Homework is the bane of every college student’s existence. After all, it takes up a lot of time and as often as not is little more than busywork that takes students away from other important life tasks such as studying, working a job, participating in extracurricular activities, socializing with friends, or handling family responsibilities. One of the major reasons that homework is a burden for students is that many are not doing their homework as efficiently as they should be. Because they are working inefficiently, homework takes longer and becomes more frustrating. In this article, we’ll take a look at some ways to complete your homework faster and more efficiently so you can get back more of your time.
New Homework Challenges Students Face Globally
First, it’s worth considering why homework seems to be becoming more challenging for students. The issue revolves around the volume of homework students receive. According to surveys, the amount of homework the average college student receives has increased by more than a third over the past thirty years. Instructors are increasingly offloading the educational process onto homework rather than engaging in these learning activities in the classroom. The average college student spends forty hours per week on homework if they are taking a full class load. When you add to that the 15 hours per week they spend in the classroom, it’s quite evident that students are overloaded, overburdened, and stressed.
So, what do you do when you need to complete your homework faster and more efficiently?
Proven Tips for Doing Homework More Productively
There are many tips for doing homework more effectively. In order to set yourself up for success, you should start with some of the basics. First, you should be sure you are getting plenty of exercise, sleep, and nutrition. You can’t work effectively without taking care of your body first. When you are healthy and well-rested, your mind will be working better and more effectively, allowing you to complete your homework faster. Many students prefer late nights and end up working when they are very tired, making it harder to concentrate or focus.
Start Earlier, Finish Earlier
Therefore, the first way to make your homework go faster is to avoid doing homework late at night. You will get more accomplished and produce your assignment faster and more efficiently if you can work on your homework early in the morning or in later afternoon, the periods when you are likely to be most alert and sharpest. Studies have found that our attention and our mental efficiency are best in the morning, dip after lunch, rally in later afternoon, and then dip again in the evening. Take advantage of your natural cycles to do your homework during periods of peak efficiency.
Use Time Management Planning Techniques
Another tip for improving homework effectiveness is time management. This isn’t the same as picking when during the day to work. Time management involves blocking out periods of time to focus on one task at a time and ensuring that you are working ahead on assignments so you have plenty of time to complete them. Many students, for example, tend to work in crisis mode, meaning that they are racing to finish assignments the night before they are due. Indeed, instructors report that it is depressingly common for students to openly admit that they did not start even major assignments until the evening before they are due. Use a calendar to schedule the period when you will work on assignments ahead of the due date. By giving yourself more time and avoiding the last-minute rush, you’ll be able to work on assignments in a more relaxed way, thus saving you anxiety and time in the long run.
Minimize the Most Common Distractions
Similarly, you can improve the efficiency of your homework completion process by avoiding distractions. The average student starts and stops working every three minutes, switching between tasks, or checking phones or social media, or watching TV, or engaging in some other activity. This start-and-stop process creates inefficiency because every time you restart it takes extra time to return to where you left off and get back on task. You can improve the efficiency of your work by shutting off your phone, turning off other media, and avoiding distractions during homework time. If you can’t do homework from start to finish undistracted, try to schedule phone breaks every 15 minutes so you can have blocks of uninterrupted time to focus.
How to Deal with Challenging Homework Assignments
As you plan which assignments to tackle in what order, one of the best methods for efficiency is to stack assignments so that you work on the hardest homework first. That way, you can devote the most time and the most energy to the most challenging assignment, and everything that follows will be easier. By arranging your day and your week to get easier and easier, you will be able to stay motivated and maintain momentum as you move through your homework assignments.
Finally, if you still need help to get your homework done faster online, you can always pay someone to do your homework from scratch. Getting help with difficult assignments from a cheap, high-quality service like MyAssignmentLab can be a great way to buy back time you need for other activities. Online experts can provide you with model assignments in STEM fields, humanities fields, business fields, and other academic areas to help you get over the homework hump. Strategically outsourcing the most difficult or problematic papers can help you to prioritize the homework you need to do to learn effectively.
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