Put your cell phone in a different room while you study

There was a fascinating study from the University of Texas that looked at how people performed on a test based on where their cell phone was located. One group of study participants were told to place their cell phones on the desk, face down. Another group was told to keep their phones in either their bags or their pocket. And the third group had to leave their phones in another room. (In all three groups, phones were set to silent.)

The third group—with their phones in another room—"significantly outperformed” those with their phones on the desk and “ slightly outperformed” those with their phones in their bags or pockets.

This is not a big surprise to me. If your cell phone is nearby, a portion of your brain is distracted by it. How many likes does my latest social media post have? Has the employer I interviewed with last week reached out with an offer? What terrible thing has happened in the news over the last five minutes?

Maximize your concentration and physically leave your phone in another room while you are reading or studying.

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