How Students Can Dismiss Online Distractions

Attending school online has its many advantages—it's convenient, you can essentially go to "class" whenever you want and you can earn your degree at your own pace. But you will learn early on that in order to be successful in an online program, you must have a lot of discipline, and the fact that you are on a computer with the largest temptation known to students (the internet) this can prove to be a difficult task. To learn how to avoid online distractions and other distractions that may hinder your performance, continue reading below.
Since you are taking classes online you obviously need the internet to retrieve your assignments and tune-in on lectures. However, it's important that you don't let distracting social networking's sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube defer you from your studies. If you know that you are the type that checks these types of sites every 5 minutes, it's best that you do whatever you can do to condition yourself from visiting these sites so frequently. To help you do this, only visit these sites as a treat to yourself. Meaning, tell yourself that after an hour of consecutive studying or after listening to your professor's lecture then you can enjoy a few minutes on Facebook, for example. If you are having trouble with this method, a good way to cut yourself off cold turkey is to simply deactivate these sites temporarily while you are studying. While on the same note of deactivation, it's also best if you turn your cell phone off during class and study time. You may think that receiving one text message or phone call won't do any harm, but it can result in an unnecessary hour-long conversation.
Another good way to avoid temptations and distractions is to study in a proper location. Don't try to study in the living room for example, with the TV and or radio playing in the background. Try to find a quiet space where you can concentrate, but try to avoid studying on your bed. You don't want to risk getting too comfortable and falling asleep. Sit at a desk or table in an upright position with lots of lighting. If there are still too many distractions, then try studying in a new environment all together such as a public library or a quiet café.
Lastly, if at all possible the best way to avoid online distractions is to go offline all together. Go online to retrieve your reading assignments for that day or find the web pages that you need to help you finish your assignments, but then disconnect your Wi-Fi or unplug your Ethernet cable until the assignments are completed.