Homework doesn’t need to be a big deal every day. By concentrating on three important life skills, students can simplify their life and develop habits that will help them later in college, at work and in life. These skills are:

• Organizing
• Taking action
• Communicating

If students can master these skills early in life, they’ll be set up for success for years to come. I promise. Throughout this week, I will provide tips for you to give your children or students on how to incorporate these life skills while doing their homework.

Organizing

1. Have your own personal routine for homework. Are you the type of student who comes home from school and needs to get homework done right away so you can have the evening free? Or, do you need a rest first, some time to expend some energy, a chance to put school on hold for a while? These aren’t trick questions; there’s no “right” answer. Either is okay. Know which describes you. Your needs may be different from your sister’s, your parents’, your friends’.  Then, set up a routine that follows your preference. Have a time that’s just for homework. Stick to that time. Routines are important, and the routines that help you succeed in school are the most important routines.
   
2. Have a place for your homework. You don’t need to have your own room, just a regular place that’s yours for the time it takes to complete your homework. It could be the dining table or a workspace in the basement. It should be quiet and conducive to your work.
   
3. Have your supplies. Keep your supplies – pens, calculator, highlighters, paper, computer if necessary – in a convenient place, ready to use. Don’t waste your precious time haring around looking for stuff. If you have your own desk, organize it. Keep it as neat as possible. If you don’t have your own desk, no problem. Keep your supplies in one of those plastic organizers with a handle, so everything will be at your fingertips each evening. The last step in your homework routine is to make sure everything is ready for tomorrow. If you’re forgetful, put your backpack with your homework next to the front door, so you’ll see it (or trip over it) when you leave in the morning.
   
4. Keep a planner. A planner doesn’t have to be an expensive electronic gizmo. A simple notebook will do. The important thing is to get in the habit of writing down your assignments and their due-dates, and then working to get them done.  If you don’t write them down, you’ll forget some of them. Guaranteed. Why not make life easier?

Taking action

1. Set goals. It’s your life, take control of it. At the beginning of the school year, set goals about what you’d like to accomplish. Improve that algebra grade? Take a challenging literature course? Make the track team? Make the honor roll? Bring up that D in science to a C?  Then at the beginning of each month, review those goals to see if you’re on track. Be honest with yourself.  Take credit when you’re successful, responsibility when you’re not.
2. Pace yourself. You’ll have lots of long-range assignments as you move up the grades: book reports, term papers, science projects, even extracurricular tasks like an article for the school newspaper or a project for student council. Start early, and break up the maxi-job into mini-jobs. This will seem much less overwhelming. Plus, it’ll eliminate the awful feeling you get when you know something’s due and you haven’t even started it yet. Starting early is smart.  Putting it off is dumb. You pick.
3. Eliminate distractions. Yes, I know, you need music. You need your phone or your Blackberry. You need to have the TV on, “just for background noise.”  Baloney! Watch the best athletes and performers (Tiger Woods, Michael Phelps, and Meryl Streep come to mind), and notice how composed and unflappable they are, how they “focus” without any distractions. See how they crush others who haven’t learned this.  Multi-tasking is a myth perpetrated by evil demons. At least during homework time.