Creating a distraction-free homework routine
Your One Step this week:
✓ Help your child or teen create a distraction-free homework routine.
A lot of school work these days is completed online which means digital distractions (e.g., YouTube, group chats, video games, social media, online shopping) can chip away at our kids' ability to work efficiently and effectively. I mean, who wants to labor through Geometry when a simple click brings your friends or entertainment right to your desk?
We have gathered some suggested practices from parents and experts to help your child minimize distractions while studying at home!
Steps for distraction-free homework time
We hope these suggestions help you create more consistent boundaries and productive conversations when it comes to optimizing homework time. It's useful to frame conversations about homework productivity and digital distractions as "us as a team vs. luring tech design" instead of pitting parent vs. child.
Clarify where your child will do homework. At a desk in their room? At the dining room table? Executive function coaches recommend setting up a dedicated work space - even if it's a shared table in the kitchen. Having a routine can be very helpful to reduce distractions and get homework done more efficiently. If in a communal space, do you need to invest in a set of noise-cancelling headphones? If in a bedroom, what other distractions (like a gaming console) might need to be addressed?
Set a clear expectation to remove digital distractions during homework time. If your child has a personal smartphone, smartwatch or tablet, make sure those devices are "off and away" during homework time. Studies have shown that the mere presence of another device in your workspace can cause distraction. Next, there's addressing all the digital distractions available on their homework device. This is more challenging - but can any apps be disabled or limited during homework time? Check in with your child about what pushes or pulls them off-course and brainstorm how they can potentially set up more digital barriers on their homework device to keep them focused and accountable.
Clarify any rules for listening to music during homework time. Many middle and high school students like to play music while studying, which can be a slippery slope to distractions. If your child needs music to study, try having them make a playlist that is long enough to get through an hour of homework. Then they can press play and stow the device out of reach and eyesight. A bluetooth speaker or or smart speaker (like Alexa) might be helpful if music is a tricky issue.
Review and turn off notifications. A lot of software and apps bombard school (and personal) devices with notifications. Teach your child to adjust notifications so they only receive necessary rather than disruptive ones. Check out this post on how to turn off notifications on Apple devices or simply go to: Settings > Notifications. Check in after a few weeks to see if adjustments are needed.
Addressing Inefficient Homework Time
One dad we know was noticing that his teen was regularly spending an excessive amount of time in his bedroom "doing homework" on his laptop.
It turned out his son was being distracted by YouTube and Instagram which he could easily access on his laptop via the web browser. The dad decided to try something out and made a new home tech rule:
"You've got 3 hours every night to get your homework done. If it's not done in those three hours, you just won't get it done and you will need to explain to your teacher(s)."
At first his teen exploded, "You don't want me to get my homework done?!" His dad responded, "I DO want you to get it done and I think you can get it done within 3 hours." After a few uncomfortable transition days, setting this time boundary helped the teen use his time better online and it took the tension out of their weekday evenings.
Work together with your teen to come up with tech rules that work for them and you! Remind them you are on their team and can be their accountability partner as they learn how to navigate the endless temptations and distractions of today's digital world.
Your One Step recap for this week:
✓ Help your child or teen create a distraction-free homework routine.
“Distracted from distraction by distraction.”
- T.S. Eliot