Time and Attention Management: Attention Management

Do you feel that your time is stolen by distractions and other obstacles to the achievement of your goals?

The following activity invites you to think for a moment about your time stealers, and then think about solutions to avoid them.

You may notice that some are less obvious than others!

It is very important that you find a suitable environment for your study:

• Choose an appropriate study space. This should be from noise and social distractions.
• If you find you concentrate better with some background noises or music, however, see to that! You can also use ambiance apps such as Study ambiance, Coffitivity, Noisli.
• Minimise possible interruptions. For instance, you could set your laptop to 'flight mode', and turn-off or set your phone to silent. Use content blocker apps such as Forest, Flora, Cold Turkey.

Also consider the times of your day when you are more productive and be aware of your energy levels. For example, after a long day at university take a good break before undertaking a study session. 

Image credit: University of Westminster

Focusing on timed goals and objectives is an effective shield against distractions. Giving yourself a little "pressure" from mini-deadlines can stave off unproductive temptations.

Pomodoro Technique

With the Pomodoro Technique you use a timer to break down work into intervals, so-called pomodoros (traditionally 25 minutes in length, but this can vary according to your concentration preferences), separated by short breaks.

Focusing on tasks to be completed in a certain period of time helps you stay focussed and effective. The short breaks help you assimilate your learning, refresh, and provide an incentive to complete your tasks timely. After 3-4 pomodoros you earn a longer break (15-30 minutes). 

Steps to use the pomodoro technique:

1. Decide on the task to be done. This should be SMART task: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic. It will be automatically Timed, in the pomodoro.
2. Set the pomodoro timer (traditionally to 25 minutes).
3. Work on the task.
4. End work when the timer rings and put a checkmark on a piece of paper.
5. If you have fewer than four checkmarks, take a short break (3–5 minutes), then go to step 2.
6. After four pomodoros, take a longer break (15–30 minutes), reset your checkmark count to zero, then go to step 1.

Tip: There are many free 'pomodoro' apps and online timers available e.g. https://pomofocus.io/

Video: Pomodoro Technique

This short video clearly illustrates how to use the Pomodoro technique.

Link to Pomodoro Technique Short Video  

What you do during your studies will also influence your capacity to concentrate. For example, it may be hard to focus on and process a text if you merely read it from beginning to end. 

Try active study methods to make your study more effective. By "active", we mean, for example:

• Engaging the BRAIN (questioning the materials you are reading, linking and associating, taking notes, making mind maps, processing, elaborating, applying)

• Involving the BODY (writing, drawing, highlighting, reading or repeating texts out loud)

• Involving the SENSES (listening to information, also using text-to-speech software, watching videos, experiencing and role-playing)

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Ever found yourself scrolling without realising?

You're not alone. It is not uncommon to pick up the phone to check a message and, before we know it, get deep into a social media feed, wondering where the time went. In effect, recent studies suggest that in the UK, people spend over five hours a day on their phones (about 28% of their day), with a significant portion of that time on social media.

But as digital media can consume significant portions of our day, often without us realising, they can negatively affect our attention and productivity, as illustrated in numerous studies.

What does excessive digital media use do to our focus?

• Grabs your automatic attention: Phones and social media are designed to attract your attention instantly through colours, movement, vibrations, or sounds. This kind of attention is automatic (bottom-up): your brain reacts without conscious choice.
• Disrupts your directed attention: Directed (top-down) attention is used when you focus on reading, writing, or solving problems. It takes effort and is easily interrupted, e.g., by phone notifications.
• Offers instant gratification: Weakening your capacity to endure the effort of directed attention and pursue long-term goals.
• Increases task switching and cognitive load: Jumping between apps, messages, and tasks creates mental clutter. Your brain uses extra energy just switching gears, reducing overall focus and productivity.
• Makes studying take longer: Even quick glances at your phone can break your train of thought. Research shows it can take up to 25 minutes to return to a focused state after interruption.
• Leads to mental fatigue and stress: Constant digital input can overwhelm working memory, reduce motivation, and increase anxiety, especially under academic pressure.

What can we do about it?

• Silence or remove distractions during study: Use Focus (Do Not Disturb) or content blocker apps like Forest, Flora, Cold Turkey. Even better, leave your device in another room.
• Set a clear time and place for study: Choose a distraction-free space and make it a habit. (See Time and Place for Study.)
• Start each session with goals: Knowing what you’re working on strengthens directed attention. (See Focus on Goals and Objectives: The Pomodoro Technique.)
• Use the Pomodoro Technique: Work in 25-min sprints, followed by 5-min breaks. Supports focus while managing fatigue. (See same link as above.)
• Give your attention a real break: Step outside, rest your eyes, or take a short walk.

Video: How to fix your attention span

The following video shows how our attention spans are affected by phones and apps using persuasive design. It explains how boredom often drives distraction, but learning to tolerate it can boost creativity and focus. To improve attention span, it proposes:

1. Stop multitasking: focus on one task at a time to enhance memory and productivity.
2. Practice meditation: even short sessions help train your mind to observe thoughts without distraction.
3. Do nothing: sitting quietly or taking distraction-free walks helps settle your mind and increase focus.

Setting aside worry time

Worries and anxieties can often distract us and undermine our focus and concentration. These thoughts may need to be addressed, but preferably not during your study time, so you can try this strategy: setting aside worry time. 

1. Set aside a specific time in the day when you are allowed to worry.
2. Whenever an anxiety or distracting thought enters your mind during the day, banish it until your next worry time, and re-focus on to what you are supposed to be doing.
3. Some find it helpful to write down the banished thought, to make sure that you won’t have forgotten it when you get to your worry time.
4. Try to deal with the sources of your worries.

Further support

You can find more tips on stress management, mindfulness and meditation, and how to access our counselling and well-being services in the Stress Management tab.

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