Quiet Time Coaching: “More reflections on why we need a specific place for study”

In last week's episode (number 45) we looked at why we need a specific place for study. "Thank you" to Johann who found the episode helpful and posted his response on the YouTube channel. 

This week, rather than start a new topic I'd like to give a personal report on my progress and offer some more ideas.

I have had a good week of study. Digging into Acts chapters 7 and 8 has been enlightening and inspiring. The commitments I made last week made a difference. Let's do a quick check on each one.

Last week's commitments:

• Phone out of sight: I kept to this commitment by leaving the phone in my pocket, or putting it on to charge behind me.
• Noise-cancelling headphones: Using them helped to narrow my focus.
• Clear the desk: Removing everything not connected with my Bible study kept visual distractions low. 

My focus improved and I had a much better week of study. However, I learned of some more areas of distraction which I had not noticed before. Eliminating some issues revealed others. Here are this week's observations and new commitments:

• Headphones: Pairing them via Bluetooth didn't always work well. Sometimes it took two minutes which was frustrating. I also had some instances of skipping which were distracting. This week I will attach them via a cable if it takes longer than a few seconds to pair them or if more skipping occurs.
• Door: Even with the headphones on I still noticed sounds in the house. This week I will close the door to the room in which I do my study.
• Reflections: The computer screen faces some windows. This produces reflections when people walk past on the street. I found myself distracted when I noticed neighbours passing my house. This week I will close the curtains behind me while I do my study.
• Software: On one occasion this last week I thought it wouldn't do any harm to run a program called "Clean my Mac" while I was doing my Bible study. How wrong I was! Even though it is silent, and does not affect the computer's performance, just knowing it was open and running distracted my mind from time to time. This week I will close any software unnecessary to my study.

Conclusion

I'm looking for 'flow'. A state in which my mind is fully engaged in what I am doing. That's how I see my study being of the most benefit. You might like this TED talk on the concept of flow. And here is a link to the classic text.

Question

Have you put any of these ideas into practice? Do you have some you would like to share? What helps you to get into a state of 'flow' when you study?

Please leave a comment here so that we can all learn from one another. We learn best when we learn in community.

I hope you have a wonderful week of fulfilling quiet times.

God bless, Malcolm

PS: If you would like some coaching in spiritual disciplines, look me up here. 

PPS: You might also be interested in my book: "An elephant's swimming pool", a devotional look at the Gospel of John