Modern life has created a problem for us as adults as we help our young people through the digital age. How do we navigate something like study with the distractions so prevalent nowadays?

The answer might surprise you. Less is more. In a recent article from Edutopia, the author has outlined 5 Research-backed study techniques, one of which is the idea that studying for less time can actually be more beneficial.

How, you might ask? It seems counterproductive until you look at the reasoning behind the statement. The author breaks down how effective the study time is with a simple formula: “work accomplished = intensity of focus x time spent.”

So based on this formula, if a student spends the night studying for a maths exam and also checks texts and social media, that would equate to a focus score of 3. Multiply this by 3 hours and you find that the work accomplished is a 9.

Another student simply focuses on studying for maths without distraction, this equates to a focus intensity of 10, if the student only studies for an hour, their work accomplished is a 10.

So the wasted time and effectiveness of our modern distractions leads us to unproductive lives. Perhaps this formula may be helpful for you to share with your children so that you can have a conversation about how effective they might be in less time.

Technology has certainly enabled us to be efficient multitaskers, however, when its a task that requires dedicated focus, we need to change some of our approaches. There are some other great practical study tips in this article that you might also find useful in assisting your child’s study habits – click here to find out more.