When they see players starting to lose steam or loafing in practice, coaches often shout the reminder “The way you practice is the way you’re going to play!” Similarly, the way you approach your homework—your daily preparation for your classes—is a key determinant in your grades and success. Here are some tips for making sure you get the most out of your HW time:
1. Making the most of homework time starts with knowing exactly what is expected in each class each night. Carry a planner or assignment notebook throughout the day, and write down every assignment before you leave class.
2. Make a strong habit of stopping at your locker after school and before sports practice or other activities to grab everything you’ll need for homework. If you don’t have it, you can’t do it.
3. Everyone deserves a break to recharge at the end of a long school day, but too many students put themselves in a bad spot by waiting too late in the evening to get started on homework. If possible, try to get a good start on your homework before dinner.
4. Use your planner or assignment notebook as a checklist, and remember: your homework’s not done until everything’s checked off.
5. Be thoughtful about the order in which you tackle assignments. Some students find it helpful to start with an easy or interesting assignment; others prefer to get their least favorite subject out of the way first.
6. Schedule, announce and stick to an “interruption free” period each night. It doesn’t have to be the same time every night, but you’d be amazed at how productive you can be if you allow yourself an hour free of phone calls, e-mails, texts, and requests to take out the garbage.
7. Use Facebook/texting/IM as a reward, not a distraction. (For social media addicts, there’s now software that allows you to block your own access to certain distracting programs/websites for a set time so you can get work done!)
8. Build in breaks. If you’ve got hours of study ahead, consider a 50-minutes-on, 10-minutes-off approach. 150 minutes of focused work can be much more effective than 180 minutes of distracted effort.
9. Break long-term assignments down into smaller parts, and schedule mini-deadlines into your planner right alongside daily homework assignments.
10. Finally, experiment to find the approach to HW that works best for you!
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