I find school, for the most part, easy. However, the one thing that I, and many others, struggle with is staying focused when studying.

For me, it’s all the distractions. There are iPods, TV, games consoles, magazines, and even siblings can be a distraction! But, the main distraction is myself. I find it very hard to block out everything else and focus on studying.

I don’t know why, but having to focus leaves me no choice but to find myself a distraction!

I have tried many different approaches, techniques, and tips to help me sit and concentrate. The few that work for me are:

• Find a quiet workspace away form other distractions and make it into your study space.
• Pace. I create a plan to study for 20 minutes, and then take a 5-minute break.
• Simplify notes to few words. Then, on the test, it’s easy to expand on concepts.
• Don’t keep re-reading the same notes. If they don’t make sense, I find other sources on the same topic to study from.

I have followed these since I was in grade 8 and it has always been easy for me to study ever since! Do you find it hard not to become distracted?

Why is it so hard to concentrate?

About me: Hi! My name is Dylan and I am 15 years old. I have recently been asked to write a few guest posts on the topic Teens: Why Do We Do What We Do?
About me: I go to South Secondary School in London, ON and I have two younger siblings. I have always been a movie guy. In the summer I love to bike with my friends down to the Thames River and ride along the trails. The sights and the entire ride are always beautiful. I also like to bake and listen to old music. I hope that you enjoy my posts! Remember to leave feedback! ~Dylan.

The average teen can be rebellious, sullen, moody and mouthy. If you have a teenage child, then at one point or another they are going to talk back.

Rather than being resigned to a life of rudeness, parents should arm themselves with some strategies for open and respectful communication.

Anthony E. Wolf author of Get Out Of My Life, But First Could You Drive Me and Cheryl To The Mall?: A Parent’s Guide to the New Teenager, offers these tips:

• Disengage, don’t lecture. When the backtalk is just rude, or hurtful, simply disengage from your teen and do not respond. When you ignore harsh backtalk, kids will learn to tone it down and be more respectful if they want any sort of response from you.
• Water off a duck’s back. Don’t let your teen’s tone rattle you. Simply repeat your request in a calmer tone to teach your teen to respond in a more respectful manner.
• Show that you are flexible. Listen to your teen’s point of view, and on occasion change your mind about the ground rules.
• Put it in context: Differentiate between backtalk at home and backtalk in society. Remember that teenagers are developing their identities. When they back talk at home it’s about testing the boundaries of self-expression. If they back talk to teachers, your friends, or to other parents then it’s rude.

It may seem that your teen is out of hand talking back and asserting their needs, but your teen is actually just developing the skills they need to be assertive and stand up for what they believe in later on. Your job is to make sure that they can accomplish this and still be respectful to others, and to you.

Read more Teens talking back? Just ignore them