Academics · Subject Resources

Set up the spot once.
Study there every day.

Where you study decides a lot before you open a book: whether the phone is in reach, whether the TV is on, whether a trip for a pen turns into twenty minutes. Check each spot you use against twelve setup items, list the fixes and what they cost, and start with the free ones. Compare spots to find the one worth protecting.

Check a spotWhat you get

Study spots

The worked example is made up: a kitchen table with the phone out and the TV on, a bedroom desk that needs a lamp and a library study room that is nearly perfect. Saved on this device only.

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What you get

Academics · Subject ResourcesFree

What you finish with
A record per study spot: where, whose, when it is used, a budget, twelve setup items in four groups, the music used and a list of fixes with cost and status. Works out the share of setup in place, the cost of the fixes and how many are free; ranks spots; flags a phone within reach, music with lyrics, fixes over budget, missing items and spots under 60 percent.
Who it is for
Students in grades 5 to 12 and college, and the parents who help set up a place to study at home.
Format
Browser guide with a saved record per study spot. Prints one spot, every spot in a table or a blank setup check; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Subject Resources space in Caveat Academics.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Check the spot you use most.
  2. Mark what is in place, honestly.
  3. List the fixes and what they cost.
  4. Do the free fixes this week.
  5. Check the other spots and compare.

Check a spot

What a spot changes

What a study spot changesSetupEvidencePhone out of the roomLess pull than one on the deskMusic with lyricsLower reading comprehensionSame place, same timeCues help habits formShort, timed blocksSteadier attention over an hourWhat a study spot changesPhone out of the roomEvidence: Less pull than one on the deskMusic with lyricsEvidence: Lower reading comprehensionSame place, same timeEvidence: Cues help habits formShort, timed blocksEvidence: Steadier attention over an hour
Effects in these studies are averages, often modest, and vary from person to person. Try a change for two weeks and see what it does for you.

Out of reach, not just silent

In a well-known 2017 study, students with their phone in another room did better on attention and memory tasks than students with the phone face down on the desk. Later studies found smaller effects, but moving the phone costs nothing and removes the easiest distraction.

Small things count

A basket of supplies, a timer and an agreement that the TV stays off for an hour are cheap and remove the small interruptions that turn a 30-minute task into an evening.

Sources

  1. 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).
  2. Perham, N. and Currie, H. (2014). Does listening to preferred music improve reading comprehension performance? Applied Cognitive Psychology, 28(2).
  3. Wood, W. and Neal, D. T. (2007). A new look at habits and the habit-goal interface. Psychological Review, 114(4).
  4. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Computer workstations eTool: chairs, desks and lighting (osha.gov).

The worked example is made up. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.