The addictive nature of social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram comes from the infinite scroll ability whereby you watch endless videos without a definite stopping point.
The personalized algorithm lines up everything you love, so the following video is always better than the previous one, and you might find yourself scrolling through your device for hours.
It's even more complicated if you are studying online since you will be on your phone and laptop most of the time.
It can be detrimental to your academics as it can reduce your focus or make you procrastinate doing assignments.
Your performance will decrease, and you might need to delegate your schoolwork to a reliable essay writing service to save your grades.
Fortunately, there are various ways you can limit your social media use when studying to boost productivity. Here are some effective methods:Â
Turn Off Notifications
A notification that your favorite content creator is going live or has posted a video can be distracting since you will be curious to know what they are up to, immediately diverting your attention. A glance at one notification might result in a prolonged period of scrolling through your device, reading and replying to comments and messages.
Without the notifications, you will be less tempted to open applications, as the notifications often create a sense of urgency. Therefore, the first step to minimizing distraction is turning off notifications so that you do not have to keep checking the updates. The best way to avoid such notifications is to put your device in "do not disturb" mode until you are done with your study session.
Be Aware of Your Triggers
Scrolling through social sites can become a hard-to-break habit. Therefore, you need to be more aware of the situations or emotions that often push you to use social media. For example, if you tend to log into social sites when bored or stressed, you can replace this habit by finding healthier distractions like strolling or meditation. Managing your usage of social media makes it easier to focus on your studies without getting distracted since you will understand how to manage the urge to scroll through your phone.
Have an Accountability Partner
Having an accountability partner will help you stay grounded since they will keep you in check and help you achieve your goals. An accountability partner can be your virtual study partner, roommate, or classmate. They can politely call you out when they see you scrolling on your phone during your study session. Doing a virtual study session with a partner will minimize distractions, and you can encourage each other to keep going. Further, it is best to share your goals with your accountability partner so that they can help keep you on course.
Log Out
Sometimes, we keep checking our social media accounts since they are easily accessible with just a click, and we are going through our favorite videos. If you still struggle to keep off social media, you can take drastic measures such as temporarily deactivating your account. One glance at your social media account can quickly turn to endless scrolling; disabling or logging out of your account will help you prevent mindless scrolling. Moreover, without the frequent lure of notifications, you can focus more on your studies. Even when you are not studying, you should practice logging off your accounts frequently to break the addictive cycle. Staying away from your phone helps you find other healthier habits that can promote productivity.
Create a Study Space
Creating a study space free from distractions is among the best ways to enhance concentration. Therefore, you need to create a designated space only meant for studying. You should leave gadgets such as your phone or tablet out of the study space for better discipline. Having a study area keeps you psychologically ready to study, so getting into study mode and avoiding distractions such as scrolling through your phone is easy.
Use Focus-Enhancing Applications
If you are struggling with breaking the social media dopamine cycle, you can use focus-enhancing applications to avoid social media distractions and enhance a more productive environment. These applications have features that can help you focus more on your studies, and they include the following:
- App blockers allow you to block access to your social media accounts.
- Time limits that block your access after you exceed your set screen time.
- Reward systems reward you if you stay away from social media, and they also penalize distractions.
- Productivity analytics.
These tools are meant to help you stay focused by managing your distractions and tracking your productivity. They make it much easier to resist the pull of social media during your study time.
Manage Your Time
Effective time management helps you create a structure and purpose for your day. When you have daily priorities or a routine to follow, you will find yourself focusing on attaining your daily targets instead of scrolling on your phone. Having clear goals you need to achieve within a specific time diverts your mind into focusing on completing the tasks, reducing the likelihood of procrastination or social media distraction.
Proper time management ensures you have dedicated work time and structured breaks where you can scroll on your phone instead of spending hours on it. Most importantly, good time management enhances a balanced lifestyle. When you know you have time for both social media and your academics, you will not have the urge to scroll through social media during your study time.
End Note
Social media applications usually tap into your brain reward system through variable rewards, whereby some videos will be thrilling, others may not be that outstanding, but you never know what to expect. Such unpredictability triggers dopamine release, which keeps you waiting to scroll down to discover what is next. Further, the likes, shares, and comments are a validation loop that makes social media feel rewarding, and each interaction draws you more into staying longer on the application. Therefore, it's best to find ways to stay off social media to break the addictive cycle. You can minimize social media distractions when studying in several ways, from proper time management to turning off your notifications and finding an accountability partner.