The study environment and distraction

Step 1 Warm-up recall

From M6.L2: where does a break fall in a block plan?

Your answer

Private: nothing you type here is sent or stored.

Step 2 Learning goal

By the end of this lesson you can:

• count the cost of interruptions (Foundation);
• design a low-distraction setting (Core);
• say what the evidence cannot tell you (Core).

Step 3 A familiar example

Each time a notification pulls you away, you lose the seconds you spend on it plus the time to find your place again.

Step 4 Clear explanation

Working memory holds only a few items (Module 2). An interruption empties some of them, so you must rebuild your place. Rubinstein, Meyer and Evans (2001) showed that switching between tasks costs time and accuracy.

In the invented session, 12 interruptions of 2 minutes each cost 24 minutes, leaving 90 − 24 = 66 minutes of focused work. The real cost differs, since getting back often takes longer than the interruption itself. Practical changes include putting the phone in another room or on silent, closing unneeded tabs, keeping one task visible and agreeing on quiet times with the people around you.

The setting also matters for recall: studying in the place you will be tested may help a little, but varying places can help too, so do not build a rule on it. It helps to have a regular place so that sitting down becomes a cue to work. Avoid assuming that background music helps or harms everyone; the evidence is mixed and depends on the task and on the person. Test your own set-up (Module 8). See the entry on working memory for why switching costs so much.

Step 5 Worked example (4 marks)

A 60-minute session has 9 interruptions costing 3 minutes each. How much focused time is left?

1. Lost time: 9 x 3 = 27 minutes. (1 mark)
2. Focused time: 60 − 27. (1 mark)
3. = 33 minutes. (1 mark)
4. Answer: 33 minutes. (1 mark)

Step 6 Learner practice (instant-marked)

Step 7 Recap

• Interruptions cost the time spent and the time to return.
• Remove cues and agree quiet times.
• Test your own set-up rather than trust a rule.

Step 8 Exit ticket (ungraded)

8 interruptions at 2 minutes in a 50-minute session: focused time left?

Your answer

Private: nothing you type here is sent or stored.

Step 9 Go further (Extension)

Count your own interruptions in one 30-minute session.