How to Balance Homework and Chores

Getting Yourself Organized

Make a list. A great way to see the things you need to complete is by making lists of your chores and homework. Do this when you wake up each day so you have a good understanding of the best way to manage your time that day. As you complete each task, cross it off on the list so that you remember that you don’t have to do it anymore. Create your list on a piece of paper or your cellphone. Storing lists mentally leaves room for you to forget what you need to do. During the day you may get additional chores or homework assignments. When you do, make sure to add them to your list.

Create a schedule. Having a schedule of your day will allow you to manage time efficiently. If you find yourself running over schedule on a certain task, you know you’ll have to make that up somewhere else in your day. Your schedule doesn’t need to be as specific as an hour-by-hour schedule, but the more specific you are the better. A day-to-day schedule will allow you to plot out important chores per day so that by the end of the week you’ll have completed all of them. A good list will have each chore listed with how long it will take. A good schedule would have this information: 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. - Homework 5:45 p.m. - 6:15 p.m. - Vacuum Dining Room 6:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. - Clean Room 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - Socialize!

Maintain a clutter-free room and homework space. Having a cluttered workspace or room interferes with your brain’s ability to process information. This means that a cluttered room can prolong the amount of time it takes you from doing your homework. By keeping up with the cleanliness of your room, you are eliminating a chore on your list. Throw things away like empty bottles of water or loose pieces of paper as soon as you don’t need them anymore. The more you stay on top of your clutter, the less work you have to do all at once.

Keep homework in separate folders. When you spend your time looking for things that could be easily available, you are wasting valuable time that could be spent having fun. Organizing your materials per subject will help you locate any homework or study guides that you need. Keeping a binder or trapper keeper with separate compartments can help you keep any important homework. Make sure to keep things you don’t need anymore in a separate place. You don’t want your folders to become cluttered and unorganized. Be careful when you throw away things you get in class. You may need it for a quiz or test in the future.

Use your free time to finish homework early. Make sure that you are utilizing all the time you have in order to finish your homework. Times like study hall, waiting for a class to start, or riding home on the bus are all times you can start a portion of your homework. The more you do during these times, the less you have to do when you get home from school. Reading assignments can take a long time if you wait to read the material. By using your free time to read, you can start working on the essay portion of the assignment quickly.

Staying on Task

Eliminate any distractions. Even if a distraction doesn’t seem like it’s occupying your time, the cumulative effects could be affecting your productivity. Instead of answering an unimportant text message, or catching 15 minutes of your favorite show, turn off all distractions until you are done with everything that’s on your list. If you like playing video or computer games, save it for after your homework. You want to keep your mind sharp so you can get good grades and still get it done as fast as possible. Social texting is pretty normal, but every time you break your concentration and do something else you’re making the time you have to spend on homework longer. Text the person back and let them know that you’ll get back to them when you’re done.

Don’t procrastinate. You might be tempted to wait to do your chores, but you shouldn’t. Some chores, like cleaning your room or washing the dishes build up over time and will take you a longer time if you wait. Doing your homework as soon as you get home will make it so you don’t get distracted before finishing it. The more you procrastinate the more that you’ll be stressed about not having enough time to finish all of your chores and your homework. Do it early so you can sit back, relax, and have a good time with your friends.

Prioritize what you need to do. Some things are more important, and some chores take longer to do than others. It’s important to get the most important chores out of way first. Even though chores are important, education comes first. Do your homework before you do your chores when you get home.

Learn to say no. Peer pressure can sometimes pull you away from actually getting homework accomplished. Getting good grades is crucial to a successful future, so you should learn to say no if someone is trying to pull you away from doing homework. Don’t be rude. Explain to the person that you need to get your homework done or else it will affect your grades. You aren’t trying to be mean, you just want to stay on task. If you’re not used to telling people “no,” the only way to get used to it is to practice. Your friends will understand.

Negotiate fewer chores. Sometimes our parents can assign us chores without thinking of our school workload, but education should always come first. Try talking to your parents about the number of chores that you have, and explain to them how they are interfering with your school work and social life. Offer something in return for fewer chores, like better grades or A’s on your report card. If you have siblings try to trade chores with them. Don’t get mad at your parents if you realize that you have too many chores to get everything done. Simply explain to them first and then negotiate the alternatives.

Maintaining a Healthy Body and Mind

Exercise in your free time. When you exercise, our body feels good, and you end up in a better mental state. Also, you’ll have more energy for the more physical chores like picking weeds, raking leaves, or mowing the lawn, which will allow you to do it faster and more efficiently. Exercising can also be a hobby, like a sport that you enjoy. As long as you are getting out there and moving, it’s better than sitting around! Gym isn’t enough exercise for most people. Make sure that you take up another physical hobby like basketball, hockey, martial arts, tennis, dance, or something else that’s challenging. Try out different things to see what you like best.

Take breaks while you are working. If you work too hard for a long period of time, it limits your mind’s ability to do your homework quickly. You may think that you’re working hard and getting through all of your chores and homework but the reality is because your mind is dull from being overworked, you’re completing these tasks slower than normal. Going outside and taking a 10-minute walk to get fresh air is a great thing to do when you take a break.

Maintain a healthy and balanced diet. Your nutrition affects how well you can do physical and mental tasks. If you are taking too long on homework or chores, it might be because of your diet. The better nutrition you get, the more energy you’ll be able to have to finish chores and homework early and have time to hang out with your friends.

Get enough sleep. A lack of sleep limits your cognitive function-the thing you use to do your homework! If you aren’t getting enough sleep at night, try to get to bed earlier because it could be preventing you from doing your homework quickly, and may even be increasing the time it takes you on more physical chores. If you are between the ages of 14 to 17 you'll need around 8 to 10 hours of sleep to feel fully rested. If you are over 17 you'll need at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep to feel good.