School is a lot of work. High school students are there for at least six hours every day learning, and when the school day is over, it can be very difficult to get more school work done at home. Unfortunately for students, homework is an integral part of school, and that doesn’t seem likely to change. Below are some tips and tools that might help make doing homework easier.
Create a Workspace
Establishing a homework area at home enables students to rationalize their comfortable, laid-back home environment from their schoolwork. This special space could be anywhere—a desk, a workshop, or the kitchen table, as long as it’s somewhere you can concentrate. Quiet and a lack of distractions will help you complete homework faster and even with better results.
Make a Schedule
Homework can be hard to fit into a student’s busy schedule. It is easy for take-home assignments to get pushed aside when students have other obligations, like work and family, to deal with. Homework does cut into social time, but if students create and stick to a homework schedule, it is much easier to complete assignments on time. A good schedule takes into account school works, social obligations, and personal down-time.
Don’t Get Distracted
It is important to be focused when completing homework. Make sure your homework space is devoid of distractions like television, other people, overly loud music, or pets. Even if you consider yourself to be an expert multitasker, these distractions will slow you down and might lower the quality of your work.
Sleep
Even if you have a big test the next day, or an essay is due, staying up all night to study or complete an assignment is not a good idea. Pulling an all-nighter might allow you to complete an assignment, but it will almost certainly lower the quality of the work. It also impairs your concentration and learning ability the next day. It is a much better idea to prepare your school work ahead of time and get a good night’s sleep before homework is due or you must take an exam.
The Sleep Foundation recommends that adolescents sleep nine hours a night and that school-aged children up to the age of 12 sleep about ten to eleven hours per night. More information about the amount of sleep suggested for people of different ages can be found here, at the Sleep Foundation’s website.
Try to Complete School Work at School
The best way to get ahead in your homework is to do as much of it as possible at school. This means working on assignments when the teacher gives you time to work in class, and using study hall to complete homework instead of chatting with friends. Completing work at school leaves you with more free time at home.
More information about effective study habits can be found here, at the Mayland Community College website.