How To Get Your Homework Done
When You're A Busy Student Athlete
Being a student these days keeps you busier than ever, but combine your regular academic life with a sport, and it can feel like the action is nonstop. You may be going to bed early so you can get up at 5 a.m. for practice, or you might be at practice until 8 p.m. at night. And then there are games. That leaves little time for completing your homework. Luckily, whether you are a swimmer, a cheerleader, a pitcher on the baseball team or a football star, there are some things that student athletes can do to improve their time- management skills and keep their grades up, even when their days require some meticulous scheduling.
Start by working on your homework in the order of your classes. For example, if you have history first period on Tuesday, history homework should be the first thing you do on Monday evening. This way, if you run out of time to complete the math work that’s for the last class of the day, you may find time at lunch, study hall or during some free time between classes to finish it up before that period. If you ride the bus or someone else drives you to school, maybe you can read a chapter for English on the road. It’s ideal to finish your homework at home, of course, but sometimes you have to do what you can when you can, like perhaps writing a paper outline while you’re riding to an away game.
It’s also best not to procrastinate. If your English teacher assigns an essay due on Friday, and you find yourself with some free time on Monday night, go ahead and get started. TV and your phone will still be waiting later. If you try to do it all late Thursday night, you may run out of time, and chances are you won’t do your best work if you’re in a hurry.
That said, allow yourself a break between tasks. If you try to make yourself do all your homework for hours without stopping, it can leave you feeling even more worked up. Reward yourself. For example, tell yourself that for every chapter you study, you can spend 10 minutes texting with a friend, or for every subject you complete, you can take 15 minutes and head outside to shoot some hoops.
Just don’t let those breaks become distractions. Make sure your phone is turned off while you study at your desk, or you may be tempted to check those texts when you receive them. Study alone. Friends can be helpful, but more often than not, they can become chatty or distracting unless you’re working on a group project. Turn off the TV while you work. If it’s too quiet, play some music for background noise, as long as it doesn’t distract you too much.
If you ever find yourself in a situation where you just don’t think you can meet your teacher’s deadline or you have a big game scheduled on the same day a big project is due, try to work it out with your teacher ahead of time. Let her know the issue, and compromise on a solution. And don’t wait until the day before to bring it up. Most of the time, your teachers will be more than happy to work with you, as long as this isn’t something you do often; your teachers want you to learn time management just as much as they want to help you with the subject matter of their classes.
Keep your study space organized. If you don’t already have a desk with a comfortable chair in your room, talk to your parents about setting one up with all of the school supplies you need. Make it a comfortable place to be by adding your own personal touches, like framed pictures of you and your friends. Staying organized can also help you plan ahead. When you receive schedules for your upcoming practices and games or a syllabus from your teacher, record all of the info into a planner so you never miss a deadline. Hang a pin board over your desk that features both souvenirs from your games and any important papers you need to be familiar with, along with your calendar. Just remember to keep the area clean and free of clutter.
Finally, recognize your weaknesses and work on them. If you know you procrastinate, try setting yourself up with a homework schedule. If you know social media distracts you, put your phone and laptop away while you work, but allow yourself a break.