How to Find Motivation to Do Homework
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Very few students like to do homework and everyone seems to put it off. It is easy to say that you will do it 'later' but when 'later' comes, you still do not want to do it. But, it has to be done; you're going to have to finish it sometime! It is better done earlier than later. Remember if you finish it you won't have to do anything later. You will have the whole day free, which is fun.
Steps
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Plan ahead. If you have a WIN or Bulldog Block, do as much of it there as possible. The more you do when you are at school, the less you will have to do at home. Try to do it in class (if time is provided), at lunch, or any other spare time you might have. Also, be sure to put the hardest class' homework at the top of your list to do. Ask for help if you don't understand. Ask your teachers: they're there to help you.
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Get motivated. Promise yourself a reward for finishing the homework, anything that you would find enjoyable and doable after you finish. Don't use food as a reward. Save a special magazine to read when homework is done or make plans to talk with a friend on the phone as soon as both of you have completed your assignments. Go on your favorite website, or even dedicate yourself to a great book you've always wanted to read. Also, take advantage of any holidays or vacations that may be coming near. On a Thursday, remind yourself that it is almost the weekend, and the moment this homework assignment is done you'll be one moment closer. Remind yourself that Thanksgiving, winter break, or summer break is nearing, and the moment your homework is done you can enjoy it to its fullest.
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Write down motivational tools that work for you. Sometimes we get in the habit of always needing motivation to start homework or tests. If you're going through a list of motivational techniques, such as this, write down all of the techniques that make you go "hmmm, that actually might work". By doing this, next time you can look at your own list that is you-specific. You will find that you get your work started faster, and will feel more in control.
Avoid procrastination. Do it right away, never delay things you can do now.
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Work smarter, not harder. A fried brain absorbs little information. Break up your homework time into chunks. Take regular breaks. Set a timer; take a 10-15 minute break for each hour you study. Get up, stretch, and move around. Drink water and eat fruit: water will refresh your system, and an apple provides the same effect that of an energy drink.
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Think of the consequences. What will happen if you don't do your homework? Will you get a bad grade? Will your teacher will be disappointed in you? If none of these things seem to apply to you, remember that homework is to help you learn, which everyone ultimately wants. In the real world, knowledge helps you master the rules of the game...and if you don't know the rules, then you just lost the game. If "Knowledge is Power," then ignorance is minimum wage.
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Think of the benefits. What will happen if you do do your homework? You'll get a great grade. Your teacher will appreciate your efforts. You'll have learned a great deal, and you'll be paving your way for a better life simply by putting your pencil to paper! Putting yourself in a positive state will reap in the benefits and ultimately surge you with the energy and hope to focus back on your work, and even enjoy what you're doing!8
Find a place with less distraction. Set up your special study place. No friends, television, phones, or other potential distractions should be present. Your homework place should also have a hard surface, like a table, to write on. If you need to do most or all of your homework on a computer or phone, as many high school students do, make sure to avoid chat programs, unrelated websites, etc. You can even put your phone into “Focus Mode” or “Do not disturb” to eliminate distractions. If you have difficulty keeping focused, or awake, consider doing your homework at the library, at a table with some amount of foot traffic passing by it. The quiet atmosphere will help you focus, the surrounding mild activity will help keep you from falling asleep, and if you get stuck, there are those helpful librarians and references.
Clean your desk/room. It's easier to concentrate on your homework when you don't have clutter in your work space.
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Reward yourself. After you have finished your homework and your chores give yourself some goofing off time, such as, watching TV, chatting on the phone, or surfing the web, but make sure you put limits and check with your parents.
Find a homework partner. Make sure this person isn't one of your crazy friends who'll distract you. Find someone to sit with who is quiet and focused. This will help you feel comfortable working, because someone else is working along with you. Just be sure not to end up talking more than working.
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Create your own learning method. Everybody learns at their own pace and uses different methods to help memorize the material. Some find walking helpful while others like to have a support in form of pictures and colors.
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Listen to some quiet music. Listening to music and studying does not work for everyone. If you are going to listen to music try listening to classical or instrumental music. Or if this is not for you just pick a quiet song that you don't know, so you don't get caught up in the music, and start working.
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Do physical exercises. It will make you feel relaxed. Besides your brain will work better and your eyes can rest for a few minutes. Also, doing physical exercises is not only good for your body, but for your mind. It will help you to process information better and faster. You will reap in the benefits academically through daily exercise.
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Make a routine. It will help you do the homework and it becomes a routine. Schedule times and days so you are totally organized as to what you're doing this week, the next, and even the week afterwards. Surprises will occur, but at the very least, you know what you're doing!
Turn off computer, phone etc. that could distract you easily. Don't get wrapped up on the computer or phone on a break because you will not remember what you were learning about and it will delay your finish time. Stay away from them at all costs unless you must do the homework on the computer.
Tips
Repeat. Repeat. Many classes are full of note memorization, which is best handled by starting small study sessions early and repeating often. Flash cards (written or online—there are several good online flash card sites, with many flash card sets already written for you), or flash sheets can be helpful. Try www.quizlet.com to get started.
Use your spare time at school, and while riding the bus to begin your homework. Do the rest of your homework right after arriving at home. You are still in the school learning mode, and it will be easier to remember all you have learned. Then, you will have the rest of the day and evening free, without having to even think of school, until the next day.
Don't get really stressed about not being able to do homework. There's plenty of help around - the internet, parents, friends etc. If all else fails you can go into school early and ask your teacher to explain the work to you.
If you really don't want to do your homework, then just get everything ready to do your homework: paper, pencil, textbook, and maybe a hot chocolate or juice. Then sit down and open the book to the page you need to read. Then read the first paragraph. Usually by then you will feel that you can write the first sentence. Break it down into little bites.
Studies show that during sleep, the brain tends to hold the memories you have right before you go to sleep. Therefore, if you have to memorize something, try to learn it just before you go to sleep. That does not mean you can cram 100 vocabulary words right before you go to sleep; memorize some during the day so that right before sleep you can review most or all of them.
If the homework is going to take a long time (2+ hours) take a 15-minute break every hour. On the break, do not start your reward or anything else that you might be tempted to use as an excuse to not go back to your homework.
Do the hardest work first. This means the more you do it, the easier it gets.
If you have a really hard homework, do easier homework first so that you are not stuck and standing still
Do your homework on a table or desk, but never try to work on the couch or in your bed. You will get bored, and the bed is so soft, and you'll fall asleep.
Music may often help you concentrate; though try to avoid music with lyrics or very complex melodic progressions, as they may cause you to think more about the music than your homework. Certain classical music and some jazz are good for listening to while doing homework. Trance is the best style of music for studying; many people find studying to trance music very easily because most trance music is pure instrumental. You can also try nature sounds from websites or apps like Noisli.
If there is something you don't understand, write down what the specific question, or mark the page in your book. Then you can ask your teacher for help. If you just go to your teacher and say, "I didn't understand the homework so I couldn't finish it," it will be difficult for her/him to help you if you can't be specific about what was actually hindering you.
It's easier to recall something if you remembered it under a similar environment, known as state-dependent learning. That's why it is important to study at a table and with proper lighting instead of reading on your bed, for example. If you are an extreme procrastinator, you might try some "structured procrastination". As the suggestion above says, do the easy homework before doing the hard homework, however not just to give yourself a sense of accomplishment, but also to avoid doing the big stuff. When it comes to the big stuff, find another larger task, like annoying chores, to put off in order to do the big homework. While in the long run this method is not productive, eventually you will have some really big things that you keep putting off for smaller ones, it can be more satisfying and effective for a hardened procrastinator.
While doing your homework, try not to use a pen in case you need to erase, a pencil would always be recommended for homework.
Make sure you get a good night’s sleep the night before. You will be able to work better if you are not tired.
Make time for breakfast and lunch. It does play a role in your ability to think.
Just to be sure you really won't procrastinate, plan the rest of your day. Say you start thinking "Oh I'll do it at night" then look at your plans and you should have something there "Nope, my favorite show is on."
Although it is a good idea to finish all of your homework before you go to bed, you also need to be realistic. If you have spent the night procrastinating and you still have homework to do at 12:00 AM, you need to think about whether you are actually going to do more homework or if you are just going to continue surfing the web about something that is completely irrelevant to school. If you know that you probably won't get any more work done, you just need to go to bed rather than lying to yourself and saying "I need to stay up 'to do homework.'"
Get in tune with your conscience, that little voice we hear in our heads, because your conscience is always right, and go to bed when you know that you won't actually be doing any more homework. You don't want to be super tired the next day because you stayed up until 3 AM on Tik Tok or went town the YouTube rabbithole the night before.
Have a schedule. Do homework in the order of your classes, with a fifteen minute break after every other assignment. Make the timely schedule strict and get right back to work when you said you would've. This will motivate you because you don't get to watch TV until you get math and history done!
Warnings
Don't get distracted! It's not always easy, but try to stay focused.
Don't get really worried! It's only homework. Next week you'll be wondering 'why ever did I get so worked up about it?' Think about a few years into the future after all of your exams when you won't ever have to do homework again. Change your perspective so you can, essentially, reach back into the past to change what's going on in life now.
Don't get frustrated. If you are having trouble getting through a certain assignment and it takes a long time, temporarily switch to another assignment.
If you can help it, don't go to bed before you finish your homework. What will happen is that you'll say, "Oh I'll get up early the next morning to finish it." Then, you either don't get up early enough, or you do, and you're totally worn out for the rest of the day.
If you choose to listen to music, be aware that studies show you perform best on a test when the conditions, light, noise, etc. are the closest to the conditions you studied with, known as state-dependent learning. So if you can't listen to music during a test, it may actually be better to study in quiet.
Don't procrastinate. Get to it as soon as you can while the information is still fresh in your mind.
