The biggest worry that a school or a college student has is homework. First it has to be squeezed within the 24 hours of a day. The same 24 hours with your daily school/college schedule, your band/ baseball practice/ painting class, household chores, part time jobs, eating and sleeping.
With limited time in your hands it is crucial that you give your 100% in each of the tasks you do and that also include your homework. This is necessary if you do not want to spend your entire night on it. To give in a 100% means that you put in all your focus and energy while doing homework. Now the question is – how can you stay focused after such a hectic day?
- Make a list of the homework
If you have no clue of what you are about to do, you may lose focus and concentration. Make a list of all the homework together with their deadlines, when they were handed, a rough estimate of how much time a topic would require. The estimated time should lie on the higher side. Say, you have kept aside 1 hour for algebra. Have a buffer time of 15-20 minutes just in case you might have an unexpected delay. However try to finish the work within the set time of 1 hour.
- Break down the massive ones
If the amount of homework in a single subject is enormous, it is best to break it down into manageable parts. Stick to this schedule religiously. However, this management is to be done while keeping the deadline date in mind. Also try to complete it a day before the deadline. In case you come across any trouble or lose some hours in some other work, you will still have one day to finish the work.
- Do not panic
Now that is a common reaction. The moment we see the colossal amount of homework which is to be done in such little time, we feel intense fear or apprehension. Our brain shuts down and refuses to work. We find ourselves incapable of any thought, make mistakes, and sometimes even have to start all over again. Precious time wasted.
Calm yourself with deep breaths or by listening to soothing music. Tell yourself that there are thousands of kids all across America facing the same amount of homework each day. And if they can do it and have still survived doing it; so can you.
- Do not sit on an empty stomach
If you think you can ignore the basic needs of your body and then expect it to work according to you then you are in for a nice surprise. Imagine sitting down for homework only to find your stomach rumbling. Why disrupt your body clock? If you are sitting down in the evening, do not go for a heavy meal. They tend to make you sleepy. Eat light but avoid junk food especially fries.
- Exercise
Spend at least 30 minutes in a day playing outdoor sports, aerobics, or even brisk walking. According to a study done at University of British Columbia,heart pumping exercises like aerobics boosts the size of the hippocampus – the brain area involved in verbal learning and memory. Exercise also improves mood and alleviates stress.
- Daydreaming is prohibited
Whenever we sit down to study, we tend to daydream or imagine ourselves doing heroic things like in this case completing homework way before deadline. While we daydream, our brain starts sending rewarding signals to our body and the body begins reacting as if it has already done the homework (which is not true). As a result of this, we become relaxed and lose focus. So do not dream with your eyes open.
- Keep a checklist
As you proceed with the homework, tick the tasks you have completed in your planner. This progress also sends in a positive feedback to your brain and you begin to feel more confident with yourself. The more you feel confident, the more can you see yourself focusing better.
- Allot a certain time just for homework
If you are a morning person, then do the homework in the morning else do it at night. Fix a time in your day just for homework. By doing so, your body will subconsciously ready itself to do the homework during that part of your day.
Sitting down at odd timings will disrupt your body clock and you will require twice the amount of sleep the next day just to bring it down to normal.
- Avoid the 11th hour rush
Most of the students have a tendency to keep the homework until the very last day and sometimes even night. You must avoid doing this at all costs. Last minute rushes always leads to panicky situations. You feel flustered just by looking at the list and you begin losing focus. Worse still, if the deadlines for two different homeworks fall on the same day, my child you are in some serious trouble. If this situation arose due to certain problems then you must also read Different challenges faced by students while doing homework.
- Multitasking
Yes! Most students believe that if they sit down to do two or more topics together, they might finish doing homework more quickly. So if you have been thinking like that that it’s time to think otherwise. Doing different subjects all at once causes you to lose focus as half your concentration is on how you must juggle each of the homework.
- Taking well timed breaks
Taking breaks is necessary to improve focus and concentration. Study for about 25-30 minutes before you take a break of 5 minutes. This break is essential for proper functioning of the brain. This is because like every other organ, your brain needs it own time to recuperate. After a break, you feel refreshed and it becomes easier to focus.
- Keep negative feelings at bay
All days are not the same and so is your mood. You may be jubilant one day and dull or depressed the other. A depressed individual will have difficulty in focusing on his/her homework. This leads to further frustration and you give to angry outbursts/ tears.
We all have troubles in our life – family, financial problems, or being bullied at school. This can take a toll on your studies and even homework. Talk to someone close to you. It can be your parents, teacher, or even a friend. Talking takes up a lot of stress off your mind. Whenever you feel low, take some time and sit alone. Try to bring in positive thoughts and listen to calming music.
Once you are peaceful, come back to your homework. Stay positive, stay focused.