“Even if we set goals, sit down to study, we end up getting distracted in one or other way and the whole day gets wasted.” Almost every student faces the problem of getting distracted while trying to study efficiently. Unlike the last century, distractive forces are now much stronger and hard to resist pertaining mainly to the rise of internet and social media. The fact that most of our study materials are posted online in present times makes the situation worse. Students go from studying to scrolling memes within 10 seconds.
Why do we get distracted?
Students mainly get distracted due to the reasons that follow:
- Feeling the urge to check social media very frequently.
- Getting calls or texts while studying.
- Not being able to consolidate focus. Getting random thoughts.
- Not pre-fixing the subject or topic to study. This leads to confusion at that time and you end up getting distracted.
- Feeling the urge to eat or drink while studying.
These consist of both internal and external sources of distraction and can be overcome by increasing focus, planning and self-control.
This blog will be providing you 5 very valuable tips to avoid distractions while studying, which, if implemented, will definitely show up in your results.
- 1. Don’t let your phone win
You can’t actually keep your phone or laptop away while studying as you need to access study material and videos from the internet. A better way is to turn off the mobile data and Wi-Fi option for all the social media apps that may distract you while studying. This will stop those apps from using data. So even if you open the app by mistake, you won’t be able to see the new updates therein which will strengthen your self-control. This is the second most effective way to keep yourself away from social media while studying. The best way is to delete them, as most of the students use social media for entertainment purposes only.
You should also consider keeping your phone on silent and notifications of all apps on mute while studying.
- 2. Get rid of your random thoughts
Many a times we get distracted by our own thoughts while studying. It may be about a task that you need to do or a joke that your friend had told you. Once we start reading a topic, we zone out in seconds without our knowledge and no matter how hard we try, the thought keeps popping out in your brain.
It is advisable to write down, in a sentence or two, the topic of your thoughts.
This convinces your brain that the topic has been written down, it will not be forgotten and that you can think about it later safely. This allows your brain to move on from the thought and focus on studying freely.
You can also consider meditating 10 mins before your study time to consolidate your focus and keep other thoughts away.
- 3. Pre-plan your topic
Don’t give yourself any chance to get distracted. Always plan the topic/subject/chapter you will be studying before hand and challenge yourself to finish the goal before the day ends. Don’t ever decide the topic/subject/chapter on-the-spot while sitting on your study table as you will most probably waste half of your time in deciding only. There are high chances that you will procrastinate studying.
- Pre plan your study routine and content. Don’t waste your study time in deciding what to study.
- Set goals of studying a topic comprehensively. Don’t fix the number of study hours. Challenge yourself to complete the goal anyhow.
- If achieved, reward yourself in some way.
- 4. Set the right study environment
Environment plays a very big role in motivating you to do certain things. It can be, in a way, a trigger for you to study. Setting a good study environment is thus, very important as it keeps you going even if you feel the urge to get distracted.
- Find the right place to study. Not the comfortable one. Do not study in your bed or sofa if you’ve got a study table. Use your study table only for studies so that when you sit on your chair, your mind automatically gets prepared to study.
- Keep only those books on table which you are going to study in a day. Don’t overwhelm yourself by keeping piles of books on your table. An organised and clean table will motivate you to study.
- Identify what things in your room distract you while you study, and what motivates you. It can be anything from headphones to table lamp. Remove things that distract you. If you get distracted by seeing your headphones, remove them from your room.
Overall, you should feel energised and motivated by the environment in which you study.
- 5. Don’t Multitask
Focus completely on your studies while you study. Do not try to multitask. Multitasking offers you more opportunities to get distracted.
- While many students find it comfortable to listen to music while studying, it is not advisable as your focus shifts more on the music than the topic you are studying. It interrupts the flow of deep understanding which can be ensured only with complete focus in one task. You can consider listening to music prior to your study session, or during breaks to keep a positive mood.
- Full your stomach before you start studying. Do not eat while studying. Always keep a bottle of water next to your table so that you don’t need to leave your room when you are thirsty.
Motivation too plays a very vital role in keeping yourself undistracted. It helps you fight for your goals. Read our blog on motivation to find out more about this concept.
