LIFE

Getting distracted by boys during school can be a tricky situation to navigate for any girl. It's totally normal, you're not alone. I mean how could you not get distracted if your crush is sitting right next to you (even on Zoom) with his perfect hair and his dreamy eyes? I've been there, I feel your vibes.

The problem started for me in 9th grade when I found myself crushing big time on this guy who sat near me in history class. After I found out he was in my class, every day thereafter I pulled a total Cher Horowitz. I dressed in my cutest outfits—which, for my 14-year old self, consisted of a white V-neck T-shirt from Aeropostale, capri jeans with white low-top Converse and my hair in a messy side braid with random pieces going in all different directions. As long as he was sitting next to me there was no way I was focusing on the history lecture. He was a top starting player on the JV boys soccer team. Every Friday the team had a game, and on those days it was a tradition for the team to wear their uniforms to school. This totally made him look 10x cuter than he already was! The blue from our school logo that was on the jerseys really brought out the blue in his eyes. 

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During class, I would always look over and see what he was doing, hoping I could catch him looking at me as well. I couldn't help myself. When the teacher said something funny, I laughed my loudest and looked over in his direction...hoping for our eyes to meet. 

There were a few times throughout the year when the teacher made us partners for projects and assignments, I was so happy because it meant I got to spend time with him during class. I remember being so nervous to talk to him about the assignments because I didn't want to seem dumb. I wanted to impress him by taking the lead in our project because I figured that this would show him how smart I am. At first, being partners with him motivated me to focus extra hard in class, but I eventually started losing all focus because deep down I just wanted to get to know him on a personal level.

Read: How to get your crush to like you back...according to TikTok

Convos about the Civil War turned into convos about weekend plans which didn't bother me at all because I was getting to flirt with him. For example, we would use the Google Doc to pretend we were working on our project when we would really be chatting about planning a fun boy-girl hangout with some of our other friends. I would always try to sneak October homecoming into our conversation in the slickest way possible. I didn't want him to realize that I wanted him to ask me, or figure out that I was trying to figure out if he was planning on asking someone already.

However, when the bell rang for study hall I realized that I had no idea how to do any of my independent work for history class. I wasn't paying attention at all during class because I was so consumed with my crush. When I tried to start studying I could feel my Snapchat notifications going off in my pocket like crazy. I just *had* to check my phone to see if it was him.

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When I got home every day after school to do my homework I didn't even know how to do it. I finally realized that this had to stop. I had to get my priorities in order, or else my grades were gonna drop. These steps are what helped me survive history class for the rest of the year, and they can help you handle your school crush, too...

Having a planned out week will prevent distractions 

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Pick out a planner that motivates you to work all day and stay busy all night. While you're at it grab the prettiest pens on the shelf to go with it. It might sound silly but having a pretty planner with matching aesthetically pleasing pens will motivate you to want to open it up and plan out your whole week! Soon your tiny crush won't be entering your mind at all, you'll be too booked!

Read: The *ultimate* roundup of planners, notebooks and journals you need this fall

Take a deep breath to yourself before walking into class

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Taking a small deep breath before entering your classroom will get rid of any last jitters created by that token boy in class. Doing this will reset your mind and allow you to focus only on school leaving you golden for the rest of the class period.

Participate in class

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Class participation is key to keeping your brain focused on your work. When your teacher asks for someone to demonstrate how to solve an equation on the board, to read a page from the textbook aloud via Zoom or for someone to share their screen to show your classmates key elements to include in an essay that should def be you. You may not realize it now but participating will keep you occupied for the whole class period. When the school day ends you'll realize you now know whats going on in class, and can confidently complete it efficiently all by yourself. Leaving your whole night free to text the guy who's been on your mind. 

Put your phone away so you don't get distracted

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Chuck that phone across the room if you need too, it's dangerous how distracting it can be. Putting your phone in another room will allow you to get your work done quickly and efficiently. The quicker you get it done the quicker you can stalk his IG. 

Read: 10 memes that perfectly describe how it feels to text your crush

Don't care so much about what he thinks  

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It can def be hard to stop trying to impress him with your clothes combined with a cool attitude. In order to stop being so distracted by him, you have to stop caring so much about what he thinks of you. Instead, start caring a little more about what's going on in class. This *obviously* doesn't mean ditch him, but if he likes you, he'll like you for who you are and not who you're trying to be. 

Talk to a friend to get advice

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Your bestie can be a very helpful source when seeking advice on how to stay focused in class and not on the dreamy boy. Sometimes your BFF knows you better than you know yourself, so getting your bestie involved can be very beneficial. If she spots your eyes gazing over at him and not on the teacher, she'll put a stop to the daydreaming when she has a feeling you should be taking notes on the lecture and not on your crushes' best qualities. It's also helpful to just text or facetime a friend you trust to get another girl's perspective on what she thinks you should do to fix the issue. Besides advice, it's just nice to talk openly with a friend about what you're going through. 

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It's super important to keep in mind that having a crush is supposed to be a fun thing! It only gets a bit tricky when you find out that they might be distracting you from doing your best work in school. Make sure that you both are on the same page, especially if you're thinking about pursuing a relationship. It can be hard to tell what each person is thinking in the early stages of flirting. 

Develop strategies you can put in place when you find yourself getting a bit sidetracked or distracted by your dreamy desk neighbor in class. Or even at home during Zoom classes on Snapchat! This way you can still have fun flirting with your crush while keeping your grades up at the same time.

Have you ever been distracted by a boy in school? What did you do to stop being so distracted? Let us know on Twitter @girlslifemag!

by Hayley Miller | 8/31/2020