IAS Labs by Aptness.ai

A 2-Minute Focus Warm-Up Before You Study

By IAS Labs by Aptness.ai · 3 min read ·

Athletes warm up before a race. Why do we jump straight into a 3-hour study block? Two minutes is all it takes to switch your brain on.

Focus Improvement: keep your eyes on the dot, text flashes in the box, pick what you saw.
Focus Improvement in three steps.
Focus Improvement: the letters PXM flash in the box under the dot, shown for 0.54 seconds.
The letters flash for about half a second…
The four options after that flash, with PXM, the letters that flashed, marked in green and the message "Correct! Next level."
…then you pick what you saw. Get it right and it turns green, and the next level adds letters.

What it trains, honestly

It trains you to hold your focus on one point and take in a short row at once. It won’t make you read twice as fast. Use it to settle in, not as your reading practice.

How to use it

  1. Play two or three rounds before you open your books.
  2. Watch your best length. A drop on some days means you're tired, so take it easy.
  3. Then move to real reading: the Newspaper Reading Trainer or the day's editorial.

Why the first half hour gets wasted

  • Starting coldYour mind is still on whatever you were doing before.
  • The phoneEven face down on the desk, it keeps pulling your attention.
  • No clear goal"Study polity" is too vague to start. "Finish Fundamental Rights" isn't.

A 5-minute start routine

  1. Put your phone in another room, or at least out of reach.
  2. Write one goal for this session on a sticky note.
  3. Play two minutes of Focus Improvement.
  4. Start with the easiest part of your goal, to get moving.

Mistakes to avoid

Don'tTurn the warm-up into a 30-minute game session, or play to avoid studying.
DoTwo or three rounds, then straight into your books.

Quick questions

Will it make me read faster?
No, and we won't pretend it does. It helps you settle in. Practice and vocabulary are what make reading faster.
What does a falling score mean?
Usually that you're tired. Take a break, or keep the session short and light.
When is the best time to play?
Right before a long study block, or after a break to get back into it.