Most students see attention differently once they've experienced the activities you just completed. Now is a good time to consider how you'll manage attention in college and beyond.

It's up to each person to determine what, if any, changes they will make to address sources of distraction in their own lives. However, setting limits on mobile devices is a good starting point for most people, given how common these are in contemporary life. Clearly, we do better in classes and other demanding tasks (such as driving) when we aren't multitasking with devices at the same time. Setting limits can also benefit our lives outside of work and school, as it can encourage us to focus more attention on the people we are with.

What's Your Plan

So what is your plan for making the most of the attention you have? If you want to make a big change in your behavior – cutting out in-class web surfing, for example, or breaking the habit of texting while driving – there are some useful techniques to keep in mind:

Lasting behavior change takes planning. Don’t expect that you’ll just be able to turn your existing habits around overnight. Rather, spend some time planning and committing to your change, then plunge in.
Think about how you’ll cope when temptation is highest. For example, what will you do if a class starts to drag – besides taking out your phone?
Set yourself up for success by removing temptations from the environment. Power down your phone at the start of class, or consider installing a site-blocking application on your laptop. Site-blockers keep your computer from accessing web sites of your choosing, or block the Internet altogether, for a preset amount of time. They are a great way to stay focused during class or while you’re working on a project. Two examples are Cold Turkey and SelfControl.
If you find yourself sliding back into old patterns, don’t give up. Most people who attempt to change their habits eventually succeed, but almost all of them slip from time to time. Go back to your plan and try again.

If you want to go further in learning how to be the master of your own habits and behaviors, research more at Changeology. The website and its accompanying book offer a research-based system that has helped thousands of people achieve all kinds of change goals, from losing weight to improving their relationships. Their techniques are ideal for goals such as paying better attention in class or not getting sidetracked by texts.

It's Not Me - It's You!

Changing our own behavior is hard enough - but what about when it's another student who is the problem? As you learned in the previous units of this module, research has shown that even sitting next to a distracting device can cut down what you learn in class. It's up to you to protect your own learning and get the most out of the time you invest in class. But at the same time, speaking up about a problem classmate isn't easy.

The right tactics depend on a lot of things - the professor's policy, the size of the class, your own style in interacting with others and so on. In this unit's Discussion, you can ask other students and share your own tips for handling this issue. Advice from other students is probably your best resource, but here are some tips to use as a starting point:

Talk to the professor about the issue. Optimally, have this conversation during office hours, when there's time to have a private conversation - but if this isn't possible, try mentioning it to him or her before or after class. If you aren't comfortable doing this, try sending an email or dropping off an anonymous note at the professor's mailbox. Most instructors are very open to feedback from students when it's offered respectfully.
Make a point of sitting at the front of the classroom.
Avoid seats that have a view, whether by a window, door, or other attraction.

When there is in-class group work or projects, take the initiative to jump in to the work right away, and try to keep your group on track. Distractions come out when people perceive there's dead time, so if your group is stuck, get help from the instructor or speak up to keep the group moving.

Attention Matters! developed by Michelle Miller, Ph.D. & John J Doherty, Ed.D. Northern Arizona University  Technical Support by Rick McDonald, Rhizome Learn LLC