Maddison's Musings

Hello people of the world! I'm back and ready to talk all about homework- something I am definitely not a stranger to! You see, I take all Honors classes, so homework is something I encounter nearly everyday, even on the weekends. Most of the time, even if I don't have homework due the next day, there's always something due that week. If you're like me, have no fear! I'm going to teach you a few ways to overcome all that homework!

First things first, you have to prioritize your homework. If something isn't due the next day, it goes to the bottom of the list. I like to work in order of my class periods, that way, if I don't completely finish an assignment, but I have the class after lunch, I'll simply finish the work during my lunch period. Another thing that helps me is to set limits. If you're working until three in the morning doing homework, then you definitely have way too much homework. The latest I've stayed up doing homework was until 11 pm once, but I had piano lessons that night, so I didn't even start my homework until about 9:30 pm. For me, I say that if I'm not done with homework by 9:30 pm (usually, but it depends on my starting time), then I'll finish it at lunch. If I'm almost done, but it's already 9:30, I'll allow myself 15-25 minutes to finish, but I really don't like to work past 10 pm any night. Setting limits on the amount of homework you allow yourself to do really eliminates a lot of stress, and depending on how long your bedtime routine takes, you can usually still probably get somewhere near the correct amount of sleep you need.

I know it may sound a little weird,  since you want your homework done immediately, but take a few breaks every once in a while. Go grab some food, run around your house a few times, do 20 jumping jacks, whatever it takes to get your mind refreshed and off of homework for a while. By getting your mind off of homework, I mean leave your phone and any other electronics and take a five minute break away from wherever you do your work. Try to do a quick five minute break every 30-60 minutes. It all depends on you. If you want a break every 30 minutes, take one! If you want one every hour, take it! Nobody's stopping you! Relieving your mind and having a little bit of fun helps the homework to be more tolerable.

When doing your homework, remember that it's okay not to understand every single thing. There's bound to be at least one thing that you don't understand. My advice is to skip the problem and come back to it once you have finished the whole assignment. You can star, circle, put a question mark, whatever you want, just don't forget to come back to it. If you still can't figure it out after you've completed the whole assignment, then turn to Google for help. You can get an answer to pretty much anything on Google and Yahoo answers. I know that they may not be the most reliable sources, but they're a good start. The best place to check for answers first are any websites ending in .edu and .gov. Education and government sights will usually be the most reliable. Another good place to look is in a database, but only if your school provides one and the password. For math problems, https://www.mathway.com/ is a great website. you can see the answer, and you can make a free account to see the steps. It's fantastic!

Above anything else, when doing homework you have to remember to stay sane. Sometimes it may seem as if teachers assign it because they want to see you suffer, but it really is meant to help you (or at least that's what everyone claims).

~Maddie

Oh, hi there. Did you forget about me? Whoops, sorry. You see, the thing is that when you have hours of homework all the time and are too exhausted to do anything else, you don't really have time to blog about your personal life. But don't worry, I do try to keep my High School blog updated each week. In fact, my new post will be up soon! I'll be talking about homework, and the link will be at the end of this post! You see, you haven't gotten any posts on this blog in about 2 weeks, but I posted something last week on the High School blog, and today you get not one, but TWO blog posts! Be proud of me! :)

Anyways, as you can see by the title, I only have seven weeks of school left! I'm so beyond excited! Summer will be so amazing! I'm not planning on doing much except reading, sleeping, writing, hanging out with friends, watching YouTube videos, eating, and maybe a vacation! No matter what I do, I know I'm going to have a lot of fun because no homework!! It will seriously be the best time of my life. I'll have so much time to do things I enjoy! It will almost be weird, having to adjust back to no homework, but I'll get over it after an hour. When it comes to summer, some of my favorite things are often the most simple. Getting enough sleep every night is definitely one of my favorite things, no matter which time of the year, but it can only happen when I don't have school! Friends and family is another one of my favorite things, especially when I have the time to hang out with them. The list goes on and on and on and on, but I have a challenge for you! If you've been reading this post at all, you've read about a few things that I'm grateful/thankful for. My challenge for you is this:
Make a list of things that you're thankful for!

It may seem cheesy or lame, but once you start, all these things come to mind that you didn't think of at first. I mean, you don't have to do this, but you can if you want! Plus, it shows what a great life you have, since you have so many reasons to be thankful!

Keep Smiling :)

~Maddison

Other Blog Post About Homework

Hello everyone! Sorry I didn't get to blog last week, but I was super busy and had a ton of homework! As you can tell by the title, this week I'm going to be talking about crushes. I'm going to be giving advice on how to talk to them, how to get their number, and even how to learn their names!

Whether you're crushing on multiple people, one, or none, this post might still benefit you! I know for me personally, I think a lot of guys are cute, but I'm only really crushing on one. If you know me personally, then you know that I'm really shy at first, and I usually won't be the first person to make a move and talk to anybody. Since I'm in high school now, I'm trying to change that a bit. I'm trying to break out of my shell a little more and not to be so shy. Trust me, it's awkward at times, but usually all I have to say is "How's your life?" (Which I always say) or something simple and people will respond back.

But back to crushes. If you don't actually know who your crush is, go up and talk to them! If you're in the same class and they sit near you, ask if they have a pen, pencil, piece of paper, etc, you could borrow. Once you're done with it (assuming it's not a sheet of paper), give the object back to them. It might not seem like much, but it might at least help start the conversation. Another way to initiate the conversation is by saying a simple hello. By just saying a simple two syllable word, you could start a whole conversation!

Getting your crush's phone number may be a bit harder, depending on how comfortable you are with talking to people, even if you've been talking for a while. My friend and I were discussing this topic a few days ago, and I don't know if this strategy will work or not, but it's worth a try. Take a picture with them and ask if they want it sent to them. If they say yes then congratulations! You just got their number! If they say no respond with something along the lines of, "Yeah, you're right, it's kind of blurry," or, "Yeah, it's not the best picture." It doesn't matter what you say; just reply with something. The same concept it by taking their phone and taking pictures with it. Once you go through their photos say, "This is a good photo! Do you mind if I send it to myself?" If they say yes, then you get their number! The last way you could get their number without directly asking is by getting into a group with them for class. Once you're in the group, say, "Do you mind if I have your number, so I can make sure we're all doing the right work and stuff?" They'll most likely agree to it, and you'll get their number!

The last part of this post is actually quite simple, even to me. If you don't know you're crushes name, just ask them! Haha, it's seriously just that simple!

~Maddie