Students want to know how to get homework done fast and how to be more productive.
The following article by Susan Kruger, M.Ed. provides valuable information to help students and parents become more productive with their time.
The hours between 3 pm and 6 pm are the most wasted hours of the day!
They are the hours we transition home from school or work, and we can easily squander them.
We tend to become “foggy” as we decompress from the day.
Before we know it, three hours have vanished in the blink of an eye!
Don’t get me wrong; decompression time is very important.
In fact, there is a very good reason why some cultures practice daily siestas!
However, with a little lit bit of forward-thinking, we can relax AND squeeze some serious productivity out of these hours.
Challenge yourself to make the time between 3 and 6 pm your most productive hours with simple homework strategies.
How to Be More Productive – 5 Best Time Management Tips to Get Homework Done Fast
Here’s a secret; schools do not teach you how to learn or how to be more productive.
But with these tips, you can make the most of your day by balancing both work and play!
1. Start Early
Start homework within one hour of coming home.
It is essential to get a snack and take a break.
It’s been a long day!
But, keep the break short, so you can get homework done while your brain is fresh.
The later you wait, the more fatigued your brain will be.
In other words, the earlier that you do homework, the less time it will take.
2. Take Advantage of “Down Time”
We tend to do a lot of “waiting” during these hours.
Waiting for a ride home.
Waiting for a doctor’s appointment.
Waiting for basketball practice to start.
Pull out your homework and get something done!
How much you can do in ten minutes will amaze you.
Your brain prefers shorter work segments.
Your brain works faster during these short homework times than it will during a two-hour homework marathon.
3. Use a Timer
Use a timer.
No one likes to do homework.
But you can challenge yourself to do it fast by working to beat a timer.
Your body will respond to this challenge with a natural adrenaline rush that will last about 15-20 minutes.
That is the PRIME time to be productive with your homework!
4. Power Down
Turn off all of your electronics.
I know this does not sound like fun, but electronic devices will always control you if you don’t control them.
Students who “power down” for 1-2 hours a night report getting their homework done 2-4x faster!
Try it.
5. Master Study Skills that Suit You
Learn study skills to help you work efficiently.
The national and state education departments tell schools what they have to teach, and there’s a LOT!
But it is all content.
They do not allow schools the time to teach how to learn that content, which is absurd!
Learning HOW to learn takes a little bit of guidance and practice, just as a baby needs when he first learns how to walk.
But, once you get it, you GET IT!
Study skills help all students, from those that struggle to those that get straight-A’s, use their brain’s strategically to get better grades in LESS time.
It takes a little effort to maximize these three hours, but some forward-thinking will help you get your homework done fast and help you to learn how to be more productive.
Then you can relax!
I’d love to hear from you now.
Do you agree that you end up wasting almost 3 hours every day that you could use better?
Have I convinced you on how to be more productive by using this time better?
Let me know!
Susan Kruger, M.Ed. is the founder of StudySkills.com, best-selling author of SOAR® Study Skills: A Simple & Efficient System for Getting Better Grades in Less Time. Susan is a HowToLearn.com expert and provides great tips on how to be more productive.
[ Updated – September 25, 2012 ]
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