Get Your Homework Done Regardless of Your Mood
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Homework is an integral part of everyone’s education but it’s still a necessary evil for most students. It takes a lot of free time, forcing students to write boring tasks and causing constant stresses. However, we are sure that such consequences of homework can be reduced if not avoided. There are just a few secrets, such as motivation, task management, and properly organized process.
Do It Now
The longer you think about homework the worse you feel. Just do it right now, and then forget about it and do whatever you want. Right after you got home from school, prepare for your homework. Gather all textbooks, notebooks, and all necessary tools, and organize them so that you can have fast access to anything. If there are too many worksheets, don’t keep a messy pile on your desk. Stack them and leave them beside your workplace, taking one at a time.
Decide what task is the most important one. We suggest considering the difficulty of each task so you can start with the hardest one, and move towards easier tasks. In case it’s really difficult for you to force yourself to work, start with the easiest one and then do the hardest one after it. Sometimes when you start working on a subject that is interesting to you, it gives you more motivation to keep going. We also suggest finding something interesting even in the most boring tasks. Never leave your hardest task for last. You may feel already too tired and it will cause only more problems.
Take Short Breaks
Before you get started, think about your assignments, estimate how much time you need, and talk to somebody. Talk to your friend or parents, ask them how their day went. This will help your brain relax a little and prepare for work.
Just make sure they are really short. Once you’ve completed your first assignment, take a little break. You can take a 15-minute walk or do some exercises to increase the blood flow to your brain and muscles.
Know Your Goals
Define your short-term goals for today, and recall your long-term goals. Then, decide on a reward that you will give yourself when everything is done. Divide your homework into sections, each of which takes no more than 45 minutes. Reward yourself for each productive 45 minutes with a break. Decide on an additional reward in case you complete something faster.
- For example, you can check your social networks for 5 minutes if you finish a part of your assignment in 20 minutes.
- Another example: if you finish your task faster than in 45 minutes, reward yourself with a tasty snack. However, make sure that you won’t start overeating because of such a habit.
Get Help When You Need It
If you catch yourself stuck on some problem for a long time, find somebody to talk about it. Call or text your classmates and ask their opinion. Show your assignment your parents and listen what they say. Maybe their suggestions will help you write homework. They also may notice something that you’ve missed. Finally, if you still cannot figure out how to write some task, email or text your teacher. There’s nothing wrong in asking for help because it’s much better than if you just skip tasks and won’t learn necessary information.
Focus On Your Work
Some students prefer to work while enjoying some background entertainment, such as the TV, or loud music. It’s not the best practice if you really want to stay productive because you take a risk to focus on entertainment instead of work, or even forget about the latter one at all. Difficult tasks may require your special attention; dividing it, you may get more nervous and distracted, losing focus and doing a bad job.
We suggest turning off all devices that may distract you, especially your mobile phone. Leave it in some inaccessible place so you won’t think about it all the time. If you really want to work with some background, choose music with no words, and turn the volume down. When using a computer, log out of your social media accounts and email to not get distracted by numerous notifications.
Plan Your Homework
Write down a list of your assignments on a blank sheet and check it from time to time. Note how much time you need for each your assignment, and all the deadlines.
- A to-do list helps you not procrastinate and keep all necessary tasks in mind.
- Cross off the completed tasks and get more motivation seeing your progress.
- Take your plan seriously and make sure that you complete all tasks planned for today.
- Be realistic and don’t plan more tasks than you’re sure you can do.