You don't need to be a genius to be able to manage your homework. However, most students become overwhelmed before they even begin working because they simply feel that they aren't good enough to get it all done. Nobody expects any student to be perfect, but if homework is getting you down, it probably has nothing to do with your intelligence at all. It probably has more to do with your study habits than anything else going on in your life. If this is the case for you, try these five suggested study habits, and you might be surprised by how just a few changes to your study program can make dramatic changes on your next report card.
Adopt a Positive Mindset
Science Daily recently reported a study on college students who received better grades in their science labs simply by changing the way they viewed their homework. The students that did not view their homework as a laborious event were more likely to get the work done, and also get it in on time. As difficult as it may be to view homework as something other than labor, it will help in getting the job done. Don't view it as one huge mountain you have to tackle, but rather something on your responsibility list that simply needs to get done. The less pressure you put on yourself, the more likely you are to just knock it out and cross that off your list.
Do Not Do Everything at Once
The saying "Rome wasn't built in a day" may as well have been coined by a teacher who was trying to encourage his or her students to realize that not everything needs to be tackled at once. You don't have to do 10 pages of algebra in one sitting. If you think of it in that way, you will keep putting it off until it's too late. Changing your mindset can be helped by changing the way you break your homework down into manageable tasks. Break it down to 10- or 15-minute chunks, and then reward yourself. If you know that once you start your homework that you will have a break in 15 minutes, it is easier to get that ball rolling than when you think you are chained to your work for hours on end. Many studies also show that you are more likely to actually learn the work better this way.
Get Unplugged
You cannot learn complex concepts, write book reports, or complete science labs if you are texting your friends every other minute. If you have already established the fact that you are going to get a break in 15 or 30 minutes, turn off your phone and log out of your social networks until then. Sometimes, just taking away the distractions is all you need to simply buckle down and get it done. You might even find that first 15 minutes to be so productive that you have already made a major dent on your work. This is a challenge for today's teenagers and college students, but if you know that putting the phone away for a little while could lead to better grades, it wouldn't hurt to try.
Create a Homework Zone
Since you are going to be unplugged from your friends and have decided to break your work down into manageable chunks, now you need a place to actually do your work. Create the kind of space in your home that you will enjoy being in, someplace that is comfortable and has access to everything you need to be productive and at ease. Make sure you use the same space every time you do your homework, and this will train your brain to get into the homework mindset every time you go to this place.
Eat and Sleep Well
Dr. Robert Oexman, the director of the Sleep to Live Institute, told the Huffington Post that he is always surprised by how many college students he sees who complain about their grades and aren't sleeping well, but still can't figure out why they aren't doing well in school. The most important things you need to survive are food and rest. If you are not well-rested and are not eating good foods, your brain is simply not going to be able to function. Get into the habit of going to bed and waking up at the same time so that your brain receives the rests it needs to operate properly. Maintain a healthy diet that is high in protein but that includes enough carbohydrates to feed your brain cells. If you need to do homework on one day and your diet and sleep from the night before just weren't adequate, you are actually better off both mentally and physically by putting the work off until you have taken better care of yourself. These are important tips to remember before your next big test or exam, as well.
When it comes to getting better grades in school or making sure your homework gets done on time, it simply takes the mindset and the commitment to do better. When you look at homework in a negative light, it is less likely to get done. Set up your work area in a place that you are comfortable and that you are likely to get things done. Unplug from your friends for little spurts at a time, but don't try to do everything at once. Rome wasn't built in a day, and your homework can take as long as it requires for completion. Just do it in spurts when you are well-rested and fed, and slowly but surely the job will get done.
