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Procrastinating on your homework assignments can make school more stressful and can hurt your grade if you're always finishing homework at the last minute. Once you learn a few techniques to beat procrastination can make homework much easier for you! By keeping organized, setting specific goals, and asking for help, you can transform yourself into an academic star who still has time to watch TV and catch up with friends on Facebook.
Steps
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Organize your notes and files into categories. Procrastinating is easy if your notes are such a mess that you can't find anything you need! Take the time to organize your notes and files. [1] X Expert Source Katie Styzek
Professional School Counselor Expert Interview. 26 March 2021. Keep one binder or file folder for each class, and put your notes and assignments in chronological order. [2] X Research source -
Write your assignment due dates in a planner. Go through your class schedule or syllabus and record every due date in a planner. You can use a paper planner, an online calendar, or even an app on your phone. [3] X Expert Source Katie Styzek
Professional School Counselor Expert Interview. 26 March 2021. If you're prone for forgetfulness, put your calendar on your phone and set it to alert you before assignments are due. [4] X Research sourceAdvertisement -
Prioritize your assignments. Not all assignments are equally urgent! If you have several assignments due at once, list them in order of urgency in your planner. Assignments that are due the next day or are for subjects you struggle with should be scheduled for the earliest dates. Do these assignments first!
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Plan ahead for lower-priority assignments. Schedule time in the future for assignments that aren't due for awhile or will be very easy for you to finish. Write down a time in your planner to finish each assignment. For example, if you have an English essay due in one month, you can schedule two hours a week to work on it until it's finished. [5] X Research source
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Set up a regular workspace. Designate a room, a desk, or even a seat at your kitchen table as your regular workspace. It doesn't need to be anything fancy, but you should have one place you regularly work at and it should be big enough to let you use everything you need to get your homework done. Make sure that it isn't cluttered or crowded with things you don't use for homework. [6] X Research source
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Get started at the same time every day. Make homework part of your routine by scheduling a specific time to get started every day. [7] X Expert Source Katie Styzek
Professional School Counselor Expert Interview. 26 March 2021. If you have an irregular schedule, set a weekly schedule in advance as soon as you know what your other obligations are. [8] X Research source -
Create a homework schedule. Set aside time for each subject during your regular study hours. Make sure you give yourself enough time to finish each subject, but not enough time to procrastinate or waste time! Most people will need at least an hour for each subject. [9] X Research source
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Store all your study supplies in the same place. Don't let yourself get distracted by having to hunt for a missing textbook or folder every day. Make a routine of storing all your supplies together, so you always know where they are. You can put them on a special shelf for cupboard, or just leave them in your backpack.
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Schedule regular breaks. [10] X Expert Source Katie Styzek
Professional School Counselor Expert Interview. 26 March 2021. Going from procrastinating all day to working all the time isn't realistic! Help yourself get into a homework routine by giving yourself regular breaks. If you're only doing homework for a couple of hours, give yourself a five-minute break every hour. If you're working on a bigger project, add in an hour break every three hours. Use the time to eat, check your phone, or say hi to your friends. [11] X Research source- Set an alarm on your phone to remind you when to get back to work!
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Set a goal of getting one assignment done before the due date. Beating procrastination takes a lot of work, and it's best to start with a small goal. Look through your planner for an assignment that's due in a few weeks. Set a personal goal to get that assignment completely finished at least three days before it's due. Write down the days you plan to work on the assignment in your planner, and stick to them. [12] X Trustworthy Source Child Mind Institute Nonprofit organization providing evidence-based care for children with mental health and learning disorders and their families Go to source
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Set goals for your other assignments. Once you've achieved the goal of getting one assignment done early, do it again! Keep setting new goals until all or of your assignments are scheduled to be done before they're due. [13] X Trustworthy Source Child Mind Institute Nonprofit organization providing evidence-based care for children with mental health and learning disorders and their families Go to source
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Limit distractions until you're finished working. Getting distracted with your phone, video games, or friends is a big part of why people procrastinate. If this is you, set a goal of being distracted as little as possible. Put your phone on silent and move it to another room, shut down any computer programs or apps you aren't using for work, and don't keep the TV on in the background. If you can, shut the door to the room you're in to prevent further distractions. [14] X Research source
- Very few people can actually work effectively with music playing. If you like to listen to music while you work but find you aren't getting anything done, try going without it for an hour to see if your concentration improves.
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Reward yourself for meeting your goals. It's hard to get over procrastination, so make sure you reward yourself for a job well done! Rewards can be big or small. You can get yourself a cookie for working for an hour without looking at your phone, or you can splurge on a new outfit for handing in all of your assignments at least a day early. [15] X Trustworthy Source Child Mind Institute Nonprofit organization providing evidence-based care for children with mental health and learning disorders and their families Go to source
- Even if you haven't finished a task or project yet, you can reward yourself for sticking with it and accomplishing a little bit each day. [16]
X
Expert Source
Ted Coopersmith, MBA
Academic Tutor Expert Interview. 10 July 2020.
- Even if you haven't finished a task or project yet, you can reward yourself for sticking with it and accomplishing a little bit each day. [16]
X
Expert Source
Ted Coopersmith, MBA
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Ask a classmate to do homework with you. If you're having trouble staying on task, ask one of your classmates to do homework with you regularly. Sometimes, having a person working on the same thing as you can help you keep pace. [17] X Research source
- This doesn't work for everybody. If you find another person distracting, quit working with them.
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Ask a friend to hold you accountable. If you have a close friend, sibling, or parent who is responsible and organized, ask them to help hold you accountable by checking in with you regularly to see if you're keeping up with your assignments. Ask them to tell you to get back to work if they see you slacking off, and have them ask you for updates on big assignments.
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Talk to your teacher about study tips. Your teacher might have some good ideas for how to study more effectively. Talk to them and see if they have any useful techniques for you. This is also a good way to let them know you're trying your best to do better! [18] X Research source
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Go to a tutor for classroom help. Some people procrastinate because they're having problems understanding the course material. If this is you, don't be afraid to ask for help! It's much easier to get help and understand your homework if you talk to someone early instead of waiting until the last minute.
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How Can I Stop Procrastinating?
Community Q&A
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QuestionHow do I manage my time when I have so much to do?Community AnswerPrioritize work, by due date and complexity. Get easy assignments and ones that will be due soonest out of the way before moving on to large projects.
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QuestionHow do I start homework early?Community AnswerDo it as soon as you get home from school. If you start doing something else, you won't want to come back to your work. When you have a big project or a test coming up, work on it for 20-30 minutes every day (again, as soon as you get home) instead of leaving it all until the last second.
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QuestionHow do I do my homework on time if it is given to me over a holiday and I have trouble focusing?Community AnswerSplit your work up into separate sections and work through each section one by one. Take a five minute break every 45 minutes or so. Also, try doing your work in the morning when you're most energized. Remind yourself how awful and stressful it will be if you leave all of your work to the last minute.
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Tips
- Good health can improve your study habits and can help you retain what you learn. Exercise, eat well, get plenty of sleep, and skip the alcohol and caffeine.Thanks
- Ask your parents or a friend to keep your smartphone so you don't get distracted.Thanks
- Try to set an alarm or a task reminder in your phone.Thanks
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Warnings
- Even the best students know that they can't work all of the time. Allow some relaxation time for yourself, particularly on the weekends. Good study habits make you work smarter, not harder.Thanks
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References
- ↑ Katie Styzek. Professional School Counselor. Expert Interview. 26 March 2021.
- ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/how-to-stop-procrastinating/
- ↑ Katie Styzek. Professional School Counselor. Expert Interview. 26 March 2021.
- ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/focused.html
- ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/focused.html
- ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/focused.html
- ↑ Katie Styzek. Professional School Counselor. Expert Interview. 26 March 2021.
- ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/homework.html
- ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/homework.html
- ↑ Katie Styzek. Professional School Counselor. Expert Interview. 26 March 2021.
- ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/homework.html
- ↑ https://childmind.org/article/strategies-to-make-homework-go-more-smoothly/
- ↑ https://childmind.org/article/strategies-to-make-homework-go-more-smoothly/
- ↑ https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/take-charge-of-distractions/
- ↑ https://childmind.org/article/strategies-to-make-homework-go-more-smoothly/
- ↑ Ted Coopersmith, MBA. Academic Tutor. Expert Interview. 10 July 2020.
- ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/school-help-teens.html
- ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/homework.html
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- "This article has been so helpful, I am very grateful to wikiHow, because I used to be (and I am still) a born procrastinator. I always left for tomorrow work and tasks I should do today. However I'm actually trying to eliminate this bad habit. Thank you." ..." more
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"This article has been so helpful, I am very grateful to wikiHow, because I used to be (and I am still) a born procrastinator. I always left for tomorrow work and tasks I should do today. However I'm actually trying to eliminate this bad habit. Thank you."
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"I been through a lot of issues, which I found out were from procrastinating. Doing so much stuff at one time and not thanking myself or allowing myself to take proper breaks between were behind it. Thanks to you for the solutions to my problems. "
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"I procrastinate a lot and have tried many different methods and they have never worked. But finally I have stumbled across one that does work and I found it just after I realized I'm behind on a huge project due in a few weeks. Great article!"
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"This was a great article. I always have trouble finishing all the homework I get. The thing I liked best about this article is that it suggests steps for procrastinators like me. Thank you very much, this was of great help! "
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"What really helped me is prioritizing my assignments. It helped me get my work done much faster and thus I was able to go to bed sooner."
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