Then he had a five-minute break before another 25-minute study burst.ĭuring that five-minute break you can do whatever you want – check your phone if you like, or maybe do some star jumps to get the blood flowing. Francesco used a tomato-shaped timer from the kitchen (pomodoro is Italian for tomato) and set it to go off at 25 minutes. It simply divides a large task into smaller tasks with refreshment breaks to help you maintain your focus. Okay, so you’ve created a safe study space, scheduled some study time, silenced your phone and now you’re ready to study for three hours straight – right? Wrong! Most of us are only capable of maintaining our attention span on a focused task for around 20 minutes – then we start drifting and trying to remember where we put our mobile phone or what we’re having for dinner.įrancesco Cirillo realised attention spans were short when he was studying at university, so he came up with the Pomodoro Technique for studying. If you simply can’t let your phone out of your sight or bear the thought of switching it to ‘Do Not Disturb’, there are some apps that can help you manage your digital relationship. Research has shown that this will enhance your study and possibly make you smarter.
Once your phone is set to ‘Do Not Disturb’ put it face down on your desk, or even better outside of your field of vision. You can also schedule it to run overnight to ensure you’re not disturbed unnecessarily in your sleep. The beauty of ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode is that you can set it to allow important calls through.
#Hot to avoid distractions android
Both Apple and Android phones can be tamed for the duration of our study session with the ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode.
#Hot to avoid distractions windows
The App options aren’t as varied on Windows but you can achieve similar distraction-free results on both operating systems with web browser extensions. You can turn them back on when you’ve finished studying and binge on updates.įor Apple computer users there’s a bunch of apps that can help you focus by blocking access to apps, websites and even blurring things in the background. Whether your computer has an Apple or Windows operating system, it’s quick and easy to turn off notifications at the start of each study session. Luckily, technology has come to our rescue with some apps that can reduce the noise. It’s a sweet irony that the electronic devices that enhance our lives so much and make it possible to learn more than any other time in history are also our greatest distraction. That way they can also plan their activities around your schedule to give you more peace and quiet for distraction-free study. If you can create a regular schedule for postgraduate study, share it with the rest of your household. Alternatively, you can post a message to let them know you’ll be uncontactable while you’re studying. Once you’ve scheduled your study, you can set your status on social media accounts to ‘away’ or ‘busy’ so that your friends know that you don’t want to be disturbed. Don’t leave your study until you’ve done everything else you need to do in the day, and you are exhausted. Use a diary to block out time in the day when your brain works at its best.
You might choose to listen to a quiet instrumental playlist, or just enjoy the sound of silence. The latest models are amazing at cutting down background noise. It could even be the corner of your bedroom, with all of the mess hidden behind you!īefore you start a study session, let others in the house know so that they don’t disturb you – you could even create a sign for your door.Īnd reward yourself for your decision to take on postgraduate study with a set of noise-cancelling headphones. The ideal space for postgraduate study is a quiet, clean environment with no distractions. It’s actually more effective to create a safe study space where you can keep your important resources.Ī safe study space doesn’t have to be a whole room, just a comfortable space that says, ‘I’m studying.’ But if we’re honest, studying in a café is usually much less productive than we think. With laptops and mobile phones, it’s technically possible to study anywhere, anytime. Try these five ways to avoid distractions while studying. Thankfully, with some preparation and planning it’s possible to carve out some distraction-free time for postgraduate study. And let’s not even mention the cat videos! It can give you access to the deepest research in the world’s most esteemed institutions, while simultaneously connecting you with friends and family who are probably doing something much more fun than studying. Online postgraduate study involves using one of the most powerful and equally distracting tools ever invented – the internet.
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