Helping Students Build Focus and Attention Through Small Daily Habits
As October begins, many students are feeling the weight of busy schedules, mounting assignments, and creeping digital distractions. This is an ideal time to pause and reset, making room for the things that matter to us.
Habit Stacking
Charles Duhigg’s research in The Power of Habit explains that habits form in a loop: trigger → routine → reward. The brain uses this loop to conserve energy, making repeated behaviors automatic. To move toward successful habit formation, Duhigg suggests habit stacking: linking a new, meaningful behavior to an existing routine.
Instead of overhauling their day, students can link one purposeful action to something they already do. For example, they might turn their daily walk to and from school into a tech-free break.
David Nevins builds on this idea by reminding us that meaningful change doesn’t come from grand resolutions, but from 1% daily improvements. We often put too much weight on breakthrough moments and forget how powerful consistent micro-shifts can be. In the digital space, small swaps—like trading a scroll session for two minutes of stretching or listening to music—can help students move from distraction to presence, and from passive consumption to purposeful engagement.
Try This:
Begin or end with movement. Start or close class with two minutes of stretching or a quick energizing game. This helps students reset both body and mind.
Build in transitions. Before moving to a new activity, offer a short brain break.
“Stand if” game: Call out light prompts—“Stand if you had breakfast today” or “Stand if you like pineapple on pizza.” Adds humour, movement, and connection.
Snap count challenge: As a group, try to count to 20 with each student only allowed to say one number. If two people speak at once, restart. This is a quick, silly, and attention-grabbing break.
Why This Matters for Educators
When teachers model small, intentional pauses, students see that focus isn’t about discipline alone. It’s about practising attention in everyday moments. A two-minute stretch or a transition break can help students build habits that strengthen presence in and out of the classroom.
How JOMO Helps Schools Create a Culture of Presence
These small daily habits aren’t just classroom strategies—they’re building blocks of digital well-being. Inside the JOMO(campus) curriculum, practices like habit stacking, purposeful pauses, and playful transitions are woven directly into lessons that help students shift from distraction to presence. By making these micro-shifts a part of everyday school life, students learn how to manage technology in ways that foster focus, creativity, and connection.
It’s not too late to bring JOMO to your school this academic year. With ready-to-use resources and built-in educator support, you can start cultivating healthier digital habits for your students right away.
Book a call today to get started with JOMO.
