LatchHow to stop your phone from ruining your study sessions
The most effective way to stop your phone from wrecking study sessions is to put it in another room and lock the distracting apps for the length of the session, so getting back in takes real effort. Research suggests a phone within reach costs attention even when you don't touch it, and that divided attention in class lowers exam scores later.
Why deleting apps before exams doesn't stick
A common story, especially in long exam preparation like medical school entrance tests: a student deletes Instagram and YouTube to focus, then redownloads them two days later, then deletes them again. Each cycle costs time and confidence.
Deleting an app depends on the same willpower that's running low during a long study day. Redownloading takes under a minute. The phone also tugs at you while it sits nearby, and that pull works whether the apps are installed or not.
What phones do to studying
In a study at Rutgers, devices were allowed in half of a course's lectures and banned in the other half. Having a phone or laptop available didn't lower scores on quizzes during the lecture, but scores on the end-of-term exam fell by at least 5%, about half a letter grade. Students who didn't use devices also did worse when devices were allowed in the room (Glass and Kang, 2019; Rutgers). The cost showed up in what students remembered weeks later.
A phone you don't touch can still matter. People whose phones were in another room did better on working-memory tests than people whose phones were face down on the desk (Ward et al., 2017). Later research disagrees on how big this effect is, though a 2023 review found the clearest effects on memory and attention (Böttger et al., 2023).
How to use your phone less and study more
Put the phone in another room
Face down on the desk still counts as nearby, and so does your pocket. Another room is best. If you need it for a timer, use a cheap kitchen timer or your computer instead.
Study in blocks with planned breaks
Pick a length you can actually hold, such as 45 or 50 minutes, with a short break after. Knowing a break is coming makes it easier to leave the phone alone until then. During breaks, get up and move rather than scrolling, since a short video often turns into twenty.
Lock the apps for the whole session
Blocking the apps while you study works better than deleting them, because nothing needs to be reinstalled afterward and there's no fresh decision every evening. Set it up once on a schedule for your study hours. With Latch, a study schedule locks the apps you choose, and Latch Pro's commitment mode keeps them locked for the time you set, so not even your key opens them early. Its hard lock can also stop you installing apps while locked (and on iPhone, deleting them), which ends the delete and redownload cycle.
Keep what you need for studying
Leave calculator, dictionary, flashcard and class apps open. Block social media, short video and games. If you use YouTube for lectures, watch on a computer, where the recommendations are easier to ignore than on a phone.
Tell family when you're studying
If people might need you, let them know your study hours and that they can call in an emergency. That takes away the worry that keeps you checking.
What if you study at night?
Late sessions often end with an hour in bed on the phone, which cuts into your sleep. Charge the phone outside your bedroom and keep the apps locked until morning. Our guide on how to stop scrolling in bed has a full bedtime setup.
When you need more than a blocker
If you keep finding ways around every block, our page on the app blocker you can't bypass explains the usual escape routes and how to close them. Some students go further during exam season and turn their smartphone into a basic phone with only calls, messages and maps, covered in our page on the dumb phone app approach.
Common questions
How do I stop using my phone while studying?
Put the phone in another room, study in fixed blocks with planned breaks, and lock distracting apps for the whole session on a schedule so you don't have to decide each time. Keep study apps like flashcards and a dictionary available.
How do I stop deleting and redownloading apps?
Block the apps during study hours instead of deleting them, so there's nothing to reinstall. Some blockers can also stop installs while locked; Latch's hard lock can stop installing apps while locked, and on iPhone deleting them too.
Does having my phone nearby affect studying?
Research suggests it can. People whose phones were in another room did better on working-memory tests than people whose phones were face down on the desk, though later studies disagree on how large the effect is.
How long should I study without my phone?
Pick a block you can hold, such as 45 or 50 minutes, followed by a short break away from screens. Lengthen the blocks as it gets easier.
Where Latch fits
Latch is an app blocker that only unlocks when you scan a key you keep somewhere else: an NFC sticker, a printed QR code, or a number of steps. It's free to start, out now on the App Store and Google Play.
Sources
- Glass, A. L. and Kang, M. (2019). Dividing attention in the classroom reduces exam performance. Educational Psychology 39(3). DOI
- Rutgers University (2018). Cellphone distraction in the classroom can lead to lower grades, Rutgers study finds. Rutgers
- Ward, A. F., Duke, K., Gneezy, A. and Bos, M. W. (2017). Brain Drain: The Mere Presence of One's Own Smartphone Reduces Available Cognitive Capacity. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research 2(2). Journal
- Böttger, T., Poschik, M. and Zierer, K. (2023). Does the Brain Drain Effect Really Exist? A Meta-Analysis. Behavioral Sciences. PMC
Photo: public domain (CC0).