Distractions are everywhere. Even as I sit here and write this I can hear music blaring in the background, people talking at the table beside me, phones ringing and buzzing and the ventilation system humming at a constant, yet irritating pace. It’s hard to ignore disruptions and even harder to avoid them.

Distractions are even more problematic when you are trying to focus in class or write an important paper or study for an exam. Constantly getting distracted can put you off balance and prevents you from attaining your goals.

Distractions come in many forms:

•   friends/ roommates
•   family
•   relationships (significant others)
•   sports/ extra-curricular activities
•   parties/ social life
•   work
•  day dreaming
•   technology (TV, phone, internet, social media, music, video games etc.)
•  poor/ insufficient diet and exercise
•   anxiety, depression, ADD etc.

All of these distractions can make it hard to focus. They can make you forget what you were doing, make you less ambitious and take up way too much time so you miss deadlines. The problem is most of these things are unavoidable. You can’t be expected to isolate yourself all of the time. You can’t ignore all technology, never work or participate in social activities and focus only on school. The thing is you don’t have to let them throw you completely off track. Balance and time management, are key.

Here are some strategies you can try if you find yourself getting distracted easily:

• If you are a day dreamer and trying to study at home try moving around while u study and repeat what you are reading out loud.
• If you have ADD or are just a fidgety person try doing so quietly so you don’t break your concentration or someone else’s. Squeeze a squishy stress ball or fiddle with a piece of string, anything to keep you occupied so you can better focus on the work that needs to get done.
• Schedule breaks so you have a chance to refresh. Set a timer so you make sure you don’t go past your allotted time.
•  Establish a time to hang with friends/ family/ significant others etc.
•  Disable pop up alerts on your phone, and turn the sound off, and only check voice mails, texts, social media and emails at certain times.
•   Disconnect from the Internet while you work.
•   Make sure to eat healthy meals and snacks a few times a day. Drink plenty of water. And get enough sleep and exercise. Good physical health will help you maintain better mental health.
•  Learn to say no. You can’t do everything, and that’s okay.
•   Give yourself a break. Make sure you leave time to do things you enjoy. That way you will be less likely to spend the entire time you are supposed to be studying dreaming of doing something else.

Remember distractions can get the best of any of us. So it’s important to develop a schedule and stick to it- you can do this!