There are dozens of social media sites: Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest and more. In a report issued by the Social Affairs Division of the Library of Parliament, over 80% of Canadian young adults use social media, and numbers from the US are no different, according to the Pew Research Centre.

You, may be in either the majority or the minority—but during exam weeks, make sure you are in the minority. I’m not suggesting you should delete your social media accounts, but avoiding them as much as possible during exam time may be in your best interest.

Social media is an unnecessary distraction. Even if you intend to just spend ten minutes on Facebook as a break from studying, don’t! That ten minutes will turn into an hour. It’s so easy to lose track of time when you’re scrolling through posts, liking someone’s baby pictures, responding to people who commented on your picture of your morning latte, etc.

Given the negative impact social media use may have on your studying productivity, here are some strategies to avoid it:

1. Uninstall social media apps
Apps are so convenient. They remember your username and password so all it takes is one tap on a familiar icon and you’re logged on. Eliminate the temptation by uninstalling your frequently used social media apps. You can always reinstall them after exams.

2. Use website blockers
Uninstalling apps does not eliminate your access to these sites on browsers. This is where website blockers come in. For example, StayFocused is a Chrome extension that allows you to block specific websites—or set a specific amount of time to access it. Once you have used up your daily time, you will not be able to access the site until the next day. There are similar programs that you can try out.

3. Ask a friend or family member to change your password
An alternative strategy is to give a close friend or family member your password, ask them to change it, and tell them to give you the new password after your exams. Make sure this is someone you trust!

Final exams are coming up. Depending on the course, how well you do on these exams may determine whether you pass or fail the course. If you have difficulty focusing on your studying, eliminate as many distractions as you can. The above strategies will help you eliminate the frequent distraction of social media- your test scores will thank you for it!

References:

1. http://www.lop.parl.gc.ca/content/lop/ResearchPublications/2010-05-e.htm
2. http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/10/08/social-networking-usage-2005-2015/
3. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/stayfocusd/laankejkbhbdhmipfmgcngdelahlfoji?hl=en