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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Rowan chapter.

Like every other college student, homework is a big part of my life. It doesn’t matter what time of year it is; I always feel like I have something due for school. As a person who gets overwhelmed when my life isn’t organized, it is really important to me to perfect my homework routine. Here are a few tips that help me stay on top of my homework:

I spend Saturdays working on homework and allow myself to rest on Sundays. 

It’s lame. I know. But I like the idea of getting ahead of the next week’s homework on a lazy Saturday. It allows me to make sure that I don’t feel overwhelmed throughout the week. Besides, doing homework on a weekend is still relaxing for me. I keep the tv on and take modest breaks throughout the day to make sure that the process isn’t overwhelming.

I do homework in order of importance, not the due date.

Don’t worry I don’t turn anything in late. If something is due in the immediate future I’ll make sure to do it as soon as possible. However, if there’s a major project due on Friday I’ll make sure to get a head start on it as soon as possible. It doesn’t make sense to ignore a long assignment just because it’s due in the future. Instead, I start chipping away at it as early as a week or two before it’s due. This helps me keep my stress levels as low as possible.

All of my homework is written down in an agenda book.

Speaking of due dates I think it’s really important to keep an agenda so you are on top of assignments. It’s important to make sure that you have easy access to look ahead of your assignments if necessary.

If I don’t feel like doing an assignment I’ll set a timer.

Thanks to the monotony of the pandemic (and a case of senioritis) I’ve been experiencing burnout now more than ever. If I don’t feel like doing homework I’ll put on a timer for five minutes to procrastinate. After, I’ll put an alarm for twenty minutes and diligently work through the timer. Once I get in the grove I don’t like to stop working so after the timer goes off I’ll continue to work.

I have “before I go to sleep” to-do lists.

I absolutely love to-do lists. One of my favorite types of to-do lists is a “before I go to sleep” to-do list where I write down a list of things to do before I’m allowed to go to bed that night. Usually, at the end of the list, I’ll remind myself to create a “before I go to sleep” to-do list for the next day. 

Once I’m done with an assignment I use a website to read my work aloud.

After you work on an assignment for a while you aren’t able to see the errors like you could if you had a pair of fresh eyes. Having a website that reads my work aloud helps me catch little mistakes that I wouldn’t have seen by just reading an assignment.

I don’t work on homework late at night or early in the morning (unless there’s an emergency).

Having a good work-life balance is a game-changer for me. I truly believe that if you are working to the point or past the point of exhaustion you aren’t working to the best of your ability anymore. I realized that I work the best when I’m well-rested and working from mid-morning to about ten at night. Past this, I decide to stop working and focus on self-care instead.

Destiny is currently enrolled in Columbia University's MFA Writing program. She is a national writer at Her Campus and the former editor-in-chief of Her Campus Rowan. She likes thrifting, romance novels, cooking shows, and can often be found binging documentaries.