A lot of students find it difficult to develop good and effective study habits. With all the distractions technology has managed to create, this is not surprising. Instead of spending an hour or so for your studies, your attention is drawn to the computer, and you decided to go on social media or play video games. Or you turn on the TV, sit on the couch, and then spend the next hour watching your favorite TV shows or whatever your favorite television station is showing. The drive to study is lost on you.

Sometimes, studying becomes difficult because of certain personal problems or situations you are experiencing. You can’t focus well. You spend a lot of time worrying. You can’t do anything except think about your problem or situation.

But there are things you can do to combat situations like these. Here are three examples you should try out.

Set your mind to the idea of studying.

Make it a habit to train your mind to think about studying. The best thing to do is think positive about studying. Remind yourself that studying will help you improve your skills and abilities. Do not dwell on the negative and tell yourself, “I will never be good at this!”.  And focus on yourself; do not think about others and say, “I wonder if so and so is studying right now?” Do not compare yourself to your schoolmates or to whoever else you can think of. Just focus on yourself and whatever it is you need to study.

Choose a good study area.

If you want to focus on your studying properly, look for a place that’s conducive to it. Don’t go to a fast food restaurant as it can get very noisy and crowded there. You can study in your room, but make sure that there are no distractions like television, gadgets, and the computer. If you’re sharing the room with someone, concentrating can be difficult. Find a study lounge or go to the library and study there. There are also coffee shops that are quiet, so they can be ideal study places. Avoid those that are located inside malls, though, as they can get too crowded.

Prepare only the things that you need to study.

Once you’ve decided on where you will study, prepare the things that you will bring. Make sure that you bring only those that you need for studying; nothing more, nothing less. In other words, leave your gadgets behind (except for your mobile phone as someone might try to get in touch with you). This is the reason why you should take down notes on paper and not on your tablet or any other gadget/device. Some people write their notes on colorful sheets of paper or on their journals to motivate them to read and study. You can even use different pen colors for writing if you want to!