Adulting: Overcoming Distractions With Roommates

One of the best things about living with roommates is always having someone around to do things with. However, this is also one of the worst things if you're a college student. Living with other students who have different majors will likely lead to days where you are all on different schedules. Your roommates may have just finished their homework while you still have a mountain of projects to complete. Likewise, there may be times you have nothing to do while they are all studying for an exam. These situations can be difficult because you will likely be tempted to either stop what you're doing and join in whatever activities your roommates have planned, or you will be tempted to go distract your roommates. Neither of these situations is ideal. 

Your education should come first, but that also doesn't mean that you can't have fun. Something you will have to consider is due dates. If it's a Tuesday night and your paper isn't due until Friday, you can likely spare an evening to have a good time with your roommates. However, if you or someone in your house has a test the next morning, it may be a good idea to avoid distracting them. This isn't to say you aren't allowed to have any fun but be courteous and avoid offering them the temptation to begin with. 

Another thing to keep in mind is your own capabilities. If you have an eight page paper due at the end of the week, and you know that you will need to work on it every night in order to get it done, then you should set aside plenty of time throughout the week to complete it. It may take a lot of self-control but remind yourself that your education is more important.

One tip to help you succeed in closing out distractions is shutting your bedroom door. This lets your roommates know that you're busy or do not want to be disturbed. If you're open to speaking to your roommates, or the work you're doing doesn't need your attention right away, you can leave your door open. Another tip is to tell your roommates beforehand that you have something important due that you need to work on. This will help to keep them from distracting you while you're working.

Let me know some of your tips for staying on track down in the comments below!