I'm Having Issues With Attention, Concentration or Motivation in Class

These three things are closely linked - if it's something you really enjoy doing then finding the motivation to continue is usually easy. And, the more you enjoy something, the easier it is to stay on task. Just think for a minute about the differences between a class you really enjoyed and one that was so-so. So, what can you do about those less stimulating classes?

I'm having trouble paying attention and concentrating in class and when I study

Think about attention and concentration as a two-step process: in order to concentrate on something, you must first pay attention to it. Paying attention is the simple act of directing your focus to something - if there's suddenly a loud noise behind you, you're going to turn around and look! But unless the noise caused something to burst into fire, you're not going to concentrate on that loud noise - it will become just another loud noise among many.

Thus, the first step is to purposefully direct your attention, whether it's to the professor at the front of the class or the textbook in front of you. That means you have to direct your attention away from other things, such as your computer or your cell phone. Because of the nature of attention, you may have to do this many times during the course of a class or study session. Don't worry - that's natural for everybody!

You then have to decide to stay with whatever you've directed your attention towards. We all have a limited capacity for concentration - think about it like a bank account. You have a certain amount of money which will only go so far. Concentration is the same way: you probably can't fully listen to a professor's lecture while visiting Facebook and checking your text messages. Remember, though, that concentration is a skill, which means it can be learned, but concentration capacity is different for everybody.

One way to promote success in focusing attention and maintaining concentration is to minimize distractions.

Analyze your study environment for external distractions.

If other people, noise, or objects in the environment draw your attention, work to eliminate them. If you have trouble in class because of shuffling papers or other people's computers, for example, sit at the front of the class to help eliminate the distractions. Studying at your desk in your room might be great - unless the desk also has pictures of family and friends, electronic alerts from your computer, etc. etc. If these things tend to distract you, do something about it - move the pictures, turn off the computer (and your cell phone!).

Analyze your study environment for internal distractions.

Are you hungry? Are there bills you're worried about paying? Is the apartment a mess? Take care of these things before studying. If it's something that's difficult to take care of easily and quickly, make a conscious decision to give yourself permission to wait until after your study session to think about it again. If the problem is really serious - financial or relationship difficulties, for example, write the problem down and resolve to develop a plan - after studying - that addresses the problem. If you're having trouble concentrating because you find the course content boring, try to find a way to make it interesting ("It will help me beat my brother at Jeopardy!") or fit your success in the course into your long-term goals (I've got to pass this class to graduate).

Find an optimal place to study.

This is different for everybody. You may be able to study in the middle of the Student Union or while listening to your iPod. But, you may need absolute quiet to study. This will also vary with the subject you're studying - music may be fine while working calculus problems, but not while reading for psychology. Your study area should have a comfortable (but not cozy!) chair and good lighting; it should not have anything that distracts YOU - a TV, a distracting view, a well-stocked refrigerator. Find what works best for you, and stick with it.

I think I'm having trouble paying attention because I'm just not motivated to do the work.

Motivation is a very complex topic. If you put 20 psychologists in a room, and ask each of them for their theory of motivation, you'll most likely get 20 different answers! One thing that all theories of motivation have in common, however, is an underlying belief system. Simply put, we all have different reasons for valuing something - our beliefs about why something is important. So, one way to approach motivation is to take a few minutes to consider why what you're doing - studying history, for example - is important to you. Start thinking about your academic motivation as the "wanting to" of learning. Why do you want to learn history? Why do you want to do well on the exam? It's a circular process, but answering these questions can help provide you with your motivations.

For more information, check out:

Motivation & Your Beliefs (PDF)

Find Your Motivation (PDF)

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for UT faculty and staff

for learning and career professionals

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