Study Smarter, Stress Lesser: The Homework Hack Series - Part 1

⚠️Disclosure: Research was done by ChatGPT⚠️  

Homework, homework, homework, the thing that causes pain for so many kids around the globe. Now, how can we stop doing homework for so long and spend more time doing the things we love? First off, use your planners, or at least a planner. That calendar app on your phone actually does something, some great apps are Google Calendar, Notion Calendar (a personal favorite because that’s where I put all my assignments, we'll get to that later), Apple calendar, and so many more! Next, make sure you have somewhere comfortable to work, get everything you need so you don’t have to get back up and ruin your “flow”. Put your phone on Do Not Disturb, or if you're working on your Chromebook, keep your phone out of your room, this is to minimize distractions so you can “lock in”. My personal favorite is for studying, it is called the “Pomodoro technique”, which is where you set a 25 minute timer and then you take a 5 minute break to recharge. There are a lot more steps which you can look into if you want, but this is the basic version. Set clear goals for your session, that’s what the calendar is for, break the tasks down, and prioritize what you know is due tomorrow, or whatever is closest. All of these calendars allow for very easy time management. Have a set study schedule, for example: 3:30 get home, 3:45 start homework, etc. Keep your notes organized, use the “folders” feature in Google Drive to find your stuff easier, you can go as far as creating folders inside folders inside folders, etc. This creates ease of mind, and it allows more time studying than for looking for your notes. Take care of your physical wellbeing, get great sleep, eat healthy, but all of these things like getting good sleep is impossible if you are up all night doing homework. If you want to, there are apps like Forest and StayFocusd that block off certain websites during your study times. Ask for help, don’t be scared, everyone needs it at some point. Join a study group, get your friend group together and hold each other accountable when they're not doing their work, playing video games, etc…  Keep track of how these new tools are working, if needed, change the tools to your preferences, remember, everybody studies differently, these are just suggestions.