There are countless distractions that can interfere with studying, but the internet is most prominent. Social media websites like Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest take concentration away from student studies with the click of a mouse. However, these distractions are just a few of many different types of distractions.
Unless a student absolutely needs his or her computer for homework, turn it off. If a student is typing an essay, only keep the word processor open. As soon as the internet browser is open, one can easily lose focus.
Phones pose another large distraction. Now, almost all phones are equipped with apps, music and internet capabilities on top of texting and calling. Turning off the phone until studying is done is the best way to get through homework distraction free.
Friends are another easy distraction. A study session with friends a few days before the big exam can be beneficial, but leave a couple nights distraction free to study to receive the best results. Eat a snack, drink some water and put on a comfy sweatshirt before you begin studying to avoid reasons to get up.
Anxiety and self-doubt can be large factors in taking away effectiveness in studying and can cause headaches and nausea. Listening to relaxing music can help to calm nerves while studying, however, cramming before exams only make anxiety worse, so planning a week or so ahead with studying will calm nerves and improve test scores.
Multitasking is proven to affect our ability to learn new information. If one studies while multitasking, the student would not retain or comprehend the information as well as if the student had studied distraction free. When learning new information, a person uses his or her declarative memory. This is where the information can be accessed easily at a later time.
When multitasking, or distracted, our brain uses the striatum. The striatum is meant to be used for simple, second nature tasks like brushing your teeth or eating cereal, not complex, new information. It has also been shown that the more a student multitasks, the more stressed he or she tends to become. Those who multitask all the time can experience even worse symptoms.
When the brain is forced to switch between tasks, it makes people feel stressed. One cannot remember the information as well on the test day if the mind was stressed when they tried to learn it.
Katie Yockey is a Staff Reporter forĀ The Spartan Speaks.