Study haven
How to exam-proof your teenager’s bedroom
Teenagers’ bedrooms have long been synonymous with smelly socks, unmade beds and piles of dirty cups. Any parent who deigns to point out that this may be playing havoc with their concentration is likely to be accused of interfering, controlling or simply stressing over something that DOESN’T MATTER.
Sound familiar? Don’t worry, because you have the experts on your side. “They just don’t see the mess, but this chaos can impact on their studies,” says Vicky Silverthorn, a professional declutterer and author of Start With Your Sock Drawer: The Simple Guide to Living a Less Cluttered Life (£12, Little, Brown). Time and time again, studies prove a link between our environment and how well we work, so it’s no surprise Vicky sees bookings soar around exam time. “For the last few years, I’ve increasingly been employed by parents to spend a day in their teenager’s bedroom to make it more study-friendly,” she says.
“You know that feeling when your house is a tip, or your desk is overflowing with paperwork? Well, teenagers feel similarly overwhelmed, but they’re unable to verbalise it and this can impact on learning.”
Stress expert Sir Cary Cooper, a professor of health and psychology at the University of Manchester, says a messy bedroom around exam time is often a reflection of teenage stress.
“I have four grown-up children and we’ve gone through the exam process with all of them,” he says. “One was very tidy and structured, two were incredibly messy and one was in between.
“Rather than getting cross about the mess, which was a symptom of their inability to manage stress and structure their study, we helped them sort their rooms out and – without them realising – counselled them through exam stress at the same time.”
So with that in mind, here’s how to declutter your way to study success…
Get your teen involved
“Teenagers are territorial,” says Vicky, “so explain your plan and the benefits. Ask which areas are off-limits (like their bedside drawers) and respect their privacy. Then fully gut the rest of the room, rather than just surface-tidy – they shouldn’t open a cupboard only for a load of junk to fall out. If this feels overwhelming, start with their study area and finish the rest over several days, which will allow time for teenagers to get involved.”
Get the right kit
“A desk in their room is absolutely essential,” says Vicky. “I often work on my laptop on the sofa, but I still need a proper workspace. I love Ikea, where you can get a great desk from £40.”
Or try Great Little Trading Company ( gltc.co.uk), who do a range of desks and desk accessories and currently have a spring sale on. Aspace (aspace. co.uk) have specially designed revision desks with built-in storage. Vicky suggests getting a plug-in laptop keyboard and a laptop riser (both available from Amazon and office stores) to avoid hunched shoulders and poor posture.
“I also love the Bisley 5-drawer cabinet (from £42.99, amazon.co.uk) for organising piles of paper and Bigso storage boxes from The Holding Company (from £12, theholdingcompany.co.uk),” she says.
Limit technology
It may seem counter-intuitive to you, but studies show that some music can boost concentration, and there are several new music apps designed to help study (including Study Music Memory Booster, iTunes). However, social media and TV offer no such benefits and are disruptors, with one study finding students spend only 65 per cent of their time revising/working when they have access to their phones, with “media-multitasking” (texting their friends and viewing Snapchat) taking up the remaining 35 per cent.
Another study from Cambridge University found TV has the biggest impact of all on GCSE results.
“Television, computer games and internet use were all harmful to academic performance, but TV viewing was the most detrimental,” says academic Dr Kirsten Corder. Limit both during study times.
Let them set their schedules
Help them plan their own study timetables, picking times of the day when they function best. Researchers at Oxford University have found teens don’t fully “wake up” until around 10am, reaching peak concentration mid-afternoon, until the age of 19 for girls and 21 for boys. “Recent advances in our understanding of the neuroscience of sleep has shown that the body clock of teenagers is delayed,” says Professor Russell Foster, director of the Oxford University Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute.
Tailor to your teen
“Companies spend time and money designing offices to get what they want from staff,” says Professor Cooper. “Deadline-driven workplaces are often designed to stimulate workers with bright lights, whereas others bring in plants to calm staff down. Think about your child. If they’re sensitive or prone to stress, have calming things like beanbags and quiet music. If they’re naturally lazy, you don’t want them too relaxed.”