How to Stay Focused in Class

As the end of the year draws closer and closer, I find it increasingly difficult to stay focused in class. Not paying attention in class not only causes any participation grades to drop but also your other grades to drop as you are not fully receiving the material your teacher is teaching. Especially with senioritis, my motivation for school has dropped a bit as I'm so excited to graduate but with less than three months till graduation, it is still important to pay attention in class and put full effort into my work. If any of y'all are in a similar boat, today's post should definitely help a bit as I'm sharing my tips and tricks for staying focused in class.

image via my Instagram

Take your notes by hand
Even though I am allowed to take notes on my laptop in the majority of my classes, I definitely prefer to take my notes by hand. Not only does this help me learn the content, it also removes some of the distractions that your laptop brings if you type your notes.

Sit in a "just right" spot in the room

This only works if you do not have assigned seating in the class but I've found some spots in the classroom definitely help me stay on task than others. Whether it's a window that you gaze out of a bit too often or a friend that you are tempted to talk to during class, picking the right seat may help you focus on the class!

If you don't need it, put away your laptop
Similar to taking my notes by hand, if I don't need my laptop for an activity in class, it is usually in my laptop. I know that if my laptop is open, I will check my email or do whatever during class, which definitely does not help me listen to or learn the material. Putting my laptop away definitely helps as I have to listen since my laptop is not distracting me.

Go the bathroom/get water before class begins
Definitely random but going to the bathroom and/or getting water before the bell rings definitely helps as you have no excuse to go to the bathroom during the middle of class. Sometimes you do have to leave class for a minute or two but doing this beforehand really helps remove the distraction and helps you stay more on task.

Update your agenda at the beginning of class then put it away
I am totally guilty of finding random things to update in my agenda (see how I organize mine here) in the middle of class but only doing this during the start of class for a minute or two helps keep your agenda up-to-date and then putting it away afterwards helps you pay attention to the teacher, not your color coding.

Only have what you need on your desk
The best way to stay focused in class is to remove any distractors so keeping only what you need for the class helps keep distractions to a minimum, whether it is a pencil bag, an agenda, your laptop, etc.

How do you stay focused in class? Let me know in the comments!