How to Get Your Homework Done Fast

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Co-authored by Jake Adams

Last Updated: November 20, 2024 Fact Checked

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Staying Focused

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Getting Organized

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Staying Motivated

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Expert Q&A

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Tips

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Warnings

Doing homework can be both time-consuming and frustrating, and you probably want to do more with your free time than just homework. When you have a lot of work to do, it can be tough to work efficiently. By staying focused, organizing and planning, and motivating yourself, you can get your homework done in a timely manner and move onto more fun and exciting activities. But you should start with putting away all distractions such as your devices unless you need them.They are normally the main distraction. You should also work in a quiet place so you are not attempted to go and do something else. For example, you should not work near your TV because you will be tempted to go and watch it.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Staying Focused

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Try sitting at a desk in a padded, comfortable chair. Avoid doing homework on the floor or on your bed, because these areas are more likely to make you sleepy and distracted.^{[1]
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Research source} Not only that, but doing homework in your bed can make it harder to sleep, and this sleeplessness can lead to lower productivity. ^{[2]
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Research source}Also make sure that you’re working in a well-lit area so you don’t have to strain your eyes to read.^{[3]
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Trustworthy Source

Child Mind Institute
Nonprofit organization providing evidence-based care for children with mental health and learning disorders and their families

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Eliminate distractions by putting away your electronics and isolating yourself. Turn off your cell phone, log off of your computer (unless you will need it for your homework), turn off the television and close the door. Let your family and friends know that you do not want to be disturbed while working so they can respect your privacy.^{[4]
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- Download website-blocking apps such as Freedom or SelfControl to stay focused while using your computer for homework. Some, such as the Chrome extension Strict Workflow, even have the added bonus of preventing you from cancelling the timer once it has started.
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Set a timer. At the start of each assignment or subject, start a timer with however many minutes you’re aiming to complete your work in. You can regularly glance at the timer to stay aware of how much time is going by and how much you have left. This will help you realize when you’re spending too much time on something, and will quickly snap you back into focus when you get distracted.^{[5]
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- If one subject or type of assignment is taking much more time than the others, you may want to ask for a little extra help in that area from your teacher or parent.
- If you get distracted or go off-task, don't make excuses for yourself. (e.g. "I won't be able to focus until I do this anyway." or "I'm sure it will only take a minute or two."

Method 2

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Getting Organized

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1
Get your supplies in order. To avoid wasting time looking for things, have all your books, papers, writing utensils, and other materials readily available and easy to get to. Clean out your backpack and binder(s) weekly or monthly to stay organized.
- Consider consolidating your multiple different subject folders and notebooks into one big binder separated by tab dividers. This way, all of your schoolwork will be in one place.
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Make a homework plan for the evening. Instead of just grabbing the first book in your backpack and starting the work, plan ahead. There are several ways that you can plan out how to do your homework for the evening, including:^{[6]
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- Decide how much time you want to spend on your homework collectively.
- Make a list of all the different tasks you need to finish.
- Estimate how much time you’ll be able to spend on each task to finish your homework when you want to.
- Work straight through your list and cross tasks off as you go.^{[7]
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Waiting too long in the evening to start may result in working late into the night, which isn’t good because it’s much harder to work quickly when you’re tired. Similarly, waiting until the next morning to do your homework will probably result in a rushed or incomplete end result.^{[8]
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Prioritize by due date and importance.^{[9]
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Expert Source

Jake Adams
Academic Tutor & Test Prep Specialist

Expert Interview. 20 May 2020.} As you write assignments down in your planner throughout the week, make sure to write an “A” next to high priority tasks, a “C” next to lower priority tasks, and a “B” next to tasks that fall somewhere in between. An assignment that has to be completed by the next day would probably take priority over one that’s due next Tuesday. Also prioritize bigger assignments over smaller ones.
- A ten page essay that’s due in a week that you haven’t started should be labeled an “A” or “B” while a short five question worksheet due in three days may be labeled a “C”.
- Make sure you don't wait until the last second to get assignments done.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Staying Motivated

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^{[10]
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Expert Source

Jake Adams
Academic Tutor & Test Prep Specialist

Expert Interview. 20 May 2020.} Focusing for hours and hours without stopping will most likely just slow you down. Every 25 minutes or so, take about 5 minutes to stretch and walk around to give your brain and body a quick rest.^{[11]
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Eat snacks and drink water. Drink plenty of water and eat light, healthy, tasty snacks while you work to enjoy foods that you like, enhance your memory, and revitalize your brain and body. Stay away from soda, sugary junk food and energy drinks while you work to make sure that you won’t crash halfway through completing your homework.^{[12]
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- Try eating celery sticks and apple slices with peanut butter.
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Expert Source

Jake Adams
Academic Tutor & Test Prep Specialist

Expert Interview. 20 May 2020.} Plan to go over to a friend’s house, play your favorite video game, shoot hoops in the driveway, or go out for a sweet treat with your sibling(s) once your homework is done. Remembering that this fun activity is coming up will help you stay motivated to focus and work efficiently.

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Expert Q&A

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Question

How can I motivate myself to do my homework?

Jake Adams
Academic Tutor
Jake Adams is an academic tutor and the owner of Simplifi EDU, a Santa Monica, California based online tutoring business offering learning resources and online tutors for academic subjects K-College, SAT & ACT prep, and college admissions applications. With over 14 years of professional tutoring experience, Jake is dedicated to providing his clients the very best online tutoring experience and access to a network of excellent undergraduate and graduate-level tutors from top colleges all over the nation. Jake holds a BS in International Business and Marketing from Pepperdine University.

Jake Adams

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Expert Answer

When you're not feeling motivated, a lot of the time it's because the task ahead of you is just really daunting. It helps to build breaks and rewards into the process. Come up with a plan and remind yourself that once you finish the work you don't want to do, you'll get a 15-minute break or a nice reward. First you just have to get the task done.

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Question

How do I motivate myself to do homework?

Jake Adams
Academic Tutor
Jake Adams is an academic tutor and the owner of Simplifi EDU, a Santa Monica, California based online tutoring business offering learning resources and online tutors for academic subjects K-College, SAT & ACT prep, and college admissions applications. With over 14 years of professional tutoring experience, Jake is dedicated to providing his clients the very best online tutoring experience and access to a network of excellent undergraduate and graduate-level tutors from top colleges all over the nation. Jake holds a BS in International Business and Marketing from Pepperdine University.

Jake Adams

Academic Tutor

Expert Answer

Set homework goals for yourself, then give yourself a reward to stay motivated. For instance, once you finish 1 homework assignment, you could take a 15-minute break to do whatever you like.

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I feel too tried to do homework what can I do?

Community Answer

In the moment, you can take a quick break and go for a walk outside to get some fresh air or eat an energizing snack. To avoid having future issues with this, try to pinpoint the time of day that you're most tired and avoid doing homework at that time.

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Tips

Make sure to hand in all assignments on time.

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Try using a planner to help you remember the tasks that you need to complete.

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Wear something very comfortable while you work.

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Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

If you set a timer, it can motivate you to get your homework done more quickly. Be sure to take a 2-5 minute break in between. For example, if you're going to do an assignment that you expect to take 30 minutes, set a timer for 15 minutes. Take a 2-minute break when the timer goes off, then set your timer again for 15 minutes.
It can be good to have friends over if they help motivate you and are interested in getting their homework done quickly as well. They might be a distraction at times but it can also be easier to work when there are people around you who are working too.
If you drink something cold during your breaks it can help make you more alert so that you'll finish faster. It might also help to do it at night rather than during the day so you feel more time pressure.
Try to get your homework done as much as you can in school. You could do it during a flex or study hall. If your teacher gives you time in class to work on it, use it.

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