When many students get home, the last thing that they want to do is work on homework. I like to call this “bring school home with you” or “bring your job home”, which is something I don’t prefer doing. It’s even more of a struggle when you’re exhausted once you get home, and the only thing you want to do is take a nap. Let’s face it, who wants to spend more time on projects and studying for tests that you’ve already spent the last six hours working on? Although homework and preparing for tests is important and must be done to further practice and secure content, I have found a solution that has helped me balance my school and personal life for the past few years at Beaver Local.

Almost every day we follow a certain schedule and routine. For me, this is key during after school hours so I can have some time to relax, eat a snack, listen to music, catch up on the news, and maybe even get a few paragraphs of my novel in progress written. Usually, I tend to enjoy my downtime first before I embark on tonight’s homework assignment. Once I’ve had a break and I have done some of the things that I wanted to do, I find myself more motivated and refreshed, and there is a boost in my mood when I am able to take some time to myself.

Personally, I believe that creating time management is a significant skill that we all should learn. I think that this comes in handy with school so that you’re not overwhelmed. With time management, I have found an improvement in my grades and a promotion of my healthy wellbeing. I am happier when I am able to make time for my family, have dinner with them, and savor my time at home. Since I have created a schedule for homework and downtime, success has been easier for me to achieve.

Now, you’re probably wondering my secret schedule is. I begin my homework at 4:30 and typically spend an hour on it, no more than that. If you are triggered by distraction, I find it best that you go into the quietest room in your house and use it as your workspace. Ideally, with less distraction, you more likely to be productive and accomplish school-related tasks. One of the biggest sources of distraction is your cell phone and it will divert your focus, so make sure not to bring it into your workspace or keep it on silent. I’ll admit that it’s tempting to check an incoming text message, but you don’t want that with you while you’re working on homework.

Once your designated hour for homework is over, you can go back to doing your thing. Even though school is challenging these days, you can make room to do your homework, if you have any, and spend less time doing it when you’re focused. At Beaver Local, many of the student body has involvement in extracurricular activities or have jobs. By the time they get home, they barely have any time for homework and before they know it, it’s time for bed. Like the average student who doesn’t participate in sports and is able to directly go home after school, the extracurricular active student is just as disinterested in homework as the non-extracurricular participant. However, the athlete experiences exhaustion on an extremely different level than the student.

Overall, if you set aside a consistent time for homework, I assure you that you can get it done. Remember, students: focus is crucial!