How to Lock in for School (With Expert Tips)

School counselor Ashley Pritchard, MA, shares her concentration hacks for students who struggle to focus

Co-authored by Ashley Pritchard, MA and Elaine Heredia, BA

Last Updated: February 4, 2026 Fact Checked

Ready to crush it in school or college, but worried about staying concentrated? Never fear! We're here to help you lock in for school, reduce distractions, and achieve your academic goals. Keep reading for 12 expert-backed tips for learning, studying, and working on assignments with complete focus from education professionals and a clinical therapist.

How do you lock in for school?

School counselor Ashley Pritchard, MA, says to improve your focus by getting a good night's sleep, eating a good breakfast, and sitting at the front of the class. Other ways to lock in include:

Tracking your assignments with a calendar.
Minimizing technological distractions (e.g., addictive apps and websites).
Finding something at school that excites you.
Setting small, timed goals for completing homework.
Taking short breaks.
Rewarding yourself for finishing assignments.

1

Track assignments with a calendar.

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Prioritize assignments that are due the soonest. Write down all the things you need to do on the dates they're due. Then, work on the assignments that are due first or that will take the most time. For example, if you have a 1000-word essay due by the end of the current week, and an exam you need to study for scheduled in two weeks, work on the essay first.
- Pro tip: Teen life coach Jennifer Brown also recommends organizing your calendar with color-coding. Highlight all the assignments on your calendar in different colors according to "things that haven't been done" and things you've already completed. This gives you a system to prepare for the workload ahead.^{[1]
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  Expert Source
  
  Jennifer Brown
  Teen Life Coach
  
  Expert Interview}
  - For example, use a red highlighter for things you haven't started, a green highlighter for projects that are in progress, and a blue highlighter for projects you've submitted.
Meet the wikiHow Experts

Ashley Pritchard, MA, is a school counselor with over 3 years of high school, college, and career counseling experience. She has an MA in School Counseling with a specialization in Mental Health.

Jennifer Brown is a teen life coach with over 16 years of experience in education. She's passionate about guiding teens and young adults.

Rebecca Tenzer, MAT, MA, LCSW, CCTP, CGCS, CCATP, CCFP, is a clinical therapist and adjunct professor with over 18 years of experience. She specializes in treating depression, anxiety, panic, and more.

Ronitte Lbedinsky, MS, is an academic tutor who specializes in tutoring science and mathematics. She has over 12 years of experience in her field.

Alexander Ruiz, M.Ed., is an educational consultant and the educational director of Link Educational Institute, a tutoring business that provides educational plans, test prep tutoring, and college application consulting.

2

Minimize technological distractions.

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Put your phone away and stay off social media. Clinical therapist and adjunct professor Rebecca Tenzer, MAT, MA, LCSW, CCTP, CGCS, CCATP, CCFP, suggests downloading an app or browser extension (like Cold Turkey) that blocks distracting websites for the time you set.^{[2]
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Expert Source

Rebecca Tenzer, MAT, MA, LCSW, CCTP, CGCS, CCATP, CCFP
Clinical Therapist & Adjunct Professor

Expert Interview} That way, you can still use your computer for schoolwork, but you can't use it to doom-scroll Reddit or YouTube. Similarly, smartphone apps (like Offtime) can block access to other apps that might be distracting you. For example, you can set it up to lock you out of TikTok for 1 hour.
- You can also silence your phone notifications, give your phone to a parent or trusted friend for safekeeping, wear noise-canceling headphones, and study in locations with no TVs.

3

Find something at school that excites you.

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Academic tutor Ronitte Libedinsky, MS, suggests finding at least one thing about school that excites you. "It doesn't have to be a whole subject, such as math," she says.^{[3]
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Expert Source

Ronitte Libedinsky, MS
Academic Tutor

Expert Interview} It could be something small, like a discussion or a presentation you're looking forward to. Whatever it is, it should be something that makes you say, "Yes, I think this would be interesting, and I'd like to go learn more about that."^{[4]
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Expert Source

Ronitte Libedinsky, MS
Academic Tutor

Expert Interview}

4

Sit at the front of the classroom.

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Sometimes, the biggest obstacle to locking in while you're at school is your classmates. To get past it, Pritchard suggests sitting at the front of the classroom.^{[5]
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Expert Source

Ashley Pritchard, MA
School Counselor

Expert Interview} This gets you closer to your professor, so it's easier for you to give them your full attention.

5

Set small, timed goals for homework.

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Pritchard recommends setting small goals to make your homework more manageable. As an example, she says, "I'm going to study for 20 minutes, and after 20 minutes, I will go get something to eat... And then I'll come back for another 20 minutes [of studying]."^{[6]
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Expert Source

Ashley Pritchard, MA
School Counselor

Expert Interview}

6

Take short breaks.

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"Overloading yourself can lead to burnout," says Tenzer. "Short breaks can rejuvenate your mind."^{[7]
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Expert Source

Rebecca Tenzer, MAT, MA, LCSW, CCTP, CGCS, CCATP, CCFP
Clinical Therapist & Adjunct Professor

Expert Interview} Set a reminder on your phone every 20 minutes to get up from your schoolwork, stretch your legs, grab a snack, or even catch a quick cat nap.

7

Reward yourself for completing assignments.

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Educational consultant Alexander Ruiz, M.Ed., says, "If you [reward yourself]… at the end of all your work, it will act as a behavioral mechanism to stay motivated."^{[8]
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Expert Source

Alexander Ruiz, M.Ed.
Educational Consultant

Expert Interview} Eat your favorite treat, play a video game, or buy something fun and relatively inexpensive (like a Labubu keychain, a 100-piece LEGO set, or a book that's been on your TBR forever).

8

Focus better with a study playlist.

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"Some people like to have music in the background [to help them focus], or just some light noise," says Libedinsky.^{[9]
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Expert Source

Ronitte Libedinsky, MS
Academic Tutor

Expert Interview} You might, for example, focus better while listening to the latest pop hits or the sweet, smooth sounds of coffee shop jazz. Alternatively, you might find it easier to concentrate with white noise like ocean waves or rain sounds. Whatever works for you, build a playlist of it on your preferred music streaming platform (e.g., YouTube, Tidal, or Apple Music). Then play it when it's time to study or work on your next assignment.

9

Study with friends to stay accountable.

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"I find when students have a good friend they can study with, this can also help [them] stay motivated," says Ruiz.^{[10]
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Expert Source

Alexander Ruiz, M.Ed.
Educational Consultant

Expert Interview} Bounce ideas off each other, compare notes, and set a goal to achieve by the end of your study sesh. If you get off topic once in a while, that's okay! Just time yourselves and allow for breaks for yapping.

10

Get 7-9 hours of sleep.

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It's hard to lock in when you're falling asleep in class after pulling an all-night cram session. Teenagers need at least 9-9 ½ hours of quality sleep to feel rested.^{[11]
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Trustworthy Source

Johns Hopkins Medicine
Official resource database of the world-leading Johns Hopkins Hospital

Go to source} Adults can get by on 7 hours a night, but 8 or 9 hours is more ideal.^{[12]
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Trustworthy Source

Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals

Go to source} Prioritize getting to bed earlier and try to work more naps into your schedule, too.

11

Eat healthy and drink water.

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Eat at least 3 meals a day, with snacks in between. Choose healthy snacks like meat and cheese sticks, nuts, and fresh fruits. Teens should drink 7-8 cups of water a day, whereas adults should aim for 8-10 cups.

12

Get support from a parent or a professional.

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School counselor Evanne Torrecillas says if you're still getting distracted, no matter how hard you try to focus, "talk to an adult about it."^{[13]
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Expert Source

Evanne Torrecillas
School Counselor

Expert Interview} Your parent, guardian, or school counselor can help you find the root cause of your inability to concentrate. You might, for example, not be getting enough sleep. You could also have anxiety, ADHD, or another condition that makes locking in a challenge. In any of those cases, an adult or a mental health professional may be able to suggest lifestyle adjustments, therapy, or even medication.