Say Bye Bye to distractions breaking your train of thought.
One of the biggest things for us to work around as students is the constant possibility that we may be interrupted. The phone, the door, the kids, family, our work and even things we are looking forward to.
But when it comes time to really learn our classes the last thing we need is to be distracted. When we’re distracted our minds cannot absorb, or process information effectively. Instead we only partially learn and our grades reflect this.
In my experience one of the biggest interruptions is distraction, whether this is thoughts running through our minds, or physical things keeping us from getting the best grades we can.

One of the best ways I could see that I was distracted was to look at my grades. Unfortunately I didn’t always realize just how distracted I was and how many interruptions I’d allowed in my life until I saw my transcript for the semester.
For many it’s the middle of a semester, there are so many things on our minds that when we do sit down to focus on the next project or the next quiz, we find ourselves wishing that it was over and we could do anything else. I’m not a fan of housework, and the funny thing is that during the times I’m most distracted I even found ways to think about or want to do extra housework. Ugh!!

So what did I do and how can you stop distractions cold, so you can make sure that your mind is sharp and ready to study during the times you’ve set aside to study?

1. First Use your strengths… during many parts of the day we find that we need to manage a number of things at once, and often we’ll delegate certain responsibilities to others. Well apply the same principle during your dedicated study time. If you have kids put one in charge while your studying, tell him or her that this is time that you cannot be interrupted and that they must help you, by making sure that you’re not interrupted.

2. Second turn the volume on your phone off, and leave a message letting callers know that you’re studying and will return calls when you’re done. If you’re expecting important news on your e-mail, be sure to send a short e-mail with a similar message.
Important Time Management Tip: If there are some e-mails that you have to respond to, do this in a set block of time send as many e-mails with similar messages; copy and paste e-mails that you can send with similar content, and change small bits of information to customize it to each individual.

3. Third, share your schedule with others let family and friends know when you’ve set aside time for study and let them know that you’ll be unavailable during these times, and when you will be available.

4. Fourth divide up your day and the responsibilities that you need to do into categories, I hate dealing with unpleasant things or conflict, so one thing I’ll do to keep myself from being distracted is to take notes on what it is that I need to do or say ahead of time, then I put it out of my mind by focusing on other things.

And… I deal with anything uncomfortable early in the day, this way it is not at the forefront of my mind the rest of the day thus I’m free to focus on things which are more important.

5. Fifth determine not to procrastinate, Yes this is the easiest thing to do especially when you have so many things to focus on as a student. However, one of the best ways to distract yourself and not do well in college is to procrastinate and then all your deadlines hit at once and it’s almost impossible to keep from being distracted, and interrupted.

6. Six plan for interruptions to happen anyway, but make sure you have a game plan, a response to address the interruption as quickly as possible and get back to your studies.

7. Seventh, and MOST importantly keep your mind sharp, when your mind is sharp then dealing with everything else mentioned is doable. I’ve found that one of the best ways to do this is to play games. There are games online or games you take with you. Games are one of the best ways to have fun and keep your mind sharp so that when distractions or interruptions come up you can quickly think through them and get back to your studies. Plus a sharper mind helps you work more quickly through your homework giving yourself a gift of more time.
Now what would you do with more time?

I don’t always have my computer handy so I grab my DS Light on the way out the door. I love this because it has great games to keep your mind sharp on a variety of subjects and all I need to do is spend a few minutes on the games. So I stick it in my purse and when I’m waiting for my food at a restaurant, or sitting having my favorite cup of coffee or whatever; I have the perfect way to keep my mental capacity sharp and ready for anything.  I’m not one who plays video games too often so when my husband decided to get this for me he wanted to make sure that it could have games on it for those of us who don’t spend a lot of time gaming. It’s fantastic! I love having something I can use that doesn’t require that I learn a whole new set of skills. I feel so clumsy with the new controllers on Xbox360, or etc. the buttons all do so many thing and have so many combination features that I honestly feel lost.

They are so fun, you can keep your mind sharp with anything from quick math games, to music to words to sports games, memory, and so much more. I love it.
If you don’t have one I did find one on Amazon for you check this out.
Nintendo DSI, has all the latest perks, not only does it play games and allow you to share this with others but it also has a great built in camera, which allows you to customize pictures in seconds, and you can access the internet as well.

I

f you’re looking for one without all the extras the DS Lite has all the benefits of a DS without the camera or internet capability.

Or if your kids have a DS or DSI already, grab a copy of these brain games to boost your mind.

If you’re in front of the computer then here’s a great site to visit to keep your mind sharp. Here is a list of games I’ve found intriguing for mind development… oh and their fun too. There is an excellent site dedicated to helping you keep your mind sharp and ready for thinking it’s http://playwithyourmind.com/

Grab your mouse and click on the one which looks the most fun for you and then click on one where you know you need a bit of work. This way you will have a great way to have immediate success in something you are already good at, and then progress to one which you will get better at.

GridLogic in Logic Games
Wording in Word Games
Zirch in Search Games
MahNumbles in Math Games
Broken Mouse in Mouse Games

BrainBall, an IQ Test
WordBall, a word puzzle
Typing Test, a typing sport

Discover more ways to keep your mind sharp with these links.

Mind Games

• Word Games
• Logic Games
• Typing Games
• Math Games
• Search Games
• Memory Games
• Mouse Games
• Card Games
• Spatial Games
• Miscellaneous Games

Brain Fitness Games

• Memory
• Eye-Hand Coordination
• Visual-Spatial
• Problem Solving
• Attention & Focus
• Processing Numbers

Puzzles/Brainteasers

• Word Tease
• Blankout
• Word Toggle
• Word Grid

Be sure to share these excellent resources with others who would like to break free from distractions or sharpen their minds, please re-tweet, Digg, and let me know what you think.

Sophie

P.S. Don’t forget to grab a free copy of your thank you gift.

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