We’ve all been there.
You’ve got a math assignment that you need to submit tomorrow. Actually, you were handed it a week ago, but upon skimming it you decided, “This won’t take long, I’ll leave it until the day before submission!” and went back to binging YouTube. Well, it’s now or never, or your teacher will tell you off in front of your parents in the upcoming PTM, like last time. So, let’s get to it! The derivative of 6x³-2x²+3 is…
Ping!
It’s a notification! You hastily scramble to check it, and wow, Dream just posted a response to his speed run allegations! It’s not that long; you’ll just watch it and then get back to work!
Several hours pass, and upon emerging from the rabbit hole of Minecraft videos you realize, with a sinking feeling in your stomach, that it’s too late for the assignment. In fact, it’s 3 AM and you’ve got to submit it in some hours. The situation is hopeless, and you wail in your mind, “Oh social media, why must you do this to me?”
Distractions! Oh, what a horror they’ve been for the average student. A survey from the University of Waterloo says that 49% of their students were easily distracted by technology during lectures. If university students, being grown adults, can’t keep themselves from whipping out their phones, how can bored teenagers do so?
The emergence of mobile phones may have been a massive boon to mankind, but it has also produced a dip in average concentration. Engrossing yourselves in surfing the web has become irresistible to the youth of today. It’s not really a poor habit, but there’s a proper time for it. Instead, we succumb ourselves to its cajoling whispers and dearly pay the price for it when examinations are upon our heads.
So enough whining about how they’re the shackles from obtaining those dream grades. Can we fix this dilemma, or are we doomed? I set out to complete this quest of knowledge, facing the terrifying Hydra of distractions on my journey: the India – Australia Tests, Sri Lanka – South Africa Tests, and most ominously the Pakistan New Zealand Tests. But I slew the beast and achieved the information I required, and yes, it’s possible!
Firstly, isolate yourself from the world. Get some headphones on and play a good album, but not something with conversations, as they’ll distract you. If you’re not a music guy, just find a quiet place. If the work needs more than a day, chop it up into daily objectives. Moreover, a golden point is to keep the timeframe for each day as small as possible; indeed, the desperation to complete it in time will automatically eliminate distractions. And to finish off, give yourself breaks. Believe me; you’ll get more work done in two 45 minute periods with a 30-minute break in between than one 2 hour period because you won’t be distracted as much.
That’s all the advice I can give! They’ve worked for me, so I hope that this works for whoever reads this. Of course, every person can’t follow one formula, so do experiment with ways to keep yourself focused on a task.
By Shaheer Abbas
