From your average high school student to the overly ambitious graduate student, we study, study and study. But do we really? I tend to get this block sometimes that keeps me from actually studying. After questioning a couple of college students I have come to a bit of relief knowing that I’m not the only one. Students on any level get distracted and instead of truly diving into what you are learning we can veer off to the left doing all types of things. These all too common distractions include the following:
1. Repeatedly checking social media sites.
2. Cleaning; sometimes cleaning what isn’t even dirty to avoid the real task at hand.
3. Eating.
4. Taking 101 selfies but only posting one.
5. Texting/talking/face timing everyone and anyone in your contacts that will answer.
6. Watching Netflix/YouTube videos/TED talks; doing what consists of fun but is self-convincingly academic.
7. Playing games: this includes games on your phone, PS4, X-box and etc.
8. Listening to music/dancing.
9. Contemplating life; more than often asking the question of whether or not you should even be in school because being a broke hippy is much more pleasurable and less stressful (your GPA doesn’t matter in heaven).
10. Anything else you can think of other than actually studying.
So what is the problem? Why can’t I sit down and write this 10-page essay or read these five chapters that I know are due soon? Well, there are a number of possible reasons that could be the driving force behind this strong monster of not focusing. Because this varies based on the distracted individual here are just a few of them:
- Instant gratification over long-term benefit; Heather Whipp explains this in her article “Study Reveals Why We Get Distracted So Easily” on livescience.com: "Neural activity goes up and down in a regular periodic way, with everything vibrating together," said study co-leader and neuroscientist Earl K. Miller. "It is faster for automatic stimulus and slower for things we choose to pay attention to."
- Experiencing an overload of information. Due to the advancement of technology we now process way more information than our ancestors did in a lifetime. So relax and take it all in slowly.
- Pure lack of motivation; sometimes the only cure to laziness is to listen to Nike and “Just Do It.”
- Knowing what works for you is key, so if you do best under pressure prepare a crash course of working hours to get things going efficiently. If you don’t do well with too much time on your hands then wait until you don’t have any and I guarantee you will get kicking into gear.
- Creating a schedule and sticking to its routine is essential in making a lifestyle that is centered on productivity. Time well planned is time well spent, but time wasted is the time you never get back. Understanding time management is to understand the work ethic needed to accomplish goals we merely speak of, but never work towards achieving.
