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What homework should I do first? The easy stuff or hard stuff?

Katie Azevedo December 13, 2016 good habits , homework , productivity , study skills , time management

By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed.

What homework should I do first?

This is the first question I often hear when a student feels overwhelmed with assignments. It’s also the first thought that pops into my own head when my to-do list runs onto page 17 of my planner! (Swapping out homework for tasks , of course.)

We all have things to do — whether homework assignments, work projects, personal goals, etc. But not all tasks are created equal. Not all tasks take the same amount of time to complete or have the same impact when they’re completed.

So how do students know what homework to do first — the big, daunting assignments? Or the small, quick ones?

The first answer: First do whatever homework is due soonest. Have trouble with procrastination? Here are some procrastination tips .

The other answer to ‘ What homework should I do first? ‘: It depends. (Least satisfying answer ever. I know.)

A classic Pros and Cons list reveals plenty of reasons to do the quick and easy homework assignments first, and plenty of reasons to do the harder tasks first.

Despite the above advantages and disadvantages of tackling the easy or the hard homework first, there really is a proper way to approach your homework assignments that will set you up for getting more done . And here it is:

Do what works for you!

How to know what approach works for you

We all work differently and we all respond to pressure differently. If you are easily frustrated and are quick to feel overwhelmed when things get tough, then perhaps you’re the type of person who should tackle the small, quick homework assignments first. In school, start your afternoons by completing the easiest assignments: doing so will motivate you to move onto the harder ones. This is called “grabbing the low-hanging fruit.” At home, same thing: pick up a few items off your bedroom floor before you dig into your deep cleaning routine. At the gym, start your workout with a short walk to warm up before you hit something harder.

On the other hand, if you tire easily or get bored when things are too simple, then bang out the tough stuff first. In school, start with the biggest, most annoying looming homework assignments (even if they’re not due for a while) so you don’t exhaust yourself on the little assignments. At home, get the biggest project out of the way first (clean the garage!), and then pick away at the smaller tasks. At the gym, go big or go home. (Or go big, go small, and then go home. Ha.)

What I do when I’m trying to figure out what “homework” to do first

Personally, I go back and forth when it comes to choosing which items from my to-do list to tackle first. Sometimes I start with the small stuff, and sometimes I “eat the frog” first. (I don’t really eat reptiles. “Eat that frog” is the title of an awesome book about time management by Brian Tracy. It’s an expression that refers to killing the big, gross assignments first.) It sort of depends on my mood on a particular day, how much free time I have (scattered moments vs large chunks), and what the task or project is.

So my final advice is this: If you’re constantly questioning what homework should I do first, try both ways.

Try starting with the small tasks and see how you feel. Then another time start with a big task and see how you feel. Compare how productive you were (or weren’t) and how you felt during each approach.

Another idea is that you could start with a small homework assignment, then do a hard one, and then take a short break. Do another small homework assignment, do another hard one, and then take another short break. Keep going until you’re done with all your assignments.

So this homework strategy looks like this:

Small Assignment + Big Assignment + Short Break (Repeat as many times as you need)

You can use this strategy over the course of a single afternoon, or over the course of a week. Or, like, forever, really. So the next time you’re wondering what homework should I do first, try alternating between easy and hard tasks, while paying attention to how much you actually get done. And then you’ll find your answer!

For a full tutorial on the 5 steps of proper homework prioritization, read this.

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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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Homework vs Study: Everything You Need To Know

Fiach Smyth

Oct 28, 2016

Homework and study. The two things that all students have in common, no matter where they live, or what school they go to. But what is the real difference between homework and study, and how is a regular routine going to help you do well? Studiosity's Fiach Smyth has the answers.

Why is homework important?

Most nights you are going to have homework set by your teachers. Although we don’t usually think of homework as being study, it’s actually a key part of the learning process. Homework has two purposes: to give you a chance to identify gaps in your knowledge so that you can raise them with your teacher; and to help embed class learnings in your head by making a second pass over the key concepts you covered that day.

What about study?

Now that we know what homework is, what is study? Study is exactly the same as homework, except that you nominate for yourself what work to do, and you do it at a time that’s removed from the class in which you learned the content.

Let’s take a typical maths class as an example. In class the teacher shows you a concept, and then asks you to do a few exercises in class so that they can make sure you’ve understood. They set you some more exercises as homework, so later that night you have to remember what you learned in class, and apply it to those homework exercises. A month later you’ve moved on to another topic in class, but you decide one night to just spend 40 minutes going over those exercises again, to make sure you still remember how to do them, and to keep the learnings fresh in your mind. That’s study.

How much study should I do?

This is going to depend on a lot of things: how much time you have, which subjects you find challenging, where you are in your academic career. For most students from Years 7 to 10, you should be able to manage one block of study at least four nights a week. One block is about 40 - 60 minutes (we’ll discuss why in a moment). Maybe you want to do one block each night Monday to Thursday; maybe it’s easier for you to make Friday a study day where you do all your study. It’s up to you.

It’s important to remember that study is a very personal thing , it’s different for everyone. This approach of four subjects a week isn’t necessarily the best way for you to study; rather it’s the best way to start studying, to get into the habit and to be able to determine for yourself how to change things up to suit your own needs and your available time. Maybe you want to, or have time to do more than four blocks a week – if so, that’s great, as every extra block of time spent studying helps!

What exactly is a 'study block'?

A study block is a set amount of time you set aside for the purpose of studying a particular subject. Although there are exceptions, an average study block should be around 45 minutes long. This is not an arbitrary amount of time. You’ll notice that most classes at school are between 45-50 minutes in length. We know a lot about how people learn, and one thing we know is that after about 45 minutes of working on a particular topic our brains are less able to take in new information.

At school we put a break every 45 minutes or so, allowing students to change classes, change locations and topics, to keep their minds fresh and able to learn, and this is the same with your study. Even if you still feel like you’re fresh and good to keep going, in most cases pushing much past 45 minutes on a block of study will return much less benefit than the first 45 minutes did. Generally you would be better breaking and doing something else and then coming back to study a second time, rather than studying two blocks back-to-back.

At the same time, very short study blocks aren’t as effective as blocks of around 45 minutes (with a few exceptions we’ll discuss below). As you study your brain organises and reorganises information, solidifying it for later recall, and building links between the different things you are jamming into it. It takes a little time for your brain to start building these links, so you need to give your brain time. If you only spend ten minutes reading through your notes that’s not study, that’s revision. Revision is certainly something to work into your overall approach to study, but if that’s all you do then you don’t give your brain the time it needs to start building these information connections. Study blocks should be at least 30 minutes long, but 40-45 is best.

How do I balance homework and study?

Now that we know that homework and study work together, we can see why balancing both is important. You can’t skip homework in order to study, but at the same time you can’t let your homework load become so great that you have no time to study. Teachers are good at knowing how much homework is a reasonable amount to give the maximum chance to bed down class learning without taking all of your available time. However, if you work or have important extra-curricular responsibilities you may find your time being squeezed and that’s something you need to resolve.

Let’s use another example, from maths again. You have maths four days a week, and your teacher sets about 20 exercises for the class each night. These exercises take you two hours to complete, and that’s making it hard to study. First, ask your friends how long it takes them. Is it taking you a lot longer than them? If so, talk to your teacher. Your teacher may be able to identify why the problems take you longer to complete, or may reduce the number of questions they expect you to complete, focusing on the most important questions.

Or maybe it’s just that you have a lot of other commitments. Figure out how much time you can afford to spend on your maths homework , and then stop when you reach that time.

If the reality is that doing all your homework means that you can’t study, it is generally better that you take a few short cuts with your homework rather than just not studying. As we said above, study refreshes what you bedded down doing your homework, so you need both.

Remember, take a break

An essential component of good study is knowing when to take a break from study. If you sit yourself down and do four subjects worth of homework and then power through two study blocks, that study is not going to be nearly as effective as it could have been had you taken some breaks.

As a good rule of thumb, if you study for a block of 45 minutes take the next fifteen minutes off. Get away from wherever you were sitting, go walk around, or talk to people, or grab a yummy study snack .

Both homework and study are equally as important, and both need to be scheduled into your study time. See how you go with the study blocks, and if you have any feedback, let us know in the comments below!

We wish you all the best.

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Topics: Students , Homework , Study

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Studying 101: Study Smarter Not Harder

Do you ever feel like your study habits simply aren’t cutting it? Do you wonder what you could be doing to perform better in class and on exams? Many students realize that their high school study habits aren’t very effective in college. This is understandable, as college is quite different from high school. The professors are less personally involved, classes are bigger, exams are worth more, reading is more intense, and classes are much more rigorous. That doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you; it just means you need to learn some more effective study skills. Fortunately, there are many active, effective study strategies that are shown to be effective in college classes.

This handout offers several tips on effective studying. Implementing these tips into your regular study routine will help you to efficiently and effectively learn course material. Experiment with them and find some that work for you.

Reading is not studying

Simply reading and re-reading texts or notes is not actively engaging in the material. It is simply re-reading your notes. Only ‘doing’ the readings for class is not studying. It is simply doing the reading for class. Re-reading leads to quick forgetting.

Think of reading as an important part of pre-studying, but learning information requires actively engaging in the material (Edwards, 2014). Active engagement is the process of constructing meaning from text that involves making connections to lectures, forming examples, and regulating your own learning (Davis, 2007). Active studying does not mean highlighting or underlining text, re-reading, or rote memorization. Though these activities may help to keep you engaged in the task, they are not considered active studying techniques and are weakly related to improved learning (Mackenzie, 1994).

Ideas for active studying include:

Create a study guide by topic. Formulate questions and problems and write complete answers. Create your own quiz.
Become a teacher. Say the information aloud in your own words as if you are the instructor and teaching the concepts to a class.
Derive examples that relate to your own experiences.
Create concept maps or diagrams that explain the material.
Develop symbols that represent concepts.
For non-technical classes (e.g., English, History, Psychology), figure out the big ideas so you can explain, contrast, and re-evaluate them.
For technical classes, work the problems and explain the steps and why they work.
Study in terms of question, evidence, and conclusion: What is the question posed by the instructor/author? What is the evidence that they present? What is the conclusion?

Organization and planning will help you to actively study for your courses. When studying for a test, organize your materials first and then begin your active reviewing by topic (Newport, 2007). Often professors provide subtopics on the syllabi. Use them as a guide to help organize your materials. For example, gather all of the materials for one topic (e.g., PowerPoint notes, text book notes, articles, homework, etc.) and put them together in a pile. Label each pile with the topic and study by topics.

For more information on the principle behind active studying, check out our tipsheet on metacognition .

Understand the Study Cycle

The Study Cycle , developed by Frank Christ, breaks down the different parts of studying: previewing, attending class, reviewing, studying, and checking your understanding. Although each step may seem obvious at a glance, all too often students try to take shortcuts and miss opportunities for good learning. For example, you may skip a reading before class because the professor covers the same material in class; doing so misses a key opportunity to learn in different modes (reading and listening) and to benefit from the repetition and distributed practice (see #3 below) that you’ll get from both reading ahead and attending class. Understanding the importance of all stages of this cycle will help make sure you don’t miss opportunities to learn effectively.

Spacing out is good

One of the most impactful learning strategies is “distributed practice”—spacing out your studying over several short periods of time over several days and weeks (Newport, 2007). The most effective practice is to work a short time on each class every day. The total amount of time spent studying will be the same (or less) than one or two marathon library sessions, but you will learn the information more deeply and retain much more for the long term—which will help get you an A on the final. The important thing is how you use your study time, not how long you study. Long study sessions lead to a lack of concentration and thus a lack of learning and retention.

In order to spread out studying over short periods of time across several days and weeks, you need control over your schedule . Keeping a list of tasks to complete on a daily basis will help you to include regular active studying sessions for each class. Try to do something for each class each day. Be specific and realistic regarding how long you plan to spend on each task—you should not have more tasks on your list than you can reasonably complete during the day.

For example, you may do a few problems per day in math rather than all of them the hour before class. In history, you can spend 15-20 minutes each day actively studying your class notes. Thus, your studying time may still be the same length, but rather than only preparing for one class, you will be preparing for all of your classes in short stretches. This will help focus, stay on top of your work, and retain information.

In addition to learning the material more deeply, spacing out your work helps stave off procrastination. Rather than having to face the dreaded project for four hours on Monday, you can face the dreaded project for 30 minutes each day. The shorter, more consistent time to work on a dreaded project is likely to be more acceptable and less likely to be delayed to the last minute. Finally, if you have to memorize material for class (names, dates, formulas), it is best to make flashcards for this material and review periodically throughout the day rather than one long, memorization session (Wissman and Rawson, 2012). See our handout on memorization strategies to learn more.

It’s good to be intense

Not all studying is equal. You will accomplish more if you study intensively. Intensive study sessions are short and will allow you to get work done with minimal wasted effort. Shorter, intensive study times are more effective than drawn out studying.

In fact, one of the most impactful study strategies is distributing studying over multiple sessions (Newport, 2007). Intensive study sessions can last 30 or 45-minute sessions and include active studying strategies. For example, self-testing is an active study strategy that improves the intensity of studying and efficiency of learning. However, planning to spend hours on end self-testing is likely to cause you to become distracted and lose your attention.

On the other hand, if you plan to quiz yourself on the course material for 45 minutes and then take a break, you are much more likely to maintain your attention and retain the information. Furthermore, the shorter, more intense sessions will likely put the pressure on that is needed to prevent procrastination.

Silence isn’t golden

Know where you study best. The silence of a library may not be the best place for you. It’s important to consider what noise environment works best for you. You might find that you concentrate better with some background noise. Some people find that listening to classical music while studying helps them concentrate, while others find this highly distracting. The point is that the silence of the library may be just as distracting (or more) than the noise of a gymnasium. Thus, if silence is distracting, but you prefer to study in the library, try the first or second floors where there is more background ‘buzz.’

Keep in mind that active studying is rarely silent as it often requires saying the material aloud.

Problems are your friend

Working and re-working problems is important for technical courses (e.g., math, economics). Be able to explain the steps of the problems and why they work.

In technical courses, it is usually more important to work problems than read the text (Newport, 2007). In class, write down in detail the practice problems demonstrated by the professor. Annotate each step and ask questions if you are confused. At the very least, record the question and the answer (even if you miss the steps).

When preparing for tests, put together a large list of problems from the course materials and lectures. Work the problems and explain the steps and why they work (Carrier, 2003).

Reconsider multitasking

A significant amount of research indicates that multi-tasking does not improve efficiency and actually negatively affects results (Junco, 2012).

In order to study smarter, not harder, you will need to eliminate distractions during your study sessions. Social media, web browsing, game playing, texting, etc. will severely affect the intensity of your study sessions if you allow them! Research is clear that multi-tasking (e.g., responding to texts, while studying), increases the amount of time needed to learn material and decreases the quality of the learning (Junco, 2012).

Eliminating the distractions will allow you to fully engage during your study sessions. If you don’t need your computer for homework, then don’t use it. Use apps to help you set limits on the amount of time you can spend at certain sites during the day. Turn your phone off. Reward intensive studying with a social-media break (but make sure you time your break!) See our handout on managing technology for more tips and strategies.

Switch up your setting

Find several places to study in and around campus and change up your space if you find that it is no longer a working space for you.

Know when and where you study best. It may be that your focus at 10:00 PM. is not as sharp as at 10:00 AM. Perhaps you are more productive at a coffee shop with background noise, or in the study lounge in your residence hall. Perhaps when you study on your bed, you fall asleep.

Have a variety of places in and around campus that are good study environments for you. That way wherever you are, you can find your perfect study spot. After a while, you might find that your spot is too comfortable and no longer is a good place to study, so it’s time to hop to a new spot!

Become a teacher

Try to explain the material in your own words, as if you are the teacher. You can do this in a study group, with a study partner, or on your own. Saying the material aloud will point out where you are confused and need more information and will help you retain the information. As you are explaining the material, use examples and make connections between concepts (just as a teacher does). It is okay (even encouraged) to do this with your notes in your hands. At first you may need to rely on your notes to explain the material, but eventually you’ll be able to teach it without your notes.

Creating a quiz for yourself will help you to think like your professor. What does your professor want you to know? Quizzing yourself is a highly effective study technique. Make a study guide and carry it with you so you can review the questions and answers periodically throughout the day and across several days. Identify the questions that you don’t know and quiz yourself on only those questions. Say your answers aloud. This will help you to retain the information and make corrections where they are needed. For technical courses, do the sample problems and explain how you got from the question to the answer. Re-do the problems that give you trouble. Learning the material in this way actively engages your brain and will significantly improve your memory (Craik, 1975).

Take control of your calendar

Controlling your schedule and your distractions will help you to accomplish your goals.

If you are in control of your calendar, you will be able to complete your assignments and stay on top of your coursework. The following are steps to getting control of your calendar:

On the same day each week, (perhaps Sunday nights or Saturday mornings) plan out your schedule for the week.
Go through each class and write down what you’d like to get completed for each class that week.
Look at your calendar and determine how many hours you have to complete your work.
Determine whether your list can be completed in the amount of time that you have available. (You may want to put the amount of time expected to complete each assignment.) Make adjustments as needed. For example, if you find that it will take more hours to complete your work than you have available, you will likely need to triage your readings. Completing all of the readings is a luxury. You will need to make decisions about your readings based on what is covered in class. You should read and take notes on all of the assignments from the favored class source (the one that is used a lot in the class). This may be the textbook or a reading that directly addresses the topic for the day. You can likely skim supplemental readings.
Pencil into your calendar when you plan to get assignments completed.
Before going to bed each night, make your plan for the next day. Waking up with a plan will make you more productive.

See our handout on calendars and college for more tips on using calendars as time management.

Use downtime to your advantage

Beware of ‘easy’ weeks. This is the calm before the storm. Lighter work weeks are a great time to get ahead on work or to start long projects. Use the extra hours to get ahead on assignments or start big projects or papers. You should plan to work on every class every week even if you don’t have anything due. In fact, it is preferable to do some work for each of your classes every day. Spending 30 minutes per class each day will add up to three hours per week, but spreading this time out over six days is more effective than cramming it all in during one long three-hour session. If you have completed all of the work for a particular class, then use the 30 minutes to get ahead or start a longer project.

Use all your resources

Remember that you can make an appointment with an academic coach to work on implementing any of the strategies suggested in this handout.

Works consulted

Carrier, L. M. (2003). College students’ choices of study strategies. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 96 (1), 54-56.

Craik, F. I., & Tulving, E. (1975). Depth of processing and the retention of words in episodic memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 104 (3), 268.

Davis, S. G., & Gray, E. S. (2007). Going beyond test-taking strategies: Building self-regulated students and teachers. Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, 1 (1), 31-47.

Edwards, A. J., Weinstein, C. E., Goetz, E. T., & Alexander, P. A. (2014). Learning and study strategies: Issues in assessment, instruction, and evaluation. Elsevier.

Junco, R., & Cotten, S. R. (2012). No A 4 U: The relationship between multitasking and academic performance. Computers & Education, 59 (2), 505-514.

Mackenzie, A. M. (1994). Examination preparation, anxiety and examination performance in a group of adult students. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 13 (5), 373-388.

McGuire, S.Y. & McGuire, S. (2016). Teach Students How to Learn: Strategies You Can Incorporate in Any Course to Improve Student Metacognition, Study Skills, and Motivation. Stylus Publishing, LLC.

Newport, C. (2006). How to become a straight-a student: the unconventional strategies real college students use to score high while studying less. Three Rivers Press.

Paul, K. (1996). Study smarter, not harder. Self Counsel Press.

Robinson, A. (1993). What smart students know: maximum grades, optimum learning, minimum time. Crown trade paperbacks.

Wissman, K. T., Rawson, K. A., & Pyc, M. A. (2012). How and when do students use flashcards? Memory, 20, 568-579.

If you enjoy using our handouts, we appreciate contributions of acknowledgement.

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6 Tips for a Homework & Studying Schedule That Actually Works

Waiting until the last minute to cram for a test or to write an essay isn’t just going to make your life more stressful. It’s also less likely to produce the results you want.

Studies have shown that the most effective way to retain new material is with spaced repetition . This means engaging with the concepts consistently over a longer span of time.

If you want to cut down on the all-nighters, try these six easy tips to create a homework and studying schedule that actually works.

1. Review Your Homework in Advance

First, set some time aside at the beginning of your semester or school term to look over your assignments. Make sure you understand:

What each one entails
How much time each task will take
Its due date

Then, check to see if you need any additional resources. For example, you may need a library book to complete an assignment. Nothing will throw off your schedule more than sitting down at your desk only to find out that you don’t have what you need to do the work. Reviewing your assignments before they’re due will help with efficiency once you start working.

2. Make Your Schedule as Specific as Possible

Once you have a list of everything you need to do, turn it into a daily or weekly schedule. Decide which tasks you want to do first and when. Then, you can write it in a planner or use an Excel template to create a printable homework chart.

Avoid generalized terms like “study Spanish for two hours.” Otherwise, you’ll be tempted to fill the time with the easiest task that falls into that category.

Instead, list specific items like, “write book report” or “study flash cards.” This way, you know exactly what you need to do and are less likely to put it off.

3. Find Your Preferred Study Routine

Sometimes you have to do homework when you’re tired or aren’t feeling well, but that doesn’t mean you should totally ignore what your body’s telling you.

According to the latest research , multiple 40-minute study sessions can be more productive than three-hour chunks. Experiment with studying at different times of day and for varying lengths of time.

Take notes about which sessions were productive and which ones weren’t to help you figure out your ideal study routine.

4. Download a Studying App

There’s no denying that phones can be distracting while studying. But if you use them wisely they can be a lot of help.

Use flashcard apps to create your own flashcards and gamify your study experience. These apps help you study in small bits throughout the day plus you won’t have to carry physical flashcards around with you.

There are other apps to help you learn a language, practice math, or take better notes . You can also use a homework scheduling app and color-code your assignments by subject.

5. Create a Productive Workspace

Using the same workspace every day can help you stick to your homework schedule. Avoid distracting places like the living room or kitchen, and try not to work on your bed or in front of the TV. Even small things, like making sure your laptop is charged or putting on your favorite study playlist, can make a big difference in your productivity.

Ideally, you should set aside a desk in a quiet room that’s comfortable enough to sit at for a few hours at a time. The more you use it for studying, the more you’ll associate it with productivity and be in the right headspace to get work done.

For some tips on how to get started, check out our guide on how to create the perfect homework environment .

6. Ask for Help if You Need it

Finally, don’t be afraid to reach out for support. Even if you have a good grasp on the material, sometimes studying alone can be isolating.

From joining an online study group to hiring a professional tutor for your SATs, there are plenty of ways to get outside support. You can ask a friend or parent to check in on your progress or proofread your assignments before you submit them.

Whether you’re in middle school, high school, or college, homework never really goes away. But you can make it more manageable with these six helpful homework and studying schedule tips.

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How to Find Motivation to Do Homework

Last Updated: January 31, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Jake Adams and by wikiHow staff writer, Megaera Lorenz, PhD . Jake Adams is an academic tutor and the owner of Simplifi EDU, a Santa Monica, California based online tutoring business offering learning resources and online tutors for academic subjects K-College, SAT & ACT prep, and college admissions applications. With over 14 years of professional tutoring experience, Jake is dedicated to providing his clients the very best online tutoring experience and access to a network of excellent undergraduate and graduate-level tutors from top colleges all over the nation. Jake holds a BS in International Business and Marketing from Pepperdine University. There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,702,947 times.

Even if you love school, it can be hard to stay excited about doing homework. Just like with any other kind of work, it’s important to set personal goals and find your own inspiration to keep going. You can also help yourself focus by minimizing distractions and caring for yourself while you work. Finally, organize your time wisely and break your homework up into manageable pieces so it doesn’t feel too overwhelming.

Finding Your Drive and Inspiration

Step 1 Reward yourself when you meet a homework goal.

Give yourself bigger rewards for bigger accomplishments. For example, you might go out for pizza with a friend after handing in an important paper.

Step 2 Treat yourself before you start working, too.

Just make sure you limit yourself to a specific amount of time (like 10 minutes, for example) so that you don’t end up getting totally distracted and wasting a few hours.

Did you know? Researchers in Japan recently discovered that looking at pictures or videos of baby animals before you start working can make you much more productive. [3] X Trustworthy Source PLOS ONE Online peer-reviewed, open access scientific research journal Go to source So, go ahead and watch a couple of cute kitten videos on YouTube the next time you need to work on a boring assignment. It might help!

Step 3 Work with a motivated study buddy.

Doing homework with a friend doesn’t necessarily mean collaborating on the same assignments. You can just spend time together while you each do your own work. Only get your parent to help you if you need help.
Check with your teacher first before working together with a friend on an assignment. They may want you to do the work by yourself.

Step 4 Determine when and where you work best.

For example, if you’re a morning person, try doing your homework right after you eat breakfast.
If you tend to get distracted while working at your desk at home, experiment with doing your homework in the library or a coffee shop instead.
Some people also find it helpful to change their routine from time to time. If you find yourself getting bored, try working at a different time from usual or finding a new study space.

Setting vague goals can lead to frustration. Instead of saying, “I’m going to get all my homework done this week,” try something more specific—e.g., “I’m going to work on my English essay for 1 hour every day this week.”

Step 6 Remind yourself of why you’re in school in the first place.

For example, maybe you want to get good grades so you can get into your dream college, or possibly you’re working towards an exciting career.
Doing a good job in your classes can also be its own reward—knowing that you worked hard and did your best is a great self-esteem booster!

Keeping Yourself Focused and Alert

Step 1 Take care of your physical needs before working.

If you feel physically tense, do some yoga or light stretches before you begin to work.
Doing breathing exercises can also help you feel more comfortable and alert.
If you’re not already in comfy clothes, get changed before you start working. This may mean joggers, sweatpants, pjs, shorts, underwear, or even being completely naked. It's your choice.

Step 2 Find a quiet and comfortable work space.

You’ll want a place where you can sit comfortably, but don’t get too comfortable. If you do homework in bed or on a cozy couch, you may be tempted to fall asleep!
If you have to work at home, ask anyone who lives with you to give you a little quiet time while you do your homework.

Step 3 Put away your phone and other distractions.

If you can’t resist messing around on your phone or visiting time-wasting websites on your computer, consider installing an app or a browser extension that blocks tempting apps and sites.
Don’t try to work with a TV or radio on. If you listen to music while you do your homework, choose something that’s quiet and not too exciting, like some gentle classical music.

Step 4 Energize yourself with water and healthy snacks.

Whole grains
Healthy proteins, like fish, beans, or nuts
Blueberries
Leafy greens

Step 5 Take frequent breaks while you work.

During your breaks, you can go for a walk, have a snack, do a little meditation , or even put your head down for a quick power nap .
You can also use your breaks to reward yourself with a fun video or a quick game on your phone.

Did you know? Walking can improve your thinking skills. If you’re feeling stuck on a problem, going for a quick walk or even hopping on a treadmill can help! [13] X Research source

Step 6 Switch between different tasks to help you stay sharp.

For example, if you’ve been working on an essay for an hour or two, take a break and then switch to doing some math problems.
Don’t try to do more than one task at once, though. Trying to multitask will disrupt your focus and cause you to make more mistakes.

Organizing Your Time Effectively

Step 1 Create a daily work and study schedule.

Setting a schedule also makes it easier to avoid procrastinating .
Make sure to schedule in time for breaks and relaxation, too!

Tip: You can avoid unpleasant surprises by writing important dates and deadlines into your schedule. For example, make note of when you have tests or quizzes coming up or when different assignments are due.

Step 2 Prioritize your assignments and do the most urgent or difficult ones first.

Make an ordered list of all your tasks. Try to prioritize ones that are due soon, count towards a major part of your grade, or seem like they will be the most complicated to complete.
Put assignments that aren’t due for a while or that you know you can finish quickly and easily at the bottom.

Step 3 Break your assignments down into manageable pieces.

For example, if you’re writing a big paper, you might break it up into pieces like doing the research, composing a bibliography, writing an outline, drafting the introduction, and so on.

Step 4 Try a productivity app to help you stay organized.

Productivity apps are helpful for some people, but they’re not for everyone. Make sure you don’t spend so much time worrying about the app that it starts to cut into your homework time! [19] X Research source

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Tips from our Readers

Start your homework as soon as you get home from school (you may need a small snack first) instead of watching tv or using the computer. If you start another activity, it will be harder to stop it to switch to homework. Go straight to homework and think of TV and the computer as your reward for finishing.
Sometimes I have a lot of work to do and it seems overwhelming, even if the work isn't hard. If I close my eyes and imagine myself doing my homework, it doesn't feel as intimidating and gives me the feeling that I can do it.
Make a homework playlist in your music app and play every time you sit down to study. If music with lyrics distracts you, try looking up "study playlists" and "homework playlists," as they're usually just instrumentals.
If you can, have your parents drop you off at the library after school for an hour (or however long your homework would take) so you can stay focused. There isn't much to do at the library and it's quiet.
Take short breaks to rest your mind for a little while so that it is ready to get back to work. This works for a lot of people who just need to decompress after a long period of working and hard thinking!
Think about having free time after the homework to do what you want. Also, think about having the homework done, being stress-free, and not getting in trouble because you didn't do your homework.
Dedicate a space in your house to homework and decorate it. Make your homework space a place you like to be.
Work with a buddy who doesn't get as distracted as you. This way, your buddy can help you stay focused.
Chewing on gum can help you stay alert and focused if you're feeling tired or distracted.

↑ Jake Adams. Academic Tutor & Test Prep Specialist. Expert Interview. 20 May 2020.
↑ https://www.oxford-royale.co.uk/articles/tips-studying-motivation.html
↑ https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0046362
↑ https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/how-should-students-study-tips-advice-and-pitfalls
↑ https://www.umassd.edu/fycm/goal-setting/resources/smartgoals/
↑ https://allianzassistancehealth.com.au/en/living-in-australia/studying-motivation-tips-university/
↑ https://www.wgu.edu/blog/improve-online-study-environment1712.html
↑ https://share.upmc.com/2019/08/healthy-snacks-to-power-studying/
↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/homework.html
↑ https://news.stanford.edu/2014/04/24/walking-vs-sitting-042414/
↑ https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/studying-101-study-smarter-not-harder/
↑ https://www.aiuniv.edu/blog/2016/april/4-steps-to-prioritize-tasks
↑ https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/aug/18/time-management-apps-work-life-balance-productivity

About This Article

To find the motivation to do your homework, give yourself small rewards after you accomplish a goal, like a 5 minute video after finishing a reading assignment. For larger accomplishments, like completing an important paper, give yourself a bigger reward, like going out for pizza with friends. You can also try giving yourself a treat, like a scoop of ice cream or 10 minutes to text your best friend, before you begin working to lift your mood and make you more productive. If you have a friend who won’t distract you, see if they want to do homework together so you can keep each other on track. To learn how to pick the best time and place to do your homework, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to Help Students Develop the Skills They Need to Complete Homework

Middle and high school students can learn to work more efficiently by using strategies that improve their executive function skills.

The effects of homework are mixed. While adolescents across middle and high school have an array of life situations that can make doing homework easier or harder, it’s well known that homework magnifies inequity . However, we also know that learning how to manage time and work independently outside of the school day is valuable for lifelong learning. From the homework wars to students who have little time for homework to students who don’t even know where to begin, everyone can agree that kids who can self-regulate and engage in independent rehearsal are better positioned for whatever the future holds.

How can we empower students to overcome barriers to doing homework well?

Executive Functioning

Homework is partially an assessment of executive functioning. Executive functioning and self-regulation take time to develop. They depend on three types of critical brain function: working memory, mental flexibility, and self-regulation .

Let’s break this down to consider how to improve their efficiency.

Working memory: Don’t hold everything in your head; it is not possible. When doing homework, students should write down their ideas, whether they are notes while reading, numbers when working through a math problem, or non-school-related reminders about chores, such as remembering to take the dog for a walk. Clearing working memory for the immediate task at hand allows the brain to focus as the strain is reduced.

Mental flexibility: As students build their independence and grow their homework routines, seeing an array of strategies, or more than one way to solve a problem, is important. Consider the results when a child gets stuck and doesn’t know what to do to get unstuck or when one keeps trying the same failed approach. Chunking homework helps simplify the process. When stuck, a student looks at a smaller piece, which makes it easier to see other solutions. More practice with mental flexibility happens when others model thinking in different ways, and students practice flexible thinking with partners by asking them: What is another way? Use this bubble map to chart out multiple ways.

Self-regulation: Learning how to prioritize work and stick with it by not giving in to impulses is a skill that students develop over time . One way to teach self-regulation is to have students practice control by concentrating for short periods of time with the goal of building up to longer, more sustained periods of time as the year progresses. For a child who struggles with reading for an extended time, start with five minutes and then build from there.

Another self-regulation tip is creating a plan to overcome distractions. What happens when the child stumbles? Three minutes into reading and a student is reaching for their cell phone. Recommend that they practice moving the cell phone away from the homework area, and summarize before returning to the reading. Stops and starts are frustrating and often result in lost homework time. Have students practice responses to distraction, and make this part of their homework. When a student struggles to stay on task, they should be encouraged to remove any distraction in order to regain focus.

Use classroom assessment as a tool to plan for and support student homework. Record the following information for students:

Do they write, read, and/or solve problems in class? For how many minutes independently?
What is the quality of their work? Are they actually learning, or are they just going through the motions?
Do they know how to strategize on their own or get help from a peer when they’re stuck? Observe them and take notes, and/or have them reflect on this question.

We cannot expect that students will independently practice a skill they don’t engage with during class. If it doesn't happen in the classroom, it's not going to happen at home. The teacher should be able to realistically gauge how much and what students might achieve at home. A suggestion to build independence is to use task analysis . Here is a model . For students who struggle with getting homework done, at first they may not actually do homework; rather, they practice the routines of setting up and getting started.

Direct Instruction

The following are some techniques that help students with homework:

Mindful meditation to gain focus
Prioritizing and estimating time
Filtering out distractions

Peers as Partners

Class partnership routines need practice. With strong partnerships, kids learn how to support and learn from each other. Access to teachers will never match the unlimited access to peers. The hours that students who achieve at high levels put in after class are often spent alone rehearsing the content or with peers who push each other to improve.

Class-to-Home Connection

While some students struggle with executive functioning, others rush through their homework. The most important step in having homework count is to make it seamless, not separate from class. Homework flows from classwork. Especially with a mix of synchronous and asynchronous work, now there is no homework, just work done for our classes. Consistent instructional goals with engaging and meaningful tasks help students see the value in working beyond the last bell.

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Here’s the Best Study Routine (Day & Night with Sample Schedule)

Let’s face it: your search history is probably filled with queries like “best study techniques” or “how to focus better.” Most of what you find is either too generic or not tailored to your learning style. We’re here to offer something more substantial — a scientifically-backed guide to crafting the best study routine. Let’s dive in!

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Table of Contents

How to Make a Study Routine

Sample Study Routines (Day & Night)

Best Techniques for Your Study Routine

Creating an effective study routine isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. Here’s a breakdown to help you tailor a study routine to your unique schedule and academic needs.

Evaluate your schedule: Before building your study routine, closely examine your daily schedule and commitments. When do your classes start and end? Do you have any extracurricular activities? Do you have to work after class? By understanding your daily schedule, you can create a more personalized study routine.
Set realistic goals: Have you ever told yourself that you’d finish reading 10 chapters of your textbook in a single all-nighter? You’re not alone in falling into this lie countless times. That’s why breaking down larger academic goals into smaller, achievable tasks is a must. You need to be able to set specific and realistic goals for each study session.
Plan study blocks: After being honest with yourself about your goals, decide how many hours a day you would dedicate to studying. It could be as short or as long as you want — as long as you guarantee that you can maximize your study time. The quality of your learning is more important than the quantity or amount of hours you put into studying!
Create a distraction-free environment: Spending 10 hours studying is useless if it’s broken up scrolling through social media. Because of this, it is important to minimize distractions during your study sessions. You can do this by finding a quiet, clutter-free space where you can concentrate fully. Turn off your phone and use website blockers like Cold Turkey to maximize productivity.
Organize your study materials : A well-organized set of resources can save you time and stress. Check out our post on the best Notion templates for students for some inspiration.
Prioritize sleep and schedule: Studying is important, but so is your physical health! Your cognitive abilities are directly linked to your wellbeing. Make sure you get enough sleep and fit in some physical activity to keep your mind sharp.
Stay consistent: If you start committing to your planned study schedule as much as possible, it’ll eventually become second nature and make it quicker to dive into a state of deep focus every time.
Be flexible: Life happens, and things don’t always go as planned — and that’s okay! It just means that your routine might need adjustments from time to time. Don’t be too hard on yourself, and learn to adapt to changes in your schedule. If you accidentally missed a study session, relax and just pick up where you left off.

Sample Study Routines to Follow

Morning & afternoon study routine.

If you’re an early riser who enjoys soaking up the morning sun, a daytime study routine is perfect for you. Studying in the morning has the added advantage of being in line with our natural body clock since alertness is at its peak in the morning and early afternoon.

Here’s a sample schedule that you can follow:

5:30 AM – 6:15 AM: Rise and shine! Kick-start your day with a healthy breakfast. You can also try to engage in a short meditation or stretching session to feel more awake.
6:15 AM – 6:30 AM: Grab a pen and paper or your digital notepad so that you can set your study goals for the day and specific tasks you need to accomplish.
6:30 AM – 7:30 AM: Time to exercise! You can do any form of physical activity, from light cardio (like walking) to lifting weights in the gym.
7:30 AM – 9:30 AM: First study block (or attend your classes). Start your timer: 25-minute study with a 5-minute break, repeat 4x, then a long break — or use a timer that automatically does it for you .
9:30 AM – 10:00 AM: Take an extended break. Stretch, grab a snack, and breathe some fresh air. Look away from your screen to minimize eye strain.
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Second study block (or attend your classes). Start your timer and finish another full Pomodoro session (25-minute study with a 5-minute break, repeat 4x, then a long break).
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM: Lunch break! This is the perfect time to refuel your body with nourishing food and prep for your afternoon study session.
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM : Third study block (or attend your classes). Don’t forget to use techniques like active recall and mind mapping (more on that below) to reinforce the concepts you learned in the morning.
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM: Time for another extended break. Why not walk to a nearby café for a change of scenery, or go to a virtual café ?
3:30 PM – 5:30 PM: Final study block (or attend your classes). Use this final session to consolidate your learning and list areas requiring further attention.
5:30 PM – 9:30 PM: Free time! Reward yourself by unwinding and relaxing after a productive day. Pursue your hobbies, spend time with friends and family, or watch a movie .
9:30 PM – 5:30 AM: Get a good night’s rest to feel fully recharged the next day!

Nighttime Study Routine

Not everyone is made for a daytime study routine. You might just feel more productive at night, or maybe you’ve got daytime commitments like a job or other extracurricular activities. If you’re a night owl and not an early riser, give this sample nighttime study routine a whirl:

5:00 PM – 6:00 PM: Boost your energy with a late-day workout. This will help set your mood for your upcoming study session.
6:00 PM – 6:15 PM: Grab a pen and paper or your digital notepad to set your study goals for the night and specific tasks you need to accomplish.
6:15 PM – 8:15 PM: First study block. Start your timer and finish a full Pomodoro session (25-minute study with a 5-minute break, repeat 4x, then a long break). Try starting with lighter subjects first to ease yourself into the night.
8:15 PM – 9:00 PM: Dinner time! Have a nutritious meal to fuel yourself for the long night ahead.
9:00 PM – 11:00 PM: Second study block. Start your timer and finish another full Pomodoro session.
11:00 PM – 11:30 PM: Take an extended break. You can even take a power nap if you want to. Just make sure to set an alarm to avoid oversleeping!
11:30 PM – 1:30 AM: Third study block. Start your timer and finish another full Pomodoro session. Try switching to a different subject to keep things interesting!
1:30 AM – 2:00 AM: Relax and recharge for a while. Don’t forget to stay hydrated and have a light snack if you want to.
2:00 AM – 4:00 AM: Final study block. Review the material you studied during the whole night. Why not try to use the Feynman technique to test your learning? (check it out below)
4:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Go to bed and make sure you get at least 7-8 hours of sleep. Make sure to turn off your devices and create a relaxing bedtime routine.
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM: Time to wake up! Sustain your body’s needs by eating your first meal of the day.
1:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Free time! Ideally, you should engage in activities to help unwind and clear your mind. You should also eat your second meal of the day during this period.

With a general framework in place and some sample routines to try, let’s explore some scientifically-backed techniques to enhance your study routine.

Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique is a time-tested and community favorite strategy that breaks your study time into 25 minute intervals, followed by short breaks. It helps your brain stay focused and reduces fatigue.

Luckily, you can use dedicated free Pomodoro-focused tools like Flocus to automatically switch between study and break periods instead of winding up a manual timer for each interval.

Don’t know what to do during your study breaks? Here are some Pomodoro break ideas . Also, if you think that the Pomodoro technique isn’t for you, we’ve rounded up some of the best Pomodoro alternatives to try.

Active Recall

Active recall beats passive learning hands down. Instead of simply reading through material, this method challenges you to recall information from memory. In fact, passive learning is considered one of the least effective study methods. Active recall may be challenging to get used to at first, but the amount of retained information you’ll get will make the process worth it! When it comes to active recall, nothing beats the use of flashcards — whether handwritten or created using digital apps such as Anki .

Mind Mapping

If you are visual person, then this strategy is perfect for you. Mind mapping is a visual technique that helps you organize and understand complex information. Basically, it’s creating a map of your thoughts! Start with a central idea and then let it branch out by adding related subtopics and ideas. Feel free to add colors and images to make it even more memorable and effective. Just the process of creating the mind map itself already helps you solidify your understanding of the topic.

Feynman Technique

This technique, inspired by the learning approach of renowned physicist Richard Feynman, involves breaking down complex ideas into simpler terms — as if you’re teaching a concept to a total beginner. While doing this, you’ll probably identify gaps in your knowledge and better understand the topic. Generally, if you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.

Ultimately, the best study routine is the one that fits your unique lifestyle. Experiment with different schedules and see what works best for you. Whether you’re an early riser or a night owl, consistency and dedication are the keys to academic success. Take time to craft your best study routine, and you’ll be acing your exams in no time!

What is the best study routine and schedule for you? Any other study techniques you want to share? Let us know in the comments below!

Gridfiti is supported by its audience – when you buy something using the retail links in our posts, we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Read more about our affiliate disclaimer.

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Hardest or Easiest Work First? What the Research Shows

Hardest or easiest work first? It’s one of the largest questions in productivity management, and one that has been under debate or decades.

There are two patterns of thought on this topic. Some productivity experts believe that by starting on your quickest, simplest tasks first, you build momentum that carries you through to the harder tasks. However, other experts believe that completing your hardest tasks first is the key to getting things done more efficiently. Research shows that people who execute their most difficult tasks first are generally more productive and high achieving than those who start easy and work their way up.

Since productivity is a cornerstone of successful business, there have been many studies performed to analyze what methodologies make people most productive. Read on to find out what their research revealed.

If you are looking for the best study tools out there, you should read our article on the best study tools to enhance your studying at the link below:

The Ultimate Study Tools You Must Use to Succeed!

Why Is Doing the Easy Thing First Is Less Productive

Completing the easiest items first is less productive. This idea is reinforced by behavioral research that shows that starting with easier tasks first is not helpful overall.

The data shows this is the case even though it can initially feel good to take the path of least resistance in an attempt to get the ball rolling. The human brain is wired to feel positive about short-term rewards, so we are more inclined to take actions that result in gaining those short-term rewards.

These are the basic reasons found by behavioral research that doing easier things before hard things in a productivity workflow is counterproductive:

The stress of putting off a difficult task negatively affects productivity towards all other tasks performed.

Scientific studies have shown that the dread of having to execute a major task requires a large amount of subconscious focus.

The weight of having a major task on your mind can make you lose focus on the task at hand. This loss of focus makes the task take longer to complete. It can also lead to the task completing less effectively.

People make the choice to complete easier tasks first not on the logical basis of what methodology is more productive, but on what method makes them feel better.

The choice to do easier tasks first is rarely made with productivity in mind.

Rather, people choose this workflow method because it elicits positive emotions that produce a short-term psychological high, not because it works better.

Humans have a psychological tendency to enjoy experiences that improve over time.

When you start an easy task and start building up to harder and harder tasks, this can create negative psychological feedback.

Rather than building momentum, this process psychologically feels akin to pushing a boulder that gets heavier and heavier the further you push it. The increasing difficulty of subsequent tasks is an exhausting process, not an empowering one and has a poor effect on overall productivity.

Smaller tasks are generally easier to defer, delegate, or avoid entirely than large tasks if time or motivation runs low.

Difficult tasks tend to be important tasks, and you’re less likely to be able to avoid them without suffering negative consequences.

However, if a person does their difficult tasks first, it is simpler to postpone or delegate small tasks.

People have a limited amount of energy in any given week to produce or perform.

After a 50-hour workweek, behavioral scientists have found that the work output of an employee workforce drops off a cliff. Once the number of hours passes 55 hours, work output is almost nil due to exhaustion.

The impact of this decline in being effective is that people who work 70 hours a week are achieving next to nothing in the extra fifteen hours they choose to work. Doing hard tasks first ensures there is enough physical and cognitive energy to complete these important tasks.

It is more productive to consider whether you need to perform small tasks at all rather than do them first.

One of the greatest hacks of productivity is not to perform your to-do list more efficiently, but to shorten the overall number of tasks on it.

Shorter tasks lend themselves to evaluation easier as they are typically simpler than longer, more-involved tasks. Before doing any task, a two-step evaluation should be performed to determine if:

The task is worth doing.
If the task is worth doing, am I the best person to do it.

It is both easier to evaluate the validity of doing a task and whether you are the best person to do it with smaller tasks. This process alone can save you a significant amount of time and energy.

The best measure of productivity is the quality of tasks performed, not quantity.

For example, performing ten different small tasks to organize your office is great. However, if these small tasks stop you from meeting a deadline on a major customer deliverable, they weren’t worth doing.

Taking the time to access the relative importance of each task as well as its estimated difficulty and duration is essential.

People performing small tasks tend to multitask, and multitasking is not productive–it only feels productive.

Studies show that people who multitask are generally less productive (and less accurate in their work) than those who monotask.

The human brain is not good at multi-tasking. Our brains are tremendously powerful and great at many things but multi-tasking is not one of them. If fact, studies have linked heavy multi-tasking to poorer performance on simple memory tasks. Researchers have also seen in brain scans that the human brain struggles significantly with multitasking.

Even though it feels more productive, performing a batch of small tasks is typically not as productive as getting that hardest task out of the way first.

Completing smaller tasks first is constructive procrastination, and destroys productivity.

If your goal is to complete important work consistently and you are procrastinating, you are not going to produce consistently.

Cutting through resistance to complete hard tasks first eliminates procrastination and increases your general efficiency.

Why Do People Choose To Work on Easy Tasks First?

The reason the “path of least resistance” exists as an idiom is because people generally have a tendency to procrastinate on difficult tasks and perform smaller tasks instead. Completing smaller tasks generates a feeling of productivity.

Behavioral scientists call this tendency “task completion bias.”

When you succumb to task completion bias, you feel more productive because they are getting a larger quantity of smaller tasks done. However, as these tasks have less intrinsic value, you end up being ultimately less productive.

People who choose the path of least resistance are driven by the satisfaction derived from completing a task. However, this is dangerous to productivity as the satisfaction derived is not coupled appropriately to the level of importance of the task itself.

Why Do the Hard Thing First?

Productivity gurus like to quote Mark Twain’s famous advice towards productivity, which says to “eat the frog” or perform your hardest task right off the bat. This advice holds water in both behavioral research and anecdotal observation.

In their exploration of behavioral work analysis, scientists have found the following:

Most successful and productive workers consistently put their most difficult tasks first ahead of smaller tasks.

In productivity circles, this concept is usually called a Most Important Tasks (MIT) list.

Prioritization is essential in deciding what tasks to do first. While most people do what they feel like doing at the moment, it is better to complete the most important tasks first.

Here are some of the reasons why it is more productive to execute your most difficult tasks first:

Doing the hardest task first means you are more likely to complete it.

The overwhelming majority of people will be less motivated at the end of their day than at the beginning of it due to decision fatigue and erosion of physical and mental energy.

Hard tasks should be performed first because that is when you have the most energy.

Willpower has a ceiling and doesn’t last.

You use willpower throughout the day to force yourself to do everything from picking what you want for lunch to brushing your teeth before you leave for work. By the time you get home, your brain is exhausted from forcing you to act.

The limits of willpower are the reason why people who are trying to get into exercise should work out first thing in the morning.

The reality is fewer people have the willpower to go out and exercise after a full day of executive function performing other work.

Getting the hardest task out of the way allows you to coast and creates a positive mood, which increases productivity.

Happy people get more things done, and few things make a person happier than knowing they no longer have to dread a hard task.

The relief you feel when you’ve gotten a high-value item checked off your to-do list sets the tone for the rest of your day. You are more likely to finish your other work in a good mood and avoid the emotional demoralization that comes with decision fatigue.

Productivity follows the Pareto principle.

In the Pareto principle , the concept is that 80% of your results are the result of 20% of your work. In other words, it’s not the amount of time you spend working. Rather, it is about focusing on the tasks that matter, that move the needle.

By this principle, which echoes across economic theory and management, if you only achieve the two hardest tasks on your to-do list, you’ve still produced more quality work than you would have if you had completed the other eight tasks combined.

Applying the Pareto principle to task management, tackling and completing only the most important tasks will have a superior impact on your productivity. In other words, you get more “bang for your buck” in completing larger, more important tasks than lesser, smaller tasks. This principle even applies if you do more smaller tasks. As mentioned earlier, measure your productivity based on the importance of task, not quantity of task. Tim Ferriss covered the benefits of the Pareto principle in his epic book The Four Hour Workweek . If you have not read this book yet, you owe it to yourself to do so.

Putting off the hardest task is not just unproductive; it has the potential to create more work.

Harder work is work that is easier to screw up, and if you are tired at the end of the day, you’re more likely to make mistakes.

Having to fix mistakes just adds more work on top of the work you already had, so it’s the opposite of productivity. You’re growing your work rather than paring it down.

Tips and Tricks for Completing Your Hardest Work First

Break difficult tasks into a batch of smaller tasks.

Most hard tasks can be broken down into smaller, simpler tasks. Breaking the complex task down into simpler tasks allows you to use task completion bias to your advantage. You are essentially tricking your brain into believing it is doing easy tasks and allows you to build momentum. A great way of breaking your tasks down into smaller tasks is mind-mapping. Mindmapping allows you to create a relational diagram of your task and its related subtasks. I wrote a blog post on mind-mapping that you can find at the link below:

Link to Mindmapping Blog Post

Prioritize your to-do list and pick the top hardest or high-quality tasks. Those are your most important things.

The heart of true productivity lies in knowing what it is you need to accomplish versus what you just think you need to do. This philosophy is how you determine task value, which determines how productive you are. If you can identify the top two or three most important tasks in your list, these tasks will hold the same productivity value as the rest of the list combined.

Even if you only do these two or three things and nothing else, you will have been extremely productive in terms of task value.

Set up your difficult tasks ahead of time.

Because you’ll already be dreading the task, you don’t want to put any psychological barriers up between yourself and initiating the first steps to executing it.

If you need to write a paper, make sure you have all the research gathered beforehand. If you’re tackling a huge gardening project, make sure all the tools you need are ready to go first thing. If you’re trying to the gym, lay your gym clothes out the night before.

Set a timer.

Often the anticipation of a difficult task is more difficult than the task itself. Set a timer for twenty minutes and tell yourself you must execute the task until the timer goes off. If the timer goes off, you will be free to take a five-minute break.

The Pomodoro Technique uses relatively short work bursts and breaks to help overcome the mental overhead of getting started. For more information on the Pomodoro Technique, check out our blog post (link below):

Link to Pomodoro Technique Blog Post

Set your priority tasks the night before.

By doing so, this will put them at the forefront of your mind, and part of your brain will be considering them subconsciously while you sleep as well. Humans solve a lot of our problems while we’re sleeping.

Setting your priority tasks ahead of time takes advantage of theta brain waves, which allow you to solve creative problems more easily.

If you reflect on tasks in a theta state, you may be more likely to come up with creative answers to make the work less difficult. Doing this can increase your overall productivity through outside-the-box shortcuts.

Make sure your difficult task is well-defined.

A lot of decision fatigue comes from deciding how to do something, rather than what to do. This indecision keeps difficult executive actions that are complicated from being started without great resistance.

If you are about to perform a difficult task, write the task down, and list all the things you need to do related to it. An abstract premise like “clean the house” can be daunting to the mind, but if you write fifty small household chores, you will feel less intimidated.

Use the power of habit.

Make a point to consistently keep track of your most important tasks, and consistently do the hardest things you’ve prioritized first. Willpower is a lot like a muscle power–the more you use it, the larger reserve of it you have to draw from.

One way to do this is to write your most important tasks in a small journal every night, and mark them off the next day. By keeping a record, you can use ritual to reinforce your motivation and make you more productive overall through consistent performance.

Stay away from social media and other distractions.

Doing the hard thing first thing means doing it first thing. Do not pass GO; do not collect two hundred dollars. Straight to eating the frog for you.

It is very easy to get drawn into browsing Facebook or Netflix, reading a blog, or reading the news rather than getting work done. Before you know it, you will have lost hours of productivity. A great way to block out distractions is to use an application like Focus to temporarily block you from accessing certain websites. Focus is a Mac application and is part of the great Setapp service. Setapp is a service that, for a very low monthly price, allows you to download and use over 150 Mac apps. For more information on Focus, click this link .

Do not execute any action before your hardest task for the best results, especially if it could be considered a leisure activity. Save that as a reward for when you complete your task. You’ll be working on completing it that much more quickly.

Final Thoughts

Productivity is not about how many tasks you get done. Rather, it is about getting valuable tasks done as efficiently as possible. Everything else is unimportant. Longer tasks are typically more important than smaller tasks.

Everybody has days where they are running around like a chicken with their head cut off, trying to do a dozen petty or inconsequential things at once. That feeling compounds when you realize you haven’t gotten anything valuable done. The key to true productivity isn’t the quantity of your work, but the quality of it.

Assessing quality (especially the quality and value of your own work) requires more forethought and preparation. Research shows that working more productively, as opposed to simply working more, leads to higher levels of objective success.

A decade of data reveals that heavy multitaskers have reduced memory

Solutions Architect

Jimmy McTiernan is the owner/author of The Productive Engineer, a website dedicated to helping people master productivity applications. Jimmy also is the creator of The Productive Engineer YouTube channel.

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How to Do Homework Fast: 9 Best Tips and Guides

Homework can be tough or maybe easier but your primary goal as a student should be to complete your homework on time. Finishing homework on time is one of the signs of a successful college student .

Now it’s up to you, whether you want to finish your homework fast or procrastinate it. You’ll be surprised to know many kids don’t like to study just because of their homework.

But, I think you’re among those students who want to finish their homework fast and save time for other work. If I’m right and you’re already looking for how to do homework fast then you’re in right place.

Because in this article, I am gonna break down the 9 best tips to finish your homework fast while having fun . But before we get going, let me first tell you the benefits of doing homework fast :

You get time for other works
You can enjoy your whole day without worrying about the homework
Doing your homework fast makes you a fast learner
It makes a habit to solve questions fast helps you in the exams
Finishing homework in time makes you a disciplined student

Now, you would have understood why you should finish your homework faster.

However, doing homework fast is not an easy job. You have to go through with a proper strategy and follow all the tips that I’m going to list here…

How to do homework fast?

1. find a good study environment.

A Study place really matters to studying effectively. A good study place can make your mood to study and also you’ll have a better concentration there.

So, if you want to stay focused and beat procrastination while doing homework fast then first find a good study environment.

A dedicated study room, library, coffee shop, or park can work great for you. Just find where you’re comfortable most and can give your best.

But make sure, the place you find for study should be distraction-free . Even if your phone is not a part of your homework, keep it aside wherever you study.

Read also: Why do I get bad grades after studying hard?

2. Set your schedule

During the day, besides homework, you may have to do many household works or other things. That’s why some students often forget to do homework or they stop doing their homework in the middle of other work.

To deal with these situations you have to either make a routine or set your schedule . I agree, that sticking with a routine won’t be easy for you, so why don’t you try to set your schedule?

The better way to set your schedule is to write a note and find the time that you have available for doing homework . Just before sleep or after waking up do it every day, it will keep you on a better schedule and time management.

3. Make a to-do list

A To-do list can be very helpful to finish your homework fast, especially when you have plenty of tasks.

So make a to-do list and write all the homework that you got from your teachers, this way you also won’t forget to complete any subject’s homework.

A to-do list not only would be interesting to make but, you will also enjoy finishing your homework according to it.

And, whenever you finish any particular homework from the to-do list, make sure you make a cross on it, which will motivate you to move further and finish the remaining homework.

If you have any boring or weak subject then do its homework first then move to an easy subject because when you start your study then your energy level and mood are at peak.

So, put your effort first on that subject that you find hard, and after that, you can easily finish your easy and interesting subject homework.

4. Keep all materials near you

Before doing homework, whatever stationery things or study materials you find useful for your homework, keep them close to you.

These small things really matter when you want to perform an effective study session and do your homework fast.

For example, if you have homework related to the Geometry subject then first, keep all the geometry tools on your study table, so that you won’t need to break your study in the middle to find any missing tools.

Similarly, whatever the tools, notes, assignments, or anything that you need while doing your homework, keep them near where you study.

Want to read: 17+ Useful things that college students can use

5. Make sure you understand the material

Although there is no need to ask still, I want to ask, do you understand the subject or topic well in which you have homework?

If your answer is No , then you’re making a big mistake.

Because when you don’t understand a subject or topic and your concepts are not clear enough, you can be stuck many times while doing homework on that subject, and this way, you can’t do your homework fast.

If I’m right and you don’t have enough knowledge in any subject then first understand the subject well. Here are some quick ways to understand the subject well before doing its homework:

Review and revisit your notes
Watch video lectures
Focus on visual learning (like images, graphs, diagrams, etc.)
Take help from friends

6. Challenge yourself with the time

Challenging yourself with time is a great way to do something fast. Isn’t it?

When you start doing homework, make a target like, I will finish this subject’s homework in 45 minutes. Similarly, set a period for each subject’s homework and then follow it.

To follow this tip effectively you can use a TIMMER for it . Chances are you’ll fail and you won’t be accurate with the target you’d set but with practice you can make yourself perfect.

Remember, don’t do all homework at a time instead you should try Pomodoro Technique and take regular breaks.

Taking breaks regularly while doing your homework fast won’t make feel like your homework like a burden because you have divided them into many sessions and coffee breaks.

Read also: 15 Study Techniques that are worth trying this year!

7. Find a study buddy for homework

Completing your homework with a study buddy, don’t you think it’s a great idea?

Of course, with a study buddy, you’ll not only enjoy your homework, but you both can finish your homework fast. The biggest benefit of group study is , that you exchange your knowledge and your understanding of the subject with each other.

So, if you have any friend who listens to you, supports your idea, and is good at studying, ask him for studying and doing homework together.

But, be active while studying with your study buddy and if possible then don’t use unnecessarily your phone.

8. Stay focused in classes

Staying focused in cla ss and paying enough attention there , can make your homework much easier to do faster.

Even, in my school days, I used to finish my homework during lunch break, so that I can enjoy my whole day at home without worrying about homework.

However, you don’t need to finish your homework during lunch breaks instead you can pay attention in class and clear all your doubts.

Whenever you learn something important during your professor’s lecture, make sure you take it in your notes. It will surely help you to do your homework faster.

Read also: What to do if you’ve failed a test?

9. Appreciate your efforts

Sometimes appreciating yourself can be very important. When there is no one to motivate you and appreciate your work then you should appreciate yourself.

Whenever you complete any of your tasks on time appreciate yourself. But it doesn’t mean, you should celebrate big and splash out money, Instead, you can enjoy an ice cream, a cold drink, or anything that you like.

These small things can bring a smile to your face and motivate you to move forward and keep doing great.

Read also: Best Study Motivational Quotes to Studying Hard

Conclusion:

In this article, I have listed the 9 best tips that must be helpful for you to do your homework fast. And, I hope you have enjoyed this article.

Now I’d like to hear from you:

Which tips from this post, do you like most, and are you going to try these tips from now on?

Let me know in the comment…

How to force yourself to finish homework fast?

It is certainly true that homework can be boring sometimes. Whether you want it or not you can’t avoid it. But what you can do is make it interesting by giving yourself a reward when you finish one task. Now the reward can be anything like listening to your favorite music, playing video games, or munching on your favorite candy bar. Keep giving rewards in breaks while doing your homework. It will keep you motivated and give you a sense of achievement.

Why is homework important?

Why Is Homework Important: Beyond Class and Embracing Learning

Homework is important for several reasons, as it plays a crucial role in enhancing students' learning and educational experience. Here are some key reasons why homework is valuable:

Reinforces Learning : Homework helps reinforce what was taught in class, allowing students to practice and apply knowledge, ensuring a deeper understanding and retention of the material.
Promotes Discipline and Time Management : Regular homework assignments teach students to manage their time effectively, develop self-discipline, and prioritize tasks, which are valuable skills beyond the classroom.
Encourages Independence and Responsibility : Completing homework independently fosters self-reliance and personal responsibility for one's learning, preparing students for the self-directed learning required in higher education and the workplace.
Provides Feedback : Homework offers teachers a way to assess students' understanding and progress, allowing them to identify areas where students may need extra help and adjust their teaching strategies accordingly.
Enhances Critical Thinking and Problem Solving : Homework often involves tasks that require critical thinking and problem-solving, skills that are crucial for academic and life success.
Engages Parents in Their Child's Education : Homework gives parents insight into what their children are learning in school and the opportunity to engage in their child's education, supporting learning at home.
Prepares for Upcoming Classes : Homework can be used to introduce new material, preparing students for future lessons and enabling more effective use of classroom time.

Overall, homework is a critical tool in the educational process, supporting learning and personal development in numerous ways.

Ever wondered why teachers seem to love piling on homework? The real reasons why assignments have such an amazing impact on your future might surprise you.

In this article, we’re discovering how homework isn’t just busywork — it’s an essential player when it comes to skyrocketing your comprehension of class material, refining your ability to tackle problems, and establishing a sturdy foundation for academic success.

By the time we’re done, you’re going to be seeing homework in a different light. So, let's find out why homework is important.

Benefits of Homework

Homework facilitates problem-solving skills, provides students with an additional chance to revisit classroom content, enables parents to understand school teachings, and instills a sense of responsibility in students regarding their education.

If you're asking yourself, "Why is homework good for me?" There are numerous reasons why it can be very beneficial in the long run. Challenging work allows us to grow, after all. Let's look at all its benefits.

Completing Homework Encourages Students To Keep Learning

For some students, learning is not just an obligation but can be enjoyed as well. The acceptance of life-long learning can be fostered by homework, and if the teacher manages to engage their students, they’ve set the stage for the students. Let’s take a look at why homework is important:

Improves memory and retention: It increases the potential for students to remember class material since they have to revisit it.
Increases the potential for practical use of knowledge: By understanding the lesson’s materials in more depth, students might apply what they know with more ease.

Helps Develop Skills and Good Habits

Doing your homework can help you develop the necessary skills and habits needed to do challenging work and to keep progressing and ultimately growing as a person. This is why the importance of homework can't be overlooked.

Helps you learn time management: Since homework is usually done outside of school, students will learn how to manage their time and studying time, which will seep into their ability to manage their time in general.
Helps students become more organized: Organizing what you’ve learned to produce well-thought responses that can also be applied practically will become crucial in your day-to-day life.
Helps foster discipline and responsibility: If students want to become successful, not just in the eyes of society but for their personal achievements as well, they must be disciplined and have to take on responsibilities.

Connects School and Home

“Why is homework necessary?” you ask. For starters, it bridges school and home life. Parents are the vital link between schools and students becoming college and career-ready.

And parent engagement is more powerful than any other form of involvement or support at school. It strengthens the vital educational triangle uniting parents, home, and school.

Prepares High School Students for The Future

You can become more resilient and adaptable to challenges in your life. You’ll most likely feel more prepared when these challenges come. What’s more, you can become a better problem-solver and can improve your analytical and critical thinking skills in the long run. This is why homework is beneficial.

Helps Develop A Growth Mindset and Time Management Skills

If you're still wondering, "Why is homework important?" Then, you should know that it can help you foster a growth mentality. What does this mean? Instead of feeling victimized by challenges, failures, and other difficulties, you'll develop a mindset where you view these things as opportunities to grow. At the end of the day, these difficulties can be your best teachers.

Struggling with your Homework?

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Homework: Tips and Tricks

Now that we've taken a look at all the reasons why homework is beneficial to your growth and life let's take a look at some tips you can apply to your homework sessions. If you're still having issues, you can always send a " do my homework " request on Studyfy to get expert help. ‍

To effectively tackle homework, consider these strategies: take regular breaks to refresh, collaborate with friends for support, create a conducive homework area, actively engage in homework discussions, minimize distractions, adhere to a homework timetable, form a study group, organize a dedicated study space, prepare all necessary materials in advance, listen to instrumental music to maintain focus, reward yourself for completing tasks, practice efficient time management, and leverage available resources for assistance.

1. Create A Study Space : Moving on from finding out why homework is good, the first tip to make homework sessions easier is to create a dedicated study space. By doing this, you can potentially trick your mind into focusing better in that said space.

2. Establish A Routine : Create a homework schedule and stick to it. By doing this, you're freeing up your time by prioritizing your responsibilities first. It might be hard at first, but it's work sticking by. Moreover, if you're curious, you can take a look at who invented homework and why , and you might get some inspiration from knowing this.

3. Prioritize The Difficult Tasks in Homework Assignments : Continuing why should students have homework and homework tips, another great tip is to tackle difficult homework first. This gives you enough time to complete them, ensuring you meet your deadlines. It also frees up your time and speeds up the process.

4. Make Use of Apps : Apps like Quizlet and Evernote can help streamline your sessions. You can note down reasons on, "How is homework beneficial?" to help you get motivated or simply note down important notes from class and more.

5. Break Tasks Up : For lengthier and more complex tasks, you can simply break them up into smaller and more doable portions. Need more reasons on why is homework good for students so you can learn how to motivate yourself to do homework even more? Keep reading, and you’ll know all there is to know about homework and how to finish it easier.

6. Get Help : How does homework help students when a task is too difficult? Difficulty motivates us to try harder. However, if you feel like you're stuck, don't be afraid to seek out help. You can ask teachers, friends, and your parents for extra guidance.

7. Employ Study Methods : Use study methods like summarizing, memory flashcards, and quizzing yourself. "Why is homework beneficial?" It helps you apply problem-solving skills effectively, just like these 3 methods.

8. Free Yourself From Distractions : One of the reasons why homework is good is it teaches you to focus and to cut off distractions. A habit that applies to anything in life. Free up your study space from all potential distractions, like phones, tablets, and TV.

9. Prioritize Health and Sleep : "Why is homework helpful?" For starters, if you prioritize your work, you are obligated to also take care of your health and get enough sleep. By doing so, you can focus and work better. Good habits produce more good habits.

10. Find Your Purpose : The last tip, but not the least important, is finding out your "Why." Find out why you want to work hard. Instead of summing it up to, "I want to get into a good school" or "I want to make a lot of money as an adult," find a deeper purpose as to why you should be diligent.

Maybe you're doing it for self-improvement, or maybe you want to change the world for the better. You can potentially get to know yourself better, and you realize this is why we should have homework.

Did you like our Homework Post?

For more help, tap into our pool of professional writers and get expert essay editing services!

What are the reasons why students should have homework?

As we've already seen, homework helps foster better cognitive abilities, train discipline, and prepare students for what's coming.

If you're still struggling with your homework, you can get physics homework help and help for other subjects, too, on Studyfy. It's alright to have difficulties, if you try to improve, results will surely show up.

How can parents help with homework?

Homework is important, therefore you should ask your parents for help and further motivation if needed. They can offer help when necessary and let you solve problems on your own to foster independence. They can create a space where learning is easy and there are no disturbances.

Can too much homework be counterproductive?

While the benefits of homework are plenty, too much homework can be counterproductive. If this is the case, you can directly talk to your teachers and negotiate with them. If you have tests you need to study for, it can help to have less homework.

Too much homework creates unnecessary stress, no matter how good your time management skills are. Yes, homework improve academic achievement, but excessive homework, especially for younger students, doesn't reinforce learning.

Do the study tips this article has mentioned help?

Yes, they do. It's become apparent that to memorize large amounts of information, it is better to break them down into parts. As for the rest of the advice, it will improve most students' learning efficiency. You should still try to find out which methods work best for you.

If you need more guidance, you can get math homework help and help for other subjects as well on Studyfy. Gain insights and advice from an expert today.

StudyAId - AI Homework Helper 4+

Math problem scanner & solver, soul friendship hk limited, designed for iphone.

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StudyAId, a professional problem-solving assistant dedicated to helping you tackle difficult questions! Have you encountered problems that you don't know how to solve? Have you been unable to find the correct results you want when searching online? Do you want to understand not only the correct answers but also the problem-solving process and train of thought? StudyAId can easily handle all these for you! How to use: Just take a picture of the question and scan it to get precise answers with a simple click! Coverage: StudyAId can help you solve problems from various subjects including mathematics, languages, physics, chemistry, biology, history, and more. It has wide coverage. Operating Procedure: 1.Click the photo button to enter the shooting page. 2.Place the question to be identified in the recognition frame and adjust the frame freely after taking the picture. 3.Click "continue" to identify the question. 4.Click "scan" to obtain detailed answer results. Each user has free usage, but Premium can enjoy more benefits. Unlock Premium will provide these: -Unlimited Scan and Solve -More Detailed Steps -Unlimited Dialogues Subscriptions will be automatically billed according to the selected plan. Welcome to use StudyAId! We hope this product can effectively help you solve your problems! Privacy Policy:https://sta-alc-01.studyaid.pro/static/privacypolicy.html Terms of Use:https://sta-alc-01.studyaid.pro/static/terms&conditions.html

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Global cyber attack around the world with planet Earth viewed from space and internet network communication under cyberattack portrayed with red icons of an unlocked padlock.

World-first “Cybercrime Index” ranks countries by cybercrime threat level

Following three years of intensive research, an international team of researchers have compiled the first ever ‘World Cybercrime Index’, which identifies the globe’s key cybercrime hotspots by ranking the most significant sources of cybercrime at a national level.

The Index, published today in the journal PLOS ONE , shows that a relatively small number of countries house the greatest cybercriminal threat. Russia tops the list, followed by Ukraine, China, the USA, Nigeria, and Romania. The UK comes in at number eight.

A white woman with long brown hair standing in front of a hedge. A white man wearing a check shirt standing in front of a bookcase.

‘The research that underpins the Index will help remove the veil of anonymity around cybercriminal offenders, and we hope that it will aid the fight against the growing threat of profit-driven cybercrime,’ Dr Bruce said.

‘We now have a deeper understanding of the geography of cybercrime, and how different countries specialise in different types of cybercrime.’

‘By continuing to collect this data, we’ll be able to monitor the emergence of any new hotspots and it is possible early interventions could be made in at-risk countries before a serious cybercrime problem even develops.’

The data that underpins the Index was gathered through a survey of 92 leading cybercrime experts from around the world who are involved in cybercrime intelligence gathering and investigations. The survey asked the experts to consider five major categories of cybercrime*, nominate the countries that they consider to be the most significant sources of each of these types of cybercrime, and then rank each country according to the impact, professionalism, and technical skill of its cybercriminals.

List of countries with their World Cybercrime Index score. The top ten countries are Russia, Ukraine, China, the US, Nigeria, Romania, North Korea, UK, Brazil and India.

Co-author Associate Professor Jonathan Lusthaus , from the University of Oxford’s Department of Sociology and Oxford School of Global and Area Studies, said cybercrime has largely been an invisible phenomenon because offenders often mask their physical locations by hiding behind fake profiles and technical protections.

'Due to the illicit and anonymous nature of their activities, cybercriminals cannot be easily accessed or reliably surveyed. They are actively hiding. If you try to use technical data to map their location, you will also fail, as cybercriminals bounce their attacks around internet infrastructure across the world. The best means we have to draw a picture of where these offenders are actually located is to survey those whose job it is to track these people,' Dr Lusthaus said.

Figuring out why some countries are cybercrime hotspots, and others aren't, is the next stage of the research. There are existing theories about why some countries have become hubs of cybercriminal activity - for example, that a technically skilled workforce with few employment opportunities may turn to illicit activity to make ends meet - which we'll be able to test against our global data set. Dr Miranda Bruce Department of Sociology, University of Oxford and UNSW Canberra

Co-author of the study, Professor Federico Varese from Sciences Po in France, said the World Cybercrime Index is the first step in a broader aim to understand the local dimensions of cybercrime production across the world.

‘We are hoping to expand the study so that we can determine whether national characteristics like educational attainment, internet penetration, GDP, or levels of corruption are associated with cybercrime. Many people think that cybercrime is global and fluid, but this study supports the view that, much like forms of organised crime, it is embedded within particular contexts,’ Professor Varese said.

The World Cybercrime Index has been developed as a joint partnership between the University of Oxford and UNSW and has also been funded by CRIMGOV , a European Union-supported project based at the University of Oxford and Sciences Po. The other co-authors of the study include Professor Ridhi Kashyap from the University of Oxford and Professor Nigel Phair from Monash University.

The study ‘Mapping the global geography of cybercrime with the World Cybercrime Index’ has been published in the journal PLOS ONE .

*The five major categories of cybercrime assessed by the study were:

1. Technical products/services (e.g. malware coding, botnet access, access to compromised systems, tool production).

2. Attacks and extortion (e.g. denial-of-service attacks, ransomware).

3. Data/identity theft (e.g. hacking, phishing, account compromises, credit card comprises).

4. Scams (e.g. advance fee fraud, business email compromise, online auction fraud).

5. Cashing out/money laundering (e.g. credit card fraud, money mules, illicit virtual currency platforms).

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Lead in the drinking water is still a problem in the u.s. — especially in chicago.

Many cities have older lead service lines connecting homes to the water system. Seth Wenig/AP hide caption

Many cities have older lead service lines connecting homes to the water system.

In Chicago, about 400,000 homes still get their tap water through lead service lines — pipes that connect individual homes to the main water line.

And nearly 70% of young children are getting exposed to lead from their home tap water, according to recent estimates published in JAMA Pediatrics . The study also finds that Black and Hispanic neighborhoods are more likely to have lead exposure, but less likely to be tested for lead.

"The concerning thing here is that [lead exposure] is happening at such a population level, and we don't know which houses have small levels of exposure and which ones have large levels," says study co-author Benjamin Huỳnh, assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, though he notes that even low levels of lead can cause health problems.

Lead in the drinking water is still a problem in many parts of the U.S. This toxic metal has been banned from water pipes since 1986, but many homes were built before that. Lead exposure is especially high in Chicago, which has the most lead pipes out of any U.S. city, largely because the city code required the use of lead service lines until the year they were banned.

'Forever chemicals' could be in nearly half of U.S. tap water, a federal study finds

Huỳnh's estimates are based on lead detected in water samples drawn from homes. It's part of a free, voluntary testing program that the city of Chicago offers residents, but fewer than 10% of households have tested their water. "We [also] found that the people who took those tests are more likely to be in white neighborhoods, wealthier neighborhoods and also neighborhoods that are less likely to have lead in the first place," Huỳnh says.

To fill in the gaps, Huỳnh and his colleagues used a few different data sources — including demographics, health metrics and surveys on Chicagoans' main sources of drinking water. They crunched the data with the help of machine learning to predict levels of lead exposure via tap water across the city.

They estimate that about 1 in 5 children who live in homes with lead-contaminated tap water drink it as their primary source — likely leading to high levels of lead in their blood.

The results are no surprise to Elin Betanzo, president of Safe Water Engineering in Detroit. She consults with water utilities on lead, and she's analyzed Chicago's data independently.

"When it's hidden in our water and people don't have good information about lead in their water, they end up drinking it every day. That's when it really becomes a problem," Betanzo says.

Health dangers of lead

Lead is especially dangerous for young children . It can damage brains and nervous systems, cause learning and behavioral problems, and issues with hearing and speech development. In adults , lead exposure is associated with kidney damage, high blood pressure and cardiovascular problems.

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'time bomb' lead pipes will be removed. but first water utilities have to find them.

And while experts say no level of lead is safe for children, cities like Chicago are still in compliance with federal laws. "The City of Chicago is working hard to ensure that Chicago's water continues to meet and exceed all standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency," the Chicago Department of Public Health wrote in a statement to NPR.

Many policymakers and safe water experts think that means the laws are too lenient. "The federal Lead and Copper Rule is a very weak regulation that does not do a good job of protecting public health," Betanzo says.

The Lead and Copper Rule — first issued by the EPA in 1991 — requires local water systems with over 15 parts per billion of lead in the water to initiate "corrosion control," adjusting the chemistry of the water so that it is less likely to leach metals from the pipes that carry it.

About 90% of cases where local water systems exceeded these limits never got reported to the federal government, according to EPA audits.

"This was probably the worst reported and enforced regulation in the history of the drinking water program," says Elizabeth Southerland, former director of the Office of Science and Technology in the Office of Water at EPA and a current member of the Environmental Protection Network .

Stricter lead limits are coming

Last fall, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed "Lead and Copper Rule Improvements," which would require most water systems to replace all their lead service lines over the next 10 years.

Under the proposed rule, however, Chicago would get an exemption because it simply has too many lead pipes . The EPA considers it "technically possible" for water systems to replace up to 10,000 lead service lines a year, which means Chicago would still be allowed to have lead pipes for the next 40 to 50 years.

"That's decades. That's generations of children and adults consuming lead contaminated water," says Chakena Perry, a senior policy advocate with the Natural Resources Defense Council based in the Chicagoland area. "It's incomprehensible to tell a resident that they need to wait that long for safe drinking water."

The EPA is expected to finalize the "Lead and Copper Rule Improvements" by late October 2024.

For Benjamin Huỳnh, the researcher at Johns Hopkins, the issue got personal a few weeks ago. He grew up in Chicago, and his parents still live there. About a month ago, a water main near his parents' home burst. Disruptions to a main pipe, and the process of repairing it, can cause lead to surge in the water. Huỳnh suspects that's why his mom had symptoms consistent with lead poisoning after drinking it.

Huỳnh helped his parents test the water — and the city called them quickly, saying they'd replace their lead pipes for free. "I know this, because I'm an expert on this. So I can tell my parents 'This isn't safe. You have to go and get this changed out,'" he says. "But this is happening all over the city."

In the short term, Huỳnh would like to see the city provide lead water filters and encourage water quality testing for everyone with a lead service line. And then get all those pipes replaced as quickly as possible.

For now, his parents are drinking bottled water.

And Huỳnh is sitting with the fact that he probably drank a lot of leaded water growing up. Still, he says, previous generations were exposed to high amounts of lead in gasoline and paint. "I think the generations before me had way more lead exposure when they were kids," he says, "It's my hope that generations after us will have even less lead exposure."

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In a first, microplastic particles have been linked to heart disease

A groundbreaking new study shows how the presence of these tiny plastic particles in arteries likely affects your health—and may increase your risk of death

A human heart displayed with the fat stripped away.

Microplastics are everywhere in the environment—and in our bodies. The build-up of these tiny plastic particles in blood vessels is linked to a greater risk of heart attack, stroke, and death, according to a new study.

When plaque builds up in arteries—a disease called atherosclerosis —the thicker vessel walls reduce blood flow to parts of the body, raising the risk of strokes, angina, and heart attack. The plaques are typically a mixture of cholesterol, fatty substances, waste from cells, calcium, and a blood clotting protein called fibrin . The new study now focuses on some 300 people with atherosclerosis, some of whom also had tiny plastic particles—microplastics and nanoplastics—embedded in plaques in their carotid artery, a major blood vessel in the neck that provides blood to the brain. The people with plastic-containing plaques were more than four times more likely to have a heart attack or stroke or to die from any cause over the next three years, according to the research published on March 7 in the New England Journal of Medicine .

Researchers have long known that the chemicals in plastics can leach out and cause health problems, such as interfering with hormones or other parts of the endocrine system.

“But this is the first time we’ve seen a human health effect attributed to the particles themselves,” says Philip Landrigan , a pediatrician and public health epidemiologist at Boston College who was not involved in the study but has spent much of his career studying toxic chemicals’ effects on human health. Landrigan helped spearhead the lead poisoning research that led the U.S. government to remove lead from gasoline and paint.

“Until now, the mantra has always been, Well, the particles are there, but we don’t know anything about what they’re doing. This paper changes that.” Landrigan expects this study will spur more research into what other organs plastic may be damaging, such as the brain, kidneys, and reproductive organs.

A microscopic view of a section of plaque; black arrows are used to point out particles of microplastic observed within the plaque and consumed by macrophages.

Giuseppe Paolisso , a cardiologist at the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli in Italy and one of the study’s authors, says they could not determine how the tiny plastics got into blood vessels. They can enter the body in many ways, including breathing them in from the air and consuming them from the food and water supply.

“What we can say is that our data could sound a warning in our daily lives that we should try to reduce the use of plastics and use more glass,” Paolisso says.

A large amount of research has already shown that microplastic and nanoplastic particles are “essentially everywhere we look in the body,” says Kenneth Spaeth , an occupational medicine doctor at Northwell Health in New York who was not involved in the study. “Given what these particles are composed of, it has long been suspected that they are playing a role in affecting our health.” The findings therefore aren’t necessarily too surprising, he says, but they are important.

Most current data scientists have on the effects of microplastics and nanoplastics in the body come from animal studies, says Aaron Aday , a cardiologist and vascular medicine specialist at Vanderbilt University. “We knew these microplastics and nanoplastics could get into the bloodstream and into certain organs, but this research is a pretty big leap in terms of finding them in plaque in individuals who had significant disease,” he says. “This is certainly a landmark study in linking them to human disease.”

Linking microplastics to heart disease

The study involved 304 adults who underwent a surgery called carotid endarterectomy , in which surgeons clean out plaque that built up in the carotid artery. Plaque build-up in this artery can increase the risk of stroke when a piece of the plaque breaks off and blocks a smaller artery, preventing blood flow.

After removing the plaque, the researchers analyzed it for plastics, although they did not distinguish between how much microplastic particles—about the width of a grain of rice—versus nanoplastics, about one tenth the diameter of a human hair , they found in the plaques.

They identified polyethylene, the most produced plastic in the world, in 58 percent of the patients. They found polyvinyl chloride—more commonly known as PVC—in 12 percent.

When the researchers looked at the tiny plastic particles under an electron microscope, they found foreign particles with jagged edges inside macrophages in the plaques. Macrophages are white blood cells that surround and kill microorganisms and other foreign bodies by consuming them.

The researchers then followed 257 of the patients for between two and three years to see how many had heart attacks or strokes or died from any cause. The patients with microplastics and nanoplastics in their plaque were about 4.5 times more likely to have a heart attack, stroke, or death in the next several years.

Microplastics are in our bodies. How much do they harm us?

We got rid of BPA in some products—but are the substitutes any safer?

One Stanley bottle helps the environment. But a whole collection?

The researchers cannot say whether or how the micro- and nanoplastics contribute to heart attacks or stroke, but one possibility is that the tiny particles cause inflammation as macrophages converge to rid the body of the foreign particles, Paolisso says. As inflammation in the plaque increases, pieces might more easily break off and enter the bloodstream.

The inflammation hypothesis is reasonable since it’s known that macrophages contribute to plaque development and that inflammation is important in cardiovascular disease, Aday says.

“If these particles are causing more inflammation in the plaque, then perhaps the plaques are more vulnerable to causing problems in the future,” he says, but it’s too early to say for sure if that’s happening.

It’s also not clear how much harm might arise from chemicals in the plastics versus the physical particles themselves. Many different kinds of chemicals make up these plastics, including endocrine disruptors—chemicals that interfere with the natural hormones the body produces—and inflammation triggers, Spaeth says.

Given the many different potentially toxic chemicals in plastics, they could have any number of effects in our bodies, he says. Unlike pharmaceuticals, which are tested in clinical trials, it’s not ethical to test environmental exposures like microplastics in humans in randomized controlled trials, Spaeth says. “Unfortunately, we are all part of a living experiment where we all could be studied.”

While individuals can’t do much to control their widespread exposure to plastics in the environment, they can adopt lifestyle habits known to reduce cardiovascular risk, such as regular physical activity, a healthy diet, and not smoking.

It’s not clear how much environmental pollutants are contributing to cardiovascular disease and other disease overall, but “things like diet, exercise and lifestyle probably have a bigger impact than worrying about how many plastic water bottles you have in your house,” Spaeth says.

Plastic, plastic everywhere

Plastic waste has more than doubled just since 2000, and the vast majority of that— around 80 percent —ends up in landfills, where it breaks down into tiny particles that infiltrate the water and soil , eventually entering our food chain .

“No component of plastics contributes more to plastic waste and micro- and nanoplastics than single-use plastic,” Landrigan says. Single-use plastics , such as water bottles, grocery bags, product packaging, and plastic straws, plates and cutlery, make up about 40 percent of the plastic made every year.

“I don’t think it’s possible in today’s world for people to get rid of all plastics, but they can certainly reduce their exposure,” Landrigan says. Ways to do that include drinking out of steel cups or bottles instead of plastic ones and not microwaving food in plastic containers, since heat speeds up the breakdown of plastics, he says.

People can also reduce their overall plastic footprint, such as not using plastic bags at stores. The average American generates 487 pounds of plastic waste each year, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

“Individuals can do a little bit, but the heavy lifting is going to have to be at the policy level because plastics are so widespread,” Landrigan says. The United Nations has been negotiating the world’s first-ever plastics pollution treaty since 2022 and will be meeting later this month to finalize it. This New England Journal of Medicine study should increase the urgency of those negotiations, Landrigan says.

While Spaeth acknowledges that the study findings are “a bit scary and daunting,” he’s optimistic about how this kind of research leads to change. The history of public health has consistently shown that, as scientific evidence mounts and demonstrates that a particular human activity harms health, it eventually reaches a tipping point to motivate policy change, he says.

“There was a time when we were completely oblivious to the health effects of air pollution and didn’t think about it, and over a decade’s time, the science got really strong,” Spaeth says. “Then we started efforts to make our air cleaner, and real, measurable benefits have resulted from that.” Another example, he says, is asbestos, which was finally completely banned last month .

“I think the political will to take on [plastics] will also grow,” Spaeth says. Hopefully this will lead to more studies so researchers get a better handle on the risks plastics pose, he says, “and that will help us shape policy.”

What BPA can do to our bodies—and how to limit your exposure

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Watch CBS News

Many cancer drugs remain unproven years after FDA's accelerated approval, study finds

Updated on: April 9, 2024 / 12:25 PM EDT / CBS/AP

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's accelerated approval program is meant to give patients early access to promising drugs. But how often do these drugs actually improve or extend patients' lives?

A new study found that most cancer drugs granted accelerated approval do not demonstrate such benefits within five years.

"Five years after the initial accelerated approval, you should have a definitive answer," said Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, a cancer specialist and bioethicist at the University of Pennsylvania who was not involved in the research. "Thousands of people are getting those drugs. That seems a mistake if we don't know whether they work or not."

The program was created in 1992 to speed access to HIV drugs . Today, 85% of accelerated approvals go to cancer drugs .

It allows the FDA to grant early approval to drugs that show promising initial results for treating debilitating or fatal diseases. In exchange, drug companies are expected to do rigorous testing and produce better evidence before gaining full approval.

"I think some of this is really the result of activists putting pressure on the FDA to make these approvals," said Dr. Céline Gounder, a CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News. "Some people are just so desperate for something (for) their patients, their families. There are some very terrible illnesses like ALS ( or Lou Gehrig's disease) , where people die within just a year or two of diagnosis, where there's really not much available to them."

With accelerated approval, patients get access to drugs earlier, but the tradeoff means some of the medications don't pan out. It's up to the FDA or the drugmaker to withdraw disappointing drugs, and sometimes the FDA has decided that less definitive evidence is good enough for a full approval.

The new study found that between 2013 and 2017, there were 46 cancer drugs granted accelerated approval. Of those, 63% were converted to regular approval even though only 43% demonstrated a clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.

The research was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and discussed at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting in San Diego on Sunday.

It's unclear how much cancer patients understand about drugs with accelerated approval, said study co-author Dr. Edward Cliff of Harvard Medical School.

"We raise the question: Is that uncertainty being conveyed to patients?" Cliff said.

"If a drug goes through the accelerated approval pathway and is later found not to be effective, it is taken off the market," Gounder explained, noting that this just happened with an ALS drug. "So you might wonder why we're even going through this accelerated path, right? Well, there are certain conditions like certain cancers, ALS, HIV back in the day, where people were so desperate, that even with just preliminary data they were willing and wanting, advocating for access."

Drugs that got accelerated approval may be the only option for patients with rare or advanced cancers, said Dr. Jennifer Litton of MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, who was not involved in the study.

It's important for doctors to carefully explain the evidence, she says.

"It might be shrinking of tumor. It might be how long the tumor stays stable," Litton said. "You can provide the data you have, but you shouldn't overpromise."

Gounder says a lot of physicians don't get into the details of whether a drug went through an accelerated or regular approval, which is a problem.

"Because of these different pathways, (physicians) really do need to educate themselves to counsel their patients and say, well, we're not sure if this is going to work and there are some very real side effects," she says. "So there is a trade off here."

Congress recently updated the program, giving the FDA more authority and streamlining the process for withdrawing drugs when companies don't meet their commitments.

The changes allow the agency "to withdraw approval for a drug approved under accelerated approval, when appropriate, more quickly," FDA spokesperson Cherie Duvall-Jones wrote in an email. The FDA can now require that a confirmatory trial be underway when it grants preliminary approval, which speeds up the process of verifying whether a drug works, she said.

More from CBS News

Arizona's abortion ban likely to cause people to travel to states it's still legal

What are PFAS? "Forever chemicals" and their health effects, explained

Hospital halts organ transplants after records allegedly manipulated

Woman found slain 38 years ago in California is identified

COMMENTS

What homework should I do first? The easy stuff or hard stuff?
A classic Pros and Cons list reveals plenty of reasons to do the quick and easy homework assignments first, and plenty of reasons to do the harder tasks first. Despite the above advantages and disadvantages of tackling the easy or the hard homework first, there really is a proper way to approach your homework assignments that will set you up ...
How to Do Homework: 15 Expert Tips and Tricks
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.
Should I first study or do homework? : r/studytips
Personally, I prefer study first if I want to really learn the subject, but I think you should try and see what's best for you. I study first because the truth is that once you start working the only thing that matters is that you understand what you're doing. Job interviews aren't usually shaped like homework but rather a live "how do ...
Homework vs Study: Everything You Need To Know
Study is exactly the same as homework, except that you nominate for yourself what work to do, and you do it at a time that's removed from the class in which you learned the content. Let's take a typical maths class as an example. In class the teacher shows you a concept, and then asks you to do a few exercises in class so that they can make ...
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Active engagement is the process of constructing meaning from text that involves making connections to lectures, forming examples, and regulating your own learning (Davis, 2007). Active studying does not mean highlighting or underlining text, re-reading, or rote memorization. Though these activities may help to keep you engaged in the task ...
How to Do Homework (with Pictures)
2. Eliminate as many distractions as possible. Put your phone away, get away from your computer, and make your environment as quiet as possible. Giving homework your undivided attention will actually make it easier, because your mind won't be balancing different tasks at the same time.
6 Tips for a Homework & Studying Schedule That Actually Works
This means engaging with the concepts consistently over a longer span of time. If you want to cut down on the all-nighters, try these six easy tips to create a homework and studying schedule that actually works. 1. Review Your Homework in Advance. First, set some time aside at the beginning of your semester or school term to look over your ...
3 Ways to Find Motivation to Do Homework
Doing homework with a friend doesn't necessarily mean collaborating on the same assignments. You can just spend time together while you each do your own work. Only get your parent to help you if you need help. Check with your teacher first before working together with a friend on an assignment. They may want you to do the work by yourself.
Tips for Doing Homework: How to Focus & Finish Fast
Other students might find that a quiet, non-distracting environment is not the best bet. For some, listening to music while studying can actually improve focus. Having a small toy to fiddle with or a paper to doodle on while reading or thinking can also be helpful for some individuals.
How to Motivate Yourself to Do Homework
2. Develop Routine & Structure. When motivation fails, discipline takes over. By making doing homework a habit, it's easier to jump back into your study routine and get your tasks done. Start by creating a daily schedule that works for you and do your best to stick with it. Make use of digital planners, grade calculators, and assignment ...
How to Help Students Develop the Skills They Need to Complete Homework
The effects of homework are mixed. While adolescents across middle and high school have an array of life situations that can make doing homework easier or harder, it's well known that homework magnifies inequity.However, we also know that learning how to manage time and work independently outside of the school day is valuable for lifelong learning.
Here's the Best Study Routine (Day & Night with Sample Schedule)
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM: Boost your energy with a late-day workout. This will help set your mood for your upcoming study session. 6:00 PM - 6:15 PM: Grab a pen and paper or your digital notepad to set your study goals for the night and specific tasks you need to accomplish. 6:15 PM - 8:15 PM: First study block.
Hardest or Easiest Work First? What the Research Shows
Some productivity experts believe that by starting on your quickest, simplest tasks first, you build momentum that carries you through to the harder tasks. However, other experts believe that completing your hardest tasks first is the key to getting things done more efficiently. Research shows that people who execute their most difficult tasks ...
Do you do homework, then study later. Or do you study WHILE ...
When I finish the homework, I finish the rest of the session studying. I do homework first, then study. Studying while doing hw doesnt seem like a good idea. Multitasking overall isnt the best choice. Besides, since youd be partially doing both of those things at once, itll take a longer time to finish one of them. 3.
How to Do Homework Fast: 9 Best Tips & Guides
1. Find a good study environment. A Study place really matters to studying effectively. A good study place can make your mood to study and also you'll have a better concentration there. So, if you want to stay focused and beat procrastination while doing homework fast then first find a good study environment.
How To Motivate Your Child To Doing Their Homework
Low self-confidence. 2. Make Homework Time Easier. Make study time as easy as possible for your child by providing him or her with everything needed to get work done: Quiet space: Find a quiet, distraction-free space for your child to study. Food and drink: If your child is hungry, it can be hard to focus on work.
Why Is Homework Important
Here are some key reasons why homework is valuable: Reinforces Learning: Homework helps reinforce what was taught in class, allowing students to practice and apply knowledge, ensuring a deeper understanding and retention of the material. Promotes Discipline and Time Management: Regular homework assignments teach students to manage their time ...
Get Homework Help with Chegg Study
Verified by qualified subject experts. Ask questions related to your courses and get step-by-step solutions. 1. ^ Chegg survey fielded between Sept. 24 - Oct. 12, 2023 among U.S. customers who used Chegg Study or Chegg Study Pack in Q2 2023 and Q3 2023. Respondent base (n=611) among approximately 837,000 invites. Individual results may vary.
Should I start doing homework and studying in the library ...
Yes, but also remember to protect your spaces. By this I mean when you go there to study/do homework, then only study or do homework. Either go to a different part of the library to browse Youtube/Reddit or just leave. This way when you are in the library you will not get that almost unyeilding desire to procrastinate on your homework.
Why You Should Exercise Before Studying, According to Science
A little aerobic exercise before studying or working can get the juices flowing. Before you sit down to study or get started on a big project for work, you might want to consider hitting the gym ...
Learning Questions and Answers
This claim is meaningless unles a) the author is an authority on learning b) the software has bee... View Answer. Group effort in applying the case-study method of learning is: \\ A. only an individual effort. B. the quickest route to a workable solution. C. the best means of testing theories.
U.S. stamp prices are going up again. How do they compare globally? : NPR
The U.S. Postal Service said this week that it wants to raise rates in July. The cost of a Forever postage stamp is poised to rise in July, under a U.S. Postal Service plan to boost the price of ...
‎StudyAId
StudyAId can help you solve problems from various subjects including mathematics, languages, physics, chemistry, biology, history, and more. It has wide coverage. Operating Procedure: 1.Click the photo button to enter the shooting page. 2.Place the question to be identified in the recognition frame and adjust the frame freely after taking the ...
Should you do your homework right after school? : r/GetStudying
It would be good to take a break between schoolwork and homework; however, getting home from school provides enough of a break. Anything that is due the next day, is done the moment I get home. I also re-write/condense all my notes from class that day so that come midterms/exam time I can study from already made condensed notes. Any reading ...
World-first "Cybercrime Index" ranks countries by cybercrime threat
Co-author of the study, Dr Miranda Bruce from the University of Oxford and UNSW Canberra said the study will enable the public and private sectors to focus their resources on key cybercrime hubs and spend less time and funds on cybercrime countermeasures in countries where the problem is not as significant. 'The research that underpins the Index will help remove the veil of anonymity around ...
First-ever study asks: How do freestanding emergency departments
Discharge data from 2021 to 2022 were combined for the analysis, and ED data at critical access hospitals were excluded. The study sample consisted of 21,605,421 ED visits, with 76 percent occurring at hospitals, 12 percent at satellite freestanding EDs and 12 percent at independent freestanding EDs.
Lead pipes still contaminate drinking water in Chicago and other U.S
The Windy City has the most lead pipes of any U.S. city. A study estimates that more than two-thirds of children there are exposed to lead in their home tap water.
Students, do you prefer to workout before or after studying?
I definitely prefer to workout before homework/study. I ride my preworkout/ephedrine high right into the work and know I won't get to shower til I finish the work. Usually about 7pm gym time an hour or so after eating dinner and giving adequate room for my pwo stims to get me buzzing. 2.
In a first, microplastic particles have been linked to heart disease
The new study now focuses on some 300 people with atherosclerosis, some of whom also had tiny plastic particles—microplastics and nanoplastics—embedded in plaques in their carotid artery, a ...
Many cancer drugs remain unproven years after FDA's accelerated
The new study found that between 2013 and 2017, there were 46 cancer drugs granted accelerated approval. Of those, 63% were converted to regular approval even though only 43% demonstrated a ...

What homework should I do first? The easy stuff or hard stuff?

So how do students know what homework to do first — the big, daunting assignments? Or the small, quick ones?

How to know what approach works for you

What I do when I’m trying to figure out what “homework” to do first

Choose Your Test

How to Do Homework: Figure Out Your Struggles

How to Do Homework When You’re a Procrastinator

3 Tips f or Conquering Procrastination

#1: Create a Reward System

#2: Have a Homework Accountability Partner

#3: Create Your Own Due Dates

How to Do Homework When You’re too Busy

3 Tips for Fitting Homework Into Your Busy Schedule

#1: Make a Prioritized To-Do List

#2: Use a Planner With Time Labels

#3: Set Reminders on Your Phone

How to Do Homework When You’re Unmotivated

3 Tips for How to Get Motivated to Do Homework

#1: Use Incremental Incentives

#2: Form a Homework Group

#3: Change Up Your Environment

How to Do Homework When You’re Easily Distracted

3 Tips to Improve Your Focus

#1: Create a Distraction-Free Environment

#2: Limit Your Access to Technology

#3: Set a Timer (the Pomodoro Technique)

Two Bonus Tips for How to Do Homework Fast

#1: Do the Easy Parts First

#2: Pay Attention in Class

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Homework vs Study: Everything You Need To Know

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6 Tips for a Homework & Studying Schedule That Actually Works

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