So, I have a bedroom that faces the street, and when I study I hear a lot of noise. My brother is always at the computer playing games and my mom keeps calling me. How do I find a method that actually works without going crazy?
Finding a perfect method won't solve everything, because outside noise and interruptions are different problems that need different solutions. For street traffic, noise-cancelling headphones work well (or even plain headphones with some music/white noise), but for your brother and your mom you need an actual agreement: set specific times when you study and they know they shouldn't bother you unless it's an emergency, maybe write it down somewhere like a post-it note in the kitchen.
If you live in a cramped house where agreements aren't enough, move your study spot somewhere else when you can - library, a friend's place, even a quieter hallway - because sometimes changing your environment makes more of a difference than organizing the space you already have.
Your problem isn't that you lack a method - it's that you have three different sources of distraction clashing in the same space. The room on the street is annoying, but at least you can control it; the real mess is when the people around you don't know you're studying and just keep living their normal lives.
Start with the outside noise: active noise-cancelling headphones work, but they're expensive and not everyone has them. Otherwise, try a stupidly simple compromise - put the mattress against the window, like lean it against the glass, with a rod or whatever you can find to hold it up. It absorbs a ton of traffic noise and costs nothing. Sounds ridiculous but it works; I thought of it because someone I know did it during street construction and said it made a crazy difference.
For interruptions inside the house, the real trick is making it visible that you're working. Just closing the door isn't enough - you have to communicate. Create a signal your mom actually understands: like a big post-it on the door with what time you're done, or a cord you hang up when you don't want to be bothered. I know it sounds basic, but people forget you're there if you don't remind them. Talk to your brother during a calm moment and explain when you need quiet; he's not the enemy, he just doesn't realize the computer noise reaches you. If someone knows that from 3 to 5 PM they can't make noise, they usually manage it because they know they can play freely the rest of the time. With your mom, instead, ask if you can agree that she only calls if it's urgent during those hours - give her a real time limit, not a vague one.
Forgetting to negotiate the rules with whoever lives with you is the real mistake, because even the best headphones won't save you from your brother tapping your shoulder or your mom who'll know anyway when you're ignoring her calls! What the other answers are missing is that you need to set agreed-upon times first - like "from 6 to 7 PM nobody disturbs me, I'm studying in my closed room" - and only after that tackle street noise with physical barriers (acoustic foam is cheap) and headphones. Without that initial agreement, you're just adding layers to a problem that's about communication, not equipment!
In my opinion, the real trick is not trying to eliminate distractions all together, but making them predictable. Try negotiating "blocked-off time slots" with your mom and your brother - like from 2 to 4 PM nobody bothers you, and in return you're available the rest of the time - because your mind gets more tired from not knowing when the interruption will come than from the interruption itself.
As for the street noise, if headphones aren't enough, move to a different space at least for the most important sessions: bathroom, kitchen, even the hallway works. It sounds weird but changing your environment every once in a while helps "reset" your focus, and maybe you'll find that in another spot without the window facing the street you can concentrate again right away.
At my place it was a total mess too, my sister always had music blasting and I couldn't concentrate for even five minutes. Eventually I realized that headphones alone weren't enough - I had to make a real deal with her: she'd turn down the volume during certain hours and I wouldn't go into her room. For street noise, thick curtains and putting my phone on airplane mode changed everything. But the most important thing was communicating with the people you live with, because if your mom doesn't know you're actually studying she thinks it's okay to send you to do stuff. Family interruptions are your number one enemy, way more than traffic.
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