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Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review (SQ3R) is a reading comprehension and retention method, often used for effective studying. This research-based method has been used widely due to its numerous benefits.

• Survey: quickly read a chapter to understand initial concepts from the headings, sub-headings, pictures, captions, bold text, charts, summaries and any other cues.


• Question: generate interesting questions about the content after finishing the survey part.


• Read: look for answers to the questions formulated during the preview of the text --make informed guesses.


• Recite: rehearse aloud answers to the questions and make notes for later use.


• Review: return and recall the answers, maybe in an hour, a day, or a week.

Some additional points to keep in mind-

• Get good deep sleep for at least 6-7 hours everyday.


• Exercise in the morning.


• Have some background stimuli (music?) to prevent larger distractions. Generally a quiet room is the best option.


• Use a timer to measure your focus and keep track of your progress.


• Practice bringing back focus (say FOCUS!)


• Take breaks. Keep gaps of 5-6 mins after every two hours or so. Gradually lengthen the training sessions.


• Write down other distracting thoughts as and when they arise


• Drink enough water. Even mild, unnoticeable dehydration can lead to inattention.


• Consume balanced meals/snacks.


• Learn to keep anxiety, anger, and distracting emotions away by deep breathing and meditation.

Focusing your attention on someting for long period of times is a skill that needs to be developed. A dedicated training campaign requires regular practice. Daily repetitions of these techniques can strengthen the mind, like exercises build muscles.

Practice hard! Practice daily!