Attention can be defined as a conscious effort to clearly perceive the stimuli we receive from outside.

Attention can be shown in two ways:·

• Spontaneous attention: originating when we are surprised by a certain fact.
• Voluntary attention: this requires serious discipline to study, since it is a conscious act that we must, therefore, provoke ourselves.

Voluntary attention is what we must work on to improve our capacity to study.

In order to completely concentrate our attention on studying, one of the first things we may do is eliminate distractions and make the most of things that help us to concentrate more easily.

Some causes for distraction are:

• Inappropriate place to study.
• Other attractions (television, friends, excursions,...).
• Absence of objectives.
• Monotony of the activity.
• Lack of rest.
• Bad distribution of study time.
• Insufficient diet (unbalanced, unnatural, or badly distributed, such as, for example, leaving home after eating little or no breakfast).
• Negative thoughts (I can't, I'm not able,..)
• Conflict with other activities.
• Family, social, economic problems,...

And some factors enhancing attention are:

• Planning the work to be done meticulously.
• Hierarchizing work: first the easiest, then the most difficult and the lastly the intermediate (some people also say difficult, intermediate and easy).
• Keeping anything that disturbs out of sight and earshot.
• Preparing the necessary material and keeping it in order.
• Breaking up tasks with short rests.
• Walking to encourage learning by heart.
• If one activity is tiring, change to another, never for less than 30 minutes.