Focus can be defined as the centre of attention, attraction, interest or activity. It is an act of concentrating interest or paying particular attention to something specific (Oxford Dictionary).
Academic success to me means achieving the targets one has set for himself/herself, against the set standards for whatever task one is engaged in. Success is achieved when the main purpose of doing something has been fulfilled. One important thing to remember is that there is no shortcut to success. Things have to be done in the best possible and appropriate manner and satisfy all the required conditions. When you keep working towards improving yourself, in the right manner and in the right way you can be truly successful.
Note, in the pursuit of success academically, there may be times when you’ll experience an overwhelming success, and also times when you’ll experience pitfalls and disappointments. But what makes you outstanding is your ability to continue pressing on, never relenting no matter the situation. Do not get too excited about what you just achieved, rather strive for greater heights and do not get so discouraged when you experience a pitfall, rather be encouraged and continue the race.
Desire, Choice and Focus are necessary ingredients to achieving academic success. You must want something before the wheels in your brain start turning, in order to get it. It is not enough to want something, you have to choose it, and you must make it your goal if you are to achieve anything tangible. Focus and academic success go together; a focused student is likely going to achieve academic success while a distracted student will end up with academic failure hence every student must know how to deal with distractions.
Although this is not a forum to discuss distractions, may I quickly draw your attention to a fundamental distraction that every human being (every student) must deal with early in life otherwise our dream of achieving good academic success will be a mirage. This distraction is sin. Note that everyone of us was born into this world as a distracted person-distracted from our Maker by sin and it is only right and necessary to seek to re-focus and reconcile with Him by making Jesus the centre of your life to be both your Lord and Saviour through genuine repentance from sin(s), (Romans 10:9,10). Wait a minute and take this step now if you have not done so before or if you have backslidden. This is the main focus you need to maintain if you must succeed in life; ”for what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul (Mark 8:36)?” The Lord wants you not only to succeed but to have good success, the type that is obtained in righteousness and the fear of the Lord where Jesus is the centre of that success as indicated in Joshua 1:8.
If there is good success then there should be bad success too, and bad success is the one obtained through cheating (exams malpractice-in the name of help). And for a student who scores As and Bs from JSS1-SSS3 and goes to read medicine, engineering, Law, Accounting, etc in the university, it looks like success but if Jesus is not the centre of his life (Lord and Savour) that success could be termed bad success because he will serve Satan and himself with that success.

Below are some of the keys or secrets to achieving academic success:

God First
The Scriptures teach “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. (Prov 16:3).The ‘God Factor’ is the ultimate and most essential element in our academic journey and as such we have to involve Him in everything we do.Keep Him very close and trust in Him and as a loving Father that He is, He will surely reward you. And just as we know also, the strength of God prevails in the weaknesses of man. This is why we need God a lot in our studies. In as much as we work hard we ought to also pray harder.

Accept Responsibility
Remember that you are responsible for your academic achievement, your success and your failure in life. Your parents and your teachers would only be a support for your quest for greatness. The dividends of your labours towards your academic pursuits are to be enjoyed by you first, so you are studying for your benefit and no one else hence you need to put on all efforts to succeed. You do not need to be cajoled to work hard by anybody; you are the driver of your own life towards your academic destination so be careful and diligent to arrive safely and successfully.

Staying Focused
A very close study of the great men we know would give us an understanding that every one of them had a focus and a target. Having a set goal is like having a map to a particular place. It gives a focus as to where you are heading to; if you have a map, you can’t get lost.Setting goals give you an edge to success and an idea to meet its ends. As far as possible, eliminate negative influences and distractions that may prevent you from reaching your goal. Know that studying without a goal ends up a waste of time.
Any student who wants to do exploits puts everything else aside. Having a boyfriend or a girlfriend would only break your focus. You automatically add to yourself an extra responsibility that will distract you from your academics. Emotional problems could arise between you and your partner which will lead to immorality and academic disaster. It is a sin for Christian students to have boyfriends or girlfriends, let me ask you, what is the purpose for it, is it not an opportunity to be committing fornication and immorality? So you don’t need it, break it if you are already in it, and don’t seek to enter into it if you have not entered.

Time Management
Manage your time well, so that you allow time for your personal responsibilities and time to study. Remember procrastination is a subtle thief that will steal your academic success. Learn to be smart in your dealings when it comes to time because it counts a lot. Understand how your body and mind work. Do you assimilate more during the day or at night? Discover the best time you read with maximum assimilation and stick to it. The use of study aids such as flash cards, tutorial videos, past questions, group discussion, etc have proved to be really effective in learning. Use the internet for research purposes instead of using it for negative and unwholesome things like watching pornography and unprofitable things.

Discipline Yourself
A successful course of study in school requires a lot of discipline. Setting a study time table is one thing and diligently following it is another. It all requires discipline to stay put and make a progressive success in all your tests and exams. It only takes discipline likewise to delete some irrelevant activities such as partying which would only be a distraction and a big setback to your academic pursuit. There will always be people or challenges to discourage you, but do not yield to them, and never give them listening ears. You are capable of anything and everything as long as you put your mind to it and concentrate.

Punctuality (be present and prompt in all classes)
You are required to attend classes from the first day that classes begin for the term. Good attendance will give you first-hand knowledge of your teachers’ comments and responses to questions. Good attendance really pays a lot. If you cannot come to class because you are ill, notify your teachers. Try to make arrangements to make up your missed assignments and notes. I hope you know that by law you are expected to have up to 75% attendance to qualify you to write any examination, and if you have less you stand the chance of missing exams and being repeated. Take your continuous assessments and assignments very seriously because they constitute 40% of your examinations.

Conclusion
In conclusion, it is the will of God for you to succeed and if you are genuinely born again, you have the divine seed in you that can make you succeed academically and on every aspect of life, so that you can serve Him with it and bring glory to His holy name. So, if you make Jesus your primary focus and diligently apply these keys or secrets in your life, I can assure you of academic success. Shalom!