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. [2] X Research source
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. [4] X Research source 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. [5] X Research source
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).
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.
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.
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.
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. [9] X Research source
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. [15] X Research source
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.
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. [18] X Research source
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. [20] X Research source
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. [22] X Research source
