How to stop getting distracted by your phone while studying
October 15, 2026
Your phone is built to pull you back, and willpower alone rarely wins. The trick is to make reaching for it harder and studying easier. Here are six ways that work.
1. Put it out of reach
Research has found that just having your phone on the desk makes it harder to concentrate, even when it's face down and silent. Put it in your bag or another room. If you have to get up to check it, you'll check it far less.
2. Silence it with a Focus mode
A Focus mode stops notifications from lighting up your screen.
- Open Settings, then Focus.
- Tap the plus button and choose a Focus, or set up your own called Study.
- Allow calls from the people who might really need you, and silence everything else.
3. Block the apps that pull you in
Silencing notifications won't stop you opening an app out of habit. Blocking it will. Screen Time can lock apps for set hours, and our guide on how to block distracting apps on iPhone walks through it step by step.
4. Study in short, timed blocks
It's easier to ignore your phone for 25 minutes than for a whole evening. Set a timer, study until it ends, then take a 5 minute break. This is the Pomodoro Technique, and the timer gives you a clear finish line to work towards.
5. Save your phone for the breaks
Don't try to give it up completely. Tell yourself you can check it on your next break. Knowing it's coming makes the urge easier to ignore, and the break becomes something to look forward to.
6. Get everything ready first
Many phone checks start with a small gap: looking for notes, waiting for a page to load, getting a drink. Have your books, notes and water ready before you start, so there's nothing to break the flow.
Putting it together
Naru is a Pomodoro timer that locks the apps you pick while you study and opens them up again on your breaks.
Free · iPhone · iPad