5 Common Distractions When Studying Online

A lot of people today take advantage of studying online for various reasons. Apparently, it gives us more flexibility as you can sometimes take lessons according to your schedule. So even if you are working or parenting, you can still finish a degree. It is also more cost-efficient, and you do not have to allocate a budget for transportation or dormitories.

However, not being in a conventional classroom setup means you are more prone to having distractions. There are a lot, and we bet you can think of a thing or two right now. These can affect the quality of education you’d get from your online course. Hopefully, you are not just after the diploma or the certificate, but rather the genuine learning that you can apply in the future.  

In this article, we will share with you five of the most common distractions and how you can manage it. It is always a big help to identify the common interruptions when you study remotely or online. That way, we can easily acknowledge it as it happens. And at the same time, avoid these right away. 

Your Mobile Phone 

Your mobile phone, as little as it is, can be your biggest distraction when studying online. Since it’s literally handy, you can easily reach and use it whenever you want to. It’s not enough that you flip it over. The best solution is to put it in an area far from you. Don’t place it in your arm’s reach. 

Another thing you can do is to use the airplane mode in the meantime. If that’s too much for you, then you can at least put it on silent mode. You would be surprised how many things you can do without checking your phone from time to time. 

In addition, social media can be addicting. Once you scroll, it’s hard to stop. An effective way is to put it in another room or another floor, if possible. 

Notifications 

According to experts, notifications can also be a distraction. Think about your email notifications popping every time there’s a new message. Even if you plan to focus on your lessons, seeing these pop-ups can easily interrupt your train of thoughts. We recommend turning it off when you are taking your class or making your term papers and assignments. 

Noise 

Unless you have a soundproofed room, the noise will always be a problem when you study online. It could be the honking of cars, your sister talking on the phone, or children playing just outside your home. 

However, this doesn’t mean that you can minimize the noise in your environment. For one, you can choose a spot where there is less noise. It could be your room, your basement, or your attic. Or, if this is not possible, noise-canceling headphones are available. This is way cheaper than getting your room renovated. 

Also, you can use public libraries if there is no way that you can at least minimize the noise within your surroundings.  

Television Shows 

Most of us love to watch television shows as it is somehow our escape from reality. But, it could be one of the worst distractions when you study online. An approach we can do here is similar to what we shared about your mobile phones. Make sure that you are far from your television sets. And of course, do not have access to the remote control. Otherwise, staying away from your TV is useless. 

House Chores 

And for those who stay at home, house chores and other responsibilities can also stop you from fully understanding your lessons. But there is a practical solution for that.. 

What you need right now is to schedule your day properly. If there is no strict time that you have to go online for your classes, then it doesn’t really matter if you want to study in the morning or at night time. Just make sure to plot it when there are the least distractions. 

In case you have toddlers, we understand how challenging it is to study. You can’t stop them from running around, can you? In that case, their nap time should be an ideal slot to do some reading. Or maybe you can schedule all your errrands in the morning and focus on your subjects in the afternoon. Do what works for you.  

We are not saying that avoiding distractions is easy. This requires effort and discipline. But the good thing is that it isn’t impossible. You can find ways if you are motivated enough to finish your online studies.