Do you constantly find yourself interrupted from your schoolwork?

With things like Facebook, Youtube, parties, and loud roommates, it’s hard not to get interrupted from time to time. Although these distractions are prominent, they can easily be minimized. When you are studying or doing schoolwork, all of your focus should be on the task at hand, not on the latest viral video.

Here are some tips to to help you get rid of the distractions, and get on with your homework.

+ Turn off the music. This one is hard for me because I constantly have music playing, but it is really difficult to memorize German vocabulary terms with Explosions in the Sky blaring in the background.  So turn off the music to improve your concentration.

+ Isolate yourself. Go to a place where you can be alone so your friends won’t be a distraction while you study.  This can be anything from going to the library to adventuring into nature.  Whatever you choose, being by yourself will get rid of the temptation to strike up a conversation with a friend.

+ Shut off the internet. The internet is probably the biggest distraction when you are trying to be productive.  You have things like Facebook and YouTube right at your fingertips. These can be huge distractions. It is best to beat the temptation and stay off the internet.  To further enforce this, I recommend disconnecting your wi-fi connection.

+ Turn off your phone. Or at least put it on silent and out of your view. A text messages in the middle of an intense study session can really be distracting.  It is best to keep your phone out of reach and only check it when you take study breaks.

+ Don’t Munch. I have a bad habit of eating while I do my schoolwork.  This is distracting for a few reasons.  Mainly because you will be thinking more about the food then your work. Plus it is inevitable that you are going to get that orange crap from Cheetos all over your work. Save the eating for one of your breaks.

+ Turn off the TV. This one is pretty obvious, but it is all too common to have the TV on in the background while you are working on something else.  What should have taken 10 minutes will end up taking 30 minutes.  To avoid this, you should plan your study session around your favorite shows or realize that you can watch anything that comes on tv on a computer.

+ Tell your roommates. Let your roommates know that you are about to start studying.  By doing this, it will decrease the chance that they will come and bother you.

Credit: Skippyjon

Conclusion

Distractions are always going to be there, and they are usually only one click away.  It is up to you to have the self control to eliminate them.  By getting rid of any possible distractions you will be free to focus on the work you have ahead of you, and hopefully be able to complete it much faster.