Doing nothing gets things done

                               By  Michaela Finley

                              How many times have you caught your teenager on the phone, lying half off the bed, going on Tumblr or zoning out with mouth open, when he or she was supposedly studying?  And how many times have you told your teenager, "You need to focus so you can get your work done"?
                              I am one of those teenagers.  I fully admit to stopping homework just to look at Tumblr for the fifth time.  I am one of those teenagers who zone out with their mouth wide open.  My mother is also one of those parents who stares over the rims of her glasses with a "Uh-huh, sure, Michaela" as I tell her "I am just taking a short break, and yes I know the more breaks I take the later and more tired I will get."
                              Now, my mom is going once again "Uh-huh, sure, Michaela" as I declare I have stumbled upon the key to successful studying.  The key to studying with focus is to study with little focus.  Yes.  The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign published a study that flips the old theory about the nature of attention on its head.  The study demonstrates that long or short diversions, like falling asleep for an hour, or getting a five-minute snack, can dramatically improve one's ability to focus on a task for prolonged periods of time.  By taking a break, you are essentially using your time more effectively and more productively.  You can get things done by doing nothing.
                            I am so relieved.
                            It may sound like a teenager's pipe dream but, really, it makes sense.  Taking small or long pauses is a way to break things down into manageable chunks so you don't get overwhelmed.  So avoiding a total freak-out and making tasks more manageable is really beneficial.
                            By deciding, "I will do five math problems and then go get a drink, and then I will do five more math problems," big homework tasks become manageable.  On the same note, if I organize my work and plan the breaks by saying, "I will read this chapter, then take a 10-minute break, then do history," it gives me a sense of accomplishment and control, which as teenagers we feel we never get.
                            Now, as a parent, you may feel you just lost the war on effective studying because now your child thinks he or she can get away with watching a movie, doing an assignment, then going on Facebook for an hour, playing the "I'm-actually-being-really-productive-even-thought-it's-three-in-the-morning-and-I'm-falling-asleep card."  Do not worry.  I'm not saying taking more breaks than actual studying is more productive.  I'm just saying zoning out like a moron, or checking Tumblr for the fifth time, isn't actually that bad.  In fact, small distractions are helpful.
                           It's also an opportunity for teenagers to take short breaks to do something beneficial to refresh themselves, like eating carrots and hummus, going for a walk, laughing with a friend or even talking to you, instead of being holed up in a room becoming a study zombie.
                           So next time, before you decide to remind your teenagers they are not being efficient because they are checking their phone or laughing about a video on You Tube, remember:  Doing nothing can actually get things done.