Hey everyone! I was wondering if anyone had any ideas about how to complete homework assignments for school quicker? What takes most students 30 minutes takes me 2 hours. Having ADD does not help, since just about anything can be a distraction. How can I stay focused and organized enough to spend less time on schoolwork at home? Thanks :icon_bigg
You can be in an environment that takes most distractions away- remove cell phone (if you have one) from your room- or if you need it for emergencies, keep the sound on and keep it across the room from you. Anything that you would normally do in your free time should not be easily accessible in your homework place. It's so easy to get distracted, and with ADD I can imagine how much harder it is- however this takes a significant amount of them away. Remind yourself why you need it done, look forward to free time. Think about what you CAN do if you didn't spend forever on work, and then get it done as fast so you can have it. Taking breaks (5-10) after a certain time period can help improve concentration- as long as you aren't always "taking breaks" while working. Don't procrastinate- that's really the hardest thing NOT to- and I'm guilty of it..just last night I put off most of my studying. But know what big assignments you have and split it based on your schedule, instead of doing it on the last day. Eating/sleeping right improves concentration.
I have ADHD and I do this thing when I have a lot of writing to do for homework where I always feel that I need to get something before I start writing. I get so much water and food and so many bathroom breaks and get a sweatshirt because I'm cold and get a jacket because I'm still cold and take the jacket off because I'm too hot but then I'm cold again before I start to write. Don't let yourself do what I do if you want anything near a healthy amount of sleep. I have learned that I just need to be tougher on myself and stop making excuses.
I don't know if this will help, but I used to read my material in Patrick Stewart's voice, as Professor X. It kept things interesting.
Hi, arkansasteen. loveislove01 has said most of what I came here to say. So read her post twice. Definitely hide the cell phone and work in a quiet room with no distractions. If you're not using your computer for work, put that in another room, too. If you're not home alone, sit down at the dining table while someone else reads a book or something -- their presence might calm you or motivate you to concentrate, because you'll be "supervised" in a way. If you don't do it yet, divide homework into "chunks" and use a reward system. Since your problem is time (and focusing), you could tell yourself that you're allowed a 10-minute break once you've finished your math homework. Then back to English -- and when you're done with English, you're allowed another break. Until then, you can't move from your chair (you can go to the bathroom^^), you can't look at Facebook, you can't look at EC. However, since you have ADD, even working on just one assignment can seem overwhelming once you get distracted. So if it doesn't work for you (you could try it for a few days or a week and see how it goes), maybe it's best to work with your ADD. Figure out how long you can focus on a good day, and work in chunks of that length, applying the same rules as above. Do you have anyone in your classes whom you could do homework with after school? Working in groups can help with productivity -- and if your problem is focusing, having someone else there to bring your attention back to the subject at hand could work.
Turn off your cell phone, your internet and go to a room without tv, computers or radio. Take a watch with you, and allow yourself to get out only every two hours, until you get it done. ... Or befriend the best students and do your homework with them at the library.