All students spend lots of time studying and just about every one of them would prefer their studying to be more efficient.

Following are some basic tips for managing your time better when you are studying:

Minimize distractions

You will need to get rid of anything that might be a distraction to you in the vicinity of where you are studying. You need to make sure there is nothing close by that will defocus you from your study work.

For starters, if you really love surfing the internet, turn it off while you study. If video games are your thing, you will need to discipline yourself to only play after you have completed your work, using it to reward yourself. Make sure to not put video games anywhere near your study area where they can tempt you.

Trying to watch television while you are studying is a really bad idea and will render your study efforts particularly ineffective. You must minimize all distractions while studying and TV is a huge one even it is just on in the background.

Your study environment

• Be sure that people know to not interrupt you while you are studying. If need be, put a "Do Not Disturb" sign on your door.

• Turn off the internet and your phone while you are studying.

• You will definitely need to turn off the TV!

• Be sure that any music you have on while you study is actually helping you and is not just a distraction. Music can be ok, however, whether it helps you or hinders you is a personal issue and you are the only one that will know.

• Sitting in a chair with a straight back that isn't too relaxing will be much more effective for studying.

You do not want to use a chair that is too comfortable or one in which you start to lean back or hunch over.

• It is also essential to establish an area to study that has decent lighting and temperature. If it is too hot, you will find it more difficult to concentrate on your work, so it's better if the area temperature is a little cooler.

Time of day when to study

Studying consistently at the same time every day also helps. Most people find it more effective to study during the day rather than during the night, since they are able to concentrate better. However if you are a real night owl, then perhaps you will find your ability to concentrate on your studies at night is just fine.

Total 100% focus for at least 40 minutes at a time

One of the most crucial things to do in order to study effectively is to focus completely on your studying for at least 40 minutes at a time. Studying for 10 minutes at a time will just not work in order to succeed. Instead of short little bursts of studying, be sure to get in at least 40 or 50 minutes of total concentrated focus on your tasks.

While you are doing this, it is really important to not allow yourself to get distracted by anything! Just determine to focus intensely for the whole 40 or 50 minute period. When you are done, you can relax, play a video game or watch TV as a reward to yourself for your hard work.

You also should not study for too much long at once, since your brain will get fatigued and after an extended period of time, it needs a rest. 90 minutes is likely the maximum amount of time you should work before you take a 10 minute break and usually 60 minutes is enough.

Some other tips

• Travel time. You can make good use of the time you spend commuting to and from school every day. This can add up to a lot of time which you can use to do some extra reading or studying.

• What about the time you have between classes? Do you use this time for productive work or just waste it?

• Also, sitting closer to the front of your classes will tend to make it easier to concentrate on your work.

So these are some basic tips for studying effectively. Put these ideas to use when you study and soon you will notice a great improvement in how you manage your time and your overall study productivity.