By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed.
I once fell asleep during a high-level college chemistry class. Not drowsy, not just blinking really slowly, but straight out asleep. I slept so hard that I only woke up when other students were climbing over me after class. It wasnât until later that day that I looked in the mirror and saw blue pen on my face from falling asleep on my notes. I was cool. So cool.
Donât be me. Donât fall asleep in class.
Honestly though, falling asleep in class was never really my thing. I did it that once because I had a bazillion things going on and I hadnât slept and yada yada, but staying awake was never really an ongoing struggle for me.
But knowing how to stay FOCUSED in class is different, and that is something that everyone struggles with at some point during school. And Iâm assuming that might be you if youâre reading this.
What Iâm referring to here is the common problem of âzoning outâ when the teacher is talking â when your eyes are open but nobody is home, as the expression goes.
There are many reasons why you might zone out during class. Maybe you donât find the material interesting. And I get that. Even as an adult I find it challenging to focus on something that isnât my favorite.
If youâre in middle school or high school, itâs unlikely that you have too much control over the classes you take so the harsh truth is that youâre going to have to make it work. Youâre going to have to figure it out. Youâre going to have to find a few tricks that will help you concentrate when youâre just about to check out. That’s what this post is about. (Also, check out my related tutorial called How to Stay Focused in a Boring Class for more tips.)
But before I give you my tips for how to stay focused during class, I have to say that if your concentration difficulties are due to undiagnosed ADD or ADHD, then my advice might not be enough for you â you might have to work with a specialist to find a supplementary treatment plan. Here are some excellent focus tips that you might find helpful.
How to stay focused in class: 7 tips
1. SIT IN THE FRONT.
Itâs not earth-shattering to know that sitting in the front of the classroom can increase your concentration due to a) hearing the teacher better, b) not being allowed to goof off, c) fewer distractions in front of you and d) a zillion reasons more. So find a seat in the front and get comfortable. For some reason, this simple strategy can be really effective at helping you stay focused.
2. TAKE DETAILED NOTES.
If youâre not confident in your note-taking skills, then watch my video/read about how to take notes during a lecture class. But even if taking notes isnât required for a class, take notes anyway as a way to stay awake, alert and focused. If your goal is to take solid, clean, neat notes, then youâll be forced to concentrate on what your teacher is saying.
3. ASK QUESTIONS.
Participate in class whenever you can â either by raising your hand to comment or to ask a question. (Tip: You can even ask a question you already know the answer to if youâre desperate for a way to participate and donât have a real question!) Aim to contribute at least three questions or comments during the class, and keep track of each time you do so. Even just the act of keeping track of your comments/questions is sometimes enough to keep you alert. If you have trouble thinking of questions to ask, then you can always resort to asking why, how or what?
4. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF.
Make sure youâre sleeping enough, eating good clean food, and drinking plenty of water. Dehydration can suck the life out of you, so donât get to that point. Also, try drinking a full bottle of water throughout class. Drinking will help you stay focused, but also youâll eventually have to use the bathroom, and sometimes that little trip down the hall can revive your energy just enough to get you to the end of the class. If you have trouble falling asleep at night, try my 10 nighttime anxiety tips.
Some of you may rely on caffeine, but caffeine is not a healthy way to fix your concentration issues. If you like coffee because you like it, fine. But if you depend on caffeine to get through class, the danger is that youâre masking a bigger underlying issue. Itâs like putting a band-aid on a stab wound â not going to work.
Also, exercise! Try to get some regular physical movement every single day. Maybe arrange your schedule to alternate high-energy classes with low-energy classes. If you donât have control over your schedule, take the stairs or walk the halls as much as possible before class. Want to know what I do? Bathroom squats. Oh yes, they are exactly as they sound. Go into a stall and do as many squats as possible in 1 minute (not as youâre going to the bathroom, of course!). Works like a charm every single time. Don’t judge me.
5. BE PREPARED FOR CLASS.
This one is not always possible, but when it is, it works so well at helping you stay focused in class. Here is a full tutorial about how to prepare for a class. If you know what your class is going to be on, then try to get ahead by reading up on the material beforehand. For example, if you know youâll be covering chapter 4 in Biology, then skim over chapter 4 the night before so you have a framework for the class. If you know youâll be talking about the Civil War in history class, then do a little research (Google is fine) the night before. Thereâs something about understanding the material a bit before you hear it from your teacher that reduces the likelihood of zoning out. We perk up and pay more attention to things that are familiar because they take less effort to process. (That’s like, science.)
6. MAKE EYE CONTACT WITH YOUR TEACHER.
This may sound a little creepy, but thereâs a scientific explanation here. Here goes: Eye contact can be a stimulant. Sounds odd, but when we look into another personâs eyes, our bodies release chemicals that increase focus, adrenaline and energy. (There are also some scenarios when eye contact can actually have a calming effect, which is cool, but thatâs not really relevant here.) When my babies were, well, babies, I would sneak into their rooms and check on them at night. If they were awake, I would deliberately avoid looking deeply into their eyes because I knew that doing so would stir them up. So you donât have to gaze into your teachersâ eyes, but just make contact every few minutes and let your body do its chemical thing.
7. DUMP YOUR BRAIN.
I talk about âbrain dumpingâ in many of my other videos and in this detailed tutorial, so Iâll just give you the gist here: Write down absolutely everything thatâs on your mind, from all the little stuff to the big stuff. Write down reminders, questions, tasks, things that are bothering you, everything. Once itâs on paper, itâs out of your head (at least temporarily). With fewer loose ends floating around your head, youâll free up mental space to concentrate in class. Keep all your mind dumps in a designated notebook. During class, if a random and distracting thought pops up, write it down and quickly get back to focusing on class. If you’re fancy, you might like this notebook. If you’re not fancy, you might like these pocket-sized ones.
The bottom line is that we all zone out once in a while. Heck, I even lose focus when people are talking directly to me, like five inches from my face. Ha! But obviously, you have to make some changes to your school habits if you find yourself zoning out all the time â and especially if your lack of concentration affects your grades.