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How to Avoid Homework Stress

Last Updated: March 28, 2019 References

This article was co-authored by Emily Listmann, MA . Emily Listmann is a private tutor in San Carlos, California. She has worked as a Social Studies Teacher, Curriculum Coordinator, and an SAT Prep Teacher. She received her MA in Education from the Stanford Graduate School of Education in 2014. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 133,057 times.

Students of all kinds are often faced with what can seem like an overwhelming amount of homework. Although homework can be a source of stress, completing it can be a very rewarding and even relaxing experience if done in an organized and timely manner. Remember, homework is not intended as punishment, but is used to reinforce everything you’ve learned in class. Try to view it as a chance to sharpen your skills and understanding.

Managing Your Time

• Try to work earlier, rather than later, if possible. This way, you won’t be rushing to finish your work before bedtime.
• Find a time of day during which you can concentrate well. Some people work best in the afternoon, while others can concentrate better on a full stomach after dinner.
• Choose a time when you will have relatively few distractions. Mealtimes, times during which you have standing engagements, or periods usually used for socializing are not the best choices.
• Allow enough time to complete your work. Making sure the total time you allow yourself for homework is sufficient for you to complete all your assignments is crucial. [1] X Research source [2] X Research source

• Save an appropriate amount of time for projects considering your normal homework load.
• Estimate how much time you will need each day, week, and month depending on your usual workload. Allow yourself at least this much time in your schedule, and consider allotting a fair amount more to compensate for unexpected complications or additional assignments.
• Reserve plenty of time for bigger projects, as they are more involved, and it is harder to estimate how much time you might need to complete them.

• Get a day planner or a notebook to write down your homework assignments, and assign an estimated amount of time to each assignment. Make sure to always give yourself more time than you think you’ll need.
• Plan to finish daily homework every day, then divide up weekly homework over the course of the entire week.
• Rank assignments in due-date order. Begin on those assignments due first, and work your way though. Finishing assignments according to due-date will help you avoid having to hurry through homework the night before it must be handed in.
• Allow more time for more difficult subjects and difficult assignments. Each individual person will have their strong subjects—and those that come a little harder. Make sure you take into account which subjects are harder for you, and allow more time for them during your scheduling.

Working Hard at School and in Class

• If you’re too shy to ask questions, or don’t feel it’s appropriate to do so during class, write them down in your notebook and then ask the teacher or professor after class.
• If you don't understand a concept, ask your teacher to explain it again, with specifics.
• If you're having trouble with a math problem, ask the teacher to demonstrate it again using a different example.
• Remember, when it comes to learning and education, there are no bad questions.

• Pay attention to important terms and ideas. Make sure to note things your teacher stresses, key terms, and other important concepts.
• Write clearly and legibly. If you can’t read your handwriting, it’ll take you longer to reference your notes at home.
• Keep your notebook organized with dividers and labels. This way, you’ll be able to locate helpful information in a pinch and finish your homework quicker. [4] X Research source

• Get permission.
• Sit up front and close to the instructor.
• Make sure to label your recordings so you don't lose track of them.
• Try to listen to them that same day while everything is fresh in your mind.

• Work in class. If you finish a class assignment early, review your notes or start your homework.
• Study at lunch. If you have time at lunch, consider working on homework. You can do this leisurely by just reviewing what you’ll need to do at home, or you can just jump right into your work.
• Don't waste time. If you get to class early, use that time for homework. In addition, many schools let students go to the library during this unplanned time, and it's a great place to finish uncompleted assignments.

Doing Your Homework

• Get some fresh air
• Go for a short run
• Do push-ups
• Walk your dog
• Listen to music
• Have a snack

• Study groups break up the monotony of daily homework and make for a less stressful experience than trying to cram on your own.
• Note that each person should turn in individualized assignments rather than collaborating to find the answers.

Balancing Homework with Life

• AP or IB classes often have 2 or 3 times the amount of reading and homework as regular courses.
• Honors classes may have up to double the amount of work required as regular courses.
• College students need to consider whether they want to take the recommended course load (often 4 classes) or more. More classes might help you finish your degree sooner, but if you are juggling work and extracurricular activities, you might be overwhelmed. [8] X Research source [9] X Research source

• Rank your classes and activities in order of importance.
• Estimate (realistically) how long your academic and extracurricular activities will take.
• Figure out how much time you have overall.
• If you’ve over committed, you need to drop your lowest ranked class or activity.

• Make sure to reserve mealtimes for family, rather than working.
• Try to set aside the weekend for family, and work only if you need to catch up or get ahead.
• Don’t plan on working on holidays, even if you try, your productivity likely won’t be high.

• Pick a reasonable hour to go to sleep every night.
• Try to do your morning prep work like ironing clothes and making your lunch at night.
• Take a nap after school or after classes if you need. You’ll probably be able to do better work in less time if you are rested. [10] X Research source [11] X Research source
• If you’re in middle or high school, talk to your parents and your teachers about the issue and ask them to help you figure out a solution.
• If you’re a college student, reach out to your professors and advisor for help.
• If it takes you much longer to finish your homework than it takes other students, it may be due to a learning difference. Ask your parents to schedule a meeting with a learning specialist.

Community Q&A

• Ask for help when you need it. This is the biggest thing you should do. Don't worry if people think you're dumb, because chances are, you're making a higher grade than them. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 4
• Actually pay attention to the teacher and ask if you don't know how to do the work. The stress can go away if you know exactly what to do. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 2
• Recognize that some teachers get mad if you do separate homework assignments for different classes, so learn to be discreet about it. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/coping-school-stress
• ↑ http://www.kidzworld.com/article/24574-how-to-avoid-homework-stress
• ↑ http://www.dartmouth.edu/~acskills/success/notes.html
• ↑ https://stressfreekids.com/10038/homework-stress
• ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rebecca-jackson/5-ways-to-relieve-homework-stress-in-5-minutes_b_6572786.html
• ↑ https://stressfreekids.com/11607/reduce-homework-stress
• ↑ https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/how-students-can-survive-the-ap-course-workload/2012/03/01/gIQA8u28qR_story.html
• ↑ http://www.usnews.com/education/high-schools/articles/2012/05/10/weigh-the-benefits-stress-of-ap-courses-for-your-student
• ↑ http://www.nationwidechildrens.org/sleep-in-adolescents
• ↑ https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=how+much+sleep+do+20+year+old+need

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Angelina Wiseman

Oct 12, 2016

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How To Focus When Studying, Even When You’re Tired

Feeling tired, hard to concentrate, or just simply sleepy when it comes to studying? You’re definitely not alone.

​We all have had those days where our brains feels numb and drained, only to remember that we still have more studying to do. Joy.

So here are 14 tried-and-tested, practical yet sustainable ways on how to focus when studying, no matter how tired you feel.

1. Study in a brightly lit room

Setting up the right environment is your first step to effective study sessions.

The type of light matters. Studying in a room with natural light sources (e.g. near a window) does wonders on keeping you focused and alert, even in the afternoon. Studies have shown that people that had exposure to day light (vs. artificial light) in the day tend to stay alert for longer in the evening. 

For night time studying, make sure your environment is sufficiently bright, and don’t just rely on one lone light source, if possible.   

2. Don’t get too comfortable

Getting too comfortable is a recipe for drowsiness, not something you want when learning new concepts!

Here are a couple of easy ways to minimize that:

• Wear “work clothes”, not pajamas for studying : Dressing for success matters. While it isn’t necessary to wear suits or office clothing, it is harder to fall asleep in them vs. your comfy sleeping attires. 
• 87% of them reported higher energy levels, 
• 87% of them felt more energized,
• 75% felt healthier,
• 71% felt more focused,
• 66% felt more productive,
• 62% felt happier, and
• 33% felt less stressed
• Study in an ideal room temperature of 22C (72F) : A  2017 study  shown that excessive heat negatively impacts exam performances and likely to disrupt the learning process in the long term. Make sure you factor this in when setting up your ideal study environment for maximum efficiency.

3. Remove all distractions before studying

Eliminate digital distractions :

• Switch your phone to silent, especially with no social media notifications. 
• If you need to study with a computer, make sure you close all your tabs relating to other websites and social media. The only web browser you are allowed to open is the one related to chapter you’re learning about now.

Remove yourself from potential family-related distractions, if you can:

• This may entail putting a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your (closed) door, and/or wearing headphones (music is optional). Anecdotally, I’ve found that wearing headphones without any music on has the effect of forcing me to focus better, while at the same time allows me to hear  some  (loud) noise, which could be crucial if it is an emergency.

4. Study with other like-minded people

Studying in a group can be a double-edged sword, as it can quickly descend into a chatting session with zero productivity. 

That said, studying with another person with the same goal could be useful for motivation and keeping each other going, just like a gym buddy. 

It can be tough to find the right study partner, but if you do find one, it can work wonders on your concentration to see someone else working as hard to achieve their goals. Make sure you continue to evaluate your ability to focus if you decide to join a group.

5. Drink enough water

A common mistake people make is to think that drinking coffee helps perk them up to keep working. It doesn’t. 

​ It gives you that very short term one-off boost and sends your productivity crashing later: not a great long term solution . Water is what your body really needs when you’re tired, as dehydration forces your body to work harder, gives you pounding headaches and increases your mental exhaustion. 

So drink up! You’d be surprised how little you drink only when you try to match up to the daily 1.5-2 litre recommendation. I find the easiest way to implement this is to have a large bottle near me full of water that I sip as the day goes along whenever I feel like a break for a minute or two.

While you’re at it, washing your face, brushing your teeth or having a quick shower will work wonders in refreshing you from your sleepy state, so you can keep going. Plus they are completely natural and good for you too!

6. Have a balanced diet and avoid heavy meals

By now you’d have known that we’re huge proponents of  eating proper food for best performance .

Avoid highly processed food such as sugary cereals, sodas and instant noodles. Remember not to have heavy meals before studying, it’s a recipe for sleepiness!

Fuel your body and mind with natural, nutritious food balanced with protein, carbohydrates, vegetables and healthy fats for sustained energy throughout the day. You are what you eat.

Pro tip:  remember to bring along revision friendly healthy snacks (e.g. apple, granola bar, unsalted nuts, water etc) so you can keep your brain energy levels steady and maintain focus. 

7. Study consistently and keep optimizing your routine

Study when you’re most alert : Our bodies run on roughly a 24-hour internal clock called circadian rhythm, which regulates feelings of sleepiness and wakefulness over a 24-hour period.  On average, most of us show the following pattern in energy levels (with a few exceptions):

• Mid morning – peak alertness and energy, 
• A “post lunch slump” up to 3pm,
• An increase in alertness up to around 6pm,
• A gradual decline in alertness for the rest of the evening and up to the early hours of 330AM
• Then a gradual increase in energy levels up to mid morning, and the cycle repeats.

Therefore, for most of us, if you’re  studying in weekdays with a full time job , it may makes sense to get up earlier to get 1-2 hours of studying done before heading to work. 

For night time study, exercise  moderately  for 10 min beforehand : This refreshes the body and mind so you can stay focused for the next few hours. Yet, it doesn’t over stimulate you such that it affects your night time sleep. Time to whip out those dusty kettle bells, perhaps? Or simple jumping jacks will do. Not a 30 min run though. 

Remember to take regular study breaks : Specifically a 10-15 min break after a 45-50 min study cycle. Many studies have shown that productivity increases when students take frequent breaks. It keeps you motivated and have something to look forward to, while giving your brain a quick rest. Go for a walk (see #8), do some chores, have a snack, or just to chill out and listen to music for a bit – take your pick.

8. Go for a walk (or just get up and move)

Getting some fresh air and sunlight outside will make you feel more energetic and less moody.

The benefits of a walk goes beyond simply being more effective at studying. Walking for 30 minutes a day is equivalent to taking a “magic pill” that combats ageing, relieves depression and prevents early death.

It also improves the ability to think and reason, increases energy levels and reduces fatigue.

​It sounds counterintuitive, but exercising actually boosts energy and focus. Instead of sitting there forcing yourself to work/study more when you know your focus isn’t there, take a little break by during some  stretching and light exercises by your desk for 10 minutes  – it’s all about  studying efficiently  anyway. A great plus about exercise is that they help you  sleep better  too.

9. Chew some gum

Studies have shown that  chewing gum while studying or during exam improves your memory and concentration . 

Now that’s  way  better than using stimulants like coffee, with no negative impact on your sleep quality and keeps your internal body clock in check (see #7). And mind you, I’m saying this as someone who enjoys coffee, a lot (see #8). 

10. Limit caffeine beverages. Avoid energy drinks and alcohol

Coffee (or any other caffeinated drinks) can be extremely effective if used sporadically , not a daily habit.

Too much caffeine has long term negative impacts : More than 400mg, or 4 cups of brewed coffee a day is likely to cause insomnia, inability to focus, increased anxiety, headaches and fatigue that can disrupt your body’s natural circadian rhythm (see #7).

Limit caffeine to mornings only, if you must have them daily : This ensures that the caffeine has sufficient time to go through your body and not impact your sleep quality at night.

Avoid energy drinks (and alcohol) for studying : Energy drinks have increasingly become a source of caffeine overdoses. Too much of these stimulants and chemicals can cause dependence, dehydration, insomnia, heart palpitations and/or an increased heart rate. I think the reasons for alcohol are more obvious 🙂

11. Still tired? Try switching topics or tasks (temporarily)

When you’re feeling tired, and nothing has been entering your brain for the last 15 minutes, it may be worth switching to an easier task or topic to keep the studying momentum going.

With an easier topic to absorb, this maintain your productivity and keeps you on track with your study plan. Save the trickier chapter for next morning, when you should naturally be at your peak level of concentration. 

12. Take a 20-30 minute power nap

I am a big advocate of power napping, specifically 20-30 minutes at maximum. It is my secret productivity weapon. I used this technique frequently after lunch  when studying for the CFA exams on the weekend , in addition to a full time job. I feel completely refreshed and ready to go for a minimum time investment – much better than caffeine, in my view.

This observation is supported by many studies that have found that power naps boost memory, cognitive skills, creativity, and energy level. You’ll need to practice this, as you may find yourself a little groggy and wanting more sleep the first few times.

13. Don’t ever do an all nighter

It’s not worth it. No matter what.

Studies have shown that the effects of lack of sleep have been compared to being as dangerous as drinking alcohol.  Sleep deprivation is just bad for you  and definitely not sustainable.

Nor is it effective in the long run, as it will take you at least more than 1 day to feel normal again (messing up your internal body clock, remember?). That math alone tells you it’s a bad decision. 

14. Finally, do you have enough sleep?

The amount of sleep each of us needs varies, but age is a big factor. As a general guide, adults aged 18-64 generally need 7-9 hours according to National Sleep Foundation.

​If you’ve tried out all the previous 13 tips and strategies in vain to improve your study focus and stay awake, it may be time to question whether you have had enough sleep in the first place. If you do have 7 hours sleep and still feel exhausted, it’s time to  audit your sleep quality and how you can sleep better .

Like good diet and exercise (see #6 and #8), sleep is a critical component to overall health. It’s worth evaluating the bigger picture and craft a sustainable long term approach to your studies to improve your chances of success. 

And that starts by taking care of yourself. 

Which strategy do you find most effective in increasing your study focus? Do you have more tips to add? Share with us in the comments below! 

Meanwhile, you may find these related articles useful:

• 8 Simple Steps To Balance CFA Studies And Your Work
• 13 Easy Desk Stretches To Do For Better Posture
• How to Sleep Better, Be More Alert and Maintain Study Focus
• How to Use Coffee Productively for Your CFA Exam Studies
• How to Study Effectively: Proven Techniques That Work for CFA, FRM and CAIA Exams

36 thoughts on “How To Focus When Studying, Even When You’re Tired”

Thank you so much for the informative article. I’ve always had issues with studying when I feel cold, I won’t concentrate when my toes are frozen. That optimum 22° seems reasonable for studying.

Well I have an exam tomorrow and am having headaches am trying to read but it’s not entering please what can I do

What I do is I get a blanket and I sit down on my couch. Then I grab my book and start reading, if I feel like I am going to fall asleep when I should not because I need to keep reading I will walk around and eat something so I am more pumped up. I sometimes fall asleep when I am reading and it is because I get too comfortable on my couch. You need to sit up straight under a bright light so you will not lie down and fall asleep.

Hope this could help!!!

Very helpful tips thanks so much

I am tired Tired of myself Tired of this life I hate my life I don’t know what to do I just want to close my eyes

trust me, i am there too but giving up only makes it worse…

Believe that you can do it Never say never❤️💚

HEY , HOW ARE YOU NOW?

I don’t know what is going on in your life. However, I am sorry the way you are feeling and I am sorry that things are tough right now. I hope things get better soon. 🙂 Remember, there is always hope (even if it may not feel like it) and there are those willing to help if you need it. You are loved, always. 🙂 (Pslm 17 & 139). I really do hope things get better soon. 🙂

Stay strong, Do not give up and keep moving forward. You got this! 🙂

I hope you are fine and positive now

You should never say that because it will make you think worse. Even when I think that way I just ignore it and move on. I do not tell anyone what I was thinking and I will hate it now if I think that way.

Mabey have some candy or sweets, maybe it will boost your happiness

Wow, that is a good advice

Huh!feeling demotivated all the time tried focusing on the goal but again on the same path of demotivation lack of confidence.

That’s a good one!

I am tired of this life I have autism eds and pots I am suffering mentally and physically since I was born. It is bad luck I am extremely unlucky. it is very very unfortunate. I hate this life I want to sleep

I make planner for my studies but I follow for one or two days only I am not consistent I work hard but nothing effective and efficient things are happening. Please give me some suggestions for consistency to my studyies .

We help however we can, but it is on you to be disciplined and consistent. No tips on the internet can help if you’re not willing to see it through yourself. Good luck!

Try sheduling a less intense planning that you will actually stick to. It’ll eventually be better to study just for half or 2 thirds of what your “ideal” study time would be, but do it everyday, than to alternate between slumps and cramming. For that I suggest methods like flowmodoro or animedoro, that you can search up on google, to try and devote at least some time to studying even though you have fun on the side.

I don’t remember anything I learn and I feel tired and sleepy after studying for an hour or 2,can I please get any help… Cause I have a pending exam to write and that’s my last chance..

Take some deep breaths Florence, I think you’re feeling a little overwhelmed and need some rest. Come back to your studies after sufficient rest or else it is not effective anyway!

Omg so guys I make myself such a promising timetable and then I just end up going only 1 or 2 topics and not even finishing them. IT IS SO ANNOYING WHEN I HAVE OVERDUE WORK. Is anyone in the same situation as me? I have my bio and physics end of years tomorrow and I have not completed either of them. I AM SO DUCKING LATE FOR EVERYTHINGG URGH.

Im in “classe préparatoires” Where all the students are worth as much as a human can do, but here im not studying at all and feeling sleepy all the day even when i sleep 8 hours, and i can not focus at all, once i open the book i fall asleep, im really tired of myself 💔

Hi Misaky, hang in there! It’s not just about getting enough sleep, although that’s a big factor. Try having the same routine everyday, making sure you incorporate exercises as well to stay fresh and keep things varied/interesting.

I study 6 hours efficiently daily but after that it is not possible to concentrate the whole day. Please help

Ok nice but when it continued writing i get tired can u have any solution for that

As a student i have to study for at least 16 hours, yes i do that and i have no problem in it, however i have 2 exam on the same day and usually i never slept in the afternoon however i feel sleepy around 3 after lunch so do you have any insights for that?

Hi Akshay, first off, I personally don’t think studying 16 hours a day is productive nor sustainable. We are after quality study hours here, and a long run approach. Your issue here would simply be setting up a schedule that is sustainable for at least 6 months without burning out. So if you’re sleepy in the day, I’d suggest that you check if you have sufficient sleep in the first place (#14). If not, review/adjust your schedule to make time for sleep. If you have enough sleep to begin with, it may be just an after lunch fatigue – which could be having too big a meal, or mid afternoon energy slump, of which a brisk 10 minute walk outdoors (#8) may freshen you up.

Awesome 👍😄 It helps me so much…. thank you 🤗

You’re welcome! 🙂

I’m still tired, after all of that. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh- I need help, mentally. :c

Hey Emily, *virtual hug* How are things going? Let me know, venting helps!

Aw thanks, glad you found it useful Jennifer! It’s definitely useful for anyone studying, or just need to focus working for a long period of time really 🙂

Amazing post and very helpful as well to all the college students. I would like to share it with my sister and my colleagues who are pursuing higher education.Keep sharing such great tips.

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How to Get Things Done When You Have No Motivation

No motivation need to be productive try these solutions..

Posted March 22, 2021 | Reviewed by Lybi Ma

• What Is Motivation?
• Find a therapist near me
• A lack of motivation can have many sources, from fatigue to anxiety to feelings of overwhelm. Identifying the root cause is key to overcoming it.
• Low motivation makes it harder to dive into unpleasant tasks. Start with quick, easy, or satisfying tasks, even if they're not high-priority.
• Once you've warmed up, tackle the work that needs to get done, making sure to take regular breaks and reward yourself for each achievement.

No motivation ? You're not alone, especially now. The five steps below can help you overcome the roadblock.

1. Accurately diagnose your feelings.

Many other emotions masquerade as low motivation. If you accurately diagnose your emotions, the path forward will be much clearer.

Your underlying feeling might be:

• Overwhelmed
• Social comparison

If you're overwhelmed, shrink your goal for today until you don't feel overwhelmed. If you are expecting yourself to work for longer than 90-minute blocks, or to get more than three-four hours of highly productive (intensely focused) work done per day, you're potentially psyching yourself out by having unrealistic expectations.

If you're suffering from social comparison, talk to yourself compassionately (explained here ). Are you expecting yourself to perform as well as someone who has practiced more than you have?

If you're feeling fatigued, make sure the problem isn't that you've been resting too much. When people feel low, they sometimes rest a lot and then feel less energetic because of this. (This is easy to do. It actually happened to me over the weekend. There is no shame in it.)

These suggestions don't cover all scenarios, but when you accurately diagnose what you're feeling, you'll likely see a solution.

2. Don't "eat the frog."

The idea of eating the frog refers to doing the task you're least motivated to do first. This can be a great strategy, but if you're feeling low, trying to do your hardest task first can lead to you not getting out of bed.

Ask yourself, "What's the most productive task that is within my capacity right now?" For example, if you'd like to go for a run but you can't get yourself to do that, then going for a walk is better than staying in bed.

No productivity strategy is right for all circumstances. Varying your strategies can be beneficial rather than expecting yourself to always stick to the same robotic system for prioritizing.

3. Do a few minutes of quick but satisfying tasks.

Sometimes you need to warm up into action . To do this, try quick, satisfying tasks, like ordering the vitamins you've run out of, picking up dirty clothes, or changing your sheets.

If you do these tasks too long, they can distract you from more substantial work you need to get done. Five to ten minutes of these types of tasks is great, but don't do in excess of 30 minutes when you have more important things to do. When we overdo busy work, we risk being too tired to start more important work.

4. Plan your reward.

Plan to work on a high-priority task for 90 minutes, then take a break. How do you want to spend your break? Would you like to take a walk or lie out in the sun? Would you like to check a Reddit sub or Slack channel you visit daily? Would you like to message a friend? Would you like to browse swimsuits for a vacation you have coming up? Would you like to do a few minutes of yoga?

Planning and choosing take tremendous mental energy. If you wait to choose what you will do for your break until you're already exhausted from a period of focused work, you may not make a very satisfying choice. Plan your fun from the outset, when you have the cognitive energy to do that. When you choose in advance, you're likely to make a more rewarding choice.

5. Fuel yourself.

Understand how fuel influences your personal concentration , focus, and motivation. Currently, I like drinking electrolyte water in the mornings. Test out what works for you. For example, try eating a high-protein yogurt and see if that gives you the little boost you need. Physical boosts may have meaningful but small effects. For example, they might increase your energy by 10 percent. Small improvements like these can be hard to notice if you're not paying close attention, Consider structured self-experimentation like trying a strategy every day for a week, then no days for a week, and comparing.

Low and no motivation can be a sign of a serious problem like depression or anxiety . For example, for people who are chronically anxious, everything they need to do can feel scary and hard because they're constantly thinking of what could go wrong or ways they're inadequate.

For more serious problems like clinical depression or anxiety, you'll need more than just "tips," but tips like these can be part of the solution. (For more practical ideas along these lines, try this post , which includes a story about how I dealt with low motivation after a major disappointment .)

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Alice Boyes, Ph.D., translates principles from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and social psychology into tips people can use in their everyday lives.

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10 Ideas – How to do Homework when Tired?

Being a student is tough. You have to juggle many different balls, and sometimes it can feel like you’re never going to get everything done. One of the things that can suffer when you’re feeling overwhelmed is your homework.

It can be hard to motivate yourself to do your best work when you’re tired, but there are some things you can do to help you get through it.

Table of Contents

1. Get organized

Getting organized is the first step to doing your homework when you’re tired. This means having a plan and knowing what you need to do. Break your homework down into smaller tasks that you can tackle one at a time. This will make the process seem less daunting and easier to start.

2. Set a timer

Once you know what you need to do, set a timer for each task. This will help you stay on track and focus on the task. Work for the allotted time and then take a break before moving on to the next task. You can use a kitchen timer, your phone, or a website like RescueTime.

3. Get comfortable

The first step to being able to do homework when tired is to get comfortable. This means finding a comfortable place to sit or lie down, ensuring enough light to see, and having all the materials you need within easy reach. Once you are physically comfortable, focusing on the task at hand will be easier.

4. Take breaks

If you find yourself struggling to focus, it may be helpful to take breaks. Get up, walk around, drink water, or snack on something healthy to help you re-energize. Just be sure not to take too long of a break – you don’t want to fall behind on your work. Breaks can be helpful, but they should be used sparingly.

5. Create a homework routine

One of the best ways to ensure you do your homework even when you’re tired is to create a homework routine. Decide on a time each day to sit down and do your work, and stick to it as much as possible. This will help your body and mind get into a “homework mode” and make it easier to focus.

6. Listen to music

Listening to calming, relaxing music can help you focus and block distractions. If you find yourself getting too sleepy, try music with a faster tempo to help you stay awake. Music can also help to drown out any background noise that might distract you. Please don’t listen to music with lyrics, as it can be more distracting than helpful.

7. Limit distractions

When trying to do homework, it’s important to limit distractions. This means turning off your phone, closing social media tabs, and anything else that might take away from your focus. Getting distracted will only make it harder to finish your work. Distractions can also lead to procrastination, so it’s best to avoid them altogether.

8. Work in short bursts

If you’re finding it hard to focus on homework for long periods, try working in short bursts instead. Set a timer for 30 minutes and work on your assignment until the timer goes off. Then take a 5-10 minute break before starting again.

This can help your brain stay fresh and focused for extended periods. Don’t forget to take a more extended break every hour to avoid burnout.

9. Get enough sleep

One of the best things you can do for your homework is to get enough sleep. Ensure you get at least 8 hours of sleep each night to be at your best during the day. A tired brain is not a productive brain, so getting enough rest is crucial.

The occasional all-nighter may be necessary, but try to avoid making it a habit. Ensure you have a proper sleep schedule to help you be at your best daily.

10. Talk to your teacher

If you’re having trouble with homework, don’t be afraid to talk to your teacher. They can give tips on managing your time and focusing on your work . They may also be able to offer some extensions or alternate assignments that can help you succeed.

You shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help – your teachers want you to succeed. If you’re struggling, reach out and ask for assistance.

Should I Be Worried If I Can’t Focus On My Homework?

If you’re finding it hard to focus on your homework, you must talk to your teacher or tutor. They can help you figure out a plan to get your work done. You should only be worried if you’re not trying to do your homework.

Some medical conditions that can make it hard to focus include ADHD, anxiety, and depression. If you think you might have one of these conditions, talk to your doctor.

I’m Exhausted, But I Have A Test Tomorrow. What Should I Do?

If you’re tired but have a test tomorrow, there are a few things you can do to make sure you’re prepared. First, take a break. Get up and walk around, have a snack, or take a nap.

Once you’re feeling refreshed, start by reviewing your notes from class. If you have any questions, ask a friend or your teacher. Next, take some practice tests. There are many online, or you can make your own. Finally, get a good night’s sleep!

Does Listening To Music Help When Doing Homework?

Listening to music can help you focus and block out distractions. If you get too sleepy, try listening to music with a fast tempo or instrumentals. Music with lyrics can be a distraction, so it’s best to avoid those if you’re trying to focus on your homework. The music that helps you focus depends on the individual, so experiment with different genres and tempos to find what works best for you.

How Can I Make Sure I’m Not Working Too Much?

Taking breaks is essential when doing homework so you don’t get too overwhelmed. Get up and walk around, have a snack, or take a few minutes to talk to a friend. You should also try working in short bursts instead of long periods. Set a timer for 30 minutes and work on your homework until the timer goes off. Then take a 5-10 minute break before starting again. This can help your brain to stay fresh and focused.

What If I Have Trouble Understanding The Material?

Talk to your teacher or tutor if you’re having trouble understanding the material. They can help explain the concepts differently or give you some tips on how to study the material. You can also try looking up videos or articles about the topic. Sometimes seeing the material in a different format can help you understand it better. Finally, don’t be afraid to ask for help from friends or family.

Doing homework can be challenging, but there are things you can do to make it easier. First, ensure you have a quiet and comfortable place to work. Next, try listening to music or using a timer to help you focus. Finally, take breaks, and don’t be afraid to ask for help if you’re struggling. With these tips, you can make homework time a little bit easier.

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I’ve written about ways to get better sleep , and yet I am writing this post from a state of exhaustion.

Despite knowing all the right things to do, sometimes it’s difficult to follow through.

You can have the most calming, zen bedroom, and still toss and turn because of an ache or something on your mind. You can avoid stimulants and start unwinding early in the evening, and still wake up to the sound of a blaring siren at 2:00 AM.

Sometimes the best laid plan can fall apart when you can’t seem to remove that pea from under your mattress. It will happen on occasion—hopefully less often than not, but from time to time at best.

How can you function when it’s just not possible to call in sick and tired to life? How can you make it through the work day with minimal damage to your health, mood, relationships, and job?

I have a few ideas, but first, in the interest of full disclosure: I have more flexibility than the average person might, since I work from home and make my own schedule. Hopefully these ideas represent a balanced mix for people who have flexibility and people who don’t:

1. Protect your health.

When you don’t get enough sleep, you compromise your immune system. One thing I like to do when I am particularly exhausted is increase my intake of foods that have the opposite effect.

Dark colored produce, like broccoli and berries which are high in antioxidants are a great choice.I also like Emergen-C, a powder supplement you add to water, which boosts energy and bolsters the immune system.

2. Carpool or take the bus.

If you’re exhausted, there’s a good chance you’re also running late for work. That might make it inconvenient to take public transportation—but it’s better to slink past your boss’ office door at 9:30 or 10:00 than to fall asleep at the wheel.

I know because I’ve been there. In 2000, I fell asleep on the highway and crashed into the guardrail. Luckily, no one got hurt, but that’s not always the case. In 2009, as many as 1.9 million Americans had a car accident or close call because of drowsiness.

According to David Cloud , head of the National Sleep Foundation in Washington D.C., its possible to fall into a three to four second microsleep without knowing it—which is all the time needed to travel the length of a football field basically unconscious.

3. Get into the sun.

Fifteen minutes in the sun can increase your vitamin D levels. The vitamin, along with B, is responsible for fighting fatigue. People with deficiencies often experience tiredness, moodiness, aches, and stress. While a little extra sunshine can’t replace the benefits of consistent sleep, soaking in the rays can pep you up a bit.

4. Eat several small meals instead of large, heavy ones.

Ever notice how a big, heavy meal makes you want to curl up in the fetal position and check out for an hour or so? Spacing out your meals helps regulate your blood sugar and should also help increase your energy throughout the day.

Also, avoid processed, fatty foods, sweets, or foods with refined white carbohydrates. They don’t contain enough nutrients and are easily digested and absorbed, which means you’ll feel energized at first and sluggish shortly after. You’re already tired—why add fuel to the fire?

5. Avoid caffeine.

If you drink a lot of caffeine, your body’s response to it will change. You could drink over eight cups and still feel sluggish—but that doesn’t mean you won’t get the headache, irritability, dehydration, and host of other side effects that come with caffeine-overload.

Instead, try an energy boosting food, like almonds, oranges, salmon, spinach, or blueberries.

6. Spend some time under bright light.

Sleep researchers suggest this will help you feel more alert. In a 2007 study of women with breast cancer, increased exposure to bright light during chemotherapy resulted in less fatigue and better sleep.

7. Resist the urge to channel your crankiness.

You might feel inclined to confront someone who wronged you when you’re exhausted. Whenever you feel something uncomfortable, it’s tempting to channel it somewhere—to take the feeling and do something with it. Fight the urge. You aren’t thinking clearly enough to have a productive conversation, and you’ll likely say something you regret .

In fact, if you have any big meetings scheduled, do your best to push them to another day, even if it ruffles some feathers. According to the National Sleep Foundation, staying awake for 18 hours causes you to function similarly to someone with .08 blood alcohol level. You wouldn’t lead an important meeting drunk—would you?

8. Be gentle with yourself.

When you’re tired, it’s all too easy to get irritable and moody. You might even have a mini breakdown. (Admission: I’ve cried over ridiculous things when I’ve been extremely exhausted.)

Know that this is normal, but plan to combat it. Avoid people or situations that trigger anger or frustration. Use a deep breathing relaxation technique when you feel yourself getting antsy. Anything to keep your nerves calm.

9. Catnap if you can.

If you don’t have a hammock or canopy bed adjacent to your desk, this might not be an option. (Of course this never stopped me when I worked in a corporate environment—I took quite a few naps in my car.)

If you can nap, however, the right length is crucial. If you sleep for too short or too long a time, it will work against you. Experts suggest 20 minutes is ideal, since it generally takes 10 minutes to fall asleep and 10 for light, restful sleep. If you can’t fall asleep on demand, you might consider a brainwave entrainment CD (Google it!) to help slow your brainwaves.

10. Prepare to avoid making the same mistake tonight.

Most of the time when we don’t get enough sleep, we are directly responsible. Whether you put too much on your plate or stayed up to late, the constant is personal choice. It’s not always the case—if you have a baby, for example. But most of the time, it is.

If you recognize that sleep deficiency is causing your problems, set out to address the root cause. Deal with stresses that are keeping you up at night. Change your environment to allow for better sleep. If all else fails, see your doctor to check for health issues that might be affecting your sleep.

Your energy, your focus, and your attention are your greatest resources. They’re what you use to make a difference in the world ; they’re the best gifts you can give to your friends and family. Protect them as best you can by taking the time you need to recharge.

If from time to time you can’t, be gentle with yourself and take even better care than you usually do. A little self-kindness can go a long way in making a bad situation better.

About Lori Deschene

Lori Deschene is the founder of Tiny Buddha. She started the site after struggling with depression, bulimia, c-PTSD, and toxic shame so she could recycle her former pain into something useful and inspire others do the same. She recently created the Breaking Barriers to Self-Care eCourse to help people overcome internal blocks to meeting their needs—so they can feel their best, be their best, and live their best possible life. If you’re ready to start thriving instead of merely surviving, you can learn more and get instant access here .

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Homework overload: here’s how to deal

If you feel like you’re drowning under the sea of assignments and tests, follow our eight tips to get your head back above the water.

You’ve probably heard the saying, “The only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.”  

Despite the ethical implications of an aphori sm that suggests you eat endangered  wildlife,  it is a useful one to remember whenever you feel overwhelmed by your ever-growing task list.   

Like a six-thousand kilo elephant, your homework is something you  have to  tackle bit by bit. Even if you’ve got eight assignments and three tests to study for, there are ways to reduce your stress so that you can work through each task without crumbling.

1. Start early and use your diary

If your homework is beginning to resemble a giant tsunami surging towards you, you might have failed to properly  take into account  deadlines. Even if everything  is  due at once, chances are you weren’t set every assignment on the same day or in the same week. You need to find a good way to keep track of deadlines and other important dates to ensure you leave enough time to get it all done.   

Google Calendar is a great way to start. You could even take an analogue approach and get a giant planner to pin on your wall. Once you’ve chosen your toolset, you need to schedule the process of getting yourself to the deadline. This means counting back from  D-day  so you know when to start a piece of work. This is particularly important for group assignments (which can be a logistical nightmare!) or for longer pieces of work where you’re required to do research or submit drafts. You also need to  take into account  other deadlines around the same time.   

2. Share the load

Do you really need to do everything all on your own or can you share the load with your friends? Now, now, we’re NOT condoning copying or other acts of dishonesty! But sometimes there  are  valuable ways to consolidate the requirements for a project while still learning everything that you need to learn. For a Humanities assignment that requires research, perhaps you can divide and conquer. You’ll still need to teach each other what you’ve learned, which is incidentally also a great way to consolidate your understanding.  

3. Negotiate

Even if you carefully note all deadlines, you may still find that everything is due on the same day. Eek! The thing is, teachers often don’t speak to their colleagues about stuff like this, so they don’t know that every single teacher in the school has chosen the same due date for work. And sometimes – like the end of term – it’s inevitable that everything will come in at the same time.  

But what if the reason you’re overloaded is personal? Perhaps you have an important sporting event that’s going to interfere with your prep time. You might just need to ask one or some of your teachers for an extension. Your school might have a policy about this, but either way, it doesn’t hurt to approach your teacher privately, explain the situation politely, and ask if there’s anything they can do to take a bit of pressure off you.   

It probably goes without saying that you’ll be much more successful the earlier you request an extension. Don’t leave it till the last minute — that just suggests that you’re not very  organised. And no need to feel that you  have to  pile on the drama. You may feel dramatic about it, but generally teachers are more responsive to a sensible, logical argument and a reasonable suggestion.

4. Just do it

Sometimes the best thing you can do is just get the work done. Even if you decide to do a less-than-perfect job in order to meet the deadline, you’ll still learn from the feedback you receive. Of course, the lower the stakes, the easier this advice is to follow, so it may be a matter of determining the importance of each task in terms of how heavily the mark will affect your grade or how important the subject is to you.  

We’ve all had to make the decision to just  get something done , rather than give it all the time it deserves, so don’t feel too bad about it. If, on the other hand, you  have a tendency to  hold back on submitting tasks because you don’t think they’re good enough, you may be a perfectionist.   

We think of perfectionism as a desirable trait, and it does suggest that you care about doing your best, which is admirable. But perfect doesn’t exist. We’re all doing our best in the time allotted. And if you never hand anything in, you never get the feedback you need to improve and progress. So, resist your desire to avoid completing your homework. Avoid avoidance. Just do it, submit it, move on.  

5. Keep living

When you’re stressed, there’s a natural temptation to limit everything else you do. You certainly do need to spend time focusing. But just sitting at your desk, doing a little bit of that subject and a little bit of this subject but not really doing anything because you’re so BORED won’t help. Go for a walk, take a nap, return refreshed.  

6. Gain some clarity

Feeling overwhelmed may have less to do with the quantity of work in front of you and more to do with the fact that you’re not entirely clear about what’s required. It sounds obvious, but it’s remarkable how many students avoid starting a task carefully because they think it’s bigger and more confusing than it really is.  

So, read the question. Once you’ve read it, do you understand what you  have to  do? If not, the temptation will be to put your head in your hands and a) tell yourself you’re stupid, b) tell yourself that your teacher is stupid and/or a terrible person, or c) get involved in a long  Whatsapp  thread with your friends to talk about how you’re stupid AND your teacher is a terrible human.   

To avoid this scenario, make some notes about what you find confusing and/or hard to follow and arrange to talk to your teacher tomorrow to gain some clarity.  

7. Start, even for a few minutes

While this might seem counterintuitive, it can be  really useful  to start something, even if you don’t have much time. Maybe you do only have fifteen minutes before you  have to  go to soccer training, or it’s late and you want to go to bed. But you also have that essay to begin and the blank screen can be so discouraging. Just write something, anything. A couple of sentences are enough. You’ll come back to it tomorrow and change them, so no need to agonise too much.   

Don’t underestimate how much momentum just starting can bring to the situation. Tomorrow, when you come back to the task, you’re not facing a blank screen. Sure, you may need to make some revisions, but you’ll be surprised how decent the words you wrote often are. At least there’s something to work with.  

8. Get some help

If none of these points really help you to  eat the elephant , then try something else. At Cluey, you can work with your personal tutor on your homework and maybe fill some of those skills and knowledge gaps that are making you feel anxious. Importantly, we can demystify your assignments, give you valuable feedback on how best to tackle each problem, and build your confidence. You don’t need to feel overloaded or alone with your homework again.

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What to Do When Your Brain Is Too Tired to Think Straight

Why you feel mentally exhausted right now and 7 concrete ways to overcome (and work around) it

Chess grandmasters burn up to 6,000 calories a day during tournaments, just by sitting there and thinking.

When I reach a point of mental exhaustion, I like to reflect on that fact. Too often, our mental energy — or lack thereof — feels like a moral deficiency rather than a physical one.

If I had more willpower, I could power through and get this done. Why can’t I just focus? What’s wrong with me?!

It’s easy to forget that our brains require energy to function. We wouldn’t run a marathon and then feel like failures when our legs are tired. So why do we treat mental fatigue so differently? Our brainpower is exhaustible, but it’s 100% renewable if we manage it wisely.

Think of this article as your marathon training program for your brain. I can’t promise you’ll never feel mental fatigue but you can experience it less often, less severely, and with fewer negative consequences for your mental health and productivity.

First things first, what do we even mean when we say “mental fatigue”?

What is mental fatigue?

Mental fatigue is the feeling that your brain just won’t function right. People often describe it as brain fog. You can’t concentrate, even simple tasks take forever, and you find yourself rereading the same paragraph or tweaking the same line of code over-and-over again. Things that would have rolled off your back in the morning become more irksome and you get impatient with coworkers.

Mental fatigue can be acute or chronic. Acute fatigue is short-lived and is relieved after a brief period of rest. Most of us experience acute fatigue during an afternoon slump or at the end of a particularly hectic day. Acute fatigue is normal.

However, if left unaddressed, acute fatigue can snowball into chronic fatigue and ultimately lead to burnout. Identify the root causes of your mental fatigue and take proactive steps to manage it early on.

What causes mental fatigue?

Mental fatigue is complex and usually isn’t caused by one thing. Contributing factors can be physical— like poor nutrition, lack of sleep, or hormonal imbalances — or cognitive — you’ve been asking your brain to do too much.

That cognitive overload can take the form of intense focus on a single task over an extended period of time — as is the case for those chess grandmasters who burn 6,000 calories in a day. But it can also result from spreading your attention across too many things — all of the decisions you have to make, the information you have to process, the emails you need to answer, the tasks you need to keep track of, the chores you need to take care of. To make matters worse, worrying about a task can be as mentally taxing as actually doing it. That means even while you're procrastinating, you’re taxing your brain .

All of that cognitive task-switching takes a toll. Imagine a chess player trying to plan out their next five moves and anticipate their opponents’ reactions while also checking their Slack messages, responding to emails, thinking about what they’ll eat for lunch, catching up on the latest trending hashtags on Twitter, and worrying about that project due tomorrow that they haven’t even started yet.

It’s common sense that each additional cognitive task will fatigue the chess player’s cognitive functioning faster. Yet, that’s exactly how most of us operate on a daily basis. Mentally juggling dozens of tasks and responsibilities has become our normal . It’s no wonder we feel mentally exhausted at the end of the day!

Luckily, there are steps you can take to manage both the physical and cognitive sides of mental fatigue.

Give your brain high-quality fuel

The link between athletic performance and nutrition is obvious, but when it comes to mental performance, we don’t always make the same connection. To be clear: Your brain is fueled with the same food as your muscles! In fact, our brains are the gas-guzzling Hummers of the body’s organs using up over half of the glucose in our bloodstream. That means what you eat impacts your cognitive functioning in a big way.

There’s a lot of confusing and conflicting science out there about proper nutrition, but you don’t have to go paleo or keto or become the Sad Salad Guy at work to avoid mental fatigue in the middle of the day. Here are some basic guidelines for maintaining sufficient energy levels throughout the day without sacrificing too much:

• Cut down on refined sugars . This is one piece of nutrition advice the research can agree on. A 2019 meta-analysis of the literature , found that, while there’s no evidence of an increase in mood or cognitive functioning from eating sugar even in the short-term, sugar consumption does decrease alertness within an hour and increases fatigue within 30 minutes. In other words, the sugar rush isn’t real, but the sugar crash is. Aim for sustained energy levels throughout the day by cutting down on the amount of refined sugar you eat.
• Make a plan for what you’ll eat in advance . If you wait until you’re hungry, you’re already low on energy and willpower and are more likely to crave a quick hit of energy in the form of yummy sugar (Kit Kat anyone?).
• Don’t skip breakfast . If you usually skip breakfast and then crash in the middle of the morning, try eating a breakfast that will sustain your energy levels until lunch. More eggs, yogurt, and oatmeal. Fewer donuts, muffins, and sugary cereals. See how your body reacts.
• Snack . Try giving your body consistent fuel with mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks at a minimum. Keep lots of low-sugar, unprocessed snacks on hand – almonds, whole grain crackers and cheese, or my personal favorite, cottage cheese and apple with lots of salt.
• Stay hydrated . Studies show that even mild dehydration can negatively impact cognitive performance. Drink plenty of water – coffee doesn’t count.
• Figure out what makes you feel best . When it comes to nutrition advice, you should always be skeptical. Even the basic advice above won’t work for everyone. Some people swear by intermittent fasting, skip breakfast every day and feel great. If you’re experiencing big energy crashes in the middle of the day, try experimenting with the content and timing of your meals. Keep a log of your energy levels and see how your body reacts. In the end, only you can say for sure what makes you feel best.

When you’re exhausted the last thing you want to do is get up and move, but studies show that physical activity might be just what you need. While the causal mechanisms aren’t entirely clear, exercise has been shown to boost overall energy levels and improve cognitive functioning, immediately and over the long-term.

So how can you start powering up your brain cells with exercise?

• Start small. You don’t have to train for a marathon or join a CrossFit gym to see the benefits of exercise. At least one study has shown that low-intensity exercise — the equivalent of an easy walk — actually boosted energy more than moderate-intensity exercise. Set a goal to go for a 10-minute walk every day. Once you’re doing that consistently, slowly increase the amount of time. Make it as easy as possible to get started.
• Do it at the same time every day . When you make a plan for when you’ll do something, you’re more likely to actually do it. When you do it at the same time every day, triggered by the same events — for example, waking up, taking a lunch break, or ending the workday — it’s easier to build a consistent habit.
• Get an accountabilibuddy . Everything is easier with friends.
• Do group fitness . If you can swing it, join a gym that has a set group class schedule you have to sign up for. I find that having someone else tell you exactly what to do removes a lot of the mental effort involved in exercising. All I have to do is get my lazy butt there and the rest of the decisions are made for me. During the pandemic, most gyms are providing virtual classes which makes them even more accessible.
• Find a physical activity you enjo y. Or at least hate less than other forms of exercise. If you hate running, it’s going to be hard to stick with the habit. Try power yoga, rock climbing, surviving the zombie apocalypse , or Quidditch . Make physical activity feel like playtime and you’ll never have to exercise again.

Prioritize sleep

Sleep is the most productive thing you do all day. Period. No one really knows why we need sleep. We just know bad things happen when we don’t get enough of it.

Despite its paramount importance to your health, happiness, and productivity, sleep feels optional. Your boss holds you accountable to deadlines. Your friends expect you to show up when you say you will. Your family relies on you to get dinner on the table. But no one is holding you accountable for getting enough sleep except you.

Here are some science-backed ways to improve your quality of sleep:

• Keep it cool, dark, and quiet . Ikea has relatively cheap, acceptably attractive blackout curtains . If curtains are a no-go, get yourself a sleep mask . If you live on a busy street like myself, get yourself some earplugs . Keep your room at a comfortable temperature if you can. Between 65 and 72 degrees fahrenheit (18-22 degrees celsius) is the general recommendation, but play around with the temperature to find what’s most comfortable for you.
• No screens before bed . The blue light messes with your body’s natural clock so stop looking at screens before bedtime and ban them from your room entirely. Get an old-school alarm clock with the sole function of telling time and waking you up when you tell it to.
• Have a calming bedtime routine . The Morning Routine gets all the attention, but the less glamorous Bedtime Routine is equally important. Doing the same series of relaxing habits every night before bed signals to your body and mind that it’s time to wind down for the day.
• Keep a consistent wake-up time . Your natural body clock is set to the time you wake up rather than the time you fall asleep. If you want to consistently get better sleep, it’s more important to wake up at the same time every day, even if you slept poorly or stayed out late the night before.
• Don’t drink coffee after noon . Caffeine has a half life of 4-6 hours, so if you want to fall asleep by 10pm you should switch to decaf – or better yet, water – by noon.

Build your workday around your energy levels

No matter how much you sleep, how many miles you run, or how even you keep your blood sugar levels, you’ll experience natural ebbs and flows in your energy throughout the day. Those are your ultradian rhythms .

Image Credit: Fast Company

Ultaradian rhythms are driven by a whole host of things happening in your body — hormone levels, metabolic processes, cardiovascular functioning — and they affect your energy, mood, and cognitive functioning. These rhythms take the form of 90-minute peaks of energy followed by a 20-minute trough that repeats throughout the day with the peaks trending lower and lower as the day goes on.

You can’t escape the natural rhythms of your body, so plan your day to work with them. Here’s how:

• Identify your rhythms . While everyone experiences ultradian rhythms, they won’t occur at the same time for everyone. Take a week to note your energy levels throughout the day. Look for patterns for when your energy levels are highest and lowest. Here’s a weekly log courtesy of Daniel Pink you can print and keep at your desk. Set an alarm every 90 minutes and rate your mental alertness and energy levels.

When your energy levels are high do:

• Your not urgent and important tasks — the ones that always get pushed off to later because they don’t have deadlines
• Your cognitively demanding tasks that require focus — aka your “ deep work ”
• Any important decision-making and planning

When your energy levels are low:

• Do unimportant or smaller tasks that don’t require a lot of thinking
• Respond to emails
• Take care of personal admin things
• Read articles you’ve saved for later
• Get creative — studies show that people perform better on creative tasks when their energy levels aren’t at their peak

Use a label in Todoist for “@high_energy🔥” to quickly pull up a list of tasks that fit this energy level.

Use a label in Todoist for “@low_energy😴” to quickly pull up a list of tasks that fits this energy level.

Having a hard time identifying which tasks should be “high energy” and which ones should be “low energy”? The Eisenhower Matrix is a helpful framework for distinguishing between the two.

Take strategic breaks throughout the day

Your energy levels will naturally deteriorate over the course of the day, but there’s a simple way to recharge your batteries: take breaks.

Instead of pushing to the point of mental fatigue, give your brain a chance to relax and reset. Will your energy return to peak levels? Probably not, but a regular refresh will help you sustain your focus over a longer period of time instead of crashing by midday.

In his book When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing , Daniel Pink gives this advice for taking more productive breaks:

Something beats nothing . High performers work for fifty-two minutes and then break for seventeen minutes.

Moving beats stationary . One study showed that hourly five-minute walking breaks boosted energy levels, sharpened focus, and “improved mood throughout the day and reduced feelings of fatigue in the late afternoon.”

Social beats solo . Research in South Korean workplaces shows that social breaks—talking with coworkers about something other than work—are more effective at reducing stress and improving mood than either cognitive breaks (answering e-mail) or nutrition breaks (getting a snack).

Outside beats inside . People who take short walks outdoors return with better moods and greater replenishment than people who walk indoors.

Fully detached beats semi-detached . Tech-free breaks also increase vigor and reduce emotional exhaustion.

Or you may want to use an afternoon break to just sleep. “Power naps” have been shown to improve alertness and mood , counteracting the afternoon slump. Just don’t sleep too long! A 20-40 minute nap at a low-energy point between noon and 4pm works best for most people.

Manage mental load at the source

Think of your brain like the RAM on your computer — that’s the short-term data storage your computer needs to do whatever you’re asking it to do right now. When you have one program open running one task, all the RAM is dedicated to that one thing and everything zips along nicely. But then you open another window. And another. And then a new internet tab or twenty. Each additional demand on your computer slows things down.

You have two choices: you can either increase your “RAM” (see the above points on nutrition, sleep, exercise) or you can decrease the number of applications you have open at any given time. Here are some of the ways you can lighten your mental load:

• Only touch things once . I have an email sitting in my inbox that’s 3 months old. It’s not that important, but it does require a response. I see it every time I check my email. I’ve opened it multiple times. I haven’t actually done anything about it, yet it continues to take up little bits of precious mental energy. Don’t do that. Instead follow the “ touch it once ” rule:

“The general idea is that as soon as you touch something, whether it’s a piece of mail or a project that needs to be filed, you immediately act on it. This could be fully completing the task at once or determining the next actionable steps to move it along.”

• Time block your emails . Answering email is exhausting to begin with, but bouncing back and forth between your inbox and whatever other tasks you need to get done is even worse. Instead, set aside 2-3 specific “ time blocks ” throughout the day to process your inbox. Check and answer emails during those times and only those times. That goes for checking team messaging apps like Slack or Twist too.

Set aside 2-3 specific “ time blocks ” throughout the day to do your work.

• Focus on one thing at a time . Only have one application open on your computer, figuratively speaking.
• Identify which decisions you can put on autopilot . For example, wear the same outfit every day, eat the same breakfast, keep the same exercise routine. Variety is the spice of life, but too much decision-making will wear out your brain.
• Learn how to say no . Each additional responsibility you take on increases the mental load on your brain. Take a good, hard look at your commitments vs your mental capacity and cull everything that isn’t essential.

[cta_todoist][/cta_todoist]

Disconnect at the end of the workday

I don’t just mean physically disconnecting. If you shut your laptop, but your brain is still working overtime worrying about your to-do list it doesn’t count as disconnecting. Your brain needs time to rest and recover every day, but that’s easier said than done. It’s especially hard when your office is also your home as is the case for so many of us right now.

That’s why Cal Newport, computer science professor and author of Deep Work , thinks that everyone should have a work shutdown ritual — a consistent series of tasks that signals to your brain that it can stop thinking about work for the day.

• Update and organize your to-do list . Your brain tends to worry over unfinished tasks, but you can temporarily trick it into thinking you’ve finished the task by making a plan to finish it. That’s why writing out a to-do list can provide mental relief even when you still have the exact same amount of work left. Doist’s founder and CEO, Amir, makes it a habit to get to “ to-do list zero ” at the end of every day by rescheduling any leftover tasks for later in the week.

Make it a habit to have a work shutdown ritual at the end of every day, where you review and move forward tasks that you didn't get to.

• Schedule a commitment at the end of the workday . It’s hard to pull yourself out of work mode even when you know you should so schedule something you can’t miss for the end of the day – like dinner (or a Zoom call) with friends or that group fitness class we talked about earlier.
• Turn off all notifications from work apps on your phone . If you can, delete work apps on your phone entirely. They’re just too tempting and habit-forming. A “quick peek” during dinner can pull your mind right back into work mode.

And don’t forget to take longer, disconnected vacations every once in a while.

If you really have to push through…

The best way to deal with mental fatigue is to take proactive steps to minimize it in the first place and then work around it as best you can. But sometimes you just have to slog through your energy troughs.

If you’re working up against a deadline — like, I don’t know, say finishing an article about mental fatigue before you leave for vacation just to give a random example — and you absolutely have to get something done, try breaking the task down into the next tiny step that will take 10 minutes or less to complete. In our totally hypothetical example, that might be “finish writing this paragraph”. Set a timer and get to it. Once the timer goes off, identify the next micro-task and work on that.

If you have to force your way through a mental slump, break work down into micro-tasks you can finish in 10 minutes or less.

Maybe you’ll get through the energy trough and out to the other side, or maybe it’ll continue to be a slog. Either way, you’ll be making progress instead of getting stuck in a foggy, unproductive loop.

It’s hard to see your way out of mental fatigue while you’re experiencing it. Acknowledging that fatigue is a natural result of challenging your brain can be freeing in and of itself. Yes, there are things we can do to boost our energy levels, but in the end we’re not Energizer bunnies. We need to learn to work with our natural rhythms instead of simply trying to overcome them.

Next time, instead of rereading the same paragraph for the fifth time or rewriting that line of code for the tenth, give yourself permission to step away, rest your brain, and tackle the problem when you’re fresh.

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5 Tips for Dealing with “Too Much” Homework

In the case of unreasonable “commitments,” you’re procrastinating doing your homework, but of course, there are people who genuinely are overwhelmed by their homework. With that in mind, how do you manage your time to get it all done? The following are five tips for any student (current or prospective) who’s struggling with getting their workload completed on time.

1. Don’t be a perfectionist

There’s an old principle of Pareto’s that’s been adapted to business (specifically management) called the 80-20 rule. The idea is that 80% of your results, come from 20% of your efforts. Think about that. When you tackle an assignment for school, are you trying to make everything perfect? Remember that you’re a student, no one is expecting you to be perfect, you’re in school to get better; you’re supposed to be a work in progress.

As a result, what may feel like “too much” homework, might really be you tackling assignments “too well.” For instance, there’s a reason “speed reading” is a skill that’s encouraged. A textbook is not a work of literature where every sentence means something, it’s okay to skim or, in some cases, skip whole paragraphs – the last paragraph just recaps what you read anyway.

Moreover, many schools or classes curve their grades. So an 80% could be a 100% in your class.

2. Do your homework as soon as it’s assigned to you

Due to the nature of college schedules, students often have classes MWF and different classes on Tuesday and Thursday. As a result, they do their MWF homework on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday in preparation for the following day. Rather than do that. Do your Monday homework, Monday; Tuesday homework, Tuesday; Wednesday homework, Wednesday and so on.

The reason for this is manifold. First of all, the class and the assignment are fresh in your mind – this is especially critical for anything math related to those who are less math-minded. So do the assignment after the class. Chances are, it’ll be much easier to complete.

The second reason is because if you have a question about Monday’s homework and you’re working on it on Monday night, then guess what? You can contact your professor (or a friend) Tuesday for help or clarification. Whereas if you’re completing Monday’s homework on a Tuesday night, you’re out of luck. This can assuage a lot of the stress that comes from too much homework.

This flows into the third reason which is that, rather than having a chunk of homework to do the day before its due, you’re doing a little at a time frequently. This is a basic time management tactic where, if you finish tasks as they’re assigned instead of letting them pile up, you avoid that mental blockade of feeling like there’s “too much” for you to do in the finite amount of time given.

3. Eliminate distractions

All too often, students sit down to do homework and then receive a text, and then another, and then hop on Facebook, and then comment on something, and then take a break. Before they’re aware of it, hours have passed.

The best way to overcome this is to create a workspace. Traditionally, many students go to the library, but there’s no reason you cannot create your own workspace elsewhere. Maybe head to a coffee shop, fold up the backseats of your car, or develop a space in your room for you to specifically to focus on your homework.

If you give your homework 100% of your attention, it’ll pass by more quickly. Regardless of whether you’re writing a paper or working on a math equation, it’s harder to complete any portion of it with interruptions. If you stop writing mid-sentence to answer a text, then you may wonder where you were taking that trail of thought; if you stop a math problem midway through, then you’ll end up going back over the equation, redoing your work, to figure it out.

Eliminating distractions can save you a great deal of time, so find your space.

4. Track your time

Really track it. There are plenty of free sites and apps that will monitor your time. If you can’t (or don’t) eliminate all your distractions, then start clocking where your time is going. Chances are, you’ll be able to cut something that’s draining your hours, out of your schedule.

This is the nature of the internet, social media sites, and games on your phone, usually you use them in micromoments; moments that too small or too insignificant to really be eating up your time, but they do. All too often, students find themselves wondering “where did the time go?” and have difficulty actually placing how much time was spent where or doing what. Time yourself and, more importantly, reserve time to do your homework or reading.

The other benefit of this is that once you start tracking your time, you’ll be able to quantify the problem and manage your time more appropriately. For instance, if a particular class averages 45 minutes of homework, then you know how much time is required to budget into your schedule. Meanwhile, if another class is regularly exceeding three hours, then you may want to consider a tutor or discussing the issue with your professor directly.

5. Accept homework

Homework is a responsibility; it’s a chore. And in the same way that many people don’t take out the trash until it needs to be taken out; many people don’t start homework until it needs to be finished. This is a problem of attitude towards homework more than anything else.

It’s what makes many students feel like there’s “too much” homework, when in actuality, they feel that way because they put off doing it until they absolutely need to do it. As a result, try to change your mode of thinking. Instead of thinking about the volume of reading and writing, accept that it needs to get done. This way, you’re less concerned with the consequences of not doing homework, and more willing to actually get it done.

Hopefully, these five tips will help you in your academic career. Time management is not an easy skill to learn, but once you’ve established it in your life, it will help immensely.

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How to Do Your Homework on Time if You're a Procrastinator

Last Updated: May 10, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Katie Styzek . Katie Styzek is a Professional School Counselor for Chicago Public Schools. Katie earned a BS in Elementary Education with a Concentration in Mathematics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She served as a middle school mathematics, science, and social studies teacher for three years prior to becoming a counselor. She holds a Master of Education (M.Ed.) in School Counseling from DePaul University and an MA in Educational Leadership from Northeastern Illinois University. Katie holds an Illinois School Counselor Endorsement License (Type 73 Service Personnel), an Illinois Principal License (formerly Type 75), and an Illinois Elementary Education Teaching License (Type 03, K – 9). She is also Nationally Board Certified in School Counseling from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 552,874 times.

Procrastinating on your homework assignments can make school more stressful and can hurt your grade if you're always finishing homework at the last minute. Once you learn a few techniques to beat procrastination can make homework much easier for you! By keeping organized, setting specific goals, and asking for help, you can transform yourself into an academic star who still has time to watch TV and catch up with friends on Facebook.

Getting Organized

Establishing a Routine

• Set an alarm on your phone to remind you when to get back to work!

Setting Goals

• Very few people can actually work effectively with music playing. If you like to listen to music while you work but find you aren't getting anything done, try going without it for an hour to see if your concentration improves.

Asking for Help

• This doesn't work for everybody. If you find another person distracting, quit working with them.

How Can I Stop Procrastinating?

Community Q&A

Reader Videos

• Good health can improve your study habits and can help you retain what you learn. Exercise, eat well, get plenty of sleep, and skip the alcohol and caffeine. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Ask your parents or a friend to keep your smartphone so you don't get distracted. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Try to set an alarm or a task reminder in your phone. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• Even the best students know that they can't work all of the time. Allow some relaxation time for yourself, particularly on the weekends. Good study habits make you work smarter, not harder. Thanks Helpful 120 Not Helpful 9

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• ↑ Katie Styzek. Professional School Counselor. Expert Interview. 26 March 2021.
• ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/how-to-stop-procrastinating/
• ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/focused.html
• ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/homework.html
• ↑ https://childmind.org/article/strategies-to-make-homework-go-more-smoothly/
• ↑ https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/take-charge-of-distractions/
• ↑ Ted Coopersmith, MBA. Academic Tutor. Expert Interview. 10 July 2020.
• ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/school-help-teens.html
• ↑ https://blogs.iu.edu/dbauman/2018/12/18/homework-writing-tips-for-college-students/

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