Career & College Prep: Tips To Improve Your Focus In Online School

Published January 5, 2024

Maintaining Your Focus As An Online Student Requires Different Methods

By Maggie Torres, Student Advisor

Distractions are everywhere. In a traditional school, you may be distracted by your phone or your friends, or perhaps, the distraction is as simple as the clock on the wall. But, for students attending school online, the distractions may be doubled; they seem to be everywhere.

From personal experience, I know that it can be tempting to use your phone or watch television, as an online student. That’s why I am going to provide some helpful tips and tricks for staying focused during your time as a student at an online school.

The first tip I’d recommend is to have a designated spot for your learning. For me, having a designated location to work gets me motivated, and it lets me keep focus on the task at hand. My next suggestion is to make sure your school space stays clean. For a maximalist, like me, this is very hard. I enjoy having a million different pens, plants, and candles on my desk. But, at the end of the day, having every square of your workspace filled up can lead to distraction. The best way to keep your desk clean is to make sure you have all the supplies necessary for the day, then add your choice of minimal decorations.

The next piece of advice is to have a pre-determined schedule. It doesn’t have to be on a big calendar. It can be on an index note or a sticky note, as long as it is visible and keeps you on task and on time. I, personally, like to have all my assignments done by 3 pm each weekday. This allows me to separate my actual life from school life. And, having deadlines has kept me on track throughout the day. I know it may seem odd that a schedule can give me that powerful of a focus, but give it a shot! It may just help you.

My last tip is a big one: turn off your phone. I know being at an online school, socialization is one of the most important things. But, your friends will be there after class. Trust me, I fell into a bad habit of being on my phone during class, and I got so distracted that I didn’t feel like I was learning anything! You can set timers on your phone as another option, or if you’re strong enough, just turn the phone off all together. It really is better that way. I like to keep my phone on the other side of the room, where I can’t easily grab it. This helps me forget that it’s there, and it helps me to naturally focus more on schoolwork.

I certainly can’t advise everyone, so I’ll leave you with this: recognize your own worst distractions. Once you know where your weak spots are, then you can test out different methods to eliminate them.