The 90% Mission: How to Get Your Focus Back!

• Tell Me
  What to Do!
• Sometimes, marks don't fall because we have become less intelligent - they fall because our study habits need a little fixing.
• If sitting at the study table for even ten minutes feels like sitting through a three-hour movie without popcorn, don't panic!
• Uncle Fix-It has a few simple tricks to help you train your brain, build your sitting stamina and march confidently towards that 90% target.

Dear Uncle Fix-It,
Until 5th grade, I was a top scorer and got an A+ in every subject. Then, in 6th grade, my grade dropped to an A. In 7th grade, I scored exactly 79.87%, which was a B+.
Now I am in 8th grade, and I have set myself a big goal: I want to cross 90% and get my A+ back!
But there is one big problem.
Whenever I sit at my study table, open my books and look at my subjects, my brain seems to say, "Hmm… how about we think about EVERYTHING else instead?"
I cannot concentrate for more than five or ten minutes. I feel restless, my mind wanders and I find myself getting distracted very easily. The funny thing is that I actually want to study. I want to study a lot and improve my marks. But when I try to sit and study, my focus simply disappears!
How can I increase my sitting stamina and concentration? How can I train my brain to focus properly so that I can study effectively?
I really want to cross that 90% line this year and bring my A+ back.
Please fix it!

• Kreeya Choradiya (Gandhinagar)

Dear Kreeya,
First of all, let me tell you something important: your brain has not gone on strike! ??
And your 79.87% does not mean that you have suddenly become less intelligent. In fact, the fact that you have noticed the problem, set yourself a 90% goal and are asking how to improve is already a very good sign.
But there is one little mistake you may be making.
You are trying to force concentration instead of training concentration.
Think about it this way. If you have never run before, you cannot suddenly put on your shoes and run 10 kilometres. Your legs will protest: "Excuse me?! Since when did we agree to this?"
Your brain is similar.
If you are currently able to concentrate for only 5-10 minutes, don't demand 60 minutes from yourself on Day 1. Build your focus muscle gradually.

1. Start with the "
   10-minute challenge"
   For the next few days, forget about studying for two hours.
   Set a timer for 10 minutes.
   Pick ONE small task: learn five new words, solve five maths problems, read two pages of science or write one answer.
   During those ten minutes, make a deal with your brain:
   "Nothing else. Just this."
   No phone. No WhatsApp. No getting up to sharpen a pencil that is already perfectly sharp. No suddenly remembering that you absolutely MUST rearrange your bookshelf. ??
   When the ten minutes are over, take a 3-5 minute break.
   Then try another 10-minute session.
   After a few days, increase it to 15 minutes. Then 20. Then 25.
   Congratulations! You are now secretly doing brain-gym.
2. Don't study with a giant mountain in front of you
   "Today I have to study Science" sounds enormous.
   Your brain looks at the mountain and says, "Let's go drink water first."
   Instead, make the task tiny.
   Don't say:
   "I have to finish Science."
   Say:
   "I will learn the first two pages of this chapter."
   Don't say:
   "I have to study Maths."
   Say:
   "I will solve these five sums."
   Small targets are much easier to start - and starting is half the battle.
3. Keep your phone far, far away
   Your phone is not evil. But it is a professional distraction machine.
   If your phone is beside your notebook, your brain knows that entertainment is just one tiny tap away.
   So, while studying, keep it outside the room or with your parents, especially during your focused study sessions.
   Your brain may complain for a while.
   Let it complain.
   It will eventually realise that there is no escape route and return to the textbook. ??
4. Use the "25 + 5" rule
   Once your concentration improves, try this:
   25 minutes study + 5 minutes break.
   During those 25 minutes, concentrate only on your chosen task.
   During the five-minute break, get up, stretch, drink water, walk around or simply relax.
   Then begin another 25-minute session.
   You don't have to sit like a statue for three hours to become a topper.
   Smart study beats long, distracted study.
5. Make studying active
   Reading the same paragraph five times while your eyes are moving but your brain is on holiday doesn't help much.
   Instead, ask yourself questions.
   After reading a topic, close the book and ask:
   "What did I just learn?"
   Explain it aloud as if you are teaching it to a younger child.
   Write down key points.
   Draw diagrams.
   Make little quizzes for yourself.
   The more actively your brain works, the less likely it is to wander away.
6. Don't chase marks every minute
   Here's another secret.
   If you sit down thinking, "I MUST GET 90%! I MUST GET 90%! I MUST GET 90%!", you may actually make studying more stressful.
   Your job is not to magically produce 90% today.
   Your job is to make today's study session better than yesterday's.
   If you studied for 10 focused minutes yesterday and 15 today, that's progress.
   If you understood one difficult chapter today, that's progress.
   If you solved five more sums correctly, that's progress.
   Marks are the result. Your daily habits are the engine.
   And one final thing, Kreeya…
   Please don't label yourself as "someone who cannot concentrate."
   Instead, tell yourself:
   "I am learning to concentrate."
   That tiny change matters.
   And if you continue finding it extremely difficult to concentrate even after trying these habits - or if you feel restless and distracted in many parts of your daily life, not just while studying - talk to your parents and a teacher. They can help you figure out whether something else is making concentration difficult.
   So, Kreeya, here's your mission:
   10 minutes ? 15 minutes ? 20 minutes ? 25 minutes.
   One focused session at a time. Don't worry about chasing the A+.
   Chase good study habits.
   The A+ may just come running behind you!
   And when you finally cross that 90% line, remember to give yourself a giant high-five.
   Mission A+ is officially ON!

• Love, Uncle Fix-It