As a freshman, I have found that staying focused has really been my biggest hurdle with starting college. I was so determined to get involved on campus, I signed up for almost every club and activity, and I just applied for a work-study. While all of that is great, my priority is really my education, and I can’t afford to get distracted in class or while doing homework. Below are my technology tips for staying focused and organized in college.

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1.      Remove your phone from your work environment. If you get distracted with your phone in class, leave it in your locker, dorm, or simply shut it off and bury it in your bag. If you’re trying to do homework, it may help to leave your phone in a specific place (where you can find it later) out of sight so you don’t feel tempted to scroll on Instagram every time you look over and see it sitting on your desk. You could even ask a friend to hold onto it for you until you get your homework done.

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2.      Organize your devices. If you use a laptop or tablet for school, it really helps to put games in a separate folder, where they aren’t visible when you are trying to work. You can even use separate browsers for school stuff and personal stuff, which is especially helpful if you like to shop online. Keeping tabs and bookmarks separate can really help you focus by limiting distractions.

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3.      Use a planner. It doesn’t matter if you use a notebook-style planner, or an app on your computer; a planner is really the best way to manage your time effectively. I have a spiral notebook planner that I use to keep track of my homework for device-free classes (where the professor does not allow laptops or tablets). I usually choose a color for each subject and use a pen in that color ink to write in my planner, so I can skip listing the course title every time I write down an assignment. If you would rather use a laptop, the Agenda app is amazing for making lists and organizing assignments.

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4.      Organize your time. If you work better on a schedule, it may be helpful to designate each assignment with the amount of time it will take to complete. The calendar app on your phone can be used to block off minutes or hours of your day for certain assignments and make a study plan for the semester. If you want to study chemistry flashcards for an hour every Tuesday but know you are likely to forget, set an alarm on your phone that goes off whenever you want to start studying and make a second alarm to tell you when to stop.

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5.      Use music to your advantage. Some people work much better with music, while others find it extremely distracting. Find out which group you fall into, then use it to your advantage. If you’re someone who needs absolute silence to study, make sure you are in a quiet place before you start working. You can sign out a study room at Nash Library if you’re hard-pressed for somewhere peaceful to do homework. If you work better with music, I suggest something without words because your mind can start picking up on what the song is about, instead of the assignment you are trying to complete. As it turns out, video game music can help you focus and work faster, so try that out the next time you procrastinate a project until the night before it’s due.

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