

The temptation is to leave things until the last minute because that’s when doing it really matters. This is a great way to stay on top of your work. Get into the habit of putting things back after you’ve used them. Make sure you’ve got everything that you need to hand so you can find it quickly when you want it.

You’ll do even better if you tidy up a messy desk. Whether it’s a kitchen table or a place in your own room, you’ll do more if you've got somewhere that you can use regularly. Use a simple planner and keep it open at the current page you’re using so that you can remind yourself what you need to do. This may seem an obvious point, but writing down exactly what you have to do and when you have to do it for is an important step to take for getting organized with homework. If you accept that it has to be done (rather than the consequences of not doing it), you only have to decide when and how to do it. With that in mind, the best thing is to adopt a positive ‘get it done’ attitude. Until there’s a massive change in attitudes towards home learning, it’s here to stay. The starting point for dealing with too much homework is to accept responsibility for getting it done. There are plenty of tips and techniques for overcoming procrastination on this site, but the following ideas may also be helpful if you feel you have too much homework. The good news is that time management skills can always be learnt and improved. Homework gets left until, all of a sudden, there is too much to do in not enough time. Something else was more important, more appealing or just plain easier to do. Work didn’t get done because other things took priority. This can take many forms, but the bottom line is simply that. What 'Too Much Homework' Really MeansĮach time we get given work to do with a deadline, our ability to manage time is tested. Many students struggle to do what’s asked of them for want of somewhere quiet to work, or because they have too many other commitments that can’t be avoided.īut it’s also true that virtually everyone could reduce the stress associated with homework by applying some simple time management skills. Sometimes there genuinely is too much homework to do in the time allocated. Of course, there are also plenty of valid reasons for not getting it done. Now it’s the ubiquitous ‘faulty printer’ that seems to prevent homework coming in on time. In years gone by, a household pet was often blamed for eating it. Over the last 20 years as a teacher, I’ve heard all sorts of excuses about why homework hasn’t been done. Whatever their age, most students complain that they have too much homework.
