- Put your phone away when you don’t need it for study purposes
- Use One Goal: Locked In to block distracting apps
- Schedule breaks before you start the learning session
- Be aware of the moments when you are procrastinating
- Overcome task paralysis by starting small
If you’re trying to figure out how to study for long hours without getting distracted, it means that whatever you did until now didn’t work. But no worries, because the problem is not the lack of discipline. This is a common misunderstanding. In this article, I’ll teach you how to gain back control.
Willpower Is Not the Problem
Nowadays, apps are similar to slot machines. They know how to keep you hooked. Once you open the feed, you never know what may appear next, so you keep swiping. This mix of high and low quality content makes you want to come for more, to find the next dose of dopamine.
Self-control is no longer an option because there is no room for willpower when an entire industry has been built around keeping you hooked.
However, there are significant risks associated with staying on social media for too long. This study, made by the American Psychological Association on nearly 100,000 people, reveals that short-form video use leads to:
- lower attention,
- generate less impulse control,
- weaken working memory.
They are all results of overstimulation and can be fixed.
The Risks of a 5-minute Break
One of the most tempting things to do after you study for a long period of time is to reward yourself with a quick scroll. You tell yourself 5 minutes, but the costs are much higher.
This happens because when you switch from one task to another, part of your mind is still on the task left behind. This is called attention residue, and it was identified by the researcher Sophie Leroy.
When you get that 5-minute scroll, you pack your brain with dozens of clips and useless information that your brain still needs to process after you finish scrolling. So for the next 10 to 15 minutes, you try to get your focus back, and this alters the quality of work you do in between.
No matter how disciplined you are, there are never just 5 minutes of scrolling.
Procrastination Disguised as Work
Putting your phone away is not always the best solution. There are cases when you sit down to study, but end up doing other things that seem urgent or related to learning. The most common ones are:
- color-coding the notes,
- reorganizing the calendar,
- rethinking your study techniques.
They all seem helpful, but are procrastination in disguise. You are actually avoiding learning.
There is one way you can test whether you are procrastinating or not: If the activity you are doing can be replaced by reading the study material, it is procrastination.
How to Avoid Task Paralysis
Most people think that the hardest thing to do is to finish a task. However, the most difficult thing to do is to start it and not lose yourself in between.
You can overcome the task paralysis by promising yourself to open the book and read one paragraph. Once you do it, you will most probably move to the next paragraph, and then the next one, and slowly build your motivation.
Build Your Study Habit
The goal of learning how to study for long hours without getting distracted is to gain back your control. Here’s a clear path to do it.
Put distance between you and your phone when possible. The ideal study room should have no phone in it. This prevents you from grabbing it out of habit.
When you need your phone for study purposes, use our app, One Goal: Locked in. You can use it to block the apps that steal your focus and allow access only to the ones that are required for your study session.
Schedule your breaks in advance. Break your study sessions into manageable chunks. Pick between the following for the pause: a short walk outside, a glass of water, or stretching.
With this habit in place, you will no longer need to wonder how to study for long hours without getting distracted. Good luck!