If you are trying to power through assignments or prepare for a test, your bed is the worst place to start. While studying in your room—or worse, in your bed—may feel comfortable, it sends mixed signals to your brain and decreases your productivity.
This is because your brain forms mental connections between environments and activities. Since we typically sleep and unwind in our rooms, our minds tend to shift to relaxation when we are in those spaces.
Many who realize this trade their comfort zones for environments that promote concentration, like libraries and coffee shops. Chloe Kulik ’26 shares, “Better Buzz Coffee is my favorite place to study. It has this energetic feel that makes me want to get stuff done.”
There is science behind that feeling. According to The Stanford Daily, the environment you’re in has the power to change your mindset. Coffee shops are filled with people working, talking, and moving. This atmosphere keeps you awake and alert.
Additionally, public areas bring social accountability that has the effect of making you want to stay on task. The effort to look productive in public spaces often results in actually being more efficient.
“When I’m at a coffee shop, I feel more accountable,” Kulik explains. “Everyone around me is working, so I feel like I should be too.”
Academic Coaching teacher Mr. Faraimo agrees that the environment plays a key role in productivity. “The best place to study is different for everyone—it’s wherever a student feels they can work most efficiently,” he says.
“That might be a quiet library, a busy café, or a classroom. What’s most important is that each student takes the time to figure out what environment helps them focus and stay productive.”
This is not a one-size-fits-all situation—what works for one person might not work for another.
However, for everyone, being in a space that is physically separate from where you relax helps signal to your brain that it is time to focus.
Whether you find concentration in a quiet library or a lively coffee shop, the key is to be intentional about where you study. Once you find the environment that helps you focus the best, productivity will follow naturally.
