Tips to Find Motivation To Do.. Homework!

Plan ahead. If you have a study period, do as much of your homework then as possible. The more you do when you are at school, the less you will have to do at home. Try to do it in class (if time is provided), at lunch, or any other spare time you might have. Get help if you don't understand. Ask your teachers: they're there to assist you.

• Be sure to put the hardest class' homework at the top of your list to do.

Set goals and rewards. Once you've completed your goal and finished your homework, reward yourself with anything that you would find enjoyable and doable after you finish. (Don't use food as a reward, though - that could lead to health problems later.) Save a special book to read when homework is done, or make plans to talk with a friend on the phone as soon as both of you have completed your assignments. Go on your favorite website, or even dedicate yourself to a great project you've always been wanting to do.

• Take advantage of any holidays or vacations that may be coming near. On a Thursday, tremind yourself that it is almost the weekend, and the moment this homework assignment is done you'll be one moment closer. Remember that Thanksgiving, winter break, or summer break is nearing, and the moment your homework is done you can enjoy it to its fullest.

Avoid procrastination. The surest way to get over procrastination is to take care of a task as soon as you think of it - don't delay and tell yourself you'll do it later.

• Think of it this way: If you procrastinate, you're spending time worrying about the task in addition to the time you actually do it. If you just take action and complete it as soon as you think of it, though, you'll have more time to relax.

Work smarter, not harder. A fried brain absorbs little information. Break up your homework time into chunks. Take regular breaks. Set a timer; take a 5- to 10-minute break for each hour you study. Get up, stretch, and move around. Drink water and eat fruit: water will refresh your system, and an apple provides the same effect as an energy drink.

Think of the consequences. What will happen if you don't do your homework? Will you get a bad grade? Will your teacher be disappointed of you? If none of these things seem to apply to you, remember that homework is to help you learn, which everyone ultimately wants. In the real world, knowledge helps you master the rules of the game.

Think of the benefits. What will happen if you do do your homework? You'll get a great grade. Your teacher will appreciate your efforts. You'd have learned a great deal, and you'd be paving your way for a better life simply by putting your pencil to paper! Putting yourself in a positive state will reap in the benefits and ultimately surge you with the energy and hope to focus back on your work, and even enjoy what you're doing!

Find a place with less distraction. Set up your special study place. No friends, television, or other potential distractions should be present. Your homework place should also have a hard surface, like a table, to write on. If you need to do most or all of your homework on a computer, as many high school students do, make sure to avoid chat programs, unrelated websites, etc. If you have difficulty keeping focused, or awake, consider doing your homework at the library, at a table with some amount of foot traffic passing by it. The quiet atmosphere will help you focus, the surrounding mild activity will help keep you from falling asleep, and if you get stuck, there are those helpful librarians and references.

Clean your desk/room. It's easier to concentrate on your homework when you don't have clutter in your work space. Take 5 minutes to tidy up your immediate area before you get started.

• Make sure you don't go on a cleaning binge as a way to procrastinate. Focus only on where you'll be working, and leave it at that.

Find a homework partner. Make sure this person isn't one of your crazy friends who'll distract you. Find someone to sit with who is quiet and focused. This will help you feel comfortable working, because someone else is working along with you. Just be sure not to end up talking more than working.

Create your own learning method. Everybody learns at their own pace and uses different methods to help memorize the material. Some find walking helpful, while others like to listen to music while they study. Whatever it is, experiment until you find something that seems to work well for you.

Listen to some quiet music (optional). Listening to music and studying does not work for everyone. If you are going to listen to music, try to listen to classical music or instrumental songs. Or if classical isn't for you, just pick a quiet song that you don't know, so you don't get caught up in the music, and start working.

Do physical exercises during study breaks. It will help relieve tension and make you feel awake. Walk around a bit, stretch, do jumping jacks, or jog in place.

Make a routine. A routine will get you into doing homework as a habit. Schedule times and days so you are totally organized as to what you're doing this week, the next, and even the week afterwards. Surprises will occur, but at the very least, you know what you're doing!

Disconnect. Turn off computer, phone etc. that could distract you easily. Don't get wrapped up on the computer or phone on a break because you will not remember what you were learning about and it will delay your finish time. Stay away from them at all costs unless you must do the homework on the computer.

• Put phone, computer, and anything else that might distract you far from reach. Then stay in a quiet room where you know you won't get distracted. Keep a timer for every 30 minutes to an hour, so you know how long you've been working and can still keep track of time.

Prioritize. Divide your homework according to your ability in the subject. If you're not so good, do it first. If it's an easy assignment, take a break and do it in 15 minutes or so, then get working again! If it's a long-term project, do it last. Not that it's not as important, but you need to save your time for the things with near-due-dates.

• On the other hand, it might also be a good strategy to get easy tasks over with at the start of a homework session and save the hard stuff for last. Diving right into the hard stuff can be discouraging, and studies show that people learn best when they start with the easy material and work up to the harder stuff. Getting a few easy tasks done quickly can remind you of how good it feels to be productive.