What Are Some Ways to Keep Yourself From Getting Distracted While Studying in College?

College feels overwhelming. You sit down to work on stuff and you struggle to even concentrate on one task. You might start by checking your email and then remember you forgot about an assignment due tomorrow. Before you know it, you’re halfway into reading an article for a class that isn’t due for a few days.

Most college students (and college teachers) feel this way sometimes. It’s frustrating. You have so much to do and yet you can’t seem to focus on any one thing. You’re constantly distracted and feel defeated by your inability to get any one thing done.

So how can you keep yourself from getting distracted? There are some basic things you can do:

• Setting your phone on silent or airplane mode and concealing it out of sight (See post about your phone here.)

• Moving to a setting conducive to studying (See post about study spots here.)

• Making lists (See post about making task lists here.)

You’ve likely tried these, so what extra steps can you take to stay on-task and get things done? Here are 4 steps that can ease your anxiety and help you focus on your studying.

Make a list of everything you need to accomplish today.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you need to think of your next step, not your next several steps. Don’t think about tomorrow, next week, or anything later in the semester. Focus on today. What do you need to get done today?

This list could include sending an email, eating lunch, reading a chapter, and more. Write down every item, no matter how insignificant it seems. The more you put down on paper, the less you have to remind yourself later. 

Here is an example of what a daily task list might look like:

• Email {professor’s name} about paper topic idea

• Read Chapter 9 of Psych textbook

• Text _________ about grabbing a meal tomorrow

• Wash and dry load of laundry

• Edit outline for presentation

What you might notice about this list is that some of the above task items look like partial steps. In other words, they’re not “write the paper” or “finish homework for ________ class.” Breaking down big items into small items helps them seem more achievable. (I’ve written posts before on how to do this, like this one. Click here to read!)

Rank each item by importance.

After you’ve made your task list, take some time to rank each item by importance. Importance includes a few ideas:

• Urgency—When does this need to get done by (today, tomorrow, etc.)?

• Weight—Is this a minor thing that can be put off for another today or is it essential for it to get done today?

Look at your list and rank the items from 1 (most urgent & most weighty) to however many items you have (e.g. 5). This is what it could like using the list from above:

• Email a Professor __________ about paper topic idea - 3

• Read Chapter 9 of Psych textbook - 1

• Text _________ about grabbing a meal tomorrow - 5

• Wash and dry load of laundry - 4

• Edit outline for presentation - 2

By ranking the items, you’re helping yourself to prioritize what matters. You’re also helping yourself prepare for running out of steam or having things added to your schedule. You can easily adjust, because you know what matters most.

Estimate how much time each task will take.

This may seem like a waste of time, but this can really help you when you feel completely unmotivated, stressed, and conflicted about how to use your time.

Here’s how this could look like with the same task list example

• Email a Professor __________ about paper topic idea - 3 (15 mins.)

• Read Chapter 9 of Psych textbook - 1 (45 mins.)

• Text _________ about grabbing a meal tomorrow - 5 (2 mins.)

• Wash and dry load of laundry - 4 (1 hr. 30 mins.)

• Edit outline for presentation - 2 (30 mins.)

An additional bonus to estimating the time needed is that it helps your task list look more manageable. For example, if you know you have a free hour at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., you know you will have enough time to read a chapter during one of those hours and edit your outline, email a professor, and text a friend during another hour. You can actually see how getting your list completed is possible.

Get things done.

This is always the hardest part, getting going and checking things off your list. The nice thing is that this system sets you up to build momentum and accomplish items. Here’s how:

• Build momentum. Depending on how unmotivated you feel or unfocused you are, you can sometimes trick yourself into getting more done by strategically tackling easy tasks (like texting a friend) first. Once you have the sense of accomplishment that comes from getting an item completed, you can face a more daunting task (like doing laundry).

• Cross out items on your list. This doesn’t work for everyone, but for many college students creating a written list on a stick note or scrap piece of paper helps. It helps especially when you get to cross things off. (There’s something weirdly satisfying about scribbling through a note for a dreaded task.)

Productivity encourages productivity. That feeling of accomplishment you’ll get from a successful study session will only energize you to do it again and again. You’ll have off-days, but finding a simple system that helps you stay on task can help you get back up and get things done.

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