Avoiding distractions when studying at home

Being able to concentrate on study without being distracted is essential. And there is much that you can do to help.

Common distractions include:

• TV
• Brothers and sisters
• Friends
• Mobile phone
• Computer games
• Social media, such as facebook
• Music

TV

The key here is to help your child prioritise what they watch on TV. The ideal situation is that your son or daughter chooses to watch only those programs that are their absolute favourites. This way, watching TV becomes a treat rather than being normal. It’s so easy just to sit in front of the TV and watch whatever is on.

Brothers and sisters

This is really only a problem if they are competing for the same resource – such as a computer. In that case, make an agreement on who uses what and at what times, and write it down so that there are no arguments.

Friends

Friends are so important to many young people these days that they are not able to say no to an invitation. Encourage your children to tell their friends when they’ll be studying and when they can’t be disturbed. After all, who wants friends who stop you doing important work? If a friend calls around unexpectedly, use the occassion to explain that there are certain times when your son or daughter is working and can’t be disturbed, and to call back later when they take a break.

Mobile phone

The idea of turning off their mobile phone is unthinkable for many teenagers, but is essential if you are to focus fully. If the phone is on, part of you is waiting for the next call or text. Turning it off is liberating!

Computer games

Addiction to games is very difficult to cope with. The best I can say is to treat it like TV – organise an evening’s time with slots for study, TV, games and so on. Write down the schedule to reinforce it. Do the games after all study has been completed. Then have a time for relaxation to make it easier to get to sleep.

Social media

Same advice as before – decide on a time for keeping up to date with friends, and keep it to 15 minutes or so.

Music

You might think it’s strange to include this in Distractions. Many people think that playing music while they work is relaxing, but the truth is that they have simply become accustomed to it. The brain has to process noises, and it will spend more time processing lound noises and lyrics. If you’re listening to a song with words, your brain will be analysing the words.

If you really feel that music is necessary, the best is quiet, rhythmic and without lyrics. Experiment with haveing periods with no music – just for five minutes or so. You’ll probably find that you don’t notice after a while.