Now I'll Tell You Everything

Hi, after quite a few requests here is a post on getting rid of distractions and how not to get distracted when studying. I hope it’s helpful :)

Make a plan: When studying it’s so important to work out exactly what you want to achieve in your study session. I suggest writing a to-do list of everything you need to complete, as well as splitting these tasks up into smaller and more manageable chunks. It’s more difficult to get distracted when you are just completing a very small task. Splitting up tasks will also make studying more satisfying because you can tick off completed tasks more quickly and easily, giving you a sense of achievement. 

Plan your timings: When studying it’s important to know how long you are going to work for, and when you’ll have breaks - otherwise you’ll be tempted to take a break earlier than you should. Maybe use the Pomodoro app or something similar to organise when you have breaks and how long for, I know how easy it is to let a 5 minute break run on for half an hour!

Tell the family: Members of my family seem to always interrupt me when I’m studying unless I tell them all beforehand. I strongly recommend telling everyone in your house that you are going to be revising for x hours, and so not to interrupt and distract you in that time. They can also help keep you accountable; if they know you’re meant to be working and they see you reading or watching TV, they can set you straight and get you back to work!

Get settled and relaxed: Make sure you have a study space that is just for you. This will mean that no one else can come and distract you. Also, ensure that you are comfy and relaxed in your study space - I find that if I am agitated or uncomfortable then I will keep adjusting my position and fiddling around. You need to make sure you are in a place that you can sit in happily for multiple hours while you work.

Clear up: Once in your study space it’s important to tidy it up. I find that I am easily distracted by things on my desk if it is all cluttered up with magazines or books etc. Then you have to gather all your resources together in one place - doing this will mean that you don’t have to get up and go looking for a textbook or some paper, and then get distracted by something else.

Turn off your phone: The biggest distraction when I am trying to revise is my phone. I am so tempted to check tumblr, instagram or just browse youtube for cat videos! The easiest way to avoid being distracted by your phone is to turn it off, or leave it in a different room. If you don’t want to turn your phone off then you can use an app like Forest which aims to improve your productivity and to stop you being distracted by social media etc.

Don’t listen to music: When studying, I can be really easily distracted from my tasks by music. I always find myself singing along and not really concentrating on what I am reading or writing, and I sometimes end up writing out the lyrics of the song! If you revise more easily with music then I definitely suggest listening to film soundtracks or music without lyrics, which are less likely to distract you.