How to Get Motivated to Do Homework

It is a well-known fact that any learning process consists of 20% work in class and 80% work at home. Such equation is familiar to all students who spend sleepless nights doing all kinds of assignments. Obviously, writing papers and learning new information on your own is rather challenging, and after a few weeks of studying one may feel lack of inner drive to do homework. However, the amount of work only grows, and by the end of each semester, students wonder how to get motivated to do homework. Well, we have appealed to our experience to help you with this burning issue. Below you will find our strategy for boosting your motivation to do homework.

• Schedule

The first thing you can do to organize a stress-free learning process is smart scheduling. Planning a certain amount of time for home assignments and resting will help you avoid overworking and procrastinating. Thus, make a schedule for your afterschool time, combining work and leisure accordingly. Remember to leave some time for unplanned breaks: they will allow taking a pause while doing homework if you feel tired or unfocused.

• Do the hardest work first

Start your work by tackling the most challenging tasks. They need to be addressed while you still have a fresh vision and clear head. In contrast, if you do the easiest assignments first, by the end of the evening you may feel less focused, and then the most complex task will have to be done. You will open the book and think, “I don't want to do my homework anymore!” As a result, you can get poor grades and academic debts. To avoid this, make the most complex tasks your priority, and make sure to work with them right away.

• Set smaller goals

If a certain task is too voluminous and exhausting and you do not know how to get motivated to do it, it is better to do it step by step. Breaking it down to smaller segments will keep you energetic and will allow to control the work progress better. So we suggest you to set small goals, completing each one consecutively and then moving on to the next one.

• Give yourself a treat

Winning a prize is the best motivation for any sort of work, and this principle can be used when you do your homework as well. Prepare a small encouragement for yourself that will serve as a reward for your hard work. It is better to leave it for the very end of your work: only when all the tasks are done properly, will you have a right to enjoy the prize. It can be anything that you like: your favorite chocolate, a stroll out in the fresh air, half an hour of music and relaxation, or some other thing that would cheer you up. Whatever you choose, remember that you deserve it!

• Dream big

Focusing on one separate task is important for your current academic success, but it is also useful to keep the bigger picture in mind. What benefits will the timely accomplishment of all tasks bring to you? How will consecutive and patient studying influence your final grades? Think about it, imagine the best possible scenario, and write it down. This vision will help you to stay in shape even under the pressure of deadlines and the stress of finals. Having a big purpose is what will keep you motivated throughout the academic year, so make sure to formulate it.

• Stay focused

Get rid of all the possible distractions. Social networks, entertaining programs, TV, devices, music, friends, cell phone, playful dog – everything that can drive you away from efficient studying has to be cut off. Ideally, you need to work in an isolated room, but the skill of focusing under any condition is priceless. Before you obtain this skill, at least eliminate the possibility of being distracted by a message or an incoming call.

• Shake up

Brain activity is proven to depend on the body activity, which suggests that taking small breaks for exercises can make your learning more effective. Thus, do not sit still for too long: every 30-40 minutes, get up to stretch or do a few pushups, and let the blood circulate better. With more oxygen delivered to your brain, you will get more fresh ideas and a better focus. Besides, this will help to get rid of muscle tension that is gained from prolonged sitting.

• Arrange your work zone

Make sure that your desk is clean and has no extra objects on it. Check if the chair is comfortable and the room has enough fresh air. Customize the light and other conditions to make sure that the work zone is suitable for efficient reading and writing. It is better if the place is quiet, but some prefer to play quiet classical music during the studying process.

• Take every chance

If you cannot find time to do all the tasks that need to be done, think of ways to use every spare minute of your day. For instance, while the complex tasks need to be done in the first place, the easier assignments can be left for later and fitted into your routine schedule. Instead of reading a short story for a literature class, you can listen an audiobook while commuting. A lunch break can be used for brainstorming on a certain topic or making an outline for a paper. With this approach, you will get everything done on time.

We hope that these tips helped you to figure out how to get motivated to do homework. While they are pretty much universal, there are still specific ways to stimulate oneself to work harder, and you can invent your own methods of motivation. So keep looking and trying different approaches to achieve the ultimate efficiency. Use whatever works for you, and remember that dedicated work always pays off!