Homework

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