Whether you’re in school or at the office, we live in an age of constant distraction.
Whether we’re being pulled away by technology or other people, it can be difficult to focus on what we’re doing and get everything done that we need to get done.
In order to resist distractions as a student or employee, try these 7 Ways to Resist Distractions as a Student.
1) Change your environment
Moving your environment can be tough when you’re busy and it may not always be practical.
However, if you need to resist distractions as a student, it’s worth the effort. Try these five ways to get started:
-Keep your workspace clean and tidy so that you don’t have any visual clutter distracting you.
-Put away anything on your desk that is unrelated to your work so that you don’t have any extraneous things in front of you.
-Close out your social media apps on your phone or laptop so that they won’t constantly distract you with notifications.
-Leave other tasks for another time; try tackling them first thing in the morning or right before bed instead of during the day while you should be working.
-Download an app like Self Control which blocks out all sites on your computer for a period of time, allowing you to focus solely on what needs doing at hand.
2) Take breaks
Taking breaks is an easy way to resist distractions.
Make sure that you’re taking your breaks throughout the day, and not just at the end of your work session.
This will help keep you on task and focused. Consider blocking out time during your break for phone usage. Turn off notifications:
Notifications are another big source of distraction for students because it keeps people up-to-date with their social media or other news feeds which can be distracting from the work they’re doing.
Go ahead and turn off any notifications that might interrupt your focus!
3) Be organized:
Organization isn’t just good for productivity; it also helps reduce distractions.
Keep things tidy so you know where everything is so you don’t have to waste precious time looking for what you need. Use whatever works best for you.
Focusing on one thing at a time: It’s easy when working to get distracted by something else that needs attention like emailing someone back or checking in with a coworker.
4) Set a goal
Set a goal for your distraction free study time.
For example, if you’re studying for an exam in two days and you want to spend three hours on it tonight, set aside three hours of distraction free study time from 7:00pm-10:00pm.
If you’re distracted at any point during the evening (even if it’s just by your phone), restart the clock.
Repeat until 10:00pm. Put your cell phone on airplane mode or off completely.
Put up a Do Not Disturb sign in front of your door or wear headphones when walking around campus so people know not to talk to you. Keep distractions away with these tips!
-Remove distractions
-Take care of yourself Get enough sleep and water. When you need food, get some! Make sure you take breaks when necessary; this is important for maintaining your focus.
-Know what works for you: Find out which distractors cause problems for you and avoid them whenever possible.
Some people do their best work late at night while others are more productive in the morning before they’ve had coffee or breakfast.
5) Get rid of temptations
Create a distraction free zone by removing distractions from your workspace and turning off notifications for apps like Facebook, Snapchat, or Instagram.
Set up an automatic response message on your phone, saying something like I’m currently in the middle of something important and can’t answer right now, but I will get back to you soon.
Turn off push notifications if they are distracting you (e.g., while studying).
Look at yourself in the mirror every morning and make a commitment to stay focused throughout the day (i.e., I am going to focus on my studies today!)
6) Make lists:
List out all of the things that need to be done, then prioritize them according to what needs attention first; this helps keep you focused on doing one thing at a time.
One way to resist distractions is to not use your phone while eating dinner with friends, go outside with your dog for a walk instead.
When making study plans set aside certain days where you don’t plan on checking social media accounts and limit smartphone usage to only texting and calling people during those days.
7) Change your mindset
Acknowledge that distractions are inevitable, but they don’t have to control your life.
Whether it’s the guy in front of you in class who smells like he hasn’t showered in days or the girl next to you who won’t stop scrolling through her phone, there will always be distractions.
The important thing is how you respond when they come up do you let them derail your focus and productivity?
Or do you calmly deal with the disruption and get back on track?
When something distracts you, take a moment to process why it has caught your attention.
If the distraction isn’t necessary for completing the task at hand then give yourself permission to ignore it and move forward with what you were doing before being interrupted by outside forces.
For any distractions that are unavoidable, find ways to minimize their effect on your work.
Maybe you need ear plugs because the construction going on outside is driving you crazy.
Or maybe putting a do not disturb sign on your desk will keep people from walking up and bothering you while you’re trying to work.
