Today is my first official day of class!! So far, Welcome Week has been the most amazing experience. I’ve met so many people, participated in a bunch of activities, and have made a ton of new friends! In honor of me starting class today, I wanted to discuss a topic slightly more academic than usual – how to be a more productive student.
I am definitely one of the most easily distracted people on the planet – my parents call it “Bright Shiny Object Disorder” (BSOD). I believe my easily distractedness is part of my free-spirit behavior and curiosity, but this trait can also be a big obstacle for me. I’ve always felt like my homework a took me twice as long to do as it should and I could never figure out why until sophomore year when I realized how much time I spent surfing the internet instead of using my computer for homework. (Honestly, I’ve probably gotten distracted 5 times just trying to write this blog post.)
Soon after I realized my computer problem, I stumbled upon the app SelfControl. I swear I’m not exaggerating when I say this is the single-handedly most beneficial online study aid I’ve come across. It works like a timer. You can set it for anywhere from 15 minutes to 24 hours and for the duration of that time, certain websites you choose will be blocked from your computer. You can add or remove websites by selecting “Edit Blacklist.” The catch though is that once you set the timer, your blacklist is essentially locked, so you can’t edit it for however long you selected.
My main use for the app is to time my studying. I can’t sit and study straight for hours on end, so I usually set the timer for one hour and when the one hour is up I will give myself a twenty-ish minute break to either walk around, get a snack, or browse social media.
If you’re getting ready to start a new school year, I can not recommend this app more. I promise you will be so grateful you downloaded the app when you feel your productivity increasing and see your grades go up!
Have you ever used SelfControl?
