How to actually lock in at uni 

We’re a month into the semester, lectures and piling up and seminars feel real. We’ve all had those days at uni when you sit down to study, open your laptop, and somehow end up scrolling on your phone for an hour. You tell yourself you’ll start in five minutes, but suddenly the whole afternoon has gone. Sound familiar?

The truth is, locking in at uni isn’t about studying for five hours straight or having the perfect routine. It’s about making the time you spend studying actually count. Whether you’re catching up on missed lectures, preparing for exams or just trying to stay on top of your workload, here are some tips to help you concentrate, stay organised and get things done.

Your environment matters

You’re the only person who knows exactly how you study best. Your environment can make a huge difference to how much you get done. Trying to concentrate in a place that doesn’t suit your study needs can make even the simplest task feel impossible. There’s plenty of places across your uni city to lock in: Library, cafes, private seminar rooms, campus quiet spots and more unique places that aren’t your bedroom. And if all of these options fail, your own bedroom is your own source of comfort. Work wherever you feel most comfortable. 

If you know you work better in silence, find a quiet spot in the library, book a silent study room or find a space on campus where you can focus without interruptions. Put your phone on Do Not Disturb, turn off unnecessary notifications and keep only the tabs you need open. Other people prefer to have background noise, such as music, film or tv shows. This can make studying less eerie and also enjoyable if your brain is focussed on your uni work and something you enjoy watching or listening to. 

Plan exactly what you’re going to study

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is sitting down to study without knowing what you actually need to do. Writing ‘revise lectures’ or ‘work on essay’ on your to-do list is too vague, which makes it easier to procrastinate or not know where to start.

Instead, break everything down into specific, manageable tasks. Decide to review one lecture at a time, summarise a particular topic or complete ten practice questions. Add these small tasks to a bullet point lost you can tick off to track your progress and work through them in an organised manner. Having a clear plan means you spend less time deciding what to do and more time actually doing it. It also gives you a sense of progress as you tick each task off.

Do the things you’ve missed first

If you’ve missed lectures, fallen behind on readings or left seminar tasks unfinished, start there. It can be tempting to focus on whatever feels easiest or most interesting, but ignoring unfinished work often makes the workload pile up even more.

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Getting back on track can feel overwhelming at first, but even completing one missed lecture is progress. The sooner you deal with the backlog, the easier it becomes to focus on your current work without constantly worrying about everything you haven’t done.

Stop multitasking

It might feel productive to have your lecture playing while replying to messages, checking emails and scrolling through social media, but constantly switching between tasks makes it harder to give anything your full attention.

You don’t need to eliminate every distraction from your life. You just need to stop letting every distraction interrupt your study session and promise yourself to lock in. Try studying for 25-50 minutes, followed by a five-to-ten-minute break. During your break, get up, stretch, grab some water or take a short walk for a deserved mental break. 

Don’t study for the sake of it

Spending an hour scrolling through lectures on the VLE or flipping through flashcards like you did at A-level, doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve learnt the material. Instead, make your study sessions more active. Close your notes and try explaining a concept from memory. A good technique is to try and explain a topic to your friend (ideally who has no context of the content) so you can learn while acting like a teacher. 

If you are truly not motivated, don’t force yourself too much. Rest days are also important. Everyone needs time to reconnect and reflect during the busy weekly study schedule. Have time to yourself: have a self care night, chat with friends, call family, watch a film, basically just anything unrelated to your degree. Then when you come back to studying you’re reset, rejuvenated and ready for your next lock-in.