The Internet has killed your focus, There are so many, many distractions that it becomes incredibly difficult to avoid distractions while studying.
The attention span (focus) went down, Don’t believe me? Here is the study, That says attention span in 2000 was 12 seconds, But in 2013 it decreased to 8 seconds. (Source) It is becuase of distractions, There are so many distractions around us (social media, email, messages)
Another study also confirms this concept. It’s really going down and down, and the credit goes to the internet.
Especially Studying online is the difficult (Self-invented word) thing to do. Where you are bombarded with emails, notifications, messages…
So now let’s jump into how you can avoid distractions while studying with this 5 step system.
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Table of Contents
1) Identify Distractions
Mostly people directly jump into solving problems without identifying the problem itself. I mean they provide solutions without properly diagnosing what the problem is.
The same goes with distractions, you will see people talking about removing study distractions and jumping directly to conclusions. That’s not the right way.
First, you need to know what distracts you the most, When you are aware of the distraction then you can overcome it better.
i) Internet
Internet is one of the biggest distractions in today’s world, there is no moment when you don’t see a message or email or Facebook notifications.
You might be distracted by Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat. They push notifications for a reason, They want to distract you, they want to take away your attention.
And it takes 23 minutes on average to recover back from the distraction, So it means each time you pick up your phone you are likely to lose 23 minutes.
Related: Stop Procrastinating.
How it distracts you?
When you sit on the study table and boom so many notifications, you are distracted.
The phone rings, there is a notification, It compels you to check. You assume it might be something important, Maybe someone messaged me or someone liked my photo or status.
So you check it and guess what! this does not end, You are exposed to distractions, there will be a photo that you want to see, there will be a video that you want to watch, So it goes on.
that is why it’s important to stop yourself right off the bait, and I will show you exactly how you can stop this using tools.
ii) Thoughts
We humans think 6,200 thoughts a day. That’s huge, It means that no moment goes without doing any thinking.
You might have faced the days when you can’t even sleep properly, which happens because of overthinking. So learn to stop overthinking.
I have covered this topic in a detailed guide, but still, I am going to cover some important points here too. ( late )
Related: Strategies to stop overthinking
So the point is, thoughts are great distractions, They can even change your feelings, your emotions and thus make you demotivated.
iii) External Factors
The third common reason for getting distracted is external factors.
For example like environment, your friends…
If there is too much noise you can’t study better, or if you are studying and your friends call you to go out with them, that’s another big issue.
So we are going to kill all these distractions one by one, Stay with me.
2) Build A Solid Strategy
Ok, So you know what are the things that are distracting you. Now it’s time to understand how you can avoid distractions while studying.
i) Block Social Media
If you are hit by notifications it’s time to block them. It’s time to throw them away when you are studying. Well, it’s not only social media, But porn plays a big role too.
So it means you need to really ban such things when you are studying, There must be no room for anything like that when you need to study.
Use Tool
While you might think of making your phone silent or logging out of social accounts, but that’s not really a good strategy.
The easiest way to block these sites and apps is to use another tool, I have a great tool for you, Which is called freedom (I will talk about this in the end).
So use this tool and stay productive.
ii) Make To-do List
The second thing you need to do right now is, create a to-do list. I want you to remember one of my quotes.
Don’t underestimate the power of to-do list.
Because when you make a to-do list, You are already prepared for what you are going to do, There is no room for distraction to come in.
You are mentally preparing yourself for a specific thing. You are telling yourself, this is study time, this is playtime, and so on…
So when your friends call you for something, you already know if you should go or not. or you will manage extra time for them when you are not working.
iii) Stop Overthinking
When I am studying there are thoughts that really disturb me. I go deep into these thoughts that I don’t remember where I am in this world.
I usually think of exams and my future too. The thought process is somehow like this,
- What if I didn’t pass the exam?
- What if I didn’t get the first position?
- Maybe this not even an important question?
- After all, shall I even get a job?
Such are the questions I used to think, So I had to quit them, they were really disturbing. Then I came across a piece of very good advice that actually works.
- Be aware of your thoughts, about what you are thinking.
- Don’t try to stop thoughts, Instead, divert your attention, Or replace thoughts.
- Do meditation.
These are simple things you can do, briefly discussed here, For details, you can read the complete guide to stop overthinking.
iv) Finish Difficult Things First
When you sit to study, Do the most difficult things first. Because when you are just getting started you are more energetic and then your energy goes down slowly.
So if you are doing difficult things, at last, It will be difficult to finish them. You will be distracted, You won’t want to do them at all.
These are the strategies that you need If you want to avoid distractions while studying.
Let’s jump into how you can focus build a great focus.
3) Build Laser-Like Focus
Till now, you have done 50% of the work, you are set for the journey but there are still some things remaining.
After doing all these things our end goal is that we want to focus on our studies, We want to avoid distractions while studying, so keep the end goal in mind.
Here is how you can build this focus.
I) Create Smart Goals
Let me convince you with a straightforward example.
let’s say you are driving on the road, but you don’t’ know where you are going, there is no stop, no destiny known to you. You don’t exactly know where you will end up.
So what you think is going to happen, You will stay from time to time in different places, You will stop at one shop, then at a restaurant, then a shopping mall and will keep being busy with distractions…
But if you know you are going to KFC, You will have no issues on the way, You are not going to eat anything on the way, You won’t stay anywhere, You will drive at speed so that you can reach KFC.
Distractions Are Stronger When You Don’t Have Goals
If you don’t have a goal in mind, you will end up being distracted always, Same as the driver that doesn’t know where to go, So he stops at every station.
When you are studying, but you don’t know how much is enough for the day, How long should I study? you will be distracted by little things.
So do a favor on yourself, by creating monthly, weekly goals, Where you will define how many chapters you are going to read this week, or this month.
ii) Do Single Tasking
Sandra Bond (A Ph.D.) says,” Our Brain is not designed to do multi-tasking”.
She confirms that doing more than one thing at a time can affect your brain, and it will really decrease your productivity. It affects your efficiency.
So better switch to single-tasking, Don’t study two things together, Don’t study while surfing on Facebook, or on the web.
When you are reading a book, Just read that book, When you are watching a subject related video, Just keep watching that video.
Don’t let something interrupt.
iii) Define Priorities
2 things completed are far better then 10 things half-completed.
Know your priorities, Define what’s more important. Surely 2 things can be important at the same time, but it’s about what’s more important, it’s about the importance of something as compared to another.
Some students work on a side hustle, at the same time they are doing the study, so here they need a clear-cut priority.
While others may be busy doing something else, like building social skills or learning anything for fun.
So define what’s really important to you, and of course, it’s your studies related to exams that are important and that should be your priority. don’t let other things distract you from doing what’s MORE important.
4) Reduce Distractions
So it’s just practically impossible to eliminate all kinds of distractions, but you can reduce them.
You don’t need to entirely kill distractions, If you reduce them if they distract you less amount of times, Then you are still going to win.
Your goal is to be less distracted as possible, so let’s do it.
i) Use the Pomodoro Technique
Ever heard of this technique? most students don’t even know it, and that’s why they are making a huge blunder.
This technique says, to study in 25 minutes period and then take a break. Simple as that!
So it means when you are studying any subject, Don’t spend 4 hours straight on it without taking any break, that’s stupid and dangerous. In the end, you will feel exhausted and of course, it does harm more than doing good.
Instead, apply the Pomodoro technique to stay motivated and focused, Here are the benefits of the Pomodoro technique Which science has confirmed.
- You will stay motivated using breaks.
- Productivity increases with gaps.
- studying for long without breaks makes you bored.
During breaks, you realize what’s your main goal and what you need to finish? That’s why the Pomodoro technique helps you avoid distractions while studying.
ii) Change The Environment
Your surroundings affect the way you study, Studies found that students who study in a positive learning environment, are more motivated and have a higher level of learning ability.
While those students who study in a noisy, uncomfortable, and full of distractions environment are less motivated.
Science proves it, You need a better environment if you want to study effectively.
Find a place where there is no or little noise, which is not dark and is clean. You will find it easy to study there, there will be no distractions so you can keep on studying.
There are many things that contribute to a good environment, but one thing that I would like to mention is the comfort of seating.
When you are comfortable,
- you will stay focused and motivated for longer,
- which will help you to absorb more information.
- The right type of seating can also improve posture.
Here I have the best chairs for you, that will keep you comfortable. (based on reviews)
iii) Clean Your Desk
Cleanliness has a good effect on studies, The cleaner environment the better you can study and stay productive.
It has been proved, that a dirty environment can really affect the human brain, Which increases stress level. and the biggest distraction in studies is your own mindset.
If you don’t have a focused mindset, If it’s stressed you are not going to be able to study well, You will be distracted by your thoughts.
- So better, clean your desk.
- This will maintain your mood,
- which will help you avoid distractions while studying.
Admiral McRaven shared his military experience, which was quite similar to this idea. He says,
“During my training, the instructor would show up in barracks room, The first thing they would do was to inspect my bad, we were required to make our bad to perfection”
His idea was, That you need to clean where you sleep, where sit, where you spend your day. If a military person says it, I would admit it without any objections.
5) Use Tools
So far I have been talking to you about strategies, and goals, and reducing distractions.
All these things can be packaged inside tools, These tools are gonna help you apply your strategies. If you need to block social media, you need it, If you create a to-do list, you need it.
So let’s jump to these and see what They have for you.
i) Freedom
If you need to block any website or app for a specific amount of time, You should grab this app.
It’s a wonderful app with a reasonable price of just 2 dollars per month( Billed Annually). It’s helpful when you are doing your studies.
Social media is not going to leave you, Neither you can always mute your phone nor log out of your account, So the easiest solution is freedom.
You can allow some apps and block others, It totally depends on you, So I don’t see any better option than freedom for avoiding distractions.
ii) Todoist
With todoist, You can create a to-do list, that is easy.
You can create and organize tasks, set and change deadlines, prioritize tasks, set goals, and keep track of progress with the app’s measurement and reporting features.
pricing : free, $3/month, $5/month.
iii) PomoDoneApp
Here you are, if you need to implement the Pomodoro technique, You don’t need to set a timer each time, It’s already done for you.
Here in pomodoneapp, You can use it to work in 25 minutes of sessions and take a break for your custom-defined time.
So go grab this 2 dollar app, and increase your productivity.
Key Points
Here are the key points you should remember.
- Identify what makes you distracted from studying.
- create a solid strategy against all distractions (Block social media, use to-do list, stop overthinking)
- Make laser-like focus (identify your goals, prioritize things, single-tasking)
- Reduce distractions (use Pomodoro technique, change the environment, clean your study desk)
- Use tools (freedom, todoist, pomodoneapp)
Remember this 5 step system to avoid distractions while studying.
Final Talk
So that’s it guys, Remember this 5 step process to avoid distractions while studying.
It’s a process, it’s not one line answer to your question, and I don’t think there exists a simple answer to such questions.
In this world of technology, it’s very easy to get distracted, So you need to keep an eye on digital distractions too, and you can block them using apps.
So what you are going to do after reading this, are you going to take any action, or it’s just like another article you read and won’t do anything.
In the end, you have lost at least 15 minutes if you are not applying this into your life, so either don’t read such things or be serious about it.
I hope you found it helpful, I did my part, now is your turn.
I want you to comment on how was this post, Don’t leave without commenting, becuase I need your feedback so that I can improve my blog.
will be happy to see your comments flowing.
happy studies…