7 Study Distractions and How Best to Escape Them
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Procrastination
is a mental failing as old as time. Long before the iPhone, handheld
video games, instant video streaming, and every other time waster you
can think of, students have been finding ways to do everything in the
world except what they should be doing. While some are guilty of this
deadly study-sin more than others, it’s a danger that anyone who’s ever
paid a tuition bill or slept through a high school civics class must
avoid. But procrastination can be difficult because it comes to you in
many forms. Here are seven ways it sneaks up on you and how you can
effectively avoid it.
1. Familiar Environments
The Problem:
Within
this article, you’ll find many distractions, and most of them are
probably right there at your home base. Environments that have become
too familiar to you can be a giant distraction in themselves, not just
because of the different toys they give you access to, but also because
of the mental associations and comforts they instill in your head. If
you associate your house, apartment, or dorm room as “home,” then
distractions will come no matter what.
How to Escape:
To
avoid this distraction, it’s vital to designate an environment for work
or study use only. The moment you bring in outside elements is the
moment the environment shifts in your mind to multi-purpose. Just as
cities will zone districts for commercial or residential use, you should
“zone” portions of your dwelling place or find another location that is
used specifically for work and nothing else.
2. Movies and TV
The Problem:
These two distractions can almost be
distinguished as separate entries. Television and studies do not mix.
It’s too easy to watch one more episode of “Teen Wolf” or “New Girl”
while promising yourself that you can study afterward. While favorite TV
shows, especially sitcoms, can be greater time wasters because they’re
like video potato chips, movies are also big distractions because even
the shortest films are around 90 minutes in length (the equivalent of
four sitcom episodes without commercials).
How to Escape:
These days, there are movie theaters, Blu-rays, DVDs, cable
channels, and video streaming services vying for your attention. Don’t
let them suck you in. Instead turn these distractions in to rewards for
meeting your study goals.
3. Exercise and Hobbies
The Problem:
Exercise and hobbies—yes, even good, constructive hobbies—can
be the worst possible forms of distraction from studies. What makes
running a 5K or writing a novel or reading a book so bad, you ask? Not
only do they take time away from you learning the necessary materials
for a test, but they also make you feel as if your time is being used
wisely. In other words, it becomes easier to justify your
procrastination when you believe you’re doing something worthwhile, and
that is less time away from the books.
How to Escape:
Exercise works best as a routine. Fall out of that routine, and
it can become very difficult to resume. Same with reading, writing, or
any other hobby that fuels your creativity. Formal education is an
obligation when you’re in the thick of it, and that obligation is set to
deadlines and objectives that you must be able to accomplish in order
to succeed. To keep your hobbies from becoming a distraction, plan
ahead. Look at the expectations of your education, and schedule your
hobbies around them.
4. Friends and Family
The Problem:
Spouses, boyfriends, girlfriends, children, and best buddies;
they all complement who you are, adding so many positive memories to
life and teaching you how to love unconditionally. Good things, right?
But as with hobbies, these relationships must be managed to accommodate
for education. A child throwing a tantrum, a needy and emotional mate,
or a hard-partying friend refusing to take their own obligations as
serious as you do yours; these can all derail your progress.
How to Escape:
Communication is key. If the people in your life really love
you and care about your progress and development, they will understand
when you tell them how important your studies are—or anything else you
feel passionate about, for that matter. Being open with peers and
significant others will take care of many distractions. You should also
lean on them to help you deal with children too young to understand.
Without their cooperation, it will be difficult to improve your studies
and meet educational commitments. And if they refuse to help, then you
really need to reevaluate their places in your life.
5. Internet
The Problem:
YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, message
forums, Pinterest, and news updates can be effective tools for
education, social activity, and networking, but they are more often than
not black holes that suck away your study time. Short videos aren’t so
short when you’ve watched 100 of them. Social media gaming can go on for
hours. Forums and comments can ignite arguments that conquer days of
your life, accomplishing nothing in the process.
How to Escape:
During study time, turn off your router
or go somewhere that doesn’t have Wi-Fi. Otherwise the temptation to
“cheat” is too great.
6. Study Buddies
The Problem:
A partner can be of great help to
understanding difficult topics, but be careful. Study buddies can become
friends, and as friendships blossom, so, too, can distractions.
How to Escape:
Stay on task. Set group goals and
objectives for your study sessions, and time them. “Chat time” can be
used as a motivator for meeting those tasks in between study sessions
instead of as a detriment to the educational process.
7. Planning, Organization, and Other Studies
The Problem:
How many of you have dreaded studying
for a test so badly that you “invested” your time in the planning,
organization, and studies of other subjects instead? These activities
deceive you in an even greater capacity than the other items on this
list because they make you think something constructive is actually
being accomplished, when really it’s another form of avoiding the
educational objective that requires the most time and attention.
How to Escape:
If
you get stuck, then yes, you should move on to something else that
needs attention. Just make sure the other subject really does require
it. If you blow an hour studying for a class that you’d have an “A” in
even if you bombed the final, then you’re not using time wisely. Are you
stuck in the class? Then schedule an appointment to speak with your
instructor, or partner up with someone else who grasps the material.
How To Overcome Distractions When It’s Time To Study
This is a guest post by Daniel Wong of Living Large.
Does this sound familiar?
You have a big exam coming up next week, so you know it’s time to hit the books.
You sit down at your study table and start reviewing your notes.
Five minutes later, your phone goes off. It’s a text message from
your cousin, Lily. She’s asking about the family trip that you’re going
on after your exam.
After exchanging six text messages with Lily, you look at the time. 15 minutes have gone by!
You put your phone aside and get back to reading your notes. 10
minutes later, you get the sudden, overwhelming urge to check your
Facebook news feed.
You only intend to spend a few minutes on Facebook, but you end up
browsing through three photo albums, commenting on four statuses, and
watching two videos.
You decide to update your own status: “Life dilemma: Study for exam
or check Facebook. Facebook wins.” All of this takes you another 20
minutes.
I’m sure something like this has happened to you before. It happened
to me when I was a student, and most of the students I work with tell me
that it happens to them far too often.
But there’s hope. There are simple techniques you can use to win the war against distractions.
Here are six tips for you:
1. Put your phone on silent mode and place it at the other end of the room.
If you own a smartphone, you know how distracting it can be.
Facebook, Twitter, email, text messaging and yes, the entire Internet,
are at your fingertips.
Even a non-smartphone can be extremely distracting!
As such, I recommend that—at the start of your study session—you put
your phone on silent mode and place it far away from you. Preferably,
you should place it at the other end of the room.
This way, you won’t be interrupted by phone calls or text messages
while you’re studying. You can always check your phone every 30 or 45
minutes when you take a break.
If you’re honest with yourself, you’ll admit that few of the text
messages and phone calls you receive require an immediate response, so
it’s reasonable to get back to the other person when you’re taking a
break.
2. Turn off your Internet access.
You might intend to use your computer for work, but you can easily
find yourself on Facebook or YouTube instead. (You know what I mean.
)
When you’re using your computer, the World Wide Web is literally just
a click away. Don’t trust yourself to resist that temptation. Turn off
your Internet access before you begin your study session.
If you need to access certain online resources, then download all of
the necessary information at the start of your session before you turn
off your Internet access.
The Internet is tool that has the power to both entertain and
educate. By turning off your Internet access when it’s time to focus,
you’re harnessing the power of the Internet effectively.
3. Take a deep breath when you’re about to get distracted.
Distractions come in waves. The urge to watch TV, clear your room
(I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels like clearing my room when it’s
time to be productive, right?) and check your phone attacks you
suddenly—and it can often be overwhelming.
But these intense urges only last for a short while. If you’re able
to resist that initial wave, you’ll be able to carry on studying instead
of succumbing to temptation.
Here’s how to fight off the urge when it hits you:
Close your
eyes. Breathe in for two seconds, then breathe out for two seconds. If
the urge still persists, repeat until it goes away.
Using this simple technique, you’ll spend four to eight seconds
breathing deeply, after which you’ll get back to work. If you don’t use
this technique, you’ll probably end up getting distracted for 15
minutes, or even longer.
4. Ask people to give you privacy.
I’m sure that something like this has happened to you before while you were studying:
- Your mom came by to ask you about your day
- Your friend dropped by to chat
- Your younger brother asked you for help with his homework
- Your sister asked you for advice
The list goes on.
Don’t get me wrong; relationships are important. I firmly believe
that, in many ways, the quality of your relationships determines the
quality of your life.
But when you’re studying, interruptions can be especially disruptive.
Just before you begin your study session, I recommend that you go up
to the people who are most likely to disturb you and say something like
this: “I have an exam coming up next week, so I need to focus. Would you
please give me some privacy for the next two hours and not interrupt,
unless it’s something really urgent?”
When you make such an intentional effort to ask others to respect
your privacy and your commitment to academic excellence, they’re likely
to show you that respect.
5. Get eight hours of sleep every night.
As a student, it seems almost impossible to get enough sleep. There’s
always so much homework to do, so many projects to work on, so many
activities to participate in, so many friends to hang out with, and so
many parties to go to.
Compared to all of these things, sleep seems so unimportant!
But sleep is vital if you want to perform well academically. It’s an
established scientific fact that sleep affects your memory,
concentration and brain function. If you’re not sleeping enough, you’re
not setting yourself up for success in your student life.
When you’re sleep-deprived, you’ll also be easily distracted.
Here are some ways to help you get to bed earlier:
- Have a nightly bedtime routine
- Wind down at the end of the day by reading a book
- Don’t drink caffeine after 3pm
- Go to bed at the same time every day
- Set a nightly alarm to tell you it’s time to go to bed (this has been exceptionally helpful for me!)
6. Use a tool like Asana.com to help you prioritize your tasks.
Asana.com is a web-based tool that allows you to conveniently manage projects and prioritize tasks.
I started using Asana.com half a year ago, and I’ve found it to be beneficial in keeping my life organized.
Students often get distracted when they think about all the other
tasks they need to accomplish. They start to wonder if they should be
working on another assignment or studying for another test instead. This
hinders them from focusing on the task at hand.
By using a tool like Asana.com, you’ll be able to stay on top of all
of your assignments, projects and other commitments. With a systematic
approach toward task management, you’ll make the most of every study
session.
In closing…
In our increasingly connected world of smartphones, tablets, laptops and high-speed Internet, distractions are everywhere.
You’ll need to make a deliberate and committed effort to stay on
task. I hope these six tips will help you in your quest to become a
happy and successful student!
