Tips #14 :: How to Focus Better?

19 Jul Tips #14 :: How to Focus Better?

“Can we really pass the PMP® exam in the first attempt ? How much time do we need to spare daily?” Are the two questions that come to me from every student.  

Every time, I have the same response. “How badly do you want to pass the exam?” is what I ask every time. The student, a little bewildered perhaps, says, “Ofcourse. I really want to pass the examination as early as possible”. Or something to that effect. I ask the same question again, but with a little twist now. “Are you prepared to study with full focus even if world cup matches are going on?” I watch an obvious shadow of doubt on my student’s face. “Ok, will you study with full focus even when your family is watching a favorite serial?” I see a smile on my students’ faces at this and most of them would say, “Ummm our attention will most probably wander.”

If you are not going to prepare with full focus, then you will need to read the same topic over and over. That will mean it is going to take more time and maybe, more attempts finally. It is possible to pass the PMP® Exam in your first attempt if your preparation is good and that can happen only when you are focused when you study. Do you agree?

Some of my students have also passed this examination in as little as 3 weeks (18 days in fact!)

Did they have a magic wand? Well yes, actually. They maintained a sharp focus when they studied. They did not allow themselves to be diverted. The question is, how can you get that sharp focus. I would not say that it is easy, but trust me, it is not that difficult either. If you REALLY WANT it, you can get that focus

We lose focus when there are distractions. If we think of today’s world, there are endless distractions. Many of those are our own doing. The endless calls, the TV, easy access to the internet or the smartphone! Everything contributes to the distractions. On top of it, the events like world cup matches or national games or some family problems are always there to add their bit to already worsened scenario

If you avoid these distractions, success is yours. How to avoid distractions? Following steps will definitely help

1. Plan your study time when you will not be tired. Preferably, it should be similar time every day
2. Learn to say “No”. If you easily get carried away by others asking you to be with them or do something for them, when you want to study, it is perfectly okay to say no
3. Ensure that the place is well lit and the chair is upright, but comfortable
4. Keep your study material:  books, notebooks, pencils, color-pens ready before you start studying so that you do not need to get up in between
5. Mark important point with a highlighter and write your own examples in different colors along the margins so that you can easily connect to them when you re-read the material
6. Keep your phone switched off for the entire duration of your studies. You are not going to lose anything if you do not respond to your friends or colleagues for 30 minutes. Try it. The FOMO is real, but only you can come out of it by yourself. No one else can help you. If you feel that switching off is difficult, (seriously?) sign out of all the apps before you start your studies and keep your phone on silent and face down. For the first few days, you will feel uncomfortable.  Absent-mindedly or maybe because you cannot contain yourself, you will reach out and pick that phone up. This is where you have to nudge yourself back to studies. 
7. Do it for a few days and you will be able to focus and you, yourself will realize that you can get into “The Zone” easily and are able to study in a flow. Now, only care you have to take is not to derail!
8. Yes, focusing is as simple as this. 

“Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.”

― Zig Ziglar