Being a millennial makes life difficult in so many ways. And when it comes to using our phones, we are the worst. Students are constantly on their phones during lectures, discussions, conversations and even night outs — we just can’t stop! It’s even worse when we’re at the library or at home trying to study. The tendency to press the home button to “just check and see” if anything exciting comes up has become so automatic. Before you know it, you’ve wasted 30 minutes on the discover page on Instagram. So, here are a few tips you can implement in your daily study routine to avoid using your phone (I could take some of my own advice too…).
1. Turn your phone off
Okay, this one might be a little ambitious, but it’s definitely worth a shot. If you turn off your phone and your “messages” on your laptop, you’ll have less instant distractions and can try to avoid texting and social media.
2. Place your phone upside down or out of sight
I do this ALL the time, even when I’m not studying, since it keeps my phone screen outside of my peripherals. I find myself super distracted when I don’t face my phone upside down because I’m just subconsciously waiting for something to pop up. Half the time, I end up waiting for texts that take hours to come.
3. Put your phone in another room or in your backpack
I have to do this whenever I need to be productive. I do give myself a quick little break in 30-minute intervals, though (OK … it tends to be 10-minute intervals usually, but theoretically, I would love if I could do this). Any time interval could help — whatever you need for your attention span!
4. Don’t bring your phone with you at all
This might be another far-out-there one, but I’ve heard this helps. Obviously, bring your phone with you if you’re studying till late at night; but you could easily do this if you’re studying during the day. You won’t have any distractions — you won’t even have the choice to have distractions!
Try putting your phone down, and do what you’re at school for — homework! Any of these strategies could be beneficial to your routine. Hopefully, they will get you off your phone!