Making the Most of Your Time
Use down time to study. Carry at least some of your homework around with you. Whenever you find yourself doing something that doesn't use your total concentration, pull out your homework and spend some time on it. This is particularly easy to do with reading assignments. If your assignment is more complex, just scribble down a few notes to get the brainstorming process started. Lunchtime is a great opportunity to work on an assignment and so is the commute home, as long as someone else is driving. If you have a part-time job, take advantage of the slow moments. If your instructor gives you time during the class period to study, take advantage of it. It is especially important to make good use of study halls if you are an athlete.
Keep a homework planner. Log all of your assignment details in 1 specific location. You can use a paper planner (sometimes given out for free at schools), the calendar function on your phone, or even a downloadable app. The point is to get a realistic idea of what your work week should look like. This system only works if you keep up with it. Spend time each Sunday evening looking over your planner and making sure that all dates and assignments are entered in correctly. Estimate if you've allowed yourself ample time for each activity. Some people prefer to schedule their week down to the hour. Others prefer to create a basic “to-do” list for each day. Try a few different approaches to see what works the best for you. Consider using an app, such as iHomework, to keep track of your assignments and deadlines. These apps can alert you when an assignment is almost due. Many homework apps are free or inexpensive.
Set alarms to remind you to study. If you have trouble remembering your designated study times, the alarm function on your phone or watch can be a big help. You can also use a calendar app, such as Google Calendar, to set reminder alerts. Alarms or alerts can also be useful for reminding you to sit down and go over your work schedule or update your planner at a designated time (e.g., every Sunday evening after dinner).
Start with items that are due first. When you sit down for work or plan out your work schedule, start with most critical items. The deadlines for these assignments will only get closer, and you don't want to procrastinate. Keeping them in the forefront of your mind will help you to complete them quickly and efficiently. For example, if a paper is due tomorrow, it gets priority over a worksheet that you must complete by next week. Don't get distracted by the idea of multitasking—try to focus your attention on 1 project at a time.
Stick to a study schedule. Make homework time a part of your everyday routine. If you plan to study while out, determine exactly when that is possible and maintain that schedule. If you plan to study at home, assess your workload when you first walk in the door and decide how much time is needed to complete everything. You can also set aside 1-3 hours a night to help you get ahead. When creating your schedule, consider when you work the best. Some people prefer to work late into the night, while others enjoy working in the morning. There is nothing wrong with getting up early to get a jump on homework as long as you can stick to that schedule.
Take short breaks. Divide up your homework time with quick, pre-planned breaks. Depending on the project that you are working on, it is a good idea to aim for a 5-minute break every 30 minutes or 1 15-minute break per hour. Set a timer on your phone to make sure that you don't work through your breaks. Get up and move around during your breaks. You're probably sitting while working, so now is the time to get the blood flowing and re-energize. Take a quick walk. Eat a healthy snack, like some almonds, and drink a bit of water too.
Set study goals. As you look over your planner and daily schedule, think about what you would like to accomplish each day, each week, and even each month. Be realistic as you set these goals and understand that you cannot possibly do an excellent job at everything all the time. When a major research project is due, a good goal would be to complete the research part of the process well in advance of the final deadline, giving you time to write. This is a realistic goal and it breaks up a larger project, making it seem more doable. Part of setting goals is keeping your priorities in order. Recognize those activities that can wait until the weekend, such as shopping, and do them then. Also, keep an eye on your extracurricular activities to make sure that you can still achieve your academic goals while participating.
Minimize distractions. If you can, work someplace where you will not be surrounded by distractions, such as TV screens, loud music, or talkative friends. If you have a tendency to get distracted by social media or other online content, consider downloading an app or browser extension to block your access to problem sites while you're studying. Your phone can be a major source of distraction. Consider turning it off while you're studying, or put it on airplane mode so that you can't browse the web or receive notifications.
Doing Quality Work
Pay attention in class. Take a seat at the front of the class. Listen to your teacher and create a steady stream of notes. Ask questions and participate as often as you can. The information that you receive in class usually serves as the foundation for your homework, so make an effort to actively listen and learn. Avoid checking your phone, email, or social media during class. Try to find something interesting within the subjects that you might consider “boring.” For example, if you dislike history but enjoy fashion, you might find the history of fashion and dress really exciting. Ask your teacher about it and see if you can use this interest in your homework.
Take note of the assignment details. Write down everything your teacher says if they announce the assignment in class. If they give out a hand-out, read over it closely to see if there is anything that you are missing. If you sit down to work on the project and are unsure about something, reach out to your instructor or a classmate clarification.
Try to complete every assignment. Give every piece of homework your best effort, even if you don't feel particularly confident in the final product. When in doubt, make an educated guess using the information that you do understand. Homework is, in part, about developing a skill set, so your instructor will most likely appreciate your attempt. This is a good practice to follow as it will help you on most tests as well. It is usually better to leave nothing blank on an exam, as your instructor may be able to award you partial credit for the attempt.
Check your final work. As soon as you finish an assignment, set it aside for a few moments. Then, come back to it and look it over for any mistakes. You can also ask your friend, roommate, classmate, or parent to take a quick glance over the assignment as well. This is especially helpful with essays, as they may catch an error that you overlooked. EXPERT TIP Joseph Meyer Joseph Meyer Math Teacher Joseph Meyer is a High School Math Teacher based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is an educator at City Charter High School, where he has been teaching for over 7 years. Joseph is also the founder of Sandbox Math, an online learning community dedicated to helping students succeed in Algebra. His site is set apart by its focus on fostering genuine comprehension through step-by-step understanding (instead of just getting the correct final answer), enabling learners to identify and overcome misunderstandings and confidently take on any test they face. He received his MA in Physics from Case Western Reserve University and his BA in Physics from Baldwin Wallace University. Joseph Meyer Joseph Meyer Math Teacher When doing practice problems, promptly check to see if your answers are correct. Use worksheets that provide answer keys for instant feedback. Discuss answers with a classmate or find explanations online. Immediate feedback will help you correct your mistakes, avoid bad habits, and advance your learning more quickly.
Encourage yourself. Repeat aloud or in your head, “I can do this,” if you get frustrated. Take a few deep breaths and then jump back into the assignment. Remind yourself that homework isn't intended to be easy—it should challenge you. Think about your long-term goals and remember that all of your hard work will pay off in the end.
Never cheat. No matter how stressed out you are, it is important that you turn in your own work. Don't ask your friends to give you the answers or to help you when they are not supposed to. If you do this, you may get caught, and you will definitely be less prepared for the quiz or test later.
Check that you have your finished homework. After a long day and night it is really easy to walk out the door and forget your homework on the table. To prevent this, as soon as you finish a piece of homework, put it in your backpack or bag. Then, take a quick glance inside your bag before heading out in the morning just to make sure everything is there. Have a designated area where you put projects that are “in progress” so you don't confuse them with homework that needs to be turned in.
Getting Help from Others
Ask your teacher questions. Raise your hand or approach your teacher as soon as you find something that you are confused or concerned about. Never feel shy or stupid for asking a question. Odds are, someone else in the class is wondering about the same thing and will appreciate you stepping up. If you have multiple questions, you can always wait until after class. For example, if your teacher normally assigns 5 chapters to read over the weekend and she didn't say anything about it this time, you might want to ask her. You could say, “Do we need to do our usual chapter reading this weekend?” If your teacher is okay with it, you could also ask how long a certain assignment should take to finish. This will help you to better schedule your time for the week.
Request extra help from your teacher. If you are confused about the material covered in class or if you are unsure about your approach to the homework, make an appointment with your teacher after class. This will allow them to concentrate all of their attention on helping you succeed. If they are unavailable to meet, consider approaching another teacher in a similar subject or even a school counselor. You might approach your teacher and say, “I'm just not getting that math worksheet. Is there a time this week when we can sit down and look it over together?” If you ask for help in this way, make sure that you've started the work yourself. Don't expect your teacher to do the work for you.
Get your parents involved. It is not your parents' responsibility to police your homework (and you probably don't want them to). However, if you are really stumped or just want a second opinion, you can always ask for their help. They could read over your essay and suggest new approaches. Or, they could test out your answers to a worksheet. If you live and study at home, your parents could also help to create a good study space by keeping the area quiet and preventing other family members from interrupting you.
Study in a group or in pairs. Talk with your fellow students and organize a study group. Your group can focus on a particular subject or project, or you could cover all types of homework together. You can agree to keep each other accountable by banning phone time and other distractions. Just make sure that you stay on task and actually get your homework done, or this extra time could put you behind. Make sure that you are only working together on projects that given the “okay” for group work by your teacher. Otherwise, you could be committing a version of academic dishonesty by not following the rules of the assignment. You can also meet with your group virtually thanks to various programs that allow you to video chat with numerous people at once, such as Google Hangouts.
Hire a tutor. If you continue to struggle with the homework for a certain subject or if you just want another perspective, consider working with a tutor. Some tutors charge a per-hour fee, whereas others volunteer and work for free. Talk to your teacher or school counselor for additional information. Libraries are a great source of information about tutoring and other resources. Just call your local library and ask what programs they have in place to help students.
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