Perhaps, at this point, you want to tell me that you don't check your cellphone that much. That having it in front of you doesn't make you lose your focus. Doug Duncan, a researcher at UC Boulder, found that "75 percent of undergrads reported texting while in class, and that in-class texting was linked to an average drop of half a letter grade in the course." Wouldn't that seem like a nice social experiment on yourself? Leave your cellphone in your bag or somewhere out of reach to focus better and see if you get better grades by the end of the semester? Don't reach for your cellphone when the professor is lecturing and see if you come away with better lecture notes or a better understanding of the material than you did before.

　Smartphones create a vehicle for procrastination. Procrastination existed long before smartphones and there are many things that students can do to put off their academic responsibilities like watching TV, listening to music, talking with friends, reading a comic book, shopping, or playing a game. Now with a smartphone, these activities are all in the palm of your hand. According to Steel's research, "75% of students consider themselves procrastinators, with 50% doing so regularly and to a level that is considered problematic." When a student does not feel like doing homework, it is all too easy to spend an hour on Facebook, chat on Messenger for half an hour, play Candy Crush for 20 minutes, and watch funny clips on YouTube for another hour. Of course, students can multitask and finish their academic responsibilities. However, it is when students forget their academic commitments by reaching for their smartphones that procrastination becomes an issue.

　And perhaps at this point, you feel a little indignant. While you are working on a project or doing homework, and you check your cellphone, you don't get sucked into the time-wasting abyss. That is great. But NPR reports, "Almost all college students have a cellphone. They use them an average of eight to 10 hours a day and check them an average of every 15 to 20 minutes while they're awake." That's a frightening statistic. And BBC News Magazine writer Tom Heyden reports that checking emails and social media cost 36% of respondents more than an hour each day in productivity. These two studies illustrate that people, not just students, spend a lot of time on their smartphones and that smartphones can lead to unproductivity. Smartphones make it far too easy to procrastinate.

　Bing. Did that seem like a text alert, because if I could text you this to keep your attention, I would. 160 characters or less in true SMS fashion.

　Do yourself a favor. Leave your smartphone in your bag or turn it off du-ring class to enrich your learning experience.

　(Look at that I have 43 characters left). And if not for yourself, then out of respect for your professors and fellow classmates.