My Top 5 Distractions and How I Combat Them

One more episode can’t hurt, right?

With quarantine and online school in full effect, the only place most of us consistently visit is Procrastination Station. Working from home only intensifies our distractions, and we end up having to stay up until 1 am, scrambling to get that math homework turned-in. Over the years, however, I’ve figured out what breaks my focus and learned how to fix it at the source.

Here are my top 5 distractions, and how I’ve learned to combat them:

1. My Phone

A phone. Your homework’s worst nemesis. You can have an elaborate, productive plan for the day, but the second you pick up your phone, that schedule is tossed out the window. I will admit (after a constant pry from my parents for 5 years) that my phone is one of my biggest distractions. And whether you agree with me or not, it’s probably one of yours too. The biggest excuse I had was, “I need it for school.” Yeah, I need to check my Instagram feed and catch up with David Dobrik’s vlogs for school. There are solutions; your app store probably has many great options for a distraction-free device, and for iPhone users, screentime is available as well. And if this works for you, great! But here’s my honest recommendation: keep your phone completely out of sight until you can handle having your phone beside you without needing to pick it up during your homework time. Once you develop the capability to do that, your productivity levels will be so much higher, regardless of whether your phone is in close proximity or not.

2. Youtube

Honestly, this is probably a bigger distraction for me than my phone. Youtube is basically the 21st-century version of the rabbit hole from Alice in Wonderland; once you fall in, it’s almost impossible to climb out. And when you do, you realize it was all a dream. Correction — you wish it was all a dream when you realize you just spent 5 hours watching unboxing videos and try-not-to-laugh compilations, instead of finishing the untouched pile of homework.

Youtube was a bit trickier of a distraction to avoid. It’s pretty much available on any device, so even if I have my phone completely out of sight, I still have access to it on my laptop. But, every problem has a solution. StayFocused is a browser extension specially created for this purpose. It gives you the liberty to choose what website to block for a certain amount of time. There are many other website blockers out there for absolutely free- find the one that best fits your needs!

3. Studying in bed

I know your bed is incredibly cozy and comforting, but it is for this exact reason why your bed is a one-way ticket to Lazy Town- and I don’t mean the classic 2000s kids’ TV show. I’m all for a change of scene while working, but it has actually been scientifically proven that your brain associates a location with the kind of activity you perform in it. When you’re in your bed, your brain associates a bed with sleep, which in turn will make you feel slow and lethargic. On the contrary, working at a desk will put you into that “work-mode” mentality.

4. Streaming services

Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and the big kahuna, Netflix. You may think that you’re multitasking by doing your homework while watching an episode of Grey Anatomy, but you’re not. Your brain can completely commit to only one thing at a time. Finish your homework first, and then turn on your TV- that way, you can kick back and fully enjoy your TV show without the thought of homework in the back of your mind. Fight your desire to watch that episode, because I guarantee you, that one episode is going to turn into a whole season.

5. Health

Are you hungry? Are you sleep-deprived (well, if you’re a junior, that’s not even a question)? Those can be distractions too! Your body needs fuel to function throughout the day, and even a small granola bar can give your brain what it needs to push through that English paper.

Hopefully, these tips help you make your study hours more effective. And remember, you can alter them to your personal needs! Try all different techniques and alternatives, and maybe soon, instead of traveling to Lazy Town, we can convince our brains to take a detour.

— Nisha Shastry, Program Management Intern

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