With students spending more time on their devices than ever before, technology distractions have become a growing issue.

Last week we talked about the first step to reducing technology distractions, by learning to manage the internal triggers that are driving them to get distracted in the first place.

But even if students want to stay focused, it’s hard to avoid getting pulled off task when the devices they’re working on are constantly distracting them!

The reality is that our devices aren’t set up to encourage focused work or productivity. If anything, they’re designed to do the opposite.

But there are ways that students can level the playing field, and take back control of their time and attention by making a few simple changes to the way they’re using their devices. 

Here are some strategies that can help…

Strategy 1: Eliminate potential distractions

Research has shown that the people who have the greatest self-control don’t rely on heroic amounts of willpower. Instead, they intentionally remove potential temptations from their environment. 

That’s why people who are on a diet often try to avoid keeping snack foods and desserts at home…because they know that if those foods are around, they’re eventually going to give in to temptation and eat the entire box.

Students can take a similar approach to manage technology distractions, by eliminating tech distractions from their environment so they’re less tempted to get distracted in the first place.

Some examples of ways to eliminate tech distractions are…

• Charge your phone in a different room at night so it doesn’t distract you from sleeping
• Reduce visual distractions by putting your phone somewhere out of sight while you’re working
• Put your phone on silent or turn on airplane mode while you’re focusing so incoming calls and texts don’t distract you
• Turn off all non-essential push notifications on your phone and computer (in your phone’s settings menu) so you aren’t interrupted by things you don’t care about
• Block or unsubscribe from ‘spam’ or promotional text messages
• Close or hide all non-essential computer apps and browser tabs, so that you’re only looking at the ONE thing you’re actively working on right now (you can use a browser extension like OneTab for Chrome to close any tabs you aren’t using and save them for later)
• Close messaging apps or mark yourself as invisible/away so friends and classmates know you’re not available right now
• Use an extension like DF Tube to stop related or suggested videos from showing up in your sidebar on YouTube
• Install an extension like Momentum for Chrome that eliminates distracting website links when you open a new browser tab and reminds you what you are supposed to be focusing on 
• Use a full-screen distraction-free writing tool like OmmWriter to hide everything on your screen except the text you are writing

Strategy 2: Make distractions inconvenient

We’re also less likely to give in to temptations when they’re more difficult or inconvenient to access. 

To continue with the dieting example, if people want to avoid eating certain foods but can’t eliminate them entirely, they’ll often put them in an inconvenient or out-of-the-way place…like the top shelf of the pantry, or the back of the freezer. In this scenario, it’s still possible to access these temptations, but they’re easier to resist because they’re not visible all the time and getting them out takes an annoyingly large amount of effort.

You can take a similar approach to managing technology distractions by making potential distractions more difficult and inconvenient to access. The more energy and effort it takes to get distracted from your work, the easier it will be to stay focused and resist the temptation to get pulled off track. 

Some examples of ways to make tech distractions more difficult or inconvenient to access are…

• Put your phone in a lockbox during times when you need to focus
• Remove shortcuts like facial recognition or touch ID to open your phone, and replace them with a long passcode you have to type in manually (make sure it’s one you’ll remember!)
• Delete the most addictive apps from your phone, so you have to re-download them anytime you want to use them
• Move the most addictive apps from your phone’s home screen to a folder, so it takes more time and effort to access them (consider labeling the folder with a negative name like “time wasters” to make it seem less appealing)
• Consider using an extension like StayFocused or Block Site that blocks access to distracting websites. Students can create a list of sites to block during study time and save until their work is completed
• Use an extension like delayed gratification or mindful internet use that encourages you to pause and reflect before displaying distracting websites
• Sign out of social media accounts on your phone and computer after you’re finished checking them, so you have to sign in again next time (this makes it way less tempting to just “hop on” for a moment or two!)
• Remove bookmarks from your internet browser to websites that are not needed for schoolwork, or use a different browser for schoolwork that doesn’t have any distracting bookmarks on it
• Reduce automaticity by turning off “auto-play” on Netflix and YouTube so it doesn’t skip to the next video automatically
• Disable any keyboard shortcuts you’re using to access distracting apps or games, and remove them from your desktop or menu bar so they take more effort to access

Strategy 3: Create more awareness

Once you’ve decided which strategies from the list above you’d like to try, you can build awareness of how well they’re working by tracking your tech habits to see how, when, and why you’re actually using your devices on a day-to-day basis. 

This is similar to how dieters will often keep a nutrition journal, writing down everything they eat throughout the day to help them pay more attention to their choices and make more conscious decisions about their nutrition.

You can take a similar approach to managing technology distractions by using strategies like these to build more awareness about how you are using your devices…

• Create clearly defined “bright line rules” for how you want (and don’t want) to use your devices during the day
• Consider using your phone’s Screen Time or Digital Wellbeing statistics to create more awareness of how often you’re using your phone.
• Use a program like RescueTime to increase your awareness of how much time you’re spending on distracting computer apps and websites
• Say out loud why you want to use your phone each time you pick it up. (for example, “I’m checking the weather because I’m going on a walk soon”) You might be surprised how many times you say, “I’m not sure WHY I picked up my phone, actually…” 
• Make a game out of your technology habits with an app like Flora
• Use the Seinfeld strategy or other types of habit tracking to build awareness of how well you are following through with your plan to stay off your devices

Final Thoughts

As coaches, our goal in sharing these tools isn’t to make students spend less time on their phones, or force them to use distraction-blocking apps when they’re studying.

It’s to help students realize that there ARE tools out there that can give them the power to set up their devices in a way that works for them.

If we approach it in the right way, reducing tech distractions can be a really empowering process that can help students do so much more than just improve their grades!

For all of us (adults included!), learning to manage technology effectively can help to increase our level of self-awareness, improve our ability to cope with difficult emotions, and inspire us to make more intentional choices about our values in life and how we really want to spend our time…instead of letting life happen to us, and then wondering where it went.

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About The Author

Dr. Maggie Wray is a certified ADHD Coach & Academic Life Coach with a Ph.D. in Neurobiology and Behavior from Cornell and a Bachelor’s degree in Astrophysics from Princeton. She founded Creating Positive Futures in 2012 to help high school and college students learn how to earn better grades with less stress. Her team of dedicated coaches is on a mission to empower students to develop the mindset, organization, time management, and study skills they need to achieve their goals.