Creating a Workspace
This module will explain some of the ways that you can improve your study habits. It is useful to learn good study habits and techniques in order to make the most out of your studies. Learning how to study can help you study more efficiently.
Top Tips
✓ Check your Desk. Assess your workstation area with the Ontario Ministry of Labour's Guide: Computer Ergonomics: Workstation Layout and Lighting. Small changes can make a big difference in your comfort.
✓ Sleep Tech-free. Limiting tech use at bedtime will help you get a better sleep, so you can feel good and be productive in the day. Experts recommend that you eliminate smartphone use in the hour before bed, and avoid charging your phone in the bedroom.
✓ Get Mindful with your Mobile. Is real-life passing you by while you check your phone and scroll endlessly? Taking a day or two to track your mobile habits will illuminate any areas of concern. We've got lots of tips to help you here.
Rethinking Our Smartphone Use
How Smartphones Sabotage Your Brain's Ability to Focus (5-minute video from Wall Street Journal in 2019)
Adjusting Smartphone Habits
What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains
What the Internet is Doing to our Brains (Video by Epipheo, 2013)
Is it Real?
Addictive behaviours around internet use include:
preoccupation with online activities interferes with social, occupational or other areas functioning.
experience of withdrawal symptoms (eg. irritability, trouble sleeping, cravings) when attempting to reduce the activity
hiding or lying about the amount of time you spend online
depending on internet activities to escape from negative feelings
Internet habits may be associated with other 'behavioural addictions' such as shopping or pornography, but Gambling Disorder is currently the only behavioural addiction in the DSM-V.
Internet Addiction is not considered a distinct mental disorder, as it lacks some criteria of conventionally recognized addictions and may be a symptom or manifestation of other, existing disorders. The DSM-V has recommended Internet Gaming Disorder for further study.
Sources:
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Ed. (DSM-5). 2013.
Can You be Addicted to the Internet?
American Psychiatric Association 2016
Addictions and Problematic Internet Use
Canadian Mental Health Association
Support for Internet Addiction
Some people may benefit from engaging with support groups such as those below. Caution should be used to make sure that participation does not become an excuse to spend more time online, and that the group's values are aligned with your own.
Check your Desk
Check out this video by Techquickie from 2015 on computer ergonomics.
Task Design
People who do continuous, intensive computer work, such as data entry, for prolonged periods during a shift are at increased risk of developing a number of health problems. These include visual fatigue, headaches, upper limb musculoskeletal injuries (e.g., carpal tunnel syndrome), and back pain (Ontario Ministry of Labour).
Try incorporating these preventative habits into your routine:
Take short brisk walks throughout the day. Besides improving your physical health, this will help relieve stress and improve concentration
Try using the mouse with your non-dominant hand for a while. This will cut down on RSI risk and it's good for your brain!
Do gentle stretches regularly throughout the day
'Stretch' your eyes once in a while. Focus on a distant object for 30 seconds, then a mid-range object for 30 seconds
Helpful Apps
There are a variety of customizable apps available for your desktop computer that will remind you to take a walk, stretch, or exercise your eyes. Using an app can really help mitigate the health risks of sitting at a computer all day long.
About Sleep
Good 'sleep hygiene is critical for academic performance, productivity, mood, mental health, physical fitness and more. Some technology habits severely disrupt human sleep patterns and can cause cumulative sleep deprivation.
Tweeting, Not Sleeping? What Is Your Social Media / Sleep Balance?
The Relationship between Media Use in the Bedroom, Sleep Habits and Symptoms of Insomnia
Social Media Use Before Bed and Sleep Disturbance Among Young Adult
Why Do We Sleep?
The fascinating science of sleep, by a renowned circadian neuroscientist (TED Talk by Russell Foster in 2013 )
Helpful Apps
Reduces sleep disruption caused by night-time computer use by adjusting the light spectrum on your digital display to match your natural environment.
from Psychology Tools (licensed under Creative Commons) 2016
from Psychology Tools (licensed under Creative Commons) 2016