Every Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination (CSE) candidate will know how important it is to stay focused on their studies without getting distracted. But that’s easier said than done.
However, Divya Mittal is an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer who persevered despite the odds.
She secured an All India Rank (AIR) of 68 in the 2012 UPSC CSE and currently serves as the District Magistrate of Mirzapur. Being an alumnus of IIM Bengaluru and IIT Delhi, she has proven her mettle in cracking some of the toughest exams in the country.
Recently, in a thread on Twitter, she shared some tips and tricks based on her experiences of cracking entrance exams like UPSC, IIT, IIM and others.
In her tweet, she admits that it was not easy for her to stay focused during her preparation, but she overcame it all by adopting some strategies of her own.
I have cleared some of the toughest entrance tests in the country like that for IIT, IIM, IAS. It’s not that I didn’t get distracted while studying, but I overcame those distractions.
Little tips on how to overcome distractions and get great focus
One Thread🧵 — Divya Mittal (@divyamittal_IAS) October 29, 2022
Here’s what she says in her thread, which has since gone viral, racking up over 29,000 likes and nearly 6,000 retweets.
- Reducing cell phone usage by measuring time: She points to mobile use as one of the main sources of distraction, adding that most of the time people don’t account for the huge amount of time wasted using various mobile apps. Therefore, to reduce cell phone use, she suggests keeping a weekly tab of phone usage and time spent on apps.
Reducing mobile phone usage
👉 Measure
Check your phone usage and the apps you spent time on each week. Many times you don’t even know how much time you are wasting on mobile apps. Android users can use free apps like — Divya Mittal (@divyamittal_IAS) October 29, 2022
- Reduce cell phone use by maintaining physical distance: Another option is to turn off the internet or put your phone away. She says, “The heavens won’t fall while you’re studying and if it’s something urgent, you’ll get the message.”
Steps to reduce use
👉 Physical distance
Keep your phone with the internet off and away from you while studying. You can also keep it locked with a parent/friend. The heavens won’t fall while you study, and if it’s something urgent, you’ll get the message.— Divya Mittal (@divyamittal_IAS) October 29, 2022
- A technological solution to reduce cell phone usage: Divya suggests using some apps like opacity to block the internet for at least six hours a day. “Force yourself to study at that time. It’s not a free app, but it’s very effective,” she adds.
👉 Technological solutions:
Use apps like Blackout to block the internet for at least 6 hours every day. Force yourself to study at that time. It is not a free app, but it is very effective. Once you get your phone out, you can’t go back period
— Divya Mittal (@divyamittal_IAS) October 29, 2022
- Early morning study: As a tip for waking up early in the morning, Divya suggests keeping the alarm on full volume but away from the bed to avoid going off and falling back asleep. “Early morning study is best these days, especially since there are fewer distractions,” she points out.
👉 Early morning study
Keep the alarm away from you, at high volume. Most likely, as soon as you get out of bed to turn off the alarm, you will decide to stop sleeping and study. Early morning study is best these days, especially since there are fewer distractions
— Divya Mittal (@divyamittal_IAS) October 29, 2022
- Tips to increase focus:
- Divya suggests short focused study sessions to maintain focus. After a 90-minute or two-hour study session, she advises taking a 15-minute break. She also notes, “You can’t maintain focus for longer than that in one step. Measure the session. Until the alarm goes off, do nothing but study.”
To increase focus
👉Keep short focused sessions
– Do 90-minute/2-hour intensively focused sessions
– Take a 15 minute break after each sessionYou cannot maintain focus for more than that in one move. Measure the session. Until the alarm goes off, do nothing but study
— Divya Mittal (@divyamittal_IAS) October 29, 2022
- The IAS officer advises practicing ‘Tratak meditation’ by fixing your eyes on an object like a candle flame, a pencil or even a dot on the wall, which can help increase focus.
Practice Tratak meditation
This is known to increase focus
Fix your eyes on an object. This can be the flame of a candle, a pencil, a place on the wall.— Divya Mittal (@divyamittal_IAS) October 29, 2022
- Listening to 40 Hz sound vibrations or binaural beats can help increase focus and decrease the amount of time it takes to enter a focused state. She adds that these are available on YouTube.
👉 Binaural beats
Listening to Binaural beats which are sound vibrations of 40 Hz helps
a) Increase focus
b) Reduces the time it takes to enter a focused stateThese can be obtained from youtube
— Divya Mittal (@divyamittal_IAS) October 29, 2022
- Exercising or spending time outside also helps increase focus. Divya says going outside for at least a 20-minute walk, getting close to nature by visiting a park or spending some time there would help. In addition, she emphasizes the importance of getting sunlight for 5-10 minutes every day.
👉 Exercise & Outdoors
– Preferably exercise outside, at least 20 minutes on foot
– Get close to nature – go to the park and walk/sit
– Get some sunlight even if for 5-10 minutes— Divya Mittal (@divyamittal_IAS) October 29, 2022
- When it comes to increasing focus, food also plays an essential role. Therefore, it is important to have a healthy and balanced diet. Divya also emphasizes cutting down on junk food while taking care of one’s diet.
👉 Nutrition
While studying, we forget to take care of nutrition. A balanced diet helps increase focus. It also reduces the need to eat snacks.- Divya Mittal (@divyamittal_IAS) October 29, 2022
Edited by Yoshita Rao
