If you’re like me, you’ll find it extremely difficult to study in the average home these days. There are too many distractions. People running around, cleaning, doing chores, watching TV; each distraction little by little takes you further away from the goal you are trying to achieve, STUDY!

Here are some tips to help create an effective study environment:

1) Study at a desk. Studying at a desk will help you stay focused on studying. Lying on a couch or your bed is a comfortable place and can help your mind wander.

2) DO NOT sit in a room with the television on. Watching TV while trying to study is probably the worst thing a person can do. Nine times out of 10 you’ll end up trying to study in the commercials, and the two to three minute periods between shows isn’t enough time to help anything settle.

3) Play soft, familiar music in the background. Music has been shown to help with information retention. Avoid listening to music with a lot of lyrical content or music you don’t really know, as it will end up distracting you.

4) Stay away from other people unless they are also studying. You should avoid others when trying to study. Hanging out with someone while studying or doing homework often leads to unnecessary conversations about unrelated topics. If you absolutely must, go to a quiet place like a library, they usually have a lot of desks and are pretty strict about noise and distractions.

By following these tips, you should be able to save yourself some time in the study department. I look at it this way, I’d rather spend an hour of solid, focused study time with no distractions, then spend 4 hours and get only mediocre study time.