Phones can be a big cause of distraction for studying. They lead to procrastination and we all know that it is important to have time away from your phone during the day, especially when trying to study for your exams. We know it can be hard to have the self-discipline to turn your phone off so we have found an app that makes it that much easier for you to turn the Snapchat notifications off and get stuck into those past papers. Click on the link down below for a quick and easy download of the perfect focus app, Flora Green Focus. 

Flora blocks distraction apps like Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat for a chosen time. While you are off your phone, Flora will grow your own tree and it is a great way to track your focus. If you leave the app for social media, your flourishing tree will die! You can also play with your friends. Have a study leave competition to see who can grow the most trees. If you both stay off your phones, you win an additional tree. 

Flora Green Focus 

We all know that when you are studying, you want to be as comfortable as possible so some of our go-to studying spots are in our rooms or our beds. However, studying in bed decreases productivity and makes it harder for your brain to associate your bed with sleep rather than production. This calls for lack of sleep, resulting in being more tired the next day, resulting in less study done during the day! We suggest that you set up a study area in your house that you associate with study. It can be on your desk in the corner of your bedroom, on the kitchen table, or even on the floor of your dining room. Another great place to study where productivity is all around you and out of your house is at the Gibson Centre or in the Town Library. As long as we keep the studying out of our duvets, any place is perfect. 

Remedying tiredness usually consists of making a cup of coffee or opening up the 5th energy drink of the night, but it is scientifically proven that when the body is dehydrated from just simple H20, focus and productivity tend to drop. Yes, having a coffee or an energy drink will keep you buzzing all night, but without water, your brain will not be able to function as well as it usually can with fresh water running through your body. Water transports oxygen to your brain, which allows it to communicate with the rest of the body. Even slight dehydration can reduce your concentration skills and cognitive skills. This affects your ability to think clearly and barriers you from performing to your best. We suggest finding a water bottle and filling it up. Finish this off, have a break from studying for five minutes, fill it up and get back to studying hard. Not only will your body be healthier, you will also have a better understanding of your topic. 

Usually during study leave, we find ourselves sitting at a desk for a non-stop 4 hours with no break. This is not an effective way of studying at all. Yes, we may feel like we are getting everything done, but when we step away from the books 4 hours later, we suddenly realise we only remember 10 percent of what we went over. A strategy for keeping your brain alive and focused is using the block method. The block method consists of 25 minutes of study followed by a 5-minute break. Not only does your brain get to process what it has learnt in 25-minute intervals, but it also gives your body a chance to be refuelled by water, food, and moving around a little so you are not in one place the whole day. 

Spending hours of study on a few subjects compared to short intervals on lots of different ones creates more stress for us in the long term when we cannot remember what we learnt the day before. It is important when studying - especially on study leave - to stay refreshed and alive each day so we are not dreading the next day of full on studying. 

Sometimes when you plan your studies, it makes it a lot easier to manage your time. Remember that in study leave, it is not always about studying! It is important that you take time for yourself to hang out with your friends and connect with your family. Having a rough plan ensures that you still have time for the things that give you a break from your studies. 

To help manage your time, we have put together some study timetables and templates for you to fill out and organise your time wisely. Click the link below <3

link to template