The secret to life is finding the right balance in everything that you do and a thing to remember is, balance is not something that you find but something that you create. In today’s day and age, it is impossible to think of life without social media, ever since Mark Zuckerberg shifted the whole social experience online, now it’s impossible to live without an online avatar.
It is very easy to get caught up in social media easily and lose grasp on what is really important. Being an Instagram model and influencer might seem like a cool idea but sustaining over the year might be harder than a 9 to 5 job.
As a student at any level, you might open your phone just to take a look at the message shared by your class monitor and boom from WhatsApp you went to Facebook then to X (formerly ‘Twitter’) then to Instagram and congratulations you just lost 40 minutes.
Well, are you looking for ways and techniques to strike balance between social media then stick around. In this blog we will go over these in great detail. So, let’s get started;
Table of Contents
- 1 How Excessive Social Media Use Affects Studying?
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2 How Can You Strike a Balance Between Social Media & Studying?
- 2.1 Define your Study Goals and Objectives
- 2.2 Create a Study Schedule
- 2.3 Allocate Specific Time Blocks for Social Media
- 2.4 Use Social Media as a Reward
- 2.5 Limit Social Media During Study Sessions
- 2.6 Use Techniques Like the ‘Pomodoro’ Method
- 2.7 Prioritize Important Tasks
- 2.8 Use Social Media for Educational Purposes
- 2.9 Offline Study and Distraction-Free Time
- 2.10 Engage in Physical Activities
- 2.11 Monitor Your Progress
- 2.12 Practice Self-Care
- 3 Concluding Remarks
- 4 FAQ’s
Excess of anything is bad. Excessive social media leads to reduced focus, sleep disruption, procrastination and consistent distraction which have an adverse effect on studies and academic performance.
In the text below we will discuss in detail the ways in which we can overcome these negative effects and strike a healthy balance between social media and studying.
Define your Study Goals and Objectives
One of the most important things while studying is to define goals and objectives. Set a target that in the next 2 hours you have to complete the whole chapter with the exercise. During this time do not interact with anyone personally or on social media. The things you cannot understand note them aside to ask them later.
Create a Study Schedule
Creating a study schedule is essential to strike a healthy balance between social media and studies. Having a schedule helps to keep you in check and develop a habit and mindset of studying. Do not go all commando taking no breaks in between at all. Take small breaks to cool off, drink water, relax your mind and check out necessary social media notifications.
Rather than peaking now and then when you cannot focus, take long breaks designated specially for social media. After 2 hours of study let’s say take a 30 minutes break with 20 minutes dedicated solely to social media usage.
One of the key tricks I often use during exam time is allowing myself to check on ‘X’ and Instagram only when I have reached a certain goal. For example, if I finish my goal for a day of 3 chapters only then I allow myself to scroll on social media freely.
It is hard to resist the notification bell or the vibrations of a smartphone as you have developed the habit of checking it out instantly. During study sessions make a point of blocking notifications from every app putting the phone on silent so that you only pick up the phone when extremely necessary. Set a limit that you can only check your phone only 3 times in 2hr study sessions.
Use Techniques Like the ‘Pomodoro’ Method
One of the things when we study for long periods is we get burnout, tired and exhausted very easily, to overcome this I was introduced to this technique called Pomodoro method by my roommate which is to pick a task, set 25 min timer, work until, then take a 5 min break, after 4 consecutive Pomodoros, take a longer 30 min break. This way one doesn’t get burned out and exhausted while studying.
Prioritize Important Tasks
When you are studying, identify the most significant task which helps you gain your set goals and objectives. Rank the task from most important to least. Allocate the time to each task. Be flexible if a certain task is taking more time and is much more difficult than you anticipated then do not waste more time on it and go to the next task.
Social media can be used as an educational tool rather than seen as something you need to get rid of. Subscribe to educational YouTube channels, follow pages and join groups on Facebook which can be helpful in solving and understanding difficult tasks.
Share your queries in your class WhatsApp group to see if anyone has already solved it rather than wasting time on it yourself. When on every platform you would have followed educational content, it would create a conducive learning environment.
Offline Study and Distraction-Free Time
One of the best ways to study is to disconnect from the internet. If you are at the place where you find some issues rather than rushing towards the internet, note the things down and research it later.
If there is a critical point which is necessary to learn to move forward then after understanding the topic immediately close the internet. In study schedule time for study should be such where you are not obliged to do anything else.
Engage in Physical Activities
You might think engaging in physical activities is a waste of time but you cannot turn into a book warm and sit in the same posture for a long time. Make a habit of doing physical activity like Pushups or playing Table Tennis. It will help you refresh yourself and focus better on your studies.
Monitor Your Progress
Sometimes while studying I often lose the track of time and end up spending extra time on a single chapter or topic which makes me nervous to finish the whole assignment, homework or syllabus. Always carry a clock to monitor your progress set alarms to keep in check with the schedules.
Practice Self-Care
Health is wealth. Without good health you cannot either study or enjoy social media. Both studies and social media can become highly competitive places rather than opportunities to learn and grow. It is important to practice self-care and take care of yourself both physically and mentally.
Concluding Remarks
To sum up, balance is not something you find or come across but rather something you create. Excessive social media usage leads to reduced focus, sleep disruption and procrastination which has bad effects on academics and students’ health.
To strike a healthy balance between the studies and social media, develop a study schedule, set study goals and objectives, block all social media app notifications, allocate social media specific breaks, use social media as a reward or educational tool and apply techniques like the Pomodoro method. So, best of luck and thanks for reading!
FAQ’s
Excessive use of social media affects academic performance poorly as it leads to reduced focus, sleep disruption and procrastination but it can also be used to study effectively.
Social media leads to increased risk for depression, loneliness, self-harm, anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts.
Set alarms, generate a social media schedule, keep the notifications of social media apps blocked and make sure to keep your phone out of reach so you only pick it up for a call.
How can I stop my mobile addiction while studying?
Keep the phone away, disconnect it from the internet, make a study schedule, block all social media apps notifications and apply techniques like the Pomodoro method to strike a healthy balance.
How can I focus 100% on studying?
If you want to focus 100% on the studies then prefer to do offline study in a distraction free zone only pick up the phone when absolutely necessary. Take breaks in between you do not burn out yourself.
