Academics have always been a super important part of my life. I think it’s really important to do well in school and to be ambitious about learning new things. I took a lot of honors and AP classes in high school, and now I’m in the Honors Program, so I’ve definitely had my fair share of homework. It can be really hard sometimes to balance homework, extracurriculars, a part-time job, and your social life, but these are some of my favorite strategies for getting homework done and getting it done well!
Get Ahead
I know it can be super tempting to procrastinate and turn on your favorite Netflix show instead of doing homework, but getting ahead of assignments is super productive and leaves you feeling really accomplished! Getting ahead is also super helpful when you know you have a busy weekend or packed schedule coming up, so it’s great to get future assignments done when you have the time now, rather than leave it for when you have a lot of other things on your plate later.
Your Syllabuses are Your Best Friends
Professors really aren’t kidding when they say that everything can be found in the syllabus. The best part about syllabuses is that they lay out all your future assignments and basically serve as a road map for your course. One thing I love doing is checking off on the syllabus all the assignments I have done so far, so that I can easily keep track of what I have done and what I need to do next. My syllabuses are each basically big to-do lists!
Know What to Take Notes On
Whether you’re taking notes on your laptop or in a notebook, your notes won’t be helpful if you can’t learn from them later! It’s tempting to just copy down the bolded key terms in the textbook, but it’s important to take notes on the stuff in between the vocabulary words too! My rule of thumb when it comes to deciding what I should write down and what I should omit is “write down anything you don’t know.” If you’re taking notes and one of the terms is something you’re already familiar with, don’t waste time and energy writing it down. Instead, focus on concepts and ideas you haven’t heard of before or important lists that you know you won’t be able to remember on your own. Writing down the things you don’t know makes your notes super beneficial when you have to go back and study later!
Color Code
When you’re trying to keep up with lecture notes during class, it’s easy for things to get disorganized. Vocabulary terms can get confused with headings and examples can get lost in the mix of lists and definitions. My favorite way to make my notes more readable and understandable is to color code! I always highlight headings, important terms, examples, and numbered lists in different colors so that they stand out when I go back to study later.
Give Yourself a Break
It’s super easy to get worn out when you’re taking a chapter of notes – hand cramps are the worst! Because of this, it’s important to take short breaks between sections when you’re taking notes. You could also set a time for when you’ll take a break so that you’ll be more motivated to get a good amount of notes done before that time! Don’t forget to fuel yourself with some healthy snacks too! My favorite study snack is clementines!
I hope these homework tips help the next time you go sit down to get your assignments done! I’ve been using these tips since high school, and they’ve definitely helped me get to where I am today. School is really important, but it can get really busy and stressful sometimes, so don’t forget to take care of yourself first before anything else!