How should I design my "study" to best facilitate concentration and learning?

Question

I want to turn a spare bedroom into a room for studying in while I am in college. What are some good colors, decor, room layout etc. tips to help make this room study-friendly?

Answer 1

I think there are things you can do to make it study friendly, like having enough drawers and things so you can find what you are looking for, but the most important thing is to make it a comfy room that you'd want to be in anyway. You'll want a desk, but also a coffee table and comfy chair. You'll want lots of sun, but not so it's going to shine on your computer screen or right into your face when you're in your favourite chair. It doesn't really matter where you do your studying, but having a room allocated to study stuff would be handy. You want enough drawers so that you don't have to dig through one or two to actually find the scissors or a pen that works. You want enough book shelves to keep your books on. You also want your shelves and drawers to be accessible. You'll end up dumping your stuff on the floor if you have to lean/ climb over stuff to put things away.

Answer 2

Try red as one color to stimulate creativity in thinking.  Also, when you set up your study area, do it in such a way that you have the following:

a) good lighting - light that is too dim or too bright will affect your ability to concentrate.  You will want a light that positions over your desk to give good illumination.

b) a desk that is not to high or too low - if you can have one fabricated, look into getting the right measurements for you.  desk height is often neglected, but has a tremendous impact on our posture, which can hurt when we burn the midnight oil cramming for exams or doing projects.

c) a nice, comfortable chair - you will have to sit long hours so invest in a good chair that you can sit in for...well, long hours

d) a shelving system that helps your organize properly - i can't tell you how much time I wasted in college when I went looking for something I needed, and ended up getting distracted by other things in my search - you will lose a lot of hours looking for things if you don't have a system to organize your stuff - and once your train of thought is broken, it takes time to get back into the groove, so have everything there to minimize distractions.  Check out the 5S principle - it's used by many manufacturing firms, but you may be able to get something out of it.

e) a corkboard or whiteboard to keep track of your deadlines and schedules - sure you could have this in the computer, but nothing beats a nice whiteboard to give you a visual cue of your deadlines and requirements.

f) a computer that is separate from your study table - you should have space to work and write and read, without the clutter and distraction of a computer in front of you.

g) create a section of the room specifically for you to unwind and relax.  Don't study in this section - this should be an area where you can go to take a break and relax, or simply do something else like read a book to get your thoughts flowing again when you're stuck.

Answer 3

you should try feng shui, I swear it works! look up a "kua calculator" on google. if you do not want to, atleast keep the room clutter free. that is good feng shui and good psychologically.

Answer 4

It depends on you and your needs. Some people need music, some light, some dark, some noise, some complete quiet. So you need all the basics as far as a comfortable place to sit and all the right supplies, but are you more comfortable at a desk with a nice bright light or in a comfy chair with a lap desk? Or perhaps do you like to move from one to the other depending upon the assignment? As for colors, that is going to depend on your preferences as well. Will bright colors make you feel jumpy or will they stimulate you to work harder? Do you like everything coordinated or do you prefer a more eclectic look?

As for making things easy to find, a filing cabinet with well-labeled files puts papers right at your finger tips so you're not rifling through piles of papers trying to find some crucial article or research paper that's due. An electric pencil sharpener is worth it's weight in gold so you're not always messing around with those cheap little things. A really good stapler is worth the money, too. Make sure you keep regularly used supplies where you can grab them easily so you don't have to fight to get things. If you put printer paper in a hard to reach spot, for instance, then you procrastinate about printing things out when you run out and then end up turning them in late.

Good luck in your work!