When you are a student, you have to spend a lot of time at home preparing for your studies. There is access to various types of distractions that can hinder your learning and productivity both. Although some minutes of browsing Facebook, chatting with friends on phone and other activities can seem harmless in the beginning, you might find that you are actually spending more time on unnecessary things. Here are some useful tips on how to get rid of distractions in studies and from assignments.
Create a schedule and stick to the same
The world is increasingly suffering from an attention deficit syndrome. Life in the absence of a proper schedule can get chaoticquickly. According to a Harvard Business Review article, one can prevent priorities from getting obfuscated by creating daily and weekly routines, and adapting to daily rituals. You can maintain your concentration and work much better when you closely follow the schedule that you set. You will be able to use various practices and techniques to make progress.
Get a proper place to work or study in
It is important to find the right spot to study in, considering the fact that it has a big impact on how efficient the learning is. If you love to study in your own room, you can get easily distracted by things lying in the same room such as:
- Fashion magazines
- Video games
- TV
- PlayStation
It is a good idea to find a well-lit and quiet place free of distracting things. Look for a place with desks and chairs that are designed ergonomically, in order to ensure more productivity. If your home has a lot of noise, you can choose to study in the library.
Shut down all the electronic equipments
Although you love your smart phones and tablets, you will get easily distracted by these electronic devices. Many of the equipments kill priorities and productivity due to incoming calls, texts and notifications. It is a good idea to study in a gadget-free space, or shut down all your electrical equipments.
Use pen and paper for visualizing
Pen and paper are fast being replaced by computers and tablets in many workplaces and classrooms these days. Still, it is better to use your hand to write your notes and stay away from the keyboard. It can keep you more engaged and offer you a chance to visualize the questions and ideas.
Close the other windows/restrict access to specific websites
When you are taking an online course in digital skills such as web development, graphic design, programming and online marketing, you cannot do without your computer. When you are studying, engaging with course materials or practicing various lesson concepts, it is very important to be persevering in getting rid of the potential distractions that can kill your productivity – such as,
- Instant messaging
- Video games
- Social media
- News websites
- Entertainment sites
If you do not have the self control required to remove digital distractions, you can use:
- Website blockers
- Time trackers
- Software blockers
- Productivity-enhancing tools, such as Pomodoro apps
Start saying ‘No’
While leaning anything exciting and new, it is a good idea to take many networking meetings, projects and coursework relevant to your topic. Although this can be useful in enhancing your lessons, it can often make you too busy to complete your studies. Naturally, it is important to stay away from new work, projects and other things that can add to your stress, reduce your time and make your schedule more complicated.
Set reminders
It can be natural to forget many things as you get involved with more things. For instance, in case you are involved intensely in some project, it can often happen that you lose track of your time. It is a good idea to set reminders in the form of reminder apps and Post-its. Although Post-its are not always useful in getting job done on time, it is still a good idea to use them. You can use good Reminders app suited to your smartphone software, whether it is iOS or Android.
Schedule your distractions
It is humanly impossible to go on studying or completing assignments at a stretch, without any scope for entertainment. You can get too burned out and tired, and lose interest in your studies. This can prevent your schedule and overall progress in learning.
If you want to prevent burnout, you can set frequent breaks in your study schedule and look at them as rewards for the time spent in intense studies. You can also schedule some time with your loved ones or quality ‘me-time’ during the studies.
Adjust and reflect
You will need to monitor your study efforts every day or week and make a lot of adjustments. You need to ask these questions to yourself regularly:
- What is your primary objective?
- What is your goal for the present week?
- Where you are at this juncture?
- What do you need to do today?
- What is your status at the present moment?
- Are your situation / relationship / place / schedule / technique yielding results?
- How can you improve yourself?
These questions will help you to get new skills and use them in your everyday life or work.
Wake up in the morning
You will find most of the hardworking and intelligent students waking up in the morning. Waking up in early morning, at least 6 AM, will give you a head start over your peers. When you get up early, you can get more lessons done even after finding time for some exercise and indulging in a few pastimes. Having a morning routine will provide you with plenty of benefits. You can get the chance to work on your objectives and boost your mood, as you can be content with the knowledge that you will be in better control of your own life.
Rather than scheduling your tasks in the evening, you should ideally schedule them in the morning. When you exercise for half an hour before going to work, you can feel more productive.
Do the important one first
The brain is at its sharpest best in the mornings, and it can be a good idea to handle the creative tasks first before choosing the less important bits later. For example, subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Statistics etc can be better to tackle during the morning and keep English and other topics restricted to the evening.
Write down your schedule and study plan
It is a good idea to write down your schedule and study plan in one place. Rather than having them scattered all through apps, calendars and notebooks, you should write down the schedule in only one spot. Do not keep your schedule scattered in notepad, computer, laptop and phone. It can be easier and clearer for you to understand. There is no need to worry about having everything fitted in, as you will find your entire schedule arranged in a single spot.
It is a good idea to stay completely motivated and work hard on your schedule rather than procrastinating and working without a vision. You have to set proper goals and work accordingly on them.