Study habits to avoid - #1

Multi-tasking

Flicking between your homework and Facebook, or watching TV while you study makes you feel more relaxed, and hey, everyone does it it's not that big a problem!

Research has shown time and time again that students that flick between Facebook or their phone and their homework don’t learn as well as those that don’t. Homework also takes a lot longer, leaving you with less time to do what you actually want to do. Interestingly enough, research has also shown over and over that students think they can multitask without reducing the quality of their work.

The easiest way to think about it is that every time you switch task (say from your assignment to Facebook) your brain has to switch gears – it has to stop thinking about your assignment and start thinking about Facebook, this takes a tiny bit of time, but it has to happen. It also takes another tiny bit of time for your brain to remember what you had been reading of Facebook before homework interrupted. Your brain is also likely to forget a few things you learned on Facebook last time you were looking at it. The same thing happens when you switch back to your homework again – only this time your brain is probably not as engaged in what you are doing, so it takes a bit longer, and the amount you potentially forget and then have to remember anew is greater and takes more time to get back. The more you switch, the more these bits of time an effort add up. The more time it takes to complete the homework, and the crappier the job you end up doing.

If you really feel you can’t study without periodically checking your phone or social media, give yourself realistic guidelines – maybe give yourself a 5 minute (timed!) break every 30 minutes, or, better yet, a 10 minute break every hour. This will give you more time to get into “the zone” for maximum study efficiency.

For more information try reading this:

New South Wales Government. (2016). Can kids really do their homework and multi-task? Retrieved June 20, 2016 from http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/technology/using-technology/homework-and-multitasking-can-it-be-done