homework and time management

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Homework: Helping Students Manage their Time

Two simple strategies for guiding students to improve a crucial skill.

This is the second of two parts. Part one can be found here: Is Homework Helpful?: The 5 Questions Every Teacher Should Ask .

Teachers assign work each and every day, either in class or for homework. That is the easy part. Put it on the board, tell students to copy it down, and move on to the next item on the day’s agenda. But why don’t teachers help students figure out how much time to allot to assignments? How do students know if an assignment should take 10 minutes or 40?

It is a blind spot in my own teaching. I never realized until lately that I wasn’t supporting students with time management skills. I wasn’t developing their ability to assess an assignment and correctly evaluate how much time it should take. 

Why is this important? With good time management, students know how much time they have, how long it will take to get assignments done, and what they can accomplish in the time they have. This gives them more breathing room, which reduces the feeling of being rushed, which in turn leads to less frustration and stress.

Here are two ways to support students in understanding time management.

Do the assignment yourself.  See how long it takes you to complete the work. Then remember, you are the expert with this material. Ask yourself, how long would it take for a proficient student to complete it? What about students with disabilities, what might hinder their progress? Then provide students with a range of times. If you believe an assignment should take 15-25 minutes, let them know. The benefit of this is that it allows students to plan better. They can situate homework in the context of their entire day. A student may get home from school at 3:30 and has soccer practice at 5pm. He now knows that he can complete your homework in any 25-minute window between the end of the school day and the start of practice. The downside to this is that some students may lose confidence and doubt themselves if an assignment takes much longer than you suggested. 

Rate the assignment.  Classify assignments into three categories with time frames for each so that students know what type it is and how long it should take to complete. Here are three ways that I categorize assignments:

Quick checks:  These assignments are measuring sticks of understanding and they are short and sweet. I expect students to spend 20-50 seconds on each question on these types of assignments. A 20-question quick check should take 6-10 minutes.  

Thorough Responses:  When you want answer with more substance and more development, I look for thorough responses. These types of assignments are different than quick checks because I expect students to spend 2-4 minutes per question. Thorough responses typically have fewer questions consequently.Thorough response assignments take my students 20-35 minutes.

Sustained Thought:  When students must access new material, when there is challenging reading, or when they must chew on ideas before they formulate responses,  students can expect to spend 30-40 minutes to complete an assignment. 

This piece was originally submitted to our community forums by a reader. Due to audience interest, we’ve preserved it. The opinions expressed here are the writer’s own.

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20 Effective Time Management Strategies and Tools for Students

Teachers can use these too!

One of the most important life skills for anyone to master is time management. Keeping track of everything that we have to do and carving out the time to get it all done can be a real struggle. Try these time management strategies and techniques, plus find helpful tools for staying on track.

General Time Management Strategies

Time management techniques, time management tools.

These time management strategies work for everyone, helping you set goals and prioritize, then set a schedule to get things done.

Visualize the big picture

Use a calendar of some type to lay out all your big-picture goals for a year, month, or week. Include major projects and assignments, as well as school and personal events. This is your place to get an overview of everything that’s on your plate. Keep items to broad descriptions: “History Project” or “Spring Play Opening Night.” You’ll get into the details next.

Break it down

The next step is to take major projects and assignments and break them down into smaller, more manageable parts. This is an incredibly effective way to overcome that feeling of “I’ll never get this all done!” It also prevents procrastinating on an entire project until the very last minute. Set smaller, more manageable goals with their own due dates in advance of a complete project or event.

For example, imagine your big-picture calendar says “History Project Due Feb. 23.” Breaking that down could look like this:

• Choose topic and presentation method: Jan. 9
• Initial research: Jan. 10-30
• Presentation outline: Jan. 31
• Write presentation script: Feb. 1-5
• Create visual aids: Feb. 6-12
• Rehearse presentation: Feb. 13
• Fine-tune presentation: Feb 14-16
• Final rehearsals: Feb. 17
• Give history presentation: Feb. 23

At first, this method might feel a little overwhelming, because it may make you feel like there’s too much to get done. But as you use it, you’ll see how it can actually make you feel more prepared and in control, and make your time easier to manage.

Determine priorities

Sometimes it’s simply true: You don’t have enough time in a day to get all the things done that you’d like to. That’s where setting priorities becomes vital. In the “Time Management Techniques” section below, you’ll find several different ideas for determining the priority of different items on your lists.

Once you’ve figured out which items are the most important, try a color-coding system to indicate which items get a higher priority. This will help you identify at a glance what you need to do now and what can wait until another day.

Make daily to-do lists

Make it a habit to start each day by creating a to-do list. (Not a morning person? You can do this the night before too.) Include high-priority items, as well as things you’d like to do but may not have to complete. Throughout the day, as you complete an item, revisit your list and check it off. It’s incredibly satisfying to cross things off, and checking in with your list a few times a day ensures you don’t forget important things.

Limit multitasking

Today’s world places a lot of value on multitasking (doing several things at once). But when you’re doing multiple things at the same time, you’re probably not doing any of them well. So keep your multitasking to a minimum. When it’s time to work on something, set your focus to that particular thing. Other stuff can wait.

But some multitasking is OK. For instance, you might throw your clothes in the washing machine, then work on your math homework while waiting for them to be ready for the dryer. Later on, you could fold and put away the laundry while practicing conjugating Spanish verbs out loud. This type of multitasking works because the physical tasks are ones that don’t require much concentration, leaving your brain free for academic subjects.

On the other hand, avoid something like trying to listen to a podcast for your history class while also doing your math homework. Your attention won’t be fully on each, and your learning will suffer.

Remove distractions

Some people are capable of deep focus no matter what’s going on around them. Most of us, though, need to find ways to remove distractions when it’s time to get down to work. Here are some examples to try:

• Turn off your phone, or set it to alert you only in case of emergencies.
• Wear noise-cancelling headphones or earplugs to block out distracting sounds. A white-noise machine or app can help with this too.
• Close miscellaneous tabs in your web browser (like social media or news sites), and use only the tabs you need for your work.
• Go into a quiet room and shut the door. Ask friends and family not to disturb you.
• Check your to-do list before you start to make sure you’re on track. Then, clear your mind of other projects or tasks, and focus on what’s at hand.

Do an end-of-day review

At the end of each day, sit down with your to-do list. Was there anything you didn’t get to? Move it to another day. Did you feel too rushed today? Think about how you might make tomorrow run a bit more smoothly. Where do you stand in terms of your big-picture goals? Take a few minutes to adjust any plans accordingly.

Try a time audit

It’s OK if you don’t get to everything on your list every day. But if you find that there’s never enough time to get things done, you might benefit from a time audit. Over the period of a week or two, write down exactly how you spend your time, hour by hour. Then, look it over and see if you can identify problem areas. You might need to cut down on some optional activities and give that time to high-priority items instead. Learn how to do a time audit here.

The time management strategies we’ve talked about so far are general ways to stay on track and get stuff done. But there are multiple ways to approach some of these strategies, especially when it comes to actually settling down to work. Check out these popular time management techniques and choose one or more that seem right for you.

Eisenhower Decision Matrix

President Eisenhower developed this matrix and used it to help him prioritize his tasks. He looked at each item to evaluate it by importance and urgency, then broke them into four categories:

• Do First: These are urgent, important tasks with high priority.
• Schedule: These are important tasks that aren’t quite as urgent.
• Delegate: You may be able to delegate less important but still urgent tasks to someone else.
• Don’t Do: These non-urgent, unimportant items can be eliminated entirely or postponed indefinitely.

Here are some possible student examples for each category:

• Do First: Homework that’s due tomorrow takes top priority, as might doing laundry if you’re out of clean clothes.
• Schedule: Set aside time (see Time Blocking) for smaller parts of long-term projects, such as research time or writing an outline. That could be today or one day in the near future.
• Delegate: Students aren’t always able to delegate their tasks, but they can ask for help. For example, if your schedule is incredibly tight, you could ask your dad if he’d be willing to throw your clothes in the dryer when the washer is done.
• Don’t Do: These are often bad habits you need to break, like surfing the web aimlessly instead of working, or texting your friends for hours instead of doing your chores.

Find out much more about the Eisenhower Matrix and how to use it for time management strategies here.

ABCDE Method

This is another time management strategy for prioritizing the tasks at hand. Assign each item a letter:

• A: Highest priority
• B: Should do soon, if not today
• C: Could do, but no serious consequences if not done
• D: Delegate or ask for help
• E: Eliminate from your list

This is very similar to the Eisenhower Matrix, with a little more flexibility around should-dos and could-dos. Learn more about the ABCDE method here.

Most Difficult First (Eat That Frog)

This method is based on a quote often attributed to Mark Twain: “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”

In other words, don’t put off the biggest, hardest tasks. Get them out of the way first. Then, everything else you have to do will seem easy in comparison.

For some people, though, this concept can be counterproductive. If you’re already feeling overwhelmed, tackling something extremely difficult can be too much and cause you to shut down entirely. In that case, it’s just fine to choose smaller, simpler items. The key is to make progress, one step at a time.

Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique is a simple time management method: You work for 25 minutes at a time, then take a 5-minute break to rest and recharge. Simply set a timer for 25 minutes, and focus on one single task until it goes off. Then, you can spend 5 minutes stretching, resting your eyes, or checking your social media feeds. When the 5 minutes are up, set the timer for another 25 minutes, and get back to work. If you do four 25-minute sessions in a row, take a longer break afterwards. Learn more about the Pomodoro Technique here.

If 25 minutes seems too short and you’d like a little more uninterrupted time, try Flowtime instead. This stretches out both the work and break time proportionally. If you work for 25-50 minutes, take an 8-minute break. For 50-90 minutes, you get a 10-minute break. And if you’ve been at it for more than 90 minutes, take 15 minutes to recharge. Learn about Flowtime here.

Parkinson’s Law says that work will always expand to fill the amount of time available. Timeboxing seeks to shrink tasks back to the size they truly need to be. When you timebox, you set a specific amount of time for a task and complete it within that time.

In other words, you might look over your study planner and decide that you need one hour for tonight’s geometry and chemistry assignments, plus you’d like to spend another hour working on your English essay.

Set a timer and work on your geometry and chemistry for an hour, with no other distractions. When the timer goes off, reassess and adjust your goals as needed. Since you have to finish that homework tonight, you’ll probably need to add more time if you’re not finished.

Your English essay isn’t due for two weeks, though, so if you’ve boxed out one hour for working on it today, that’s all you need to do. Set a timer, determine your goals for day, and get to work. When the timer goes off, you’re done for today.

Here’s more on timeboxing.

Time Blocking

This method is similar to timeboxing, but it involves setting blocks of time aside on your calendar for specific tasks. For example, you might block out 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. each day for daily homework, 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. for working on your biology research paper, and 7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. for piano practice. Some people like to start each day by blocking time out on their calendar, figuring out how they’ll make the most of their time. Find out more about time blocking here.

Once you’ve selected some time management strategies to try, you’ll find plenty of tools to help make them work. Check out these top time management tools for students, from planners to timers and beyond.

Student Planners

Traditional paper planners come in a variety of styles, with some made especially for students. The most important thing is to choose one you’ll actually use, and keep it on hand at all times. See our selection of the top student planners here.

Planner Apps

Planner apps and online calendars are nice because you have access to them everywhere you go. For students, we really like:

• My Study Life

See more details on each of these here, plus more options.

Study Planners

Study planners are specific to academics, and they are a simple way to keep track of both short-term and long-term assignments, projects, and more. Check out these free printable options:

• Develop Good Habits: Study Planner
• Alex Marie: Weekly Assignments Due
• Sophia Lee: Homework Planner Pack

Time Management Apps

Planner apps are a good start, but other time management apps can help you stay on track by eliminating distractions or setting time limits. Here are a few to try:

• Pomofocus : A free online 25–5 timer with the ability to add a task list for each work segment
• Rize : An AI productivity coach that uses time tracking to improve your focus and build better work habits
• Forest : Eliminate distractions, stay on task, and grow a digital forest to celebrate your achievements

Bullet Journal

Bullet journaling has a lot of benefits, and some page setups are especially good for time management:

• Daily Schedule
• Project Planner
• Study Tracker

Check out our big roundup of bullet journal ideas here.

What time management strategies do your students find most effective? Come share your thoughts and ask for advice in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

Plus, ultimate study skills guide: tips, tricks, and strategies for every grade ..

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16 Best Academic Planners for Students in 2023 (Paper and Online Options!)

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Students Struggle With Time Management. Schools Can Help

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When I started teaching, most meetings I had with students had nothing to do with class lessons. They would come into my office, sit down, and whimper, “I’m stressed out, exhausted, and my life is all over the place.” Sometimes bursts of tears would ensue. They aren’t alone: Solid research shows that students feel that society is more and more demanding of them. Mental-health issues in young children and teenagers are on the rise.

Students didn’t come to me because I’m a therapist. Neither had my course anything to do with mental health. They came to me because I’m the time-management guy—I’ve been doing research on time management for years. They came to me because of a simple but insidious assumption: If I can be just a little more productive, everything will be all right.

Why do students think productivity is the answer to their malaise? Because that’s what they’ve been told their whole life. By parents, television, the internet, peers, coaches, and, yes, schools. Schools play a major role in instilling this productivity mindset in young children, according to Vicki Abeles , author of Beyond Measure , a splendid book on how school performance pressures harm students. This mindset, especially in excess, can make students’ relationship with time fraught. If being obsessed with productivity makes students tired, anxious, and depressed, then the way schools think about time is neither conducive to their well-being nor, ironically, to their long-term productivity.

What would it take to make dramatic and effective changes to how schools think about time? Obviously, much of our obsession with productivity does not start with school. Public policies, culture, parents’ socioeconomic background, and a host of other factors play a major role. But historically, schools have been where children learn about time, punctuality, and schedules. Maybe it’s time for schools to use that power to teach students a healthier way to use their time. Here are a few actions school communities can take at a local level.

1. Conduct time-use surveys. We don’t really know what we do with our time until we measure it. That’s why governments around the world have been conducting time-use surveys for decades. These surveys essentially ask people what they do every half-hour or so over a 24-hour period. When we scale this up to a whole population, we get a clearer picture of how people use their time and whether it makes them happy and healthy. That’s how we know, for instance, that people who spend less time watching TV and more time with people are happier than those who do the opposite.

Why do students think productivity is the answer to their malaise? Because that’s what they’ve been told their whole life."

With time-use surveys, schools can better understand where students’ time goes, which is the first step toward tackling time issues. Doing this at a local level is key because time-use patterns will likely change from one school to another, especially for students with different socioeconomic backgrounds.

2. Lower the pressure. It’s far from clear whether, past a certain threshold, homework actually boosts students’ grades. The amount of homework assigned to students has increased a few times in the past—at one point the U.S. government feared students would be outperformed by their Russian counterparts during the Cold War. Whether homework is still increasing is not clear, but one thing is: The American public has been consistently in favor of more homework despite contrary expert opinion. Thankfully, several school districts, including in Hillsborough, Calif., and Somerville, Mass., have implemented reduced-homework policies, although not without resistance. These policies can go a long way toward alleviating students’ unnecessary time pressure.

Another worrying trend is the decline of recess time. The logic here isn’t that different from that of corporate employers: Reduce break times so people will spend more time working and thus boost performance. But that logic isn’t supported by science. Recovery, physical activity, and enjoyment are crucial for school performance and well-being, and that’s what recess is for. Reducing recess means reducing the break time necessary to recover the resources necessary for learning and creativity. Fortunately, many schools are now upping recess time, but it’s not just quantity that matters: How and with whom students enjoy recess time are important as well. (For instance, having more adults present during recess time increases physical play and helps conflict resolution among kids.)

3. Intentionality over productivity. Students today have more ways to spend their time than at any other point in history: watching TV, browsing the Internet, piano lessons, acting classes, community service, football, and countless other activities. We also live in a society that encourages busyness: If you’re not doing something at any given time, you’re a nobody.

Schools, parents, and peers push students to engage in a seemingly infinite number of activities, extracurricular or otherwise. These activities can be important for students’ well-being, but too much can backfire, as research shows .

Not only does overscheduling kids with activities make them miserable, but it also fails to teach them an essential lesson: It is better to do a few things intentionally and deliberately than to crowd one’s schedule with activities. An abundance of activities fails to teach children an even more important skill: focus. Doing too many things inevitably saps our ability to immerse ourselves fully in whatever we’re doing.

Schools can help by talking with parents about what constitutes a reasonable—healthy—amount of extracurricular activities. Schools can also encourage parents to think about “digital policies” to govern the use of digital devices at home and how social media and smartphones should be used responsibly. Most importantly, schools should emphasize un structured time. The more time children spend in unstructured activities, the more they learn how to structure time on their own. Conversely, if you structure all of children’s time, they will fail to learn how to structure their own time. This makes sense—how would you learn self-discipline if you’re never given the opportunity? You can’t teach proper time management to people if you manage all of their time.

Schools are said to prepare children for real life, an often busy and hectic place. But does school conspire in making life busier and more hectic? That’s very likely. By fundamentally reassessing the way they think about time, schools stand to make future adults—a future society—happier, healthier, and more intentional with their time. Schools have been teaching us the importance of being punctual. Maybe they should now teach us the importance of healthy time management.

A version of this article appeared in the February 26, 2020 edition of Education Week as It’s Not About Productivity. It’s About Time Management

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What Is Time Management? 6 Strategies to Better Manage Your Time

Manage your time to reduce stress, raise productivity, and increase well-being with these tips.

In school, work, and daily life, we may encounter people who seem to have it all together. They are productive, stress-free, high achievers. But chances are, they were not born that way. Managing, organizing, and distributing time are skills that we can learn. Doing so can help you control your time and promote overall satisfaction.

Here are some tips and methods that can help you harness your time for better well-being.

What is time management?

Time management is the process of consciously planning and controlling time spent on specific tasks to increase how efficient you are. You may be familiar with setting deadlines, writing to-do lists, and giving yourself small rewards for accomplishing certain activities.

Motivating ourselves is a core part of time management—and it takes a bit of effort not only to motivate yourself but to cultivate good habits to work and live more efficiently.

To develop good routines and habits, you can start by knowing what strategies and best practices are out there. You can experiment with them in your own life to see what works for you.

Benefits of time management

Good time management can lead to a healthy, balanced lifestyle that may manifest as:

Reducing stress

Increasing energy

Achieving goals more efficiently

Prioritizing what's important

Accomplishing more in less time

Reducing procrastination

Boosting confidence

Getting further in your career or education

How we spend our days...

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing. A schedule defends from chaos and whim,” wrote Annie Dillard in her book The Writing Life [ 1 ] .  

This quote summarizes how humans conceptualize time and how we can develop skills and schedules to maximize productivity and achieve our goals. 

6 time management strategies

If you’re looking to take control of your time, here are six tips and strategies to get you started:

1. Conduct a time audit.

Start by assessing where you actually spend your time. Create a visual map of the approximate hours you spend on work, school, housework and chores, commuting, social media, and leisure activities. Then, you can drill in on school or work, dividing your previous week into days, then hours. How much time did it take to finish that paper? Did a work project take longer because you were scrolling on your phone?

Set goals based on this outcome. Planning ahead and setting time limits on your tasks and priorities can free up time for what’s most important to you, like spending more time with friends and family.

Start by dedicating a half hour every Sunday to intentionally planning your week ahead and setting daily goals.

Awareness, arrangement, adaptation

At the core of time management methods are the basic skills of awareness , arrangement , and adaptation [ 2 ]. This means being mindful of your time, structuring it, and adjusting it as you go, is the secret to effective time management. Executives now point to behavioral skills as the most important for the modern workforce, with “time management skills and the ability to prioritize” ranking second in IBM’s skills gap survey [ 3 ].

2. Use the Eisenhower Matrix to set your priorities.

The Eisenhower Matrix is a popular tool that helps you distinguish between tasks that are important, not important, urgent , and not urgent . The quadrant has four boxes in which you can split your tasks to prioritize what you should focus on first. They also correspond with the 4 D’s of execution: do, defer, delegate, and delete .

Quadrant 1: Important and urgent. Do these tasks first. These are the priorities that are most relevant to your goals.

Quadrant 2: Important but not urgent. Defer these for later in your schedule.

Quadrant 3: Urgent but not important. Delegate these to others, if possible, especially if they do not contribute to your long-term goals.

Quadrant 4: Not important and not urgent. Delete these tasks, or do them when you have free time because they are distractions from your priorities.

For an even simpler approach, create a task list and mark each item as urgent or important. Often, we prioritize urgent tasks instead of important ones—such as tasks that may be creative, important, and fulfilling but do not have a deadline—so identifying and labeling them can be a helpful step toward accomplishing your personal and professional goals.

3. Employ methods to “chunk” your time.

Once you have a better idea of what your priorities are, setting limits can be an excellent time management tool. There are several options for chunking your time into digestible pieces.

Try the Pomodoro method . This technique was developed in the late 1980s by Francesco Cirillo, a university student who was overwhelmed by studying and assignments. The Pomodoro method requires using a timer to break down your work into 25-minute intervals, separated by 5 minutes of break time. After four pomodoros, you may take a longer 15-30 minute break. Pomodoro (“tomato” in Italian) promotes concentration and relieves mental fatigue, which is especially useful for open-ended work like conducting research, studying for an exam, or finishing a consulting project.

By “chunking” time, you make big projects and goals less daunting. Less procrastination, more productivity.

Try an app to help you focus

Download Pomodor on your desktop or the Focus Keeper app for your phone.

4. Focus on one thing at a time. 

For most of us, multitasking is generally less efficient than focusing on one task at a time. In fact, one study found that only 2.5 percent of people are able to multitask effectively [ 4 ]. Doing too many things at once can impact your cognitive ability, making you feel unproductive or dissatisfied with your progress. Arranging your time so that you complete one task before starting another can boost your confidence.

Further, it may be helpful to compartmentalize tasks. If you are a writer, for example, you might dedicate Monday to research, Tuesday through Thursday to writing, and Friday to editing. 

5. Give yourself a reward.

Rewards can be a great source of motivation for adopting good time management habits. For each important task you accomplish, you can give yourself a little treat. It doesn't need to be extravagant or expensive. Here are some simple ways to motivate yourself:

Taking a break to enjoy your favorite snack

Going for a short walk outside

Call a friend or family member

Meditate for five minutes

Listen to a podcast episode or a chapter of an audiobook

For bigger rewards, you can indulge in activities like reading a book in the bath, planning a night out with friends, or booking a getaway. Exciting rewards can help you push through an especially tough project or work period.

6. Use apps to block out distractions.

Sometimes, rewards and good intentions are not enough to keep us focused. An app or browser extension can help you minimize distractions by blocking you from using social media or touching your phone. Here are some apps and extensions you can try:

Forest is an app that helps you stay focused and off your phone. The company partners with an organization called Trees for the Future to plant trees when you spend virtual coins earned in Forest.

StayFocused is a browser extension that prevents you from using time-wasting websites like Reddit, Twitter, Wikipedia, Instagram, and more. It’s highly configurable, so you can customize it to your specific distractions.

Freedom is a tool that can block both websites and apps on all of your devices, simultaneously. Take advantage of their free trial to know if it’s right for you.

How to create your own time management strategy

Now that you have some potential time management tips and methods in your toolkit, it’s time to create a strategy. You might experiment with several techniques before establishing the most effective long-term habits and routines for you. 

Establish goals and priorities.

Consider your lifestyle, whether you are a student or a working professional (or both), whether you have a family or aspire to become a digital nomad (or both!). Think of your long- and short-term goals for your career and personal development. Make sure the goals are SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. What will it take to achieve them? How can you manage your time to maximize your productivity?

Once you have established your goals, prioritize them in order of importance. It may be helpful to use Post-its or pen and paper to visualize them.

Choose the best method for you.

Using the list of tips above, decide upon a method or two to implement. Based on what has worked for you in the past, you can mix and match different time management skills. If you are unsure of which ones will work for you, pick one at random and give it a try.

Plan and implement.

Apply your chosen method over a period of time. A month is typically enough time to evaluate whether a strategy is working. Over 30 days, monitor your progress. Take notes on how you feel after one or two weeks. Was one method more effective than the other? 

Take action today

Use a physical planner, Google calendar, or a simple notebook to set your monthly and weekly goals. For daily tasks, write a to-do list every morning with achievable (Swiss Cheese) goals. Feel free to buffer your days for flexibility and sprinkle in plenty of little rewards.

After one month of your new time management methods, it’s time to reassess. What’s working? What’s not working? Adjust your strategy and plan to be more effective. Continue to practice these habits each month, adapting them as your priorities change. What works for you when you are a student may not be the same as when you start a new job.

Remember, practicing time management is an ongoing process, and life happens. It’s about progress, not perfection.

Learn how to manage your time effectively

Learn more effective time management tips from instructors at top universities with a course like Work Smarter, Not Harder: Time Management for Personal & Professional Productivity from the University of California Irvine. This course is offered on its own as well as part of the Career Success specialization.

Give your team access to a catalog of 8,000+ engaging courses and hands-on Guided Projects to help them develop impactful skills. Learn more about Coursera for Business .

Article sources

Dillard, Annie. “ The Writing Life , https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Writing_Life.html?id=it8NwjEKwCMC." Accessed July 14, 2023.

Harvard Business Review. “ Time Management Is about More than Life Hacks , https://hbr.org/2020/01/time-management-is-about-more-than-life-hacks." Accessed July 14, 2023.

IBM. “ Research Insights the Enterprise Guide to Closing the Skills Gap , https://www.ibm.com/downloads/cas/epymnbja." Accessed July 14, 2023.

Springer-Verlag. “ Supertaskers: Profiles in Extraordinary Multitasking Ability - Psychonomic Bulletin and Review , https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/PBR.17.4.479." Accessed July 14, 2023.

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Everyone struggles with homework sometimes, but if getting your homework done has become a chronic issue for you, then you may need a little extra help. That’s why we’ve written this article all about how to do homework. Once you’re finished reading it, you’ll know how to do homework (and have tons of new ways to motivate yourself to do homework)!

We’ve broken this article down into a few major sections. You’ll find:

• A diagnostic test to help you figure out why you’re struggling with homework
• A discussion of the four major homework problems students face, along with expert tips for addressing them
• A bonus section with tips for how to do homework fast

By the end of this article, you’ll be prepared to tackle whatever homework assignments your teachers throw at you .

So let’s get started!

How to Do Homework: Figure Out Your Struggles 

Sometimes it feels like everything is standing between you and getting your homework done. But the truth is, most people only have one or two major roadblocks that are keeping them from getting their homework done well and on time. 

The best way to figure out how to get motivated to do homework starts with pinpointing the issues that are affecting your ability to get your assignments done. That’s why we’ve developed a short quiz to help you identify the areas where you’re struggling. 

Take the quiz below and record your answers on your phone or on a scrap piece of paper. Keep in mind there are no wrong answers! 

1. You’ve just been assigned an essay in your English class that’s due at the end of the week. What’s the first thing you do?

A. Keep it in mind, even though you won’t start it until the day before it’s due  B. Open up your planner. You’ve got to figure out when you’ll write your paper since you have band practice, a speech tournament, and your little sister’s dance recital this week, too.  C. Groan out loud. Another essay? You could barely get yourself to write the last one!  D. Start thinking about your essay topic, which makes you think about your art project that’s due the same day, which reminds you that your favorite artist might have just posted to Instagram...so you better check your feed right now. 

2. Your mom asked you to pick up your room before she gets home from work. You’ve just gotten home from school. You decide you’ll tackle your chores: 

A. Five minutes before your mom walks through the front door. As long as it gets done, who cares when you start?  B. As soon as you get home from your shift at the local grocery store.  C. After you give yourself a 15-minute pep talk about how you need to get to work.  D. You won’t get it done. Between texts from your friends, trying to watch your favorite Netflix show, and playing with your dog, you just lost track of time! 

3. You’ve signed up to wash dogs at the Humane Society to help earn money for your senior class trip. You: 

A. Show up ten minutes late. You put off leaving your house until the last minute, then got stuck in unexpected traffic on the way to the shelter.  B. Have to call and cancel at the last minute. You forgot you’d already agreed to babysit your cousin and bake cupcakes for tomorrow’s bake sale.  C. Actually arrive fifteen minutes early with extra brushes and bandanas you picked up at the store. You’re passionate about animals, so you’re excited to help out! D. Show up on time, but only get three dogs washed. You couldn’t help it: you just kept getting distracted by how cute they were!

4. You have an hour of downtime, so you decide you’re going to watch an episode of The Great British Baking Show. You: 

A. Scroll through your social media feeds for twenty minutes before hitting play, which means you’re not able to finish the whole episode. Ugh! You really wanted to see who was sent home!  B. Watch fifteen minutes until you remember you’re supposed to pick up your sister from band practice before heading to your part-time job. No GBBO for you!  C. You finish one episode, then decide to watch another even though you’ve got SAT studying to do. It’s just more fun to watch people make scones.  D. Start the episode, but only catch bits and pieces of it because you’re reading Twitter, cleaning out your backpack, and eating a snack at the same time.

5. Your teacher asks you to stay after class because you’ve missed turning in two homework assignments in a row. When she asks you what’s wrong, you say: 

A. You planned to do your assignments during lunch, but you ran out of time. You decided it would be better to turn in nothing at all than submit unfinished work.  B. You really wanted to get the assignments done, but between your extracurriculars, family commitments, and your part-time job, your homework fell through the cracks.  C. You have a hard time psyching yourself to tackle the assignments. You just can’t seem to find the motivation to work on them once you get home.  D. You tried to do them, but you had a hard time focusing. By the time you realized you hadn’t gotten anything done, it was already time to turn them in. 

Like we said earlier, there are no right or wrong answers to this quiz (though your results will be better if you answered as honestly as possible). Here’s how your answers break down: 

• If your answers were mostly As, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is procrastination. 
• If your answers were mostly Bs, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is time management. 
• If your answers were mostly Cs, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is motivation. 
• If your answers were mostly Ds, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is getting distracted. 

Now that you’ve identified why you’re having a hard time getting your homework done, we can help you figure out how to fix it! Scroll down to find your core problem area to learn more about how you can start to address it. 

And one more thing: you’re really struggling with homework, it’s a good idea to read through every section below. You may find some additional tips that will help make homework less intimidating. 

How to Do Homework When You’re a Procrastinator  

Merriam Webster defines “procrastinate” as “to put off intentionally and habitually.” In other words, procrastination is when you choose to do something at the last minute on a regular basis. If you’ve ever found yourself pulling an all-nighter, trying to finish an assignment between periods, or sprinting to turn in a paper minutes before a deadline, you’ve experienced the effects of procrastination. 

If you’re a chronic procrastinator, you’re in good company. In fact, one study found that 70% to 95% of undergraduate students procrastinate when it comes to doing their homework. Unfortunately, procrastination can negatively impact your grades. Researchers have found that procrastination can lower your grade on an assignment by as much as five points ...which might not sound serious until you realize that can mean the difference between a B- and a C+. 

Procrastination can also negatively affect your health by increasing your stress levels , which can lead to other health conditions like insomnia, a weakened immune system, and even heart conditions. Getting a handle on procrastination can not only improve your grades, it can make you feel better, too! 

The big thing to understand about procrastination is that it’s not the result of laziness. Laziness is defined as being “disinclined to activity or exertion.” In other words, being lazy is all about doing nothing. But a s this Psychology Today article explains , procrastinators don’t put things off because they don’t want to work. Instead, procrastinators tend to postpone tasks they don’t want to do in favor of tasks that they perceive as either more important or more fun. Put another way, procrastinators want to do things...as long as it’s not their homework! 

3 Tips f or Conquering Procrastination 

Because putting off doing homework is a common problem, there are lots of good tactics for addressing procrastination. Keep reading for our three expert tips that will get your homework habits back on track in no time. 

#1: Create a Reward System

Like we mentioned earlier, procrastination happens when you prioritize other activities over getting your homework done. Many times, this happens because homework...well, just isn’t enjoyable. But you can add some fun back into the process by rewarding yourself for getting your work done. 

Here’s what we mean: let’s say you decide that every time you get your homework done before the day it’s due, you’ll give yourself a point. For every five points you earn, you’ll treat yourself to your favorite dessert: a chocolate cupcake! Now you have an extra (delicious!) incentive to motivate you to leave procrastination in the dust. 

If you’re not into cupcakes, don’t worry. Your reward can be anything that motivates you . Maybe it’s hanging out with your best friend or an extra ten minutes of video game time. As long as you’re choosing something that makes homework worth doing, you’ll be successful. 

#2: Have a Homework Accountability Partner 

If you’re having trouble getting yourself to start your homework ahead of time, it may be a good idea to call in reinforcements . Find a friend or classmate you can trust and explain to them that you’re trying to change your homework habits. Ask them if they’d be willing to text you to make sure you’re doing your homework and check in with you once a week to see if you’re meeting your anti-procrastination goals. 

Sharing your goals can make them feel more real, and an accountability partner can help hold you responsible for your decisions. For example, let’s say you’re tempted to put off your science lab write-up until the morning before it’s due. But you know that your accountability partner is going to text you about it tomorrow...and you don’t want to fess up that you haven’t started your assignment. A homework accountability partner can give you the extra support and incentive you need to keep your homework habits on track. 

#3: Create Your Own Due Dates 

If you’re a life-long procrastinator, you might find that changing the habit is harder than you expected. In that case, you might try using procrastination to your advantage! If you just can’t seem to stop doing your work at the last minute, try setting your own due dates for assignments that range from a day to a week before the assignment is actually due. 

Here’s what we mean. Let’s say you have a math worksheet that’s been assigned on Tuesday and is due on Friday. In your planner, you can write down the due date as Thursday instead. You may still put off your homework assignment until the last minute...but in this case, the “last minute” is a day before the assignment’s real due date . This little hack can trick your procrastination-addicted brain into planning ahead! 

If you feel like Kevin Hart in this meme, then our tips for doing homework when you're busy are for you. 

How to Do Homework When You’re too Busy

If you’re aiming to go to a top-tier college , you’re going to have a full plate. Because college admissions is getting more competitive, it’s important that you’re maintaining your grades , studying hard for your standardized tests , and participating in extracurriculars so your application stands out. A packed schedule can get even more hectic once you add family obligations or a part-time job to the mix. 

If you feel like you’re being pulled in a million directions at once, you’re not alone. Recent research has found that stress—and more severe stress-related conditions like anxiety and depression— are a major problem for high school students . In fact, one study from the American Psychological Association found that during the school year, students’ stress levels are higher than those of the adults around them. 

For students, homework is a major contributor to their overall stress levels . Many high schoolers have multiple hours of homework every night , and figuring out how to fit it into an already-packed schedule can seem impossible. 

3 Tips for Fitting Homework Into Your Busy Schedule

While it might feel like you have literally no time left in your schedule, there are still ways to make sure you’re able to get your homework done and meet your other commitments. Here are our expert homework tips for even the busiest of students. 

#1: Make a Prioritized To-Do List 

You probably already have a to-do list to keep yourself on track. The next step is to prioritize the items on your to-do list so you can see what items need your attention right away. 

Here’s how it works: at the beginning of each day, sit down and make a list of all the items you need to get done before you go to bed. This includes your homework, but it should also take into account any practices, chores, events, or job shifts you may have. Once you get everything listed out, it’s time to prioritize them using the labels A, B, and C. Here’s what those labels mean:

• A Tasks : tasks that have to get done—like showing up at work or turning in an assignment—get an A. 
• B Tasks : these are tasks that you would like to get done by the end of the day but aren’t as time sensitive. For example, studying for a test you have next week could be a B-level task. It’s still important, but it doesn’t have to be done right away.
• C Tasks: these are tasks that aren’t very important and/or have no real consequences if you don’t get them done immediately. For instance, if you’re hoping to clean out your closet but it’s not an assigned chore from your parents, you could label that to-do item with a C.

Prioritizing your to-do list helps you visualize which items need your immediate attention, and which items you can leave for later. A prioritized to-do list ensures that you’re spending your time efficiently and effectively, which helps you make room in your schedule for homework. So even though you might really want to start making decorations for Homecoming (a B task), you’ll know that finishing your reading log (an A task) is more important. 

#2: Use a Planner With Time Labels

Your planner is probably packed with notes, events, and assignments already. (And if you’re not using a planner, it’s time to start!) But planners can do more for you than just remind you when an assignment is due. If you’re using a planner with time labels, it can help you visualize how you need to spend your day.

A planner with time labels breaks your day down into chunks, and you assign tasks to each chunk of time. For example, you can make a note of your class schedule with assignments, block out time to study, and make sure you know when you need to be at practice. Once you know which tasks take priority, you can add them to any empty spaces in your day. 

Planning out how you spend your time not only helps you use it wisely, it can help you feel less overwhelmed, too . We’re big fans of planners that include a task list ( like this one ) or have room for notes ( like this one ). 

#3: Set Reminders on Your Phone 

If you need a little extra nudge to make sure you’re getting your homework done on time, it’s a good idea to set some reminders on your phone. You don’t need a fancy app, either. You can use your alarm app to have it go off at specific times throughout the day to remind you to do your homework. This works especially well if you have a set homework time scheduled. So if you’ve decided you’re doing homework at 6:00 pm, you can set an alarm to remind you to bust out your books and get to work. 

If you use your phone as your planner, you may have the option to add alerts, emails, or notifications to scheduled events . Many calendar apps, including the one that comes with your phone, have built-in reminders that you can customize to meet your needs. So if you block off time to do your homework from 4:30 to 6:00 pm, you can set a reminder that will pop up on your phone when it’s time to get started. 

This dog isn't judging your lack of motivation...but your teacher might. Keep reading for tips to help you motivate yourself to do your homework.

How to Do Homework When You’re Unmotivated 

At first glance, it may seem like procrastination and being unmotivated are the same thing. After all, both of these issues usually result in you putting off your homework until the very last minute. 

But there’s one key difference: many procrastinators are working, they’re just prioritizing work differently. They know they’re going to start their homework...they’re just going to do it later. 

Conversely, people who are unmotivated to do homework just can’t find the willpower to tackle their assignments. Procrastinators know they’ll at least attempt the homework at the last minute, whereas people who are unmotivated struggle with convincing themselves to do it at a ll. For procrastinators, the stress comes from the inevitable time crunch. For unmotivated people, the stress comes from trying to convince themselves to do something they don’t want to do in the first place. 

Here are some common reasons students are unmotivated in doing homework : 

• Assignments are too easy, too hard, or seemingly pointless 
• Students aren’t interested in (or passionate about) the subject matter
• Students are intimidated by the work and/or feels like they don’t understand the assignment 
• Homework isn’t fun, and students would rather spend their time on things that they enjoy 

To sum it up: people who lack motivation to do their homework are more likely to not do it at all, or to spend more time worrying about doing their homework than...well, actually doing it.

3 Tips for How to Get Motivated to Do Homework

The key to getting homework done when you’re unmotivated is to figure out what does motivate you, then apply those things to homework. It sounds tricky...but it’s pretty simple once you get the hang of it! Here are our three expert tips for motivating yourself to do your homework. 

#1: Use Incremental Incentives

When you’re not motivated, it’s important to give yourself small rewards to stay focused on finishing the task at hand. The trick is to keep the incentives small and to reward yourself often. For example, maybe you’re reading a good book in your free time. For every ten minutes you spend on your homework, you get to read five pages of your book. Like we mentioned earlier, make sure you’re choosing a reward that works for you! 

So why does this technique work? Using small rewards more often allows you to experience small wins for getting your work done. Every time you make it to one of your tiny reward points, you get to celebrate your success, which gives your brain a boost of dopamine . Dopamine helps you stay motivated and also creates a feeling of satisfaction when you complete your homework !  

#2: Form a Homework Group 

If you’re having trouble motivating yourself, it’s okay to turn to others for support. Creating a homework group can help with this. Bring together a group of your friends or classmates, and pick one time a week where you meet and work on homework together. You don’t have to be in the same class, or even taking the same subjects— the goal is to encourage one another to start (and finish!) your assignments. 

Another added benefit of a homework group is that you can help one another if you’re struggling to understand the material covered in your classes. This is especially helpful if your lack of motivation comes from being intimidated by your assignments. Asking your friends for help may feel less scary than talking to your teacher...and once you get a handle on the material, your homework may become less frightening, too. 

#3: Change Up Your Environment 

If you find that you’re totally unmotivated, it may help if you find a new place to do your homework. For example, if you’ve been struggling to get your homework done at home, try spending an extra hour in the library after school instead. The change of scenery can limit your distractions and give you the energy you need to get your work done. 

If you’re stuck doing homework at home, you can still use this tip. For instance, maybe you’ve always done your homework sitting on your bed. Try relocating somewhere else, like your kitchen table, for a few weeks. You may find that setting up a new “homework spot” in your house gives you a motivational lift and helps you get your work done. 

Social media can be a huge problem when it comes to doing homework. We have advice for helping you unplug and regain focus.

How to Do Homework When You’re Easily Distracted

We live in an always-on world, and there are tons of things clamoring for our attention. From friends and family to pop culture and social media, it seems like there’s always something (or someone!) distracting us from the things we need to do.

The 24/7 world we live in has affected our ability to focus on tasks for prolonged periods of time. Research has shown that over the past decade, an average person’s attention span has gone from 12 seconds to eight seconds . And when we do lose focus, i t takes people a long time to get back on task . One study found that it can take as long as 23 minutes to get back to work once we’ve been distracte d. No wonder it can take hours to get your homework done! 

3 Tips to Improve Your Focus

If you have a hard time focusing when you’re doing your homework, it’s a good idea to try and eliminate as many distractions as possible. Here are three expert tips for blocking out the noise so you can focus on getting your homework done. 

#1: Create a Distraction-Free Environment

Pick a place where you’ll do your homework every day, and make it as distraction-free as possible. Try to find a location where there won’t be tons of noise, and limit your access to screens while you’re doing your homework. Put together a focus-oriented playlist (or choose one on your favorite streaming service), and put your headphones on while you work. 

You may find that other people, like your friends and family, are your biggest distraction. If that’s the case, try setting up some homework boundaries. Let them know when you’ll be working on homework every day, and ask them if they’ll help you keep a quiet environment. They’ll be happy to lend a hand! 

#2: Limit Your Access to Technology 

We know, we know...this tip isn’t fun, but it does work. For homework that doesn’t require a computer, like handouts or worksheets, it’s best to put all your technology away . Turn off your television, put your phone and laptop in your backpack, and silence notifications on any wearable tech you may be sporting. If you listen to music while you work, that’s fine...but make sure you have a playlist set up so you’re not shuffling through songs once you get started on your homework. 

If your homework requires your laptop or tablet, it can be harder to limit your access to distractions. But it’s not impossible! T here are apps you can download that will block certain websites while you’re working so that you’re not tempted to scroll through Twitter or check your Facebook feed. Silence notifications and text messages on your computer, and don’t open your email account unless you absolutely have to. And if you don’t need access to the internet to complete your assignments, turn off your WiFi. Cutting out the online chatter is a great way to make sure you’re getting your homework done. 

#3: Set a Timer (the Pomodoro Technique)

Have you ever heard of the Pomodoro technique ? It’s a productivity hack that uses a timer to help you focus!

Here’s how it works: first, set a timer for 25 minutes. This is going to be your work time. During this 25 minutes, all you can do is work on whatever homework assignment you have in front of you. No email, no text messaging, no phone calls—just homework. When that timer goes off, you get to take a 5 minute break. Every time you go through one of these cycles, it’s called a “pomodoro.” For every four pomodoros you complete, you can take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes.

The pomodoro technique works through a combination of boundary setting and rewards. First, it gives you a finite amount of time to focus, so you know that you only have to work really hard for 25 minutes. Once you’ve done that, you’re rewarded with a short break where you can do whatever you want. Additionally, tracking how many pomodoros you complete can help you see how long you’re really working on your homework. (Once you start using our focus tips, you may find it doesn’t take as long as you thought!)

Two Bonus Tips for How to Do Homework Fast

Even if you’re doing everything right, there will be times when you just need to get your homework done as fast as possible. (Why do teachers always have projects due in the same week? The world may never know.)

The problem with speeding through homework is that it’s easy to make mistakes. While turning in an assignment is always better than not submitting anything at all, you want to make sure that you’re not compromising quality for speed. Simply put, the goal is to get your homework done quickly and still make a good grade on the assignment! 

Here are our two bonus tips for getting a decent grade on your homework assignments , even when you’re in a time crunch. 

#1: Do the Easy Parts First 

This is especially true if you’re working on a handout with multiple questions. Before you start working on the assignment, read through all the questions and problems. As you do, make a mark beside the questions you think are “easy” to answer . 

Once you’ve finished going through the whole assignment, you can answer these questions first. Getting the easy questions out of the way as quickly as possible lets you spend more time on the trickier portions of your homework, which will maximize your assignment grade. 

(Quick note: this is also a good strategy to use on timed assignments and tests, like the SAT and the ACT !) 

#2: Pay Attention in Class 

Homework gets a lot easier when you’re actively learning the material. Teachers aren’t giving you homework because they’re mean or trying to ruin your weekend... it’s because they want you to really understand the course material. Homework is designed to reinforce what you’re already learning in class so you’ll be ready to tackle harder concepts later.

When you pay attention in class, ask questions, and take good notes, you’re absorbing the information you’ll need to succeed on your homework assignments. (You’re stuck in class anyway, so you might as well make the most of it!) Not only will paying attention in class make your homework less confusing, it will also help it go much faster, too.

What’s Next?

If you’re looking to improve your productivity beyond homework, a good place to begin is with time management. After all, we only have so much time in a day...so it’s important to get the most out of it! To get you started, check out this list of the 12 best time management techniques that you can start using today.

You may have read this article because homework struggles have been affecting your GPA. Now that you’re on the path to homework success, it’s time to start being proactive about raising your grades. This article teaches you everything you need to know about raising your GPA so you can

Now you know how to get motivated to do homework...but what about your study habits? Studying is just as critical to getting good grades, and ultimately getting into a good college . We can teach you how to study bette r in high school. (We’ve also got tons of resources to help you study for your ACT and SAT exams , too!)

These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission.

Ashley Sufflé Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams.

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Importance of Time Management for Students: How Homework Helps

Time management is a critical skill that can make or break a student’s academic success. Whether in high school or college or just a graduate student working on a thesis, managing your time effectively can help you set your priorities straight and reach your full potential.

Homework, in particular, plays a crucial role in helping students develop good time management skills. With the right strategies and techniques, you can use homework to create a schedule, prioritize tasks, and stay on top of your workload.

This article will explore how homework helps with time management and provide tips and tricks for making the most of your time.

Time management importance for students: why should they take it seriously?

Before we examine how homework can help students with time management, let’s evaluate its importance.

As you might already know, time management is planning, organizing, and allocating time effectively to achieve specific goals or objectives. It typically involves developing priorities, creating a schedule, and manufacturing strategies for achieving tasks efficiently.

So why is time management important for students?

Time management is important for students because it helps them prioritize their tasks, meet deadlines, and balance their academic and personal responsibilities. Effective time management allows even the most average students to make the most of their time, reducing stress and improving their academic performance.

Additionally, good time management skills are essential for success in college and the workforce, as they help individuals become more productive and efficient in completing tasks.

How does homework help students with time management in their schoolwork?

Homework can help students with time management in several ways, some include:

• Prioritization

Homework assignments provide students with a clear list of tasks that need to be completed, which helps them prioritize their time and focus on what is most important.

Homework is typically given with due dates, encouraging students to plan and schedule their time accordingly.

• Accountability

Homework helps students develop a sense of responsibility for their learning and progress. It encourages students to take ownership of their time and use it effectively.

Homework allows students to practice time management skills such as planning, scheduling, and prioritizing. It also offers long-term benefits that will serve them well in college and the workforce.

It is important to note that homework alone is not enough to develop good time management skills; it should be combined with other techniques such as creating a schedule, setting goals, and breaking down large tasks into smaller manageable chunks.

School homework management software: what is it and how does it work?

A critical aspect of homework time management is using various educational software that supports organizational learning. Various types of homework management system or software are available to help students and teachers manage and organize homework assignments. Some popular options include:

• Google Classroom

This free platform allows teachers to assign and collect homework digitally, provide feedback, and communicate with students.

• Show My Homework

This web-based platform allows teachers to create, assign and track homework. It also offers a student calendar, which allows students to view and keep track of their homework assignments.

• My Study Life

This is a cross-platform planner for students, teachers, and lecturers, which helps them to manage their classes, homework, exams, and assignments.

• Microsoft Teams

It’s part of the Microsoft 365 suite, and it allows teachers to assign homework and communicate with students, and also students can collaborate and communicate with their peers for assignments.

• Blackboard Learn

It’s a Learning management system (LMS) that allows teachers to create and manage homework assignments, and grades, and provide feedback to students. This software can help students to stay organized and keep track of their assignments, and also helps teachers to easily manage and monitor student progress, provide feedback, and communicate with students.

Bottom line

Now, if you’re ever asked how does homework help with time management? Time management is an essential skill for students, and it can be particularly helpful when managing homework. You can emphasize how they help create schedules, set goals, establish routines, and take care of students’ physical and mental well-being.

Developing good time management skills improves student performance in school and helps develop a sense of discipline and responsibility that will serve them well in their future endeavors.

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• B.A., History, Armstrong State University

Do you find yourself rushing to complete your homework assignment at the last moment? Are you always starting your homework when you're supposed to be going to bed? The root of this common problem may be time management.

This easy exercise will help you identify the tasks or habits that take time away from your studies and help you develop more healthy homework habits.

Keeping Track of Your Time

The first goal of this exercise is to get you to think about how you spend your time . For instance, how much time do you think you spend on the phone per week? The truth may surprise you.

First, make a list of common time-consuming activities:

• Talking on the phone
• Listening to music
• Watching TV
• Playing games/surfing web
• Spending time with family

Next, jot down an estimated time for each one. Record the amount of time that you think you devote to each of these activities per day or week.

Make a Chart

Using your list of activities, create a chart with five columns.

Keep this chart on hand at all times for five days and keep track of all the time you spend on each activity. This will be tough sometimes since you probably spend a lot of time going rapidly from one activity to the other or doing two at once.

For example, you may watch TV and eat at the same time. Just record the activity as one or the other. This is an exercise, not a punishment or a science project. Don't pressure yourself!

Once you have tracked your time for a week or so, take a look at your chart. How do your actual times compare with your estimates?

If you are like most people, you may be shocked to see how much time you spend doing things that are unproductive.

Does homework time come in last place? If so, you're normal. In fact, there are many things that ​ should take more time than homework, like family time. But surely there are some problem areas that you can identify as well. Are you spending four hours a night watching TV or playing video games?

You certainly deserve your leisure time. But to have a healthy, productive life, you should have a good balance among family time, homework time, and leisure time.

Set New Goals

When tracking your time, you may find that you spend some time on things you just can't classify. Whether we're sitting on the bus staring out the window, waiting in line for a ticket, or sitting at the kitchen table gazing off in the distance, we all spend time doing, well—nothing.

Look over your activity chart and determine areas you could target for improvement. Then, start the process over again with a new list.

Make new time estimates for each task or activity. Set goals for yourself, allowing more time for homework and less time on one of your weaknesses, like TV or games.

You will soon see that the mere act of thinking about how you spend your time will bring about a change in your habits.

Suggestions for Success

• Don't work alone. Some of us need support to stick to something. A little competition with a friend always makes things more interesting. Work with a friend, compare notes, lists, and charts. Make a game of it!
• Include your parent. Get your mom or dad involved and have them keep track of the time they waste. Now that might be interesting!
• Negotiate a reward system . Whether you work with a friend or a parent, work out a system for rewarding yourself for progress. If working with a friend, you could agree to provide lunch or dinner for the time-saving winner each week.If working with a parent, you could negotiate an extended curfew for every increased minute devoted toward homework. Perhaps you could even substitute dollars for minutes. The possibilities are endless!
• Have a party for reaching a goal. Even if you're working on your own, you could promise yourself a party as a reward for reaching a specific goal.
• Make it a class project. This would be a great project for an entire class. The teacher or group leader could keep track of progress with a flow chart. When the class reaches a goal as a group—it's party time!
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How to better manage your homework time | Ask Kelly

Dear Kelly,

Last week I began classes, but I already feel like I’m overwhelmed with homework. I spent the bulk of the weekend doing the work, and I still have more to do. I know I need to work on managing my time better. Do you have any advice for me? What do you do?

This is an excellent question and one that I am so happy you are asking at the beginning of the semester. Juggling different classes and all of the coursework that comes with them can be very daunting, especially if you don’t plan ahead. This is something I learned the first week of my freshman year, when I spent that entire first weekend drinking pots of coffee while sitting for countless hours in front of my computer answering multiple discussion posts, taking three quizzes, writing a reflection paper, and reviewing an assigned article. I’ll never forget that weekend. I cried. I literally broke down and cried! I wondered why in the world I would have signed up to subject myself to that much stress. I kept saying, “What was I thinking?” No, I take that back. I kept yelling, “WHAT WAS I THINKING WHEN I DECIDED TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL?”

That weekend taught me something: To make sure I made the most of the time I had available. I remember sitting and talking with my husband, Garrick, and saying, “I wish I would’ve started on this work earlier. I could have even done some of the homework on days that I had class.” I had to be honest with myself. There was plenty of time during the week that I could have focused on homework, but since it was just blocks of time, I kept seeing the weekend as a more viable option. I didn’t realize how that would lead to an enormous amount of stress because I had so much to complete in just those two days.

I made the conscious decision to never paint myself into that corner again. I decided I had to get organized, and the very first thing that needed to happen was I needed to buy a calendar. I went to the store and purchased a large, wall-mounted, dry erase calendar, and I hung it in my office. Before I began, I decided on my “homework time.” This was the time each day that I knew I could devote to homework. Immediately, I began recording my class schedule on the calendar, along with some assignments and their due dates, but something didn’t seem right. It still looked jumbled to me. You see, I was writing everything down with the same colored pen, nothing stood out.

I went back to the store and bought a pack of different colored dry erase markers. When I came home, I assigned each class a different color, and then I began writing things down. I chose the color blue for the first class. I wrote down all of the nights I had class and underlined those to show that those were class nights, not assignments. Then, using the syllabus from that class, I began to place my assignments onto the calendar on their due dates.  

That’s when I stopped and reflected on the past weekend.

The problem I had wasn’t making sure assignments were turned in on time. It was giving myself plenty of time to get the assignments completed, without causing unneeded stress. So I began to plot the assignments not based on due dates but based on the time it took to complete them. I also made sure I had flex time to make any edits or adjustments to the assignments before I turned them in. I added study time onto the calendar to prepare for quizzes. For large assignments, like research papers, I wrote down the date that I wanted to have my research collected by, the date I wanted to have the outline written, the date that I wanted to write my rough draft, and so on. I broke things apart, so I would have time to complete each assignment or quiz and still have time for myself and my family.

I repeated this process for recording my other classes and coursework onto the calendar, as well, using different colors for each class. As assignments were completed, I would cross through them with a black marker. When I turned in the assignment, I would erase it off the board. Each and every day was scheduled, and I knew what I was working on each day. Yes, there were times when I had to make adjustments, but with the calendar and the way I had scheduled everything, it was easy to do.

This one simple task of writing everything down on the calendar completely changed the ballgame. My stress lifted. I knew what I had to do and when. I could plan events with friends and family and still have time for me. I knew my availability each and every day, and that was wonderful! If, for some reason, I finished an assignment early, I would use the extra time to get a jumpstart on a different assignment. I was always ahead of the game, and it felt amazing!

Now, I am in my senior year. The calendar has gone digital, since I did eventually wear out the one on the wall. I still color-code each of my classes, even going so far as to change the color-coding of the course in Canvas (do this by clicking on the three dots at the top of the course box on your dashboard).

Getting organized is one of the reasons why I believe I have been able to maintain a 4.0 GPA, even when I was juggling three jobs and a full load of classes.

I promise, if you make the conscious effort to organize your time, you will reap the benefits of not only completing all of your assignments before they are due but also doing so while maintaining your sanity.

As always, I wish you health, happiness and continued success throughout your journey.

Do you have a question about Mercer or coping with school in these challenging times? Each week Kelly Browning, an early childhood education/special education major and student ambassador at the Henry County Regional Academic Center, answers questions from the Mercer community. Email her at  [email protected]  or  fill out our online form  to submit your question anonymously.

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How My Homework Helped Me With Time Management

Students often find themselves struggling with time management as they get older. This article will explore how homework can help students learn to be more responsible for their time, organize their workloads, and plan their days better.

Table of Contents

Introduction

As a student, you probably know the importance of time management. After all, there are only so many hours in a day, and you must use them wisely. Homework can help you to develop good time management skills.

When you have homework, you must plan your time carefully to complete it. This means you have to be very organized and efficient with your time. You can’t just start working on your homework whenever you feel like it; you need to sit down and figure out when and how long you will work on it. This can be tricky, especially if you have other commitments like sports or extracurricular activities.

However, managing your time and completing your homework efficiently will free up more time for other things. And, as a bonus, your grades will probably improve too! So, doing homework can be helpful if you’re struggling with time management.

What is Time Management?

Time management is the ability to use your time wisely to accomplish more daily. It involves setting priorities and ensuring you use your time wisely by first working on the most critical tasks.

Homework can help you with time management because it forces you to prioritize your work and use your time efficiently. If you have a lot of homework, you need to be able to figure out what is most important and work on that first. This can be an excellent skill to practice to learn how to manage your time better.

In addition, homework can help you learn how to budget your time. You may have limited time to complete your homework, so you must be careful about how you spend that time. This can teach you how to be more efficient with your time, which is a valuable skill.

How Homework Helps with Time Management

Homework can help students learn essential time management skills in academic and real-world settings. By teaching students how to budget their time and break down larger tasks into smaller, more manageable steps, homework can help them develop the time management skills they need to succeed in school and their future careers.

In addition to learning essential time management skills, homework can help students develop other vital skills such as organization, prioritization, and task completion. These skills are often transferable to other areas of life, allowing students to better manage their time inside and outside the classroom.

While some students may find homework a burden, when used correctly, it can be an invaluable tool for helping them develop the time management skills they need to succeed.

Tips to Improve Your Time Management Skills

If you struggle to complete your homework on time, it may be time to start thinking about improving your time management skills. Here are a few tips that can help:

1. Make a list of all the tasks you must complete, including homework and other commitments. This will help you to see exactly what needs to be done and plan your time accordingly.

2. Try to set aside a specific time each day for homework. This will ensure you have enough time to focus on and complete the task correctly.

3. If possible, break up your homework into smaller tasks that can be completed over time. This can make the overall job seem less daunting and make it easier to stay on track.

4. Use any spare moments during the day to work on your homework. Even if it’s just for 5 minutes, every little bit helps!

5. Seek help from others if you find the task challenging. Sometimes another person’s perspective can help get the job done efficiently.

My Personal Experience

I remember when I was first assigned homework in school. I thought it was the most pointless thing ever. Why did I have to do more work when I was already doing it all day at school? But as I got older and my workload increased, I started to see the value in homework. It taught me how to manage my time better and get work done even when I didn’t feel like it.

Now that I’m in college, managing my time is more critical than ever. There’s a lot on my plate with classes, extracurriculars, and a part-time job. But I can juggle everything without feeling overwhelmed because of the skills I learned from doing homework.

Homework may not have been fun when I was younger, but it’s helped me in the long run. If you’re struggling with time management, don’t be afraid to ask for help from your parents or teachers. They’ve been through it before and can offer some valuable advice.

Overall, doing my homework helped me improve my time management. By juggling different assignments and deadlines, I was forced to learn how to prioritize and use my time more efficiently. This skill has been incredibly helpful in school and my personal life. If you’re struggling with time management, I recommend trying homework!

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How Does Homework Help with Time Management

Many experts who provide professional homework help claim that dealing with home assignments regularly helps a student manage their time better. Solving your tasks, you’ll not only increase your knowledge on the needed subjects but also improve your skills with managing time.

How Homework Makes You Manage Your Time Better

• It makes you more disciplined.

If you have a lot of home tasks to deal with, it’s likely that you won’t have the time to procrastinate. You’ll begin your work soon and use the time you have effectively rather than take unnecessarily long breaks after solving each assignment.

• It helps you set the priorities.

Having plenty of home tasks to solve, you might not have the time to engage in all activities that you’ve planned for the day. As a result, you’ll have to learn to prioritize your actions and drop some entertaining activities for the sake of more important things.

• It helps you assume how much time you’ll spend on each activity.

Popular site Homework Help Desk confirms that if you regularly deal with different tasks, you’ll be able to calculate how much time you’re likely to spend on each particular homework assignment. This way, you’ll be able to assume how much time your entire set of tasks will take you to complete. As a result, you’ll know how much free time you’ll be left with after your work and will be able to plan your day better.

• It helps you learn to complete long-term tasks on schedule.

There are many types of home assignments that a student cannot complete in one day, like creating a research paper, for example. If you learn to manage your time properly and deal with such assignments in time, it’ll greatly help you in the adult life. It’s full of long-term planning.

Time Management Tips: How to Do Your Home Tasks Faster

• Start early. It’s recommended to begin dealing with your assignments during the breaks while you’re still in school or college. If you don’t have a clear understanding of how some of your assignments should be dealt with, you’ll have an opportunity to consult your teachers or other students.
• Keep your workplace organized. Once you return from school or college, it’s advisable to begin solving your home tasks immediately in order not to waste your time. Make sure that your workplace is convenient and that all the materials and instruments needed for your work are always kept in one place.
• Focus on your tasks. It’s important to make sure that nothing will distract you from your work. Switch off your television set and mobile devices. Use the Internet only for educational purposes. If it helps you concentrate, you may switch on quiet ambient or instrumental music.
• Work on one subject at a time. It’s not recommended to mix the assignments from different subjects. This might ruin your concentration. As a result, you’ll spend more time on the working process. It’s important to complete all the tasks in mathematics before moving on to geography, for example.
• Don’t complete all the assignments. If you need to finish your work as soon as possible, you may not work on the tasks that should be submitted in a week, for example. Solve only those assignments that you should submit on the following day.
• Take breaks. If you have plenty of tasks, it’s not recommended to deal with them in one fell swoop. This way, you’ll get tired very fast and the speed of your work will seriously slow down. If you take short regular breaks, however, some of your energy will be restored and you’ll be able to maintain the same working speed and effectiveness.

Getting Help with Homework

A good way to increase your speed of solving home assignments is using the assistance and advice of other sources. Enjoy the quality of professional essay writing services provided by  CustomWritings.com . Here are some other options that you may use:

• Inviting other students for help.

You may gather a study group consisting of you and several of your classmates. It’s likely that together, you’ll be able to solve even the most difficult tasks rather quickly.

• Taking educational courses.

If you have serious difficulties with a particular subject, you may go to a special educational center and sign up for additional courses in it.

• Hiring tutors.

Another way to get qualified college homework help is to hire a personal teacher to provide you with lessons in a particular subject.

• Dealing with writing companies.

On the web, you may find a lot of agencies that can complete your home tasks in exchange for payment. You may use this option when you don’t have enough time to work on your tasks by yourself.

As you can see, dealing with home assignments helps you significantly improve your skills with managing time. If you follow the correct guidelines, you’ll be able to complete your work in a very short period of time. To increase the effectiveness of your work, you may also go to different people for help.

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Is Homework Good for Kids? Here’s What the Research Says

A s kids return to school, debate is heating up once again over how they should spend their time after they leave the classroom for the day.

The no-homework policy of a second-grade teacher in Texas went viral last week , earning praise from parents across the country who lament the heavy workload often assigned to young students. Brandy Young told parents she would not formally assign any homework this year, asking students instead to eat dinner with their families, play outside and go to bed early.

But the question of how much work children should be doing outside of school remains controversial, and plenty of parents take issue with no-homework policies, worried their kids are losing a potential academic advantage. Here’s what you need to know:

For decades, the homework standard has been a “10-minute rule,” which recommends a daily maximum of 10 minutes of homework per grade level. Second graders, for example, should do about 20 minutes of homework each night. High school seniors should complete about two hours of homework each night. The National PTA and the National Education Association both support that guideline.

But some schools have begun to give their youngest students a break. A Massachusetts elementary school has announced a no-homework pilot program for the coming school year, lengthening the school day by two hours to provide more in-class instruction. “We really want kids to go home at 4 o’clock, tired. We want their brain to be tired,” Kelly Elementary School Principal Jackie Glasheen said in an interview with a local TV station . “We want them to enjoy their families. We want them to go to soccer practice or football practice, and we want them to go to bed. And that’s it.”

A New York City public elementary school implemented a similar policy last year, eliminating traditional homework assignments in favor of family time. The change was quickly met with outrage from some parents, though it earned support from other education leaders.

New solutions and approaches to homework differ by community, and these local debates are complicated by the fact that even education experts disagree about what’s best for kids.

The research

The most comprehensive research on homework to date comes from a 2006 meta-analysis by Duke University psychology professor Harris Cooper, who found evidence of a positive correlation between homework and student achievement, meaning students who did homework performed better in school. The correlation was stronger for older students—in seventh through 12th grade—than for those in younger grades, for whom there was a weak relationship between homework and performance.

Cooper’s analysis focused on how homework impacts academic achievement—test scores, for example. His report noted that homework is also thought to improve study habits, attitudes toward school, self-discipline, inquisitiveness and independent problem solving skills. On the other hand, some studies he examined showed that homework can cause physical and emotional fatigue, fuel negative attitudes about learning and limit leisure time for children. At the end of his analysis, Cooper recommended further study of such potential effects of homework.

Despite the weak correlation between homework and performance for young children, Cooper argues that a small amount of homework is useful for all students. Second-graders should not be doing two hours of homework each night, he said, but they also shouldn’t be doing no homework.

Not all education experts agree entirely with Cooper’s assessment.

Cathy Vatterott, an education professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, supports the “10-minute rule” as a maximum, but she thinks there is not sufficient proof that homework is helpful for students in elementary school.

“Correlation is not causation,” she said. “Does homework cause achievement, or do high achievers do more homework?”

Vatterott, the author of Rethinking Homework: Best Practices That Support Diverse Needs , thinks there should be more emphasis on improving the quality of homework tasks, and she supports efforts to eliminate homework for younger kids.

“I have no concerns about students not starting homework until fourth grade or fifth grade,” she said, noting that while the debate over homework will undoubtedly continue, she has noticed a trend toward limiting, if not eliminating, homework in elementary school.

The issue has been debated for decades. A TIME cover in 1999 read: “Too much homework! How it’s hurting our kids, and what parents should do about it.” The accompanying story noted that the launch of Sputnik in 1957 led to a push for better math and science education in the U.S. The ensuing pressure to be competitive on a global scale, plus the increasingly demanding college admissions process, fueled the practice of assigning homework.

“The complaints are cyclical, and we’re in the part of the cycle now where the concern is for too much,” Cooper said. “You can go back to the 1970s, when you’ll find there were concerns that there was too little, when we were concerned about our global competitiveness.”

Cooper acknowledged that some students really are bringing home too much homework, and their parents are right to be concerned.

“A good way to think about homework is the way you think about medications or dietary supplements,” he said. “If you take too little, they’ll have no effect. If you take too much, they can kill you. If you take the right amount, you’ll get better.”

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How Does Homework Help With Time Management

The motive behind the exercise of homework is to keep the student abreast with the daily goings-on of the class and through thorough practice improve the student’s foundation in a particular topic. Besides those, homework develops one’s researching capabilities since often it extends beyond what is just being taught at school; it is a furtherance of the student’s knowledge and for that the student often has to spend a quite an amount of time looking up the internet or the library for some kind of aid.

Time Management

In-time submission is a universal pre-requisite for any piece of work. Marks deduction, denying to consider the homework or other such penalties on failing to meet the deadline act as a form of driving force for students. Students, therefore, are forced into putting their priorities to check and order them accordingly. In future, when in employment, these students have to meet several such deadlines and then it will be this exercise of college homework that would come in handy.

In addition, college assignments help with time management by enabling us to order our priorities. In this way, we get clear up some time for ourselves and engage in things we love doing, have a hobby. We can binge-watch TV shows, have a movie-marathon, go on a long drive and what not. Yet all of it without compromising on the important stuff since we will learn, eventually where to draw the line.

Recruiting help

Not everybody can master the management task. After bouts of driving around with friends, social networking, binge watching TV shows there is not much energy nor enthusiasm that could drive some out of their bed or couches to invest the remainder of their time into a productive exercise of homework, not even if he is made to write down a million times, in order to ascertain, the numerous benefits of this exercise.

Besides the non-enthusiast, there are those who just could not make out time from numerous engagements. There are many who genuinely cannot do homework, some probable conceptual fault that has remained unclear. For such folks, expert advice and suggestions are advisable. But how does one know whom to trust? The internet is flooding with homework help websites that are made up of a bunch of fraudsters.

How are online homework services helpful?

Offline or online, homework services offer a great deal of relaxation to those with too much on their desk and those who always love to relax. Employing expert professionals, these services go to the core of the problem a student is facing with a particular topic that his/her homework deals with. They will not just write the answers to your questions but also improve your understanding of the topics so that you do not have to seek further assistance from such service providers. The services are reasonably priced and can be availed 24*7.

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Time Management for Homework

Tutor Aniela of Prepped and Polished teaches you better time management skills for your homework.

TRANSCRIPTION:

Hi there, it’s Aniela with Prepped and Polished. Thank you for joining us today. Today we’re gonna talk about time management for homework, how to set yourself up for success when attacking just a single day of homework assignments. So the number one thing you want to do is set a schedule for yourself. Maybe you have practice after school and you know you’re going to come home and eat and then attack your homework, but you need to set the time aside to actually complete the homework. So you might say, I’m gonna do my homework from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM and that’s it, or maybe you don’t have practice right after school and you can come home and do your homework right away. I’m gonna sit down from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM and do my homework. If you set an actual schedule for yourself, you are more likely to sit down and actually complete the work.

Step two is gonna be prioritizing. Make a list of what you have to do and make sure that you know when each assignment is due. Homework that’s due the next day is going to take priority and then anything that’s a long-term assignment or due maybe in two days is going to get pushed down lower on the list. Make sure that you also put timed periods for your assignments. If you have three or four different pieces of homework that you need to do, make sure that you time yourself, maybe give yourself 20 minutes to do your math, 20 minutes to do your English, to make sure that you get to each assignment. If you don’t finish them, that’s okay, you can come back to them at the end and finish them. But what happens often is that you think something’s going to take you 20 minutes and then you end up spending the entire two hour period completing one assignment and you don’t get the rest of your homework done. And making sure that you’re keeping yourself to your time limits, you’ll get to every piece of homework and you’ll keep yourself from getting too bored with a specific assignment to sort of wake yourself up if you have to switch tasks and change the brain and how it’s working from math to English, history to science, etc.

Last thing you’re gonna wanna do is make sure that you prep your workspace for success when attacking your homework. You’re probably going to get thirsty or hungry. Make sure that you have snacks and drinks with you so that you don’t get up and go to the kitchen and get distracted. You’re also gonna want to think about how to use your phone appropriately. It’s likely that you probably wanna listen to music while you’re doing your homework. That is totally okay, but make sure that you turn off all notifications for Snapchat, for Instagram, for your text messages. Put those notifications on complete silence so that you don’t get distracted by the group chats that you’re in every, you know, 10 seconds coming in and you won’t be able to focus on your work.

Just to recap quickly, to successfully set yourself up to attack your homework on a day to day basis, make sure that you’ve set actual time apart to complete homework. You prioritize assignments based on when they’re due. You set your space up for success in terms of having snacks, drinks. And making sure that your technology is being used appropriately during your homework time. If you found this video helpful, please give us a thumbs up and visit preppedandpolished.com.

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Homework time management: Do teacher and parent autonomy support matter?

• Published: 13 February 2024

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• Jianzhong Xu   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-0269-4590 1  

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This study investigated multilevel models of homework time management involving Chinese middle school students. At the individual level, homework time management was positively associated with arranging the environment, monitoring motivation, time on homework, and teacher and parent autonomy support. Additionally, homework time management was positively related to teacher autonomy support at the class level. Taken together, this study extended previous research, by indicating that homework time management was positively related to teacher and parent autonomy support when accounting for other theoretically pertinent variables. Implications of these results are explored with respect to homework practices and potential avenues for future investigation.

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Xu, J. Homework time management: Do teacher and parent autonomy support matter?. Soc Psychol Educ (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-024-09891-6

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How Students Use Gadgets to Improve Homework Productivity

S tudents rely on different devices to fulfill their academic requirements. Some prefer working with their laptops, while others browse and research right from their phones. This not only enhances their performance but also helps them save time.

Be it tablets, smartphones, laptops, or even smartwatches; all these have revolutionized the scenario of students’ learning. Gadgets help them access information and complete their homework and assignments.

Many websites online claim to fulfill their needs. So, how help can come as a college homework helper, it’s a homework assistant service that assists students in solving problems in any subject.

In this blog, we will elaborate on the importance of gadgets and how you can use them to increase your homework productivity.

Impact of Digital Usage on Student’s Performance

It is a significant concern if we notice the impact of digital devices or gadgets on students’ performance. So, are these digital devices helpful? If yes, then to what extent should you use them?

It all depends on the students themselves. They should be aware of their priorities and requirements. 

Here, one should note that the impact of these devices depends on their integration into the learning process. 

Apart from exploring all the technological devices, the priority of any student must be how to focus on homework .

Gadgets can enhance learning if they use these devices without distraction.

According to a study, digital educational devices enhance student engagement and limit escapism. 

Benefits of Using Gadgets 

Exploring how students ease themselves with these modern gadgets is fascinating in this technological era.

1. Interactive Learning

If you have a laptop , smartphone, or Kindle, you get easy access to various educational platforms using internet services. Various online interactive learning programs give you broad access to information and knowledge. 

Thus, study becomes an exciting and enjoyable experience.

2. Time Management

Time management is the most crucial aspect of a student’s life. Most devices come equipped with features that help you manage time. Built-in timers, reminders, and calendars allow you to plan schedules, set deadlines, and receive notifications for upcoming assignments.

If you are using any homework help website, that will also save you time and increase your efficiency.

3. Easy Access to Information

Gadgets allow you access to vast information. This gives tech-savvy students an edge over those relying on textbooks and syllabi. 

Online libraries and educational websites provide you with trusted information on any topic.

Apps like Google Scholar and Microsoft Academic help you access articles or papers. These are very beneficial for starting research projects.

So, there is no need to spend hours in libraries for a few things when you are there a tap away.

4. Digital Notes

Gone are the days when students had to write long notes. Digital note-taking apps are replacing handwritten notebooks.

Tablets with stylus pens or devices like Apple Pencil and Microsoft Surface Pen enable you to take digital notes. Features like voice recording, highlighting, and annotation make the task simpler.

5. Involvement of Multimedia

How can we forget the increasing role of multimedia in education? Gadgets give students easy access to various multimedia learning sources.

• You can view, download, and save some subject-related videos and podcasts.
• E-books and audiobooks are also becoming popular among students. They don’t have to carry their textbooks if they go out.
• You can get instructional videos on YouTube, Khan Academy, etc.

6. Easy Communication

Gadgets are the most popular medium of communication today. With apps like WhatsApp, you can stay in touch with your classmates and teachers. This helps you to solve queries and take part in discussions.

Language translation apps are also available on these devices. That could be very helpful for those learning foreign languages.

The virtual learning community developed with the help of gadgets is one of the best student benefits.

How Students Use Gadgets to Improve Their Homework Productivity?

Students’ most significant challenge is completing their homework or assignments on time. College-goers are doing internships and extra professional courses besides their academic studies. This only doubles their pressure.

So, they need some assistance to get their work done. 

Gadgets, their so-called best friends, help them solve this problem. They can search for some good services available online. 

They use several websites and apps to complete their homework with perfection and accuracy. These sites give them access to experts who help and guide them throughout. There are several other benefits of using such services:

• Academic performance enhances and helps increase your grades as the work you receive is without errors.
• Save time for other work, rest, and play.
• Get an easy understanding of the topics that you find complex.
• You don’t need to carry your textbooks and notebooks to complete the assignment while travelling.

Are There Any Drawbacks to the Use of Gadgets by Students?

In this technological era, gadgets have proved to be useful for everyone. Parents use them for work, communication, and entertainment purposes. They also provide their children with devices, considering them a helpful tool for education and other services.

However, excessive use of these devices can harm their learning capacity.

• Distraction – Easy accessibility to video games, entertainment channels, and social media apps leads to distraction among students. It affects their ability to concentrate.
• Health Issues – Long exposure to screens can disturb sleep patterns, fatigue, and weak eyesight.
• Stress and Anxiety – Pressure to respond to notifications and social media messages can also increase stress and anxiety levels.
• Wastage of Time – Gadgets support easy access to various games and social apps. Using them for long hours wastes most of the students’ time.
• Poor Social Skills – Overusing devices can also lead to loneliness and poor social skills. 

But overcoming these drawbacks is easy. Finding a balance and mindful usage helps achieve technological benefits in education. Parents should also check their kids’ work history and screen time.

Commonly Used Gadgets by Students

• Laptops – These are the most popular and versatile among all gadgets. You can attend online classes, prepare presentations, research, open any website, download and save your content, and more. 
• Tablets – Tablets, compared to laptops, are smaller and more portable. They help read e-books and watch educational videos.
• Smartphones – You get handy access to communicate with your teachers and friends. Suppose you can’t carry your laptop or tablet. Smartphones help in attending online classes, recording lectures, or using any educational app.
• E-readers – Why carry the baggage of books when you have an E-reader? Read your course book or any other favourite book anywhere and anytime.
• Smartwatches – These are the most useful gadgets for your time management. You can set reminders, notifications, and timers to achieve your goals on time.
• Kindle Paperwhite – It is a lightweight and easy-to-carry gadget for browsing, downloading, and reading e-books, newspapers, and magazines. 
• Headphones – Students prefer using headphones to enjoy better audio quality in online classes and educational videos.

These are some of the most used gadgets by students — several other devices also help facilitate our tasks. 

Final Thoughts

When everyone is benefiting from technological development, why not the students? They use different gadgets to improve their homework productivity. This integration of devices into education has transformed their approach toward homework.

Various devices help them access information, interactive learning, time management, effective communication, enhance performance, and stay organized. 

With further advancements in technology, the role of gadgets in education will be more significant. Students using devices in their studies will improve in academic excellence. This not only helps them in completing their homework but also equips them with essential digital skills.