care

Apart from a good night's sleep, eating right is also important to keep your mind healthy and alert. When there's too much to do, you may feel like either skipping meals or, in complete contrast, stress-eating ultra-processed snacks. Neither end of the spectrum is good for you!

So, while creating your daily routine, make some time to prep meals and have healthy snacks, that will make you feel focused but comfortable throughout the day. Keep hydrating too (and coffee doesn't count!)!

Also, don't neglect your sense of hygiene and self-care for your studies. Have a nice, refreshing shower at the start and end of the day, listen to some calming music, exercise in the fresh air, and take breaks to improve your social life! Remember, studying at home is not a punishment!

Get a study buddy

If you feel easily distracted when studying by yourself, try connecting with a classmate for joint study sessions. You can tackle lessons together, quiz each other, clear doubts, or even quietly do your own thing while sitting together. Just having another presence might help you focus and take your books seriously.

If you don't know (or like) your classmates, why not try getting a study buddy through body doubling? Platforms like Caveday and Focusmate help connect you to people around the world for regular sessions where you each do your own thing while keeping an eye on each other. It sounds odd, but it really works as a commitment device!

Evaluate your Progress

Don't wait for the final exams to be the ultimate test of your knowledge. Schedule one day a month or every two months to review your progress and see where you've improved, and where you need to do better. Quiz yourself to figure out which parts of the syllabus you need to do better on, and adjust your study plan accordingly to help you get there.

Get Support and Accountability

If you're still having trouble figuring out how to study effectively at home, don't shy away from asking for your help. If you're unable to understand or memorize lessons by yourself or with just one study buddy, a larger study group can help you not just get work done but also clear your doubts. You can also approach your teacher or spring for a tutor to help you nail the concepts.

If your problem is just staying consistent with your study goals, consider getting accountability. Accountability partner apps and services are all the rage these days, and they'll help you make plans and stick to them. And you don't even have to look beyond Boss as a Service to find them!

How BaaS Helps You Study Effectively

At Boss as a Service, our only agenda is to help you achieve all your goals--studies and otherwise! We'll help you make study plans and routines, ensure you're not getting distracted, and that you're taking breaks to eat, sleep, and exercise. Just sign up with BaaS, we'll make a list and get cracking!

Final Thoughts

Studying effectively at home can be tricky--but try out a few top tips to stay focused and you'll ace it!