You may be struggling with deep work not because you can’t focus, but because your day is full of shallow work. Before you try to “focus harder,” you need to remove the things that quietly steal your attention. Here’s what to do: 1) Schedule Your Internet Time Don’t rely on willpower. Control access. - Set specific times to check messages, email, and social media - Avoid reacting to notifications during study blocks - Treat internet use as something you schedule, not something that interrupts you This protects your focus and stops constant context switching. 2) Plan Your Day (and Be Specific) Vague plans kill focus. Clear plans reduce mental effort. - Write down exactly what you’ll do, how long it’ll take, and when - Use a task list (Notion, Microsoft To Do) and a simple schedule to block time - Add short buffer blocks so delays don’t ruin your whole day A clear plan removes decision fatigue and makes deep work easier to start. 3) Know What’s Deep and What’s Shallow Not all tasks deserve your best energy. - Deep work = hard, focused, mentally demanding tasks - Shallow work = routine, easy, low-thinking tasks Do your hardest work when your brain is at its best (usually mornings). Don’t waste peak energy on easy tasks. 4) Set Slightly Uncomfortable Goals Too much time leads to slow, distracted work. - Shorten time limits on manageable tasks - Push yourself just enough to stay alert and focused - Challenging goals increase concentration and make deep work more effective Deep work doesn’t start with motivation. It starts by removing shallow work and designing your day around focus.

Spaced repetition is a study technique where you review information at increasing intervals. Instead of cramming, you reinforce your memory just before it starts to fade. Why It Works: - Based on the forgetting curve: memories naturally fade unless you revisit them. - By reviewing at the right times, you make your memory stronger and more durable. Typical Spacing Pattern: 1. Initial learning – first exposure to the material 2. Review after 1 day 3. Review after 3–4 days 4. Review after 1 week 5. Review after 2–4 weeks 6. Review after 2 months There are many tools you can find online to help track this. The Advantage Over Cramming: Cramming may help you pass a test today, but spaced repetition ensures you remember the material long-term. It strengthens your memory at the exact moments it’s most likely to fade.

Most underperforming students try to memorize by rereading notes or highlighting pages. It feels productive, but it’s one of the weakest ways to learn. What actually builds memory is active recall. Active recall means trying to remember information before you look at the answer. When you do this, your brain is forced to reconstruct what it knows - and that effort is what strengthens memory. Good ways to use active recall: - Test yourself without notes (The Blurting Technique) - Use flashcards (question → answer) - Explain a concept out loud from memory (The Feynman Technique) Here’s the part students misunderstand: If recalling feels hard, that’s a good sign. Difficulty during recall means your brain is working, and that work leads to stronger long-term retention. Easy review feels comfortable, but it fades quickly.

In exams and during revision, many students either force a question for too long or give up too quickly. Both mistakes come from not understanding how the brain actually solves problems. Your brain switches between two learning modes. Using them in the right order matters. 1) Focused Mode (Struggle here first) This is when you concentrate deeply. - Step-by-step thinking - Applying formulas and methods - Actively trying to solve the problem You need to spend real time here. If you skip this struggle, your brain has nothing solid to work with later. 2) Diffused Mode (Only after) This kicks in when you stop focusing: - Your mind relaxes - Your brain connects ideas in new ways That’s why this works: Work on a question seriously first. If you’re stuck, move on. When you return, the solution often becomes clearer. The rule: Struggle → step away → return. No struggle first = no insight later.

One of the biggest study traps is defaulting to what feels comfortable. You sit down with good intentions, but you end up doing the same type of question again and again because it’s familiar, easy to start, and gives quick wins. You do 10 similar problems in a row. You get faster. You feel productive. But after the first few, you’re not really thinking anymore. You’re just following a pattern you already recognize. A better approach is to mix things up. Let’s say you’re studying Chapter 5 and it has Exercise A, B, and C. Instead of finishing all of 5A, then all of 5B, then all of 5C, get the hang of all three then do this: - Solve 2–3 questions from 5A - Switch to 2–3 questions from 5B - Then 2–3 questions from 5C - Loop back to 5A → 5B → 5C Repeat the loop until the chapter is covered. This also mimics real exams. In an exam, questions aren’t grouped by exercise or topic. One question might feel like 5A, the next like 5C, then back to something like 5B. You’re constantly switching your thinking before you even start solving. Interleaved practice trains that exact skill. Short, mixed sessions usually work better than long sessions locked onto one exercise. Once you understand a concept, move on and come back to it later multiple times. That return is where the learning actually sticks. It’ll feel harder. It’ll feel slower. That’s usually a sign you’re studying in a way that actually prepares you for exams.