Make starting easy
Small obstacles add up. If you have to find your notes, charge your laptop, and hunt for a pen, you may give up before you begin. This slowing-down is called friction, and you can design it out.
Get your materials ready ahead of time. Leave the book open to the right page. Keep a pen and paper in the same spot. If you study on a computer, close extra tabs and leave the course page open. The goal is that you could sit down and be working within a minute.
Make distraction hard
You can use friction the other way, too. Make distractions slower to reach.
Your phone is the big one. Even on silent, a phone within arm's reach is easy to pick up, and part of your mind keeps waiting for it. Put it in another room or in a bag across the room. Turn off alerts on your computer while you study. If other people share your space, a simple signal like headphones can tell them you are busy.
Give yourself a cue
A cue is a small signal that tells your brain it is study time. It might be making a cup of tea, putting on the same quiet music, or clearing one corner of the table. Over time the routine itself helps you settle in faster. Pick something easy that you can repeat almost anywhere.
Mix up where you study
It seems like you should always study in the same perfect spot. But memory can link what you learned to the place where you learned it. If you only ever review in one room, recall may come a little easier there than anywhere else.
Studying in a few different places, such as a library, a kitchen table, or a park bench, may help you recall the material in new settings, like an exam room. The evidence for this is mixed and the effect is small, so treat it as a possible bonus, not a rule.
Good enough beats perfect
You do not need a special room, a new desk, or the right gadgets. Trying to build the ideal setup can become its own way of putting things off. Clear a space, move your phone, and begin.
Try it
Before your next study session, spend three minutes getting ready. Put your materials out and open, move your phone to another room, and choose one small cue you will use each time you start.