homework on bed

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The Art of Doing Homework in Bed

If you search “doing homework in bed” online, you’ll find about a million articles explaining why you shouldn’t. The internet will shower you with studies about everything from not being able to sleep at night to potential psychological problems. However, as a professional bed studier (and fantastic sleeper), I can say with complete certainty: doing homework in bed is the best way to do it! Here’s why.

It’s the comfiest place on campus.

First of all, your bed is your body’s own personal heaven. It’s the comfiest place you can find not just on campus, but anywhere. If you had the choice of sitting in a soft, plush sofa or a hard, wooden chair, why in the world would you sit in the chair? That would be just as crazy as working at a hard desk instead of your cozy bed!

You don’t have to walk up a bajillion flights of stairs just to get to a library.

Boston College has a lot of stairs. That’s a known fact. Why would you put yourself through 30 minutes of a gruesome calf workout and exposure to the freezing wind and snow just so you can study in a library? You could spend those extra 30 minutes of torture studying (or watching an episode of Friends) in your warm, cozy bed.

You can wear anything you want.

You don’t have to worry about putting a bra or pants on when you’re studying in your bed. You could literally wear anything and no one would know or care!

You can play music out loud in the background.

Some people can’t focus with music, but for those who can, working in your bed is perfect for it! You can play whatever you want without having to worry about wearing earphones, your music being too loud, or people judging you for dancing along. It will also prevent you from falling asleep!  

Moral of the story: start doing your homework in bed!

Tips for Doing Homework In Bed:

Invest in a good bedrest pillow so you have the proper back support.

My life was significantly changed for the better after getting on of these. You can find these basically anywhere, in any color, and for pretty cheap. Target has great plush ones for under $20. Some even have little pockets on the sides!

Keep the main light on! And if that isn’t enough, get another one!

Keeping the main light on will keep you focused and awake. Good lighting also reduces eye strain and mental fatigue!

Get some snacks to hold you over.

Before going back to my room to study I ALWAYS grab a snack to hold me over until I finish studying. I would recommend an apple, popcorn, or crackers!

Sit on top of your made bed. If you’re cold, put a blanket over you.

Whatever you do, DO NOT go under the covers. This is the reason lots of people will fall asleep while studying. If you make your bed and work on top of it, you’ll be just as comfy and will stay awake. If you are cold, just put a blanket over you!

Happy studying!

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Oct 1, 2016 9:00:00 AM | online class Never Do Homework In Bed: 3 Reasons Why | achs.edu

Where you decide to do homework plays a role in how much work you get done. And what’s the worst place to try to be productive? Your bed.

Some students will even map out the specific times they’re going to work each day in their planner. That’s a smart move; I’m for it.

However, have you gone so far as to plan where you’re going to get your work done?

Because most people have the mindset that it doesn’t matter where you work, it’s a non-factor.

I’m here to tell you that where you decide to do homework plays a significant role in how much work you get done, especially as an online student. And what’s the worst place to try to be productive? Your bed. 

Here are three reasons why you’d be better off studying anywhere other than your bed : 

1. Studying in bed limits focus.

Think about all the reasons why you love your bed. The comfort of warm covers, soft pillows, and putting off responsibility by pressing “Snooze” are highly persuasive on their own, but even more so when compared to focusing on your homework. 

Because your bed will tempt you to stop working and sleep, it’s best you don’t put yourself in a position to fail from the start. If you don’t change scenery, you may easily allow the comfort of your bed to suck away your focus. Trust me, I’ve been a victim of this before I wised up. 

And if your bed doesn’t make you lose focus, the other things in your room probably will. Your television, smart phone, or laundry will pull for your attention and offer an avenue to procrastinate.

When you’re looking to focus, a chair and desk is the better choice. The wisest choice is a standing desk, but not everyone has one available. Then, after you’ve done your work, you can relax in your bed feeling accomplished. 

2. Studying in bed decreases productivity.

Even if you can manage to focus in your bed, it’s not a productive place to get work done.

First, the lack of space to spread out your research for a paper or study material for an exam is a concern. You’ll waste time and valuable energy going through papers to find what you’re looking for. At a long desk, you can better assemble and organize your materials.

Second, you have no opportunity to get the productivity boost from standing when you’re laying on your bed for hours working. I’m a big supporter of standing when I work because standing sends fresh blood and oxygen to the brain, which promotes optimal brain function. [1] Your body isn’t designed to sit all day.

Before you think you need to spend hundreds of dollars for a standing desk, try putting your laptop on your dresser, propped up on books or a shelf, or get creative by putting your desk on risers (just be sure it’s safe and sturdy!). You now have a “standing desk” without breaking the bank.

3. Studying in bed hurts sleep.

I’ve already discussed how working in a place your body associates with sleep can make you lethargic and unable to focus. But on the flip side, working in your bed makes going to sleep harder. Working in your bed is double trouble! 

Because you’ve trained your body to associate your bed as a place to study or get homework done, once you lay in bed to call it a night your mind will continue to think. Studying in bed earlier in the day can actually rob you of rest.

Your body needs adequate sleep to stay healthy , retain new information, handle stress, and perform at its best each day. I wish sleep deprivation on no one. 

So, to protect your focus, productivity, and sleep, now you know not to study in your bed (or even your bedroom, if possible). Since your study space is important, making an effort to find a quiet place where you’re comfortable—but not too comfortable—can be the secret to success.

And don’t forget to try standing to get the most for your mind and body!

This article is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent disease. This article has not been reviewed by the FDA. Always consult with your primary care physician or naturopathic doctor before making any significant changes to your health and wellness routine.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a guest blogger for American College of Healthcare Sciences, the Institution that publishes this blog. However, all opinions are my own. This blog may contain affiliate links. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” 

[1] Behrens, L. (1990). An upright way to improve thinking. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved from http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-10-07/features/9003250339_1_brain-power-standing-stimulation

Written By: Brian Robben

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Working From Bed Is Actually Great

A perfect metaphor for a year of giving up and giving in.

By Taylor Lorenz

For years, sleep experts have held one piece of common wisdom above all else: that devices have no place in the bedroom.

Yet since the pandemic began in March, millions of Americans have defied that guidance and begun working precisely where they sleep. They are drafting legal documents, producing events, holding client calls, coding, emailing, studying and writing, all from under the covers.

This wasn’t always the plan. Early on, many of them invested in desks and other equipment meant to make their homes as ergonomically sound and office-like as possible.

When New York City shut down in March, Vanessa Anderson, 24, set up a small desk for herself in her living room. She was working for an agency that manages private chefs and wanted to keep some semblance of separation between work and sleep. “For a while I was really committed to not working from my bedroom at all,” she said.

In May, Ms. Anderson moved her desk into her bedroom for more light. “My bed was just sitting there, taunting me,” she said. She set ground rules for herself: She’d only get in bed after 2 p.m., but that start time shifted earlier and earlier. Come July, her bed had become her full-time office.

Ms. Anderson has since switched jobs — she works in e-commerce for a spice shop now — and only works remotely part of the week, but still from bed. Talking to others, she’s discovered how commonplace the practice is. “I’ve been on calls with people where we were both in bed,” she said. At the end of the call it’s like, ‘How’s the pandemic going? Oh, you’re in bed right now too? So am I!’”

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Homework, Sleep, and the Student Brain

At some point, every parent wishes their high school aged student would go to bed earlier as well as find time to pursue their own passions -- or maybe even choose to relax. This thought reemerged as I reread Anna Quindlen's commencement speech, A Short Guide to a Happy Life. The central message of this address, never actually stated, was: "Get a life."

But what prevents students from "getting a life," especially between September and June? One answer is homework.

Favorable Working Conditions

As a history teacher at St. Andrew's Episcopal School and director of the Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning , I want to be clear that I both give and support the idea of homework. But homework, whether good or bad, takes time and often cuts into each student's sleep, family dinner, or freedom to follow passions outside of school. For too many students, homework is too often about compliance and "not losing points" rather than about learning.

Most schools have a philosophy about homework that is challenged by each parent's experience doing homework "back in the day." Parents' common misconception is that the teachers and schools giving more homework are more challenging and therefore better teachers and schools. This is a false assumption. The amount of homework your son or daughter does each night should not be a source of pride for the quality of a school. In fact, I would suggest a different metric when evaluating your child's homework. Are you able to stay up with your son or daughter until he or she finishes those assignments? If the answer is no, then too much homework is being assigned, and you both need more of the sleep that, according to Daniel T. Willingham , is crucial to memory consolidation.

I have often joked with my students, while teaching the Progressive Movement and rise of unions between the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, that they should consider striking because of how schools violate child labor laws. If school is each student's "job," then students are working hours usually assigned to Washington, DC lawyers (combing the hours of the school day, school-sponsored activities, and homework). This would certainly be a risky strategy for changing how schools and teachers think about homework, but it certainly would gain attention. (If any of my students are reading this, don't try it!)

So how can we change things?

The Scientific Approach

In the study "What Great Homework Looks Like" from the journal Think Differently and Deeply , which connects research in how the brain learns to the instructional practice of teachers, we see moderate advantages of no more than two hours of homework for high school students. For younger students, the correlation is even smaller. Homework does teach other important, non-cognitive skills such as time management, sustained attention, and rule following, but let us not mask that as learning the content and skills that most assignments are supposed to teach.

Homework can be a powerful learning tool -- if designed and assigned correctly. I say "learning," because good homework should be an independent moment for each student or groups of students through virtual collaboration. It should be challenging and engaging enough to allow for deliberate practice of essential content and skills, but not so hard that parents are asked to recall what they learned in high school. All that usually leads to is family stress.

But even when good homework is assigned, it is the student's approach that is critical. A scientific approach to tackling their homework can actually lead to deepened learning in less time. The biggest contributor to the length of a student's homework is task switching. Too often, students jump between their work on an assignment and the lure of social media. But I have found it hard to convince students of the cost associated with such task switching. Imagine a student writing an essay for AP English class or completing math proofs for their honors geometry class. In the middle of the work, their phone announces a new text message. This is a moment of truth for the student. Should they address that text before or after they finish their assignment?

Delayed Gratification

When a student chooses to check their text, respond and then possibly take an extended dive into social media, they lose a percentage of the learning that has already happened. As a result, when they return to the AP essay or honors geometry proof, they need to retrace their learning in order to catch up to where they were. This jump, between homework and social media, is actually extending the time a student spends on an assignment. My colleagues and I coach our students to see social media as a reward for finishing an assignment. Delaying gratification is an important non-cognitive skill and one that research has shown enhances life outcomes (see the Stanford Marshmallow Test ).

At my school, the goal is to reduce the barriers for each student to meet his or her peak potential without lowering the bar. Good, purposeful homework should be part of any student's learning journey. But it takes teachers to design better homework (which can include no homework at all on some nights), parents to not see hours of homework as a measure of school quality, and students to reflect on their current homework strategies while applying new, research-backed ones. Together, we can all get more sleep -- and that, research shows, is very good for all of our brains and for each student's learning.

Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, how to do homework: 15 expert tips and tricks.

Coursework/GPA

Everyone struggles with homework sometimes, but if getting your homework done has become a chronic issue for you, then you may need a little extra help. That’s why we’ve written this article all about how to do homework. Once you’re finished reading it, you’ll know how to do homework (and have tons of new ways to motivate yourself to do homework)!

We’ve broken this article down into a few major sections. You’ll find:

• A diagnostic test to help you figure out why you’re struggling with homework
• A discussion of the four major homework problems students face, along with expert tips for addressing them
• A bonus section with tips for how to do homework fast

By the end of this article, you’ll be prepared to tackle whatever homework assignments your teachers throw at you .

So let’s get started!

How to Do Homework: Figure Out Your Struggles 

Sometimes it feels like everything is standing between you and getting your homework done. But the truth is, most people only have one or two major roadblocks that are keeping them from getting their homework done well and on time. 

The best way to figure out how to get motivated to do homework starts with pinpointing the issues that are affecting your ability to get your assignments done. That’s why we’ve developed a short quiz to help you identify the areas where you’re struggling. 

Take the quiz below and record your answers on your phone or on a scrap piece of paper. Keep in mind there are no wrong answers! 

1. You’ve just been assigned an essay in your English class that’s due at the end of the week. What’s the first thing you do?

A. Keep it in mind, even though you won’t start it until the day before it’s due  B. Open up your planner. You’ve got to figure out when you’ll write your paper since you have band practice, a speech tournament, and your little sister’s dance recital this week, too.  C. Groan out loud. Another essay? You could barely get yourself to write the last one!  D. Start thinking about your essay topic, which makes you think about your art project that’s due the same day, which reminds you that your favorite artist might have just posted to Instagram...so you better check your feed right now. 

2. Your mom asked you to pick up your room before she gets home from work. You’ve just gotten home from school. You decide you’ll tackle your chores: 

A. Five minutes before your mom walks through the front door. As long as it gets done, who cares when you start?  B. As soon as you get home from your shift at the local grocery store.  C. After you give yourself a 15-minute pep talk about how you need to get to work.  D. You won’t get it done. Between texts from your friends, trying to watch your favorite Netflix show, and playing with your dog, you just lost track of time! 

3. You’ve signed up to wash dogs at the Humane Society to help earn money for your senior class trip. You: 

A. Show up ten minutes late. You put off leaving your house until the last minute, then got stuck in unexpected traffic on the way to the shelter.  B. Have to call and cancel at the last minute. You forgot you’d already agreed to babysit your cousin and bake cupcakes for tomorrow’s bake sale.  C. Actually arrive fifteen minutes early with extra brushes and bandanas you picked up at the store. You’re passionate about animals, so you’re excited to help out! D. Show up on time, but only get three dogs washed. You couldn’t help it: you just kept getting distracted by how cute they were!

4. You have an hour of downtime, so you decide you’re going to watch an episode of The Great British Baking Show. You: 

A. Scroll through your social media feeds for twenty minutes before hitting play, which means you’re not able to finish the whole episode. Ugh! You really wanted to see who was sent home!  B. Watch fifteen minutes until you remember you’re supposed to pick up your sister from band practice before heading to your part-time job. No GBBO for you!  C. You finish one episode, then decide to watch another even though you’ve got SAT studying to do. It’s just more fun to watch people make scones.  D. Start the episode, but only catch bits and pieces of it because you’re reading Twitter, cleaning out your backpack, and eating a snack at the same time.

5. Your teacher asks you to stay after class because you’ve missed turning in two homework assignments in a row. When she asks you what’s wrong, you say: 

A. You planned to do your assignments during lunch, but you ran out of time. You decided it would be better to turn in nothing at all than submit unfinished work.  B. You really wanted to get the assignments done, but between your extracurriculars, family commitments, and your part-time job, your homework fell through the cracks.  C. You have a hard time psyching yourself to tackle the assignments. You just can’t seem to find the motivation to work on them once you get home.  D. You tried to do them, but you had a hard time focusing. By the time you realized you hadn’t gotten anything done, it was already time to turn them in. 

Like we said earlier, there are no right or wrong answers to this quiz (though your results will be better if you answered as honestly as possible). Here’s how your answers break down: 

• If your answers were mostly As, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is procrastination. 
• If your answers were mostly Bs, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is time management. 
• If your answers were mostly Cs, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is motivation. 
• If your answers were mostly Ds, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is getting distracted. 

Now that you’ve identified why you’re having a hard time getting your homework done, we can help you figure out how to fix it! Scroll down to find your core problem area to learn more about how you can start to address it. 

And one more thing: you’re really struggling with homework, it’s a good idea to read through every section below. You may find some additional tips that will help make homework less intimidating. 

How to Do Homework When You’re a Procrastinator  

Merriam Webster defines “procrastinate” as “to put off intentionally and habitually.” In other words, procrastination is when you choose to do something at the last minute on a regular basis. If you’ve ever found yourself pulling an all-nighter, trying to finish an assignment between periods, or sprinting to turn in a paper minutes before a deadline, you’ve experienced the effects of procrastination. 

If you’re a chronic procrastinator, you’re in good company. In fact, one study found that 70% to 95% of undergraduate students procrastinate when it comes to doing their homework. Unfortunately, procrastination can negatively impact your grades. Researchers have found that procrastination can lower your grade on an assignment by as much as five points ...which might not sound serious until you realize that can mean the difference between a B- and a C+. 

Procrastination can also negatively affect your health by increasing your stress levels , which can lead to other health conditions like insomnia, a weakened immune system, and even heart conditions. Getting a handle on procrastination can not only improve your grades, it can make you feel better, too! 

The big thing to understand about procrastination is that it’s not the result of laziness. Laziness is defined as being “disinclined to activity or exertion.” In other words, being lazy is all about doing nothing. But a s this Psychology Today article explains , procrastinators don’t put things off because they don’t want to work. Instead, procrastinators tend to postpone tasks they don’t want to do in favor of tasks that they perceive as either more important or more fun. Put another way, procrastinators want to do things...as long as it’s not their homework! 

3 Tips f or Conquering Procrastination 

Because putting off doing homework is a common problem, there are lots of good tactics for addressing procrastination. Keep reading for our three expert tips that will get your homework habits back on track in no time. 

#1: Create a Reward System

Like we mentioned earlier, procrastination happens when you prioritize other activities over getting your homework done. Many times, this happens because homework...well, just isn’t enjoyable. But you can add some fun back into the process by rewarding yourself for getting your work done. 

Here’s what we mean: let’s say you decide that every time you get your homework done before the day it’s due, you’ll give yourself a point. For every five points you earn, you’ll treat yourself to your favorite dessert: a chocolate cupcake! Now you have an extra (delicious!) incentive to motivate you to leave procrastination in the dust. 

If you’re not into cupcakes, don’t worry. Your reward can be anything that motivates you . Maybe it’s hanging out with your best friend or an extra ten minutes of video game time. As long as you’re choosing something that makes homework worth doing, you’ll be successful. 

#2: Have a Homework Accountability Partner 

If you’re having trouble getting yourself to start your homework ahead of time, it may be a good idea to call in reinforcements . Find a friend or classmate you can trust and explain to them that you’re trying to change your homework habits. Ask them if they’d be willing to text you to make sure you’re doing your homework and check in with you once a week to see if you’re meeting your anti-procrastination goals. 

Sharing your goals can make them feel more real, and an accountability partner can help hold you responsible for your decisions. For example, let’s say you’re tempted to put off your science lab write-up until the morning before it’s due. But you know that your accountability partner is going to text you about it tomorrow...and you don’t want to fess up that you haven’t started your assignment. A homework accountability partner can give you the extra support and incentive you need to keep your homework habits on track. 

#3: Create Your Own Due Dates 

If you’re a life-long procrastinator, you might find that changing the habit is harder than you expected. In that case, you might try using procrastination to your advantage! If you just can’t seem to stop doing your work at the last minute, try setting your own due dates for assignments that range from a day to a week before the assignment is actually due. 

Here’s what we mean. Let’s say you have a math worksheet that’s been assigned on Tuesday and is due on Friday. In your planner, you can write down the due date as Thursday instead. You may still put off your homework assignment until the last minute...but in this case, the “last minute” is a day before the assignment’s real due date . This little hack can trick your procrastination-addicted brain into planning ahead! 

If you feel like Kevin Hart in this meme, then our tips for doing homework when you're busy are for you. 

How to Do Homework When You’re too Busy

If you’re aiming to go to a top-tier college , you’re going to have a full plate. Because college admissions is getting more competitive, it’s important that you’re maintaining your grades , studying hard for your standardized tests , and participating in extracurriculars so your application stands out. A packed schedule can get even more hectic once you add family obligations or a part-time job to the mix. 

If you feel like you’re being pulled in a million directions at once, you’re not alone. Recent research has found that stress—and more severe stress-related conditions like anxiety and depression— are a major problem for high school students . In fact, one study from the American Psychological Association found that during the school year, students’ stress levels are higher than those of the adults around them. 

For students, homework is a major contributor to their overall stress levels . Many high schoolers have multiple hours of homework every night , and figuring out how to fit it into an already-packed schedule can seem impossible. 

3 Tips for Fitting Homework Into Your Busy Schedule

While it might feel like you have literally no time left in your schedule, there are still ways to make sure you’re able to get your homework done and meet your other commitments. Here are our expert homework tips for even the busiest of students. 

#1: Make a Prioritized To-Do List 

You probably already have a to-do list to keep yourself on track. The next step is to prioritize the items on your to-do list so you can see what items need your attention right away. 

Here’s how it works: at the beginning of each day, sit down and make a list of all the items you need to get done before you go to bed. This includes your homework, but it should also take into account any practices, chores, events, or job shifts you may have. Once you get everything listed out, it’s time to prioritize them using the labels A, B, and C. Here’s what those labels mean:

• A Tasks : tasks that have to get done—like showing up at work or turning in an assignment—get an A. 
• B Tasks : these are tasks that you would like to get done by the end of the day but aren’t as time sensitive. For example, studying for a test you have next week could be a B-level task. It’s still important, but it doesn’t have to be done right away.
• C Tasks: these are tasks that aren’t very important and/or have no real consequences if you don’t get them done immediately. For instance, if you’re hoping to clean out your closet but it’s not an assigned chore from your parents, you could label that to-do item with a C.

Prioritizing your to-do list helps you visualize which items need your immediate attention, and which items you can leave for later. A prioritized to-do list ensures that you’re spending your time efficiently and effectively, which helps you make room in your schedule for homework. So even though you might really want to start making decorations for Homecoming (a B task), you’ll know that finishing your reading log (an A task) is more important. 

#2: Use a Planner With Time Labels

Your planner is probably packed with notes, events, and assignments already. (And if you’re not using a planner, it’s time to start!) But planners can do more for you than just remind you when an assignment is due. If you’re using a planner with time labels, it can help you visualize how you need to spend your day.

A planner with time labels breaks your day down into chunks, and you assign tasks to each chunk of time. For example, you can make a note of your class schedule with assignments, block out time to study, and make sure you know when you need to be at practice. Once you know which tasks take priority, you can add them to any empty spaces in your day. 

Planning out how you spend your time not only helps you use it wisely, it can help you feel less overwhelmed, too . We’re big fans of planners that include a task list ( like this one ) or have room for notes ( like this one ). 

#3: Set Reminders on Your Phone 

If you need a little extra nudge to make sure you’re getting your homework done on time, it’s a good idea to set some reminders on your phone. You don’t need a fancy app, either. You can use your alarm app to have it go off at specific times throughout the day to remind you to do your homework. This works especially well if you have a set homework time scheduled. So if you’ve decided you’re doing homework at 6:00 pm, you can set an alarm to remind you to bust out your books and get to work. 

If you use your phone as your planner, you may have the option to add alerts, emails, or notifications to scheduled events . Many calendar apps, including the one that comes with your phone, have built-in reminders that you can customize to meet your needs. So if you block off time to do your homework from 4:30 to 6:00 pm, you can set a reminder that will pop up on your phone when it’s time to get started. 

This dog isn't judging your lack of motivation...but your teacher might. Keep reading for tips to help you motivate yourself to do your homework.

How to Do Homework When You’re Unmotivated 

At first glance, it may seem like procrastination and being unmotivated are the same thing. After all, both of these issues usually result in you putting off your homework until the very last minute. 

But there’s one key difference: many procrastinators are working, they’re just prioritizing work differently. They know they’re going to start their homework...they’re just going to do it later. 

Conversely, people who are unmotivated to do homework just can’t find the willpower to tackle their assignments. Procrastinators know they’ll at least attempt the homework at the last minute, whereas people who are unmotivated struggle with convincing themselves to do it at a ll. For procrastinators, the stress comes from the inevitable time crunch. For unmotivated people, the stress comes from trying to convince themselves to do something they don’t want to do in the first place. 

Here are some common reasons students are unmotivated in doing homework : 

• Assignments are too easy, too hard, or seemingly pointless 
• Students aren’t interested in (or passionate about) the subject matter
• Students are intimidated by the work and/or feels like they don’t understand the assignment 
• Homework isn’t fun, and students would rather spend their time on things that they enjoy 

To sum it up: people who lack motivation to do their homework are more likely to not do it at all, or to spend more time worrying about doing their homework than...well, actually doing it.

3 Tips for How to Get Motivated to Do Homework

The key to getting homework done when you’re unmotivated is to figure out what does motivate you, then apply those things to homework. It sounds tricky...but it’s pretty simple once you get the hang of it! Here are our three expert tips for motivating yourself to do your homework. 

#1: Use Incremental Incentives

When you’re not motivated, it’s important to give yourself small rewards to stay focused on finishing the task at hand. The trick is to keep the incentives small and to reward yourself often. For example, maybe you’re reading a good book in your free time. For every ten minutes you spend on your homework, you get to read five pages of your book. Like we mentioned earlier, make sure you’re choosing a reward that works for you! 

So why does this technique work? Using small rewards more often allows you to experience small wins for getting your work done. Every time you make it to one of your tiny reward points, you get to celebrate your success, which gives your brain a boost of dopamine . Dopamine helps you stay motivated and also creates a feeling of satisfaction when you complete your homework !  

#2: Form a Homework Group 

If you’re having trouble motivating yourself, it’s okay to turn to others for support. Creating a homework group can help with this. Bring together a group of your friends or classmates, and pick one time a week where you meet and work on homework together. You don’t have to be in the same class, or even taking the same subjects— the goal is to encourage one another to start (and finish!) your assignments. 

Another added benefit of a homework group is that you can help one another if you’re struggling to understand the material covered in your classes. This is especially helpful if your lack of motivation comes from being intimidated by your assignments. Asking your friends for help may feel less scary than talking to your teacher...and once you get a handle on the material, your homework may become less frightening, too. 

#3: Change Up Your Environment 

If you find that you’re totally unmotivated, it may help if you find a new place to do your homework. For example, if you’ve been struggling to get your homework done at home, try spending an extra hour in the library after school instead. The change of scenery can limit your distractions and give you the energy you need to get your work done. 

If you’re stuck doing homework at home, you can still use this tip. For instance, maybe you’ve always done your homework sitting on your bed. Try relocating somewhere else, like your kitchen table, for a few weeks. You may find that setting up a new “homework spot” in your house gives you a motivational lift and helps you get your work done. 

Social media can be a huge problem when it comes to doing homework. We have advice for helping you unplug and regain focus.

How to Do Homework When You’re Easily Distracted

We live in an always-on world, and there are tons of things clamoring for our attention. From friends and family to pop culture and social media, it seems like there’s always something (or someone!) distracting us from the things we need to do.

The 24/7 world we live in has affected our ability to focus on tasks for prolonged periods of time. Research has shown that over the past decade, an average person’s attention span has gone from 12 seconds to eight seconds . And when we do lose focus, i t takes people a long time to get back on task . One study found that it can take as long as 23 minutes to get back to work once we’ve been distracte d. No wonder it can take hours to get your homework done! 

3 Tips to Improve Your Focus

If you have a hard time focusing when you’re doing your homework, it’s a good idea to try and eliminate as many distractions as possible. Here are three expert tips for blocking out the noise so you can focus on getting your homework done. 

#1: Create a Distraction-Free Environment

Pick a place where you’ll do your homework every day, and make it as distraction-free as possible. Try to find a location where there won’t be tons of noise, and limit your access to screens while you’re doing your homework. Put together a focus-oriented playlist (or choose one on your favorite streaming service), and put your headphones on while you work. 

You may find that other people, like your friends and family, are your biggest distraction. If that’s the case, try setting up some homework boundaries. Let them know when you’ll be working on homework every day, and ask them if they’ll help you keep a quiet environment. They’ll be happy to lend a hand! 

#2: Limit Your Access to Technology 

We know, we know...this tip isn’t fun, but it does work. For homework that doesn’t require a computer, like handouts or worksheets, it’s best to put all your technology away . Turn off your television, put your phone and laptop in your backpack, and silence notifications on any wearable tech you may be sporting. If you listen to music while you work, that’s fine...but make sure you have a playlist set up so you’re not shuffling through songs once you get started on your homework. 

If your homework requires your laptop or tablet, it can be harder to limit your access to distractions. But it’s not impossible! T here are apps you can download that will block certain websites while you’re working so that you’re not tempted to scroll through Twitter or check your Facebook feed. Silence notifications and text messages on your computer, and don’t open your email account unless you absolutely have to. And if you don’t need access to the internet to complete your assignments, turn off your WiFi. Cutting out the online chatter is a great way to make sure you’re getting your homework done. 

#3: Set a Timer (the Pomodoro Technique)

Have you ever heard of the Pomodoro technique ? It’s a productivity hack that uses a timer to help you focus!

Here’s how it works: first, set a timer for 25 minutes. This is going to be your work time. During this 25 minutes, all you can do is work on whatever homework assignment you have in front of you. No email, no text messaging, no phone calls—just homework. When that timer goes off, you get to take a 5 minute break. Every time you go through one of these cycles, it’s called a “pomodoro.” For every four pomodoros you complete, you can take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes.

The pomodoro technique works through a combination of boundary setting and rewards. First, it gives you a finite amount of time to focus, so you know that you only have to work really hard for 25 minutes. Once you’ve done that, you’re rewarded with a short break where you can do whatever you want. Additionally, tracking how many pomodoros you complete can help you see how long you’re really working on your homework. (Once you start using our focus tips, you may find it doesn’t take as long as you thought!)

Two Bonus Tips for How to Do Homework Fast

Even if you’re doing everything right, there will be times when you just need to get your homework done as fast as possible. (Why do teachers always have projects due in the same week? The world may never know.)

The problem with speeding through homework is that it’s easy to make mistakes. While turning in an assignment is always better than not submitting anything at all, you want to make sure that you’re not compromising quality for speed. Simply put, the goal is to get your homework done quickly and still make a good grade on the assignment! 

Here are our two bonus tips for getting a decent grade on your homework assignments , even when you’re in a time crunch. 

#1: Do the Easy Parts First 

This is especially true if you’re working on a handout with multiple questions. Before you start working on the assignment, read through all the questions and problems. As you do, make a mark beside the questions you think are “easy” to answer . 

Once you’ve finished going through the whole assignment, you can answer these questions first. Getting the easy questions out of the way as quickly as possible lets you spend more time on the trickier portions of your homework, which will maximize your assignment grade. 

(Quick note: this is also a good strategy to use on timed assignments and tests, like the SAT and the ACT !) 

#2: Pay Attention in Class 

Homework gets a lot easier when you’re actively learning the material. Teachers aren’t giving you homework because they’re mean or trying to ruin your weekend... it’s because they want you to really understand the course material. Homework is designed to reinforce what you’re already learning in class so you’ll be ready to tackle harder concepts later.

When you pay attention in class, ask questions, and take good notes, you’re absorbing the information you’ll need to succeed on your homework assignments. (You’re stuck in class anyway, so you might as well make the most of it!) Not only will paying attention in class make your homework less confusing, it will also help it go much faster, too.

What’s Next?

If you’re looking to improve your productivity beyond homework, a good place to begin is with time management. After all, we only have so much time in a day...so it’s important to get the most out of it! To get you started, check out this list of the 12 best time management techniques that you can start using today.

You may have read this article because homework struggles have been affecting your GPA. Now that you’re on the path to homework success, it’s time to start being proactive about raising your grades. This article teaches you everything you need to know about raising your GPA so you can

Now you know how to get motivated to do homework...but what about your study habits? Studying is just as critical to getting good grades, and ultimately getting into a good college . We can teach you how to study bette r in high school. (We’ve also got tons of resources to help you study for your ACT and SAT exams , too!)

These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission.

Ashley Sufflé Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams.

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The Science Behind Why We Should Never Work From Bed

Head of Communications & Content @ Buffer

There is a lot of imagery that comes to mind when someone says “working from home.” A quick Google Search yields results that are anything from someone working on the floor surrounded by pets, to people holding babies during calls, to someone working in pajamas.

Source: Ray Wenderlich

A lot of these things (the pajamas and family at least) are things you can’t always do at a regular office. Sometimes the pets as well, but I know plenty of offices that are becoming dog-friendly recently.

What these images represent isn’t that working from home is like working from a comfortable zoo (although sometimes it is) it means that when people think of remote work they tend to associate it with freedom. The freedom to wear what you want to work, the freedom to spend more time with family, and the freedom to have a zoo at home if that’s your cup of tea.

In a lot of ways, I do think that remote work does allow a lot more freedom than a traditional office. But from another perspective, to work smarter and healthier, it helps to adopt a level of self-control and a set of boundaries when working remotely. This is especially important if you’re working from your own home, versus a coworking space or cafe where you might still have some work and home separation.

Working from your own home means it would be effortless to spend all day in bed (often the comfiest place in the house.) According to one study, that’s precisely what some people do. This study found that 80% of young professional admit to working from bed. Who can blame them, right?

Well, while I agree that beds are the best, working from bed is something I’ve actively avoided throughout my career. When I started working 100% remotely at Buffer, I set the rule for myself that I would never work from bed. In this post, I want to go over the three reasons why let’s dive in!

Photo by Annie Spratt

Three Reasons I Never Work From Bed

1. the bedroom isn’t as relaxing.

There is something about having separate spaces in your home. It’s nice to eat in a place where you don’t relax and sleep in an area that you don’t work. These mental associations can be complicated to maintain, though.

At one point I was living and working from a bachelor apartment. I still managed to create different spaces for eating, working, and sleeping, even though it would have been a lot easier just to work and eat from my bed.

The Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard backs up the idea that work shouldn’t happen where you sleep, too. They say , “Keeping computers, TVs, and work materials out of the room will strengthen the mental association between your bedroom and sleep.”

Meaning that if you’re working from bed, it can become more difficult to fall asleep since your brain will think you’re in a place of work.

2. Separation Between Work and Home

Unless you leave home to go to a coffee shop or coworking space, working from home can mean it’s tough to separate work from your regular life because you both relax and work in the same place. It’s easy to start mixing the two, but it’s best not to.

According to the Harvard Business Review’s Guide to Being more Productive, they mention : “Unless you are careful to maintain boundaries, you may start to feel like you’re always at work and losing a place to come home to.”

Being “always at work” doesn’t sound like anyone’s idea of a balanced lifestyle. This is another reason to stay out of bed while working, but also have a space dedicated to work and another dedicated to relaxing.

3. Quality of Sleep will Decrease

If I’m working from bed, it would mean bringing a laptop, or sometimes my cell phone, into bed, and I’m sure the same is true for many others. This can be bad for a person’s quality of sleep, though.

Working right before going to sleep, and looking at a bright screen, reduces the melatonin you need to fall asleep. This means it will be more challenging to get a better quality of sleep, which will affect your productivity the next day. Not only does this not sound relaxing at all, but it seems like something that affects both your work and your relaxation, a lose-lose situation.

Photo by Lauren Mancke

What To Do Instead of Work From Bed

Just like there are plenty of reasons not to work from bed, there are also plenty of things we can all do to avoid working from bed, get a better night’s sleep, feel comfortable in our own homes, and be more productive the next day. Here are the main two:

• Keep your devices far away from your bed

Creating that space for your bed and bedroom to be primarily for sleep goes a long way. This means not bringing devices into bed so that you can’t work there. Not only will this help you sleep better, but it’ll also help create that divide between home and work, so it doesn’t feel like you’re always working.

• Create a separate space for work

Since work shouldn’t happen in bed, it should have its own space. A space for work might be a specific table or an area of your home. If that’s tough for you, maybe you can check out a local coffee shop or coworking space to try and create that divide.

More Remote Work Tips

This post was put together in association with Trello’s Guide: How To Embrace Remote Work . Give it a read if you can’t get enough remote work strategies like this one.

Over To You

Getting a good night’s sleep means being more productive and alert the next day, which helps us all do our best work. Plus, for people who want to work remotely from home long term, it’s essential to maintain that physical and mental break between work and rest.

I’d love to hear your take on this! Have you ever worked from bed? Which space do you most enjoy working from in your home?

Cover photo by Mia Baker

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Getting Better Sleep While Working Remotely

Danielle Pacheco

Staff Writer

Danielle is originally from Vancouver, BC, where she has spent many hours staring at her ceiling trying to fall asleep. Danielle studied the science of sleep with a degree in psychology at the University of British Columbia

Want to read more about all our experts in the field?

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Table of Contents

Balancing Remote Work and Personal Life

Creating your home office, tips for better sleep when working from your bedroom.

Remote work has been gaining in popularity for several decades, but the COVID-19 pandemic spurred an even more rapid transition to remote work, when an additional 35% of the population shifted from commuting to working remotely.

Working from home might be here to stay. A survey conducted by Pew Research Center in October 2020 found that among people with a job that could be done from home, more than 50% Trusted Source Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes, and trends shaping the world. View Source said they would like to continue teleworking once the pandemic ends. However, teleworking also challenges the boundary between work and personal life, and bringing work into the bedroom may have serious effects on sleep.

Remote work offers many benefits, including greater flexibility with work hours and less time and money spent commuting – but the transition to a healthy work-life balance may not happen overnight. With some adjustments, you may find you can capitalize on the benefits of both the office and the home while working remotely. Some tips include:

• Find a Replacement for Your Commute : Adopt some strategies to teach your brain when you are working and when you’re relaxing. For example, at the start of the workday, you might make your bed, take a shower, and change into work clothes. At the end of the workday, it may help to put away your computer and work materials.
• Make a Schedule : To avoid letting work take over, set clear guidelines and schedule time into your day for exercise, proper meals, and personal time.
• Keep a Regular Bedtime : If you don’t like the nine-to-five time frame, remote work might present an opportunity to adopt a schedule that feels more natural to you. Just keep in mind that you’ll sleep better if you go to sleep and wake up around the same time every day Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source .
• Set Work Hours : Explain to your family that you may not be available at certain times because you need to work. Similarly, set limits with coworkers about not encroaching on family time, and try your best not to check emails after work hours.
• Take Breaks : Similar to when you’re working in the office, take the occasional mini-break to make a cup of tea, chat with your family, or take a short walk. These breaks can help you stay active and give your eyes a rest from the computer screen.
• Stay Healthy : Eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly are beneficial for your sleep and productivity.
• Practice Self-Care : If you’re feeling lonely or stressed, reach out to your support network and use mindfulness or other relaxation techniques to stay grounded.

If you’re struggling to adapt to remote work, you may find it helps to designate a clear physical distinction between your workspace and your personal space.

When creating a space to work from home, there are several considerations to take into account:

• Pick a Calm Place : Ideally, you’ll have a workspace that’s comfortable and separated from the rest of the house. If you share a space with other people, consider designating your work area with a curtain or a room divider.
• Factor in Ergonomics : Adjust your chair, desk, and computer monitor to a comfortable height. Consider investing in a keyboard, mouse, and laptop stand to reduce neck strain from looking at your laptop.
• Seek Quiet : Minimize distractions by turning off the television, phone notifications, and other sounds. If you’re bothered by noise from other members of the household, you might concentrate better with headphones or earplugs.
• Keep the Workspace Neat : Reduce stress by clearing clutter and keeping a clean, organized desk.
• Take Advantage of Natural Light : Having a properly lit workplace can help reduce eye strain and keep you alert. If you have access to a window and sunshine, natural light Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source can boost your mood during the day and help you sleep at night.

Using your bedroom as your office is not generally recommended when working from home. Working in the bedroom establishes unhealthy associations between your bed and work Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source , making it difficult to mentally disconnect when you’re trying to fall asleep. Additionally, the bed isn’t exactly an ergonomic workspace.

However, if you live in a studio apartment or a shared household, you may have to work in your bedroom.

If your bedroom is the only place available for remote work, follow these tips to minimize the impact on your sleep:

• Don’t Work in Bed : The more time you spend in bed awake, the harder it can be for your brain to shut off at night. If you’re short on space, consider reappropriating a shelf from your closet to make a standing desk. Rearranging your bedroom furniture into a work space and a home space may also help you draw a line between the two.
• Take Breaks in Another Room : Treat yourself to a change of scenery by taking your breaks in another room or going for a walk.
• Turn Off Screens One Hour Before Bedtime: Electronic devices with backlit screens give off blue light Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source that interferes with sleep, which is why sleep experts recommend keeping technology out of the bedroom . If you must bring work into the bedroom, try to stop working at least one hour before bed and switch to a non-screen activity, such as reading a book or listening to music.
• Follow a Bedtime Routine : Wind down with a simple bedtime routine, which could include brushing your teeth, changing into pajamas, and relaxing with a book or music.
• Practice Healthy Sleep Hygiene : When your bedroom doubles as your office, it’s especially important to optimize your bedroom for sleep at night. Take steps to create a bedroom environment that is calming and comfortable. This may include lowering the thermostat and minimizing any noise or distractions.

Sleep and working from home don’t have to be incompatible. By implementing some creative work-from-home office ideas, you can maintain healthy sleep hygiene and set yourself up to be more productive.

About Our Editorial Team

Danielle Pacheco, Staff Writer

References 6 sources.

Brynjolfsson, E., Horton, J. J., Ozimek, A., Rock, D., Sharma, G., & TuYe, H.-Y. (2020, June 15). COVID-19 and Remote Work: An Early Look at US Data. National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).

Parker, K., Horowitz, J. M., & Minkin, R. (2021). How the Coronavirus Outbreak Has – and Hasn’t – Changed the Way Americans Work. Pew Research Center’s Social & Demographic Trends Project.

Kaur, H., Spurling, B. C., & Bollu, P. C. (2020). Chronic Insomnia. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing.

Harb, F., Hidalgo, M. P., & Martau, B. (2015). Lack of exposure to natural light in the workspace is associated with physiological, sleep and depressive symptoms. Chronobiology International, 32(3), 368–375.

Altena, E., Baglioni, C., Espie, C. A., Ellis, J., Gavriloff, D., Holzinger, B., Schlarb, A., Frase, L., Jernelöv, S., & Riemann, D. (2020). Dealing with sleep problems during home confinement due to the COVID-19 outbreak: Practical recommendations from a task force of the European CBT-I Academy. Journal of Sleep Research, 29(4), e13052.

Bonmati-Carrion, M. A., Arguelles-Prieto, R., Martinez-Madrid, M. J., Reiter, R., Hardeland, R., Rol, M. A., & Madrid, J. A. (2014). Protecting the melatonin rhythm through circadian healthy light exposure. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 15(12), 23448–23500.

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Don’t Study in Bed

November 8, 2017 by Carolina Pinto

Graphic by Nate Barton

It’s very important that students find a good place where they can study and be productive. Some people like the library, others like their rooms. However, research has found that studying in bed can be unhealthy.

Some of the reasons why studying or getting work done in bed could be disadvantageous for college students include: focus limitation, decreased productivity and sleep issues, according to Brian Robben’s article “ Never Do Homework In Bed: 3 Reasons Why, ” published Oct. 1, 2016 by American College of Healthcare Sciences.

Working or doing homework in bed will reduce one’s focus because most people tend to associate their beds with comfort and sleep. Doing such activities in bed can lead to a deviation of the brain to become more lazy and possibly fall asleep. “The comfort of warm covers, soft pillows, and putting off responsibility by pressing ‘Snooze’ are highly persuasive on their own, but even more so when compared to focusing on your homework,” according to Robben’s article.

Avoiding studying in bed could lead to a better and more profound sleep. “Keeping computers, TVs, and work materials out of the room will strengthen the mental association between your bedroom and sleep,” according to the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School’s article “ Twelve Simple Tips to Improve Your Sleep, ” published Dec. 18, 2007.

Studying in bed can be detrimental to one’s productivity, because it is not efficient to have paperwork and books on a surface that is not flat and solid. Furthermore, studying in bed does not allow the proper blood flow to the brain, which “sends fresh blood and oxygen to the brain, [promoting] optimal brain function,” according to Robben’s article.

Sitting in bed to do schoolwork can be very harmful to one’s health, especially posture. “Slouching can be bad for your back, due to lack of lumbar support. A neck bent too sharply can also negatively affect your posture and cause pain,” according to Hilary Lebow’s article “ 5 Reasons To Get Your Desk Out Of Your Bedroom, ” published Aug. 5, 2016, by Alternative Daily.

For more focus, productivity and sleep, it is crucial that college students are aware of the disadvantages of studying in bed. Instead, students should find a desk, go to the library, or a classroom. This will allow students to sit up straight and have their thoughts organized, as they are not in the comfort of their beds.

_________________

Follow Carolina Pinto on Twitter: @caroli_mmp

If You Absolutely Must Work From Your Bed, Posture Pros Say This Is a Must-Read

While any chiropractor, physical therapist, or posture specialist will tell you that working from bed is  not a good idea (in fact, they rank it as one of the worst possible places you can park yourself for hours on end), it's pretty hard to resist the allure of spending your day lounging on top of a plush pillow top. Plus, for anyone without a dedicated workspace, it may be the only option.

• Kelli Pearson, DC , Spokane, WA-based chiropractic physician and author of Eight Minutes to Ageless
• Tami Bulmash , Tami Bulmash is a posture pro who specializes in the Alexander Technique, a process that helps to retrain habitual patterns of movement and posture.

Before you take your next Zoom meeting snuggled up with your duvet, there are a few things pros want you to know about why you should maybe think twice about doing it.  “When you're working from the bed, it doesn't offer the same kind of support that a harder surface, like a wooden chair, would offer, so you sink into it,” says  Tami Bulmash , a posture pro. “The further you sink into the softer surface, the less feedback you have about how you're managing your body.” This feedback, she explains, gives you the tools you need to understand what your spine is doing, so you can tell when you start to slouch, tense up, or curve forward. Because of this, you’re more likely to feel aches and pains from spending time sitting on a mattress—meaning that the comfort it offers in the short term tends to be misleading.

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But if you, like me, are strictly #teambed (despite what literally every expert says), there are a few things you can do to make your go-to workspace slightly kinder on your body.

1. Firm up your mattress

When it comes to working from a mattress, the general rule is “the firmer, the better,” since softer surfaces offer less support. If you don’t want to swap out your pillow top for something more solid, Bulmash suggests putting a piece of plywood on top (which is uncomfortable, but effective). “If you can create a flatter, harder surface, then that would at least be giving your body more feedback and more support,” she explains.

2. Adjust your sitting position

While leaning up against your throw pillows may be comfortable, it's certainly not the best position for your body in the longterm. "If you can sit criss-cross applesauce, place a small pillow below your low back and snuggle up against the backboard," says Kelli Pearson, DC, a chiropractic physician. "When we sit, we should be able to keep a mild forward curve in the lowest part of the lumbar spine, and when we sit with our legs straight out in front of us in bed, that healthy curve is completely removed, putting the discs at great risk for being irritated."

Crossing your legs and giving your back some support will help mitigate the problem. If that's not an option, you can keep your legs straight, but place a small pillow under your knees to take some of the slack out of your hamstrings. You can also try lying on your stomach with your laptop out in front of you, which can offer your spine some relief.

3. Pile on the pillows

In addition to firming up what's  under your body (by way of your mattress), you'll also want to give yourself enough back support. Be sure to place some steady pillows—or even a partner-style pillow —behind your back so that you have something solid to lean on.

4. Get up and move around

It’s never a good idea to stay seated for hours on end, and if you’re working from your bed it’s extra important to get up and move around every 30 minutes. Aside from taking a walk around the block (or at the very least, the house), Bulmash also recommends spending 15 to 20 minutes a day lying flat on the floor with a book under your head to allow your spine to reset, and counteract some of the negative effects your bed working has had on your posture. You can also break to sit on a stool or coffee table (or any other surface that doesn’t have back support) to work your core strength.

5. Invest in a bed desk

The worst possible way to sit, according to Bulmash, is with your body in a C-shape rounded over your laptop. To combat this, try bringing a bed desk— like this one, which you can get on Amazon —into the mix, which will allow you to raise your computer to eye level and cross your legs underneath it so that your back is straight.

Need a little extra stretch after all those hours in bed? Follow along with the video below. 

Oh hi! You look like someone who loves free workouts, discounts for cult-fave  wellness  brands, and exclusive  Well +Good content.  Sign up for  Well+ , our online community of  wellness  insiders, and unlock your rewards instantly.

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Does Homework Really Help Students Learn?

A conversation with a Wheelock researcher, a BU student, and a fourth-grade teacher

“Quality homework is engaging and relevant to kids’ lives,” says Wheelock’s Janine Bempechat. “It gives them autonomy and engages them in the community and with their families. In some subjects, like math, worksheets can be very helpful. It has to do with the value of practicing over and over.” Photo by iStock/Glenn Cook Photography

Do your homework.

If only it were that simple.

Educators have debated the merits of homework since the late 19th century. In recent years, amid concerns of some parents and teachers that children are being stressed out by too much homework, things have only gotten more fraught.

“Homework is complicated,” says developmental psychologist Janine Bempechat, a Wheelock College of Education & Human Development clinical professor. The author of the essay “ The Case for (Quality) Homework—Why It Improves Learning and How Parents Can Help ” in the winter 2019 issue of Education Next , Bempechat has studied how the debate about homework is influencing teacher preparation, parent and student beliefs about learning, and school policies.

She worries especially about socioeconomically disadvantaged students from low-performing schools who, according to research by Bempechat and others, get little or no homework.

BU Today  sat down with Bempechat and Erin Bruce (Wheelock’17,’18), a new fourth-grade teacher at a suburban Boston school, and future teacher freshman Emma Ardizzone (Wheelock) to talk about what quality homework looks like, how it can help children learn, and how schools can equip teachers to design it, evaluate it, and facilitate parents’ role in it.

BU Today: Parents and educators who are against homework in elementary school say there is no research definitively linking it to academic performance for kids in the early grades. You’ve said that they’re missing the point.

Bempechat : I think teachers assign homework in elementary school as a way to help kids develop skills they’ll need when they’re older—to begin to instill a sense of responsibility and to learn planning and organizational skills. That’s what I think is the greatest value of homework—in cultivating beliefs about learning and skills associated with academic success. If we greatly reduce or eliminate homework in elementary school, we deprive kids and parents of opportunities to instill these important learning habits and skills.

We do know that beginning in late middle school, and continuing through high school, there is a strong and positive correlation between homework completion and academic success.

That’s what I think is the greatest value of homework—in cultivating beliefs about learning and skills associated with academic success.

You talk about the importance of quality homework. What is that?

Quality homework is engaging and relevant to kids’ lives. It gives them autonomy and engages them in the community and with their families. In some subjects, like math, worksheets can be very helpful. It has to do with the value of practicing over and over.

What are your concerns about homework and low-income children?

The argument that some people make—that homework “punishes the poor” because lower-income parents may not be as well-equipped as affluent parents to help their children with homework—is very troubling to me. There are no parents who don’t care about their children’s learning. Parents don’t actually have to help with homework completion in order for kids to do well. They can help in other ways—by helping children organize a study space, providing snacks, being there as a support, helping children work in groups with siblings or friends.

Isn’t the discussion about getting rid of homework happening mostly in affluent communities?

Yes, and the stories we hear of kids being stressed out from too much homework—four or five hours of homework a night—are real. That’s problematic for physical and mental health and overall well-being. But the research shows that higher-income students get a lot more homework than lower-income kids.

Teachers may not have as high expectations for lower-income children. Schools should bear responsibility for providing supports for kids to be able to get their homework done—after-school clubs, community support, peer group support. It does kids a disservice when our expectations are lower for them.

The conversation around homework is to some extent a social class and social justice issue. If we eliminate homework for all children because affluent children have too much, we’re really doing a disservice to low-income children. They need the challenge, and every student can rise to the challenge with enough supports in place.

What did you learn by studying how education schools are preparing future teachers to handle homework?

My colleague, Margarita Jimenez-Silva, at the University of California, Davis, School of Education, and I interviewed faculty members at education schools, as well as supervising teachers, to find out how students are being prepared. And it seemed that they weren’t. There didn’t seem to be any readings on the research, or conversations on what high-quality homework is and how to design it.

Erin, what kind of training did you get in handling homework?

Bruce : I had phenomenal professors at Wheelock, but homework just didn’t come up. I did lots of student teaching. I’ve been in classrooms where the teachers didn’t assign any homework, and I’ve been in rooms where they assigned hours of homework a night. But I never even considered homework as something that was my decision. I just thought it was something I’d pull out of a book and it’d be done.

I started giving homework on the first night of school this year. My first assignment was to go home and draw a picture of the room where you do your homework. I want to know if it’s at a table and if there are chairs around it and if mom’s cooking dinner while you’re doing homework.

The second night I asked them to talk to a grown-up about how are you going to be able to get your homework done during the week. The kids really enjoyed it. There’s a running joke that I’m teaching life skills.

Friday nights, I read all my kids’ responses to me on their homework from the week and it’s wonderful. They pour their hearts out. It’s like we’re having a conversation on my couch Friday night.

It matters to know that the teacher cares about you and that what you think matters to the teacher. Homework is a vehicle to connect home and school…for parents to know teachers are welcoming to them and their families.

Bempechat : I can’t imagine that most new teachers would have the intuition Erin had in designing homework the way she did.

Ardizzone : Conversations with kids about homework, feeling you’re being listened to—that’s such a big part of wanting to do homework….I grew up in Westchester County. It was a pretty demanding school district. My junior year English teacher—I loved her—she would give us feedback, have meetings with all of us. She’d say, “If you have any questions, if you have anything you want to talk about, you can talk to me, here are my office hours.” It felt like she actually cared.

Bempechat : It matters to know that the teacher cares about you and that what you think matters to the teacher. Homework is a vehicle to connect home and school…for parents to know teachers are welcoming to them and their families.

Ardizzone : But can’t it lead to parents being overbearing and too involved in their children’s lives as students?

Bempechat : There’s good help and there’s bad help. The bad help is what you’re describing—when parents hover inappropriately, when they micromanage, when they see their children confused and struggling and tell them what to do.

Good help is when parents recognize there’s a struggle going on and instead ask informative questions: “Where do you think you went wrong?” They give hints, or pointers, rather than saying, “You missed this,” or “You didn’t read that.”

Bruce : I hope something comes of this. I hope BU or Wheelock can think of some way to make this a more pressing issue. As a first-year teacher, it was not something I even thought about on the first day of school—until a kid raised his hand and said, “Do we have homework?” It would have been wonderful if I’d had a plan from day one.

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Senior Contributing Editor

Sara Rimer A journalist for more than three decades, Sara Rimer worked at the Miami Herald , Washington Post and, for 26 years, the New York Times , where she was the New England bureau chief, and a national reporter covering education, aging, immigration, and other social justice issues. Her stories on the death penalty’s inequities were nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and cited in the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision outlawing the execution of people with intellectual disabilities. Her journalism honors include Columbia University’s Meyer Berger award for in-depth human interest reporting. She holds a BA degree in American Studies from the University of Michigan. Profile

She can be reached at [email protected] .

Comments & Discussion

Boston University moderates comments to facilitate an informed, substantive, civil conversation. Abusive, profane, self-promotional, misleading, incoherent or off-topic comments will be rejected. Moderators are staffed during regular business hours (EST) and can only accept comments written in English. Statistics or facts must include a citation or a link to the citation.

There are 81 comments on Does Homework Really Help Students Learn?

Insightful! The values about homework in elementary schools are well aligned with my intuition as a parent.

when i finish my work i do my homework and i sometimes forget what to do because i did not get enough sleep

same omg it does not help me it is stressful and if I have it in more than one class I hate it.

Same I think my parent wants to help me but, she doesn’t care if I get bad grades so I just try my best and my grades are great.

I think that last question about Good help from parents is not know to all parents, we do as our parents did or how we best think it can be done, so maybe coaching parents or giving them resources on how to help with homework would be very beneficial for the parent on how to help and for the teacher to have consistency and improve homework results, and of course for the child. I do see how homework helps reaffirm the knowledge obtained in the classroom, I also have the ability to see progress and it is a time I share with my kids

The answer to the headline question is a no-brainer – a more pressing problem is why there is a difference in how students from different cultures succeed. Perfect example is the student population at BU – why is there a majority population of Asian students and only about 3% black students at BU? In fact at some universities there are law suits by Asians to stop discrimination and quotas against admitting Asian students because the real truth is that as a group they are demonstrating better qualifications for admittance, while at the same time there are quotas and reduced requirements for black students to boost their portion of the student population because as a group they do more poorly in meeting admissions standards – and it is not about the Benjamins. The real problem is that in our PC society no one has the gazuntas to explore this issue as it may reveal that all people are not created equal after all. Or is it just environmental cultural differences??????

I get you have a concern about the issue but that is not even what the point of this article is about. If you have an issue please take this to the site we have and only post your opinion about the actual topic

This is not at all what the article is talking about.

This literally has nothing to do with the article brought up. You should really take your opinions somewhere else before you speak about something that doesn’t make sense.

we have the same name

so they have the same name what of it?

lol you tell her

totally agree

What does that have to do with homework, that is not what the article talks about AT ALL.

Yes, I think homework plays an important role in the development of student life. Through homework, students have to face challenges on a daily basis and they try to solve them quickly.I am an intense online tutor at 24x7homeworkhelp and I give homework to my students at that level in which they handle it easily.

More than two-thirds of students said they used alcohol and drugs, primarily marijuana, to cope with stress.

You know what’s funny? I got this assignment to write an argument for homework about homework and this article was really helpful and understandable, and I also agree with this article’s point of view.

I also got the same task as you! I was looking for some good resources and I found this! I really found this article useful and easy to understand, just like you! ^^

i think that homework is the best thing that a child can have on the school because it help them with their thinking and memory.

I am a child myself and i think homework is a terrific pass time because i can’t play video games during the week. It also helps me set goals.

Homework is not harmful ,but it will if there is too much

I feel like, from a minors point of view that we shouldn’t get homework. Not only is the homework stressful, but it takes us away from relaxing and being social. For example, me and my friends was supposed to hang at the mall last week but we had to postpone it since we all had some sort of work to do. Our minds shouldn’t be focused on finishing an assignment that in realty, doesn’t matter. I completely understand that we should have homework. I have to write a paper on the unimportance of homework so thanks.

homework isn’t that bad

Are you a student? if not then i don’t really think you know how much and how severe todays homework really is

i am a student and i do not enjoy homework because i practice my sport 4 out of the five days we have school for 4 hours and that’s not even counting the commute time or the fact i still have to shower and eat dinner when i get home. its draining!

i totally agree with you. these people are such boomers

why just why

they do make a really good point, i think that there should be a limit though. hours and hours of homework can be really stressful, and the extra work isn’t making a difference to our learning, but i do believe homework should be optional and extra credit. that would make it for students to not have the leaning stress of a assignment and if you have a low grade you you can catch up.

Studies show that homework improves student achievement in terms of improved grades, test results, and the likelihood to attend college. Research published in the High School Journal indicates that students who spent between 31 and 90 minutes each day on homework “scored about 40 points higher on the SAT-Mathematics subtest than their peers, who reported spending no time on homework each day, on average.” On both standardized tests and grades, students in classes that were assigned homework outperformed 69% of students who didn’t have homework. A majority of studies on homework’s impact – 64% in one meta-study and 72% in another – showed that take home assignments were effective at improving academic achievement. Research by the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) concluded that increased homework led to better GPAs and higher probability of college attendance for high school boys. In fact, boys who attended college did more than three hours of additional homework per week in high school.

So how are your measuring student achievement? That’s the real question. The argument that doing homework is simply a tool for teaching responsibility isn’t enough for me. We can teach responsibility in a number of ways. Also the poor argument that parents don’t need to help with homework, and that students can do it on their own, is wishful thinking at best. It completely ignores neurodiverse students. Students in poverty aren’t magically going to find a space to do homework, a friend’s or siblings to help them do it, and snacks to eat. I feel like the author of this piece has never set foot in a classroom of students.

THIS. This article is pathetic coming from a university. So intellectually dishonest, refusing to address the havoc of capitalism and poverty plays on academic success in life. How can they in one sentence use poor kids in an argument and never once address that poor children have access to damn near 0 of the resources affluent kids have? Draw me a picture and let’s talk about feelings lmao what a joke is that gonna put food in their belly so they can have the calories to burn in order to use their brain to study? What about quiet their 7 other siblings that they share a single bedroom with for hours? Is it gonna force the single mom to magically be at home and at work at the same time to cook food while you study and be there to throw an encouraging word?

Also the “parents don’t need to be a parent and be able to guide their kid at all academically they just need to exist in the next room” is wild. Its one thing if a parent straight up is not equipped but to say kids can just figured it out is…. wow coming from an educator What’s next the teacher doesn’t need to teach cause the kid can just follow the packet and figure it out?

Well then get a tutor right? Oh wait you are poor only affluent kids can afford a tutor for their hours of homework a day were they on average have none of the worries a poor child does. Does this address that poor children are more likely to also suffer abuse and mental illness? Like mentioned what about kids that can’t learn or comprehend the forced standardized way? Just let em fail? These children regularly are not in “special education”(some of those are a joke in their own and full of neglect and abuse) programs cause most aren’t even acknowledged as having disabilities or disorders.

But yes all and all those pesky poor kids just aren’t being worked hard enough lol pretty sure poor children’s existence just in childhood is more work, stress, and responsibility alone than an affluent child’s entire life cycle. Love they never once talked about the quality of education in the classroom being so bad between the poor and affluent it can qualify as segregation, just basically blamed poor people for being lazy, good job capitalism for failing us once again!

why the hell?

you should feel bad for saying this, this article can be helpful for people who has to write a essay about it

This is more of a political rant than it is about homework

I know a teacher who has told his students their homework is to find something they are interested in, pursue it and then come share what they learn. The student responses are quite compelling. One girl taught herself German so she could talk to her grandfather. One boy did a research project on Nelson Mandela because the teacher had mentioned him in class. Another boy, a both on the autism spectrum, fixed his family’s computer. The list goes on. This is fourth grade. I think students are highly motivated to learn, when we step aside and encourage them.

The whole point of homework is to give the students a chance to use the material that they have been presented with in class. If they never have the opportunity to use that information, and discover that it is actually useful, it will be in one ear and out the other. As a science teacher, it is critical that the students are challenged to use the material they have been presented with, which gives them the opportunity to actually think about it rather than regurgitate “facts”. Well designed homework forces the student to think conceptually, as opposed to regurgitation, which is never a pretty sight

Wonderful discussion. and yes, homework helps in learning and building skills in students.

not true it just causes kids to stress

Homework can be both beneficial and unuseful, if you will. There are students who are gifted in all subjects in school and ones with disabilities. Why should the students who are gifted get the lucky break, whereas the people who have disabilities suffer? The people who were born with this “gift” go through school with ease whereas people with disabilities struggle with the work given to them. I speak from experience because I am one of those students: the ones with disabilities. Homework doesn’t benefit “us”, it only tears us down and put us in an abyss of confusion and stress and hopelessness because we can’t learn as fast as others. Or we can’t handle the amount of work given whereas the gifted students go through it with ease. It just brings us down and makes us feel lost; because no mater what, it feels like we are destined to fail. It feels like we weren’t “cut out” for success.

homework does help

here is the thing though, if a child is shoved in the face with a whole ton of homework that isn’t really even considered homework it is assignments, it’s not helpful. the teacher should make homework more of a fun learning experience rather than something that is dreaded

This article was wonderful, I am going to ask my teachers about extra, or at all giving homework.

I agree. Especially when you have homework before an exam. Which is distasteful as you’ll need that time to study. It doesn’t make any sense, nor does us doing homework really matters as It’s just facts thrown at us.

Homework is too severe and is just too much for students, schools need to decrease the amount of homework. When teachers assign homework they forget that the students have other classes that give them the same amount of homework each day. Students need to work on social skills and life skills.

I disagree.

Beyond achievement, proponents of homework argue that it can have many other beneficial effects. They claim it can help students develop good study habits so they are ready to grow as their cognitive capacities mature. It can help students recognize that learning can occur at home as well as at school. Homework can foster independent learning and responsible character traits. And it can give parents an opportunity to see what’s going on at school and let them express positive attitudes toward achievement.

Homework is helpful because homework helps us by teaching us how to learn a specific topic.

As a student myself, I can say that I have almost never gotten the full 9 hours of recommended sleep time, because of homework. (Now I’m writing an essay on it in the middle of the night D=)

I am a 10 year old kid doing a report about “Is homework good or bad” for homework before i was going to do homework is bad but the sources from this site changed my mind!

Homeowkr is god for stusenrs

I agree with hunter because homework can be so stressful especially with this whole covid thing no one has time for homework and every one just wants to get back to there normal lives it is especially stressful when you go on a 2 week vaca 3 weeks into the new school year and and then less then a week after you come back from the vaca you are out for over a month because of covid and you have no way to get the assignment done and turned in

As great as homework is said to be in the is article, I feel like the viewpoint of the students was left out. Every where I go on the internet researching about this topic it almost always has interviews from teachers, professors, and the like. However isn’t that a little biased? Of course teachers are going to be for homework, they’re not the ones that have to stay up past midnight completing the homework from not just one class, but all of them. I just feel like this site is one-sided and you should include what the students of today think of spending four hours every night completing 6-8 classes worth of work.

Are we talking about homework or practice? Those are two very different things and can result in different outcomes.

Homework is a graded assignment. I do not know of research showing the benefits of graded assignments going home.

Practice; however, can be extremely beneficial, especially if there is some sort of feedback (not a grade but feedback). That feedback can come from the teacher, another student or even an automated grading program.

As a former band director, I assigned daily practice. I never once thought it would be appropriate for me to require the students to turn in a recording of their practice for me to grade. Instead, I had in-class assignments/assessments that were graded and directly related to the practice assigned.

I would really like to read articles on “homework” that truly distinguish between the two.

oof i feel bad good luck!

thank you guys for the artical because I have to finish an assingment. yes i did cite it but just thanks

thx for the article guys.

Homework is good

I think homework is helpful AND harmful. Sometimes u can’t get sleep bc of homework but it helps u practice for school too so idk.

I agree with this Article. And does anyone know when this was published. I would like to know.

It was published FEb 19, 2019.

Studies have shown that homework improved student achievement in terms of improved grades, test results, and the likelihood to attend college.

i think homework can help kids but at the same time not help kids

This article is so out of touch with majority of homes it would be laughable if it wasn’t so incredibly sad.

There is no value to homework all it does is add stress to already stressed homes. Parents or adults magically having the time or energy to shepherd kids through homework is dome sort of 1950’s fantasy.

What lala land do these teachers live in?

Homework gives noting to the kid

Homework is Bad

homework is bad.

why do kids even have homework?

Comments are closed.

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Managing Homework and Bedtime Routine: Striking a Balance for School-Aged Children

Managing homework and bedtime routines: striking a balance for school-aged children.

As the school year gets underway, balancing children’s homework and bedtime routine  can feel like a tightrope walk for parents. And the struggle is real—on one hand, it’s important for children to get enough sleep to support their cognitive development, memory consolidation, and learning. On the other hand, there’s a lot of homework to be done!

We’re here to guide you through the challenges of balancing homework and bedtime, so your young scholars can thrive in the classroom and under the covers.

The Importance of Sleep for School-Aged Children

Remember when naptime felt like a punishment? Turns out, sleep is the superhero of cognitive development . While our kids snooze, their brains are busy building memory bridges and sharpening their problem-solving skills. Adequate, quality sleep is the secret ingredient to their attention span, emotional resilience, and yes, even those pop quizzes.

Understanding the Challenges of Homework and Sleep

There are several challenges that can make it difficult for children to get enough sleep . First, there’s the nightly battle of sitting down to tackle homework. And then, the dreaded dilemma of: stay up to finish this assignment or prioritize sleep and go to bed? It’s a conundrum every parent faces.

Too Much Homework

Many school-aged children come home with a stack of homework that feels like more than they can complete in one night, which commonly leads to late nights and possibly sleep deprivation.

Screen Time

From TVs to smartphones, computers to tablets, many children spend hours each day using electronic devices. This screen time can stimulate the brain, interfering with their sleep and making it difficult for them to fall asleep.

Kids can experience stressors from a number of sources, including academic pressure, social demands, and even family problems at home. This stress can make it difficult not only to focus on homework but also to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Crafting a Homework Schedule that Respects Sleep Needs

Picture this: a homework schedule that respects both learning and essential snooze time. Dreamy, right? Here are a few things that parents can do to help your children create a homework management schedule that respects their sleep needs:

• Set limits on homework hours. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that children ages 9-13 should ideally get 9-11 hours of sleep per night, but sometimes it can feel like their homework workload can eat into those precious sleep hours. That’s why healthy time management habits are essential. Teaching your child how to prioritize tasks and set achievable goals can significantly impact the number of hours they spend on homework each night. Ultimately, helping them manage their workload effectively not only supports their learning journey but also ensures they have ample time for the quality sleep they need.
• Prioritize tasks. Help your child to prioritize their homework tasks so that they can focus on the most important assignments first and prevent feeling overwhelmed or stressed.
• Take breaks. Encourage your child to take breaks every 20-30 minutes while they’re working on homework. Regular breaks will help them stay focused and avoid getting burned out.
• Set a bedtime schedule and stick to it. Even on weekends, it’s important to stick to a regular bedtime schedule to regulate your child’s body clock and make it easier for them to fall asleep and stay asleep at night.
• Set a “no screen” rule for one hour before bed. The blue light emitted from screens can interfere with the production of melatonin, a hormone that helps to regulate sleep. Limiting screen time before bed will give your child’s eyes a break from the blue light emitted from screens and help them to wind down after a long day. If your child needs to use a screen before bed, finishing up homework or reading on a tablet, make sure their devices are scheduled to regularly shift into “night mode” a couple hours before bedtime.

Establishing a Consistent Bedtime Routine

A consistent bedtime routine isn’t just a calming ritual; it’s a sleep-inducing magic spell. Winding down with calming activities helps encourage sleep. Here are some healthy sleep habits to add to a nightly routine for a seamless transition to dreamland:

• Reading. Not only can reading help improve your child’s literacy skills, but it is also a great way for them to relax and unwind before bed. 
• Taking a bath. A warm bath can help to soothe the body and mind, making it easier to fall asleep.
• Listening to calming music. Create a relaxing atmosphere and promote sleep with some quiet, calming music.
• Stretching. Gentle stretching can help relax the body and mind, making it easier to fall asleep.
• Meditation. Similar to stretching, meditation can help calm the mind and body and promote relaxation before bed.

Collaborative Communication Between Parents and Children

Striking a balance between homework and bedtime can feel like a science experiment—tinkering to figure out the right ratio between enforcing the rules and going with the flow or prioritizing wellness and completing tasks. But the truth is, there is no magical equation or one-size-fits-all solution to strike the right balance between homework management and bedtime. 

In fact, a 2018 Better Sleep Council study found that homework-related stress is a significant concern for high school students, with more than three-fourths (75%) citing it as a source of stress. The study also found that students spending excessive time on homework (39% spending 3+ hours) may experience increased stress without proportional academic benefits, further underscoring the need for a more thoughtful approach to homework and its impact on sleep.

One way to help find the right balance for your kids? Keeping a line of open communication. Talk to your kids about their schoolwork and sleep needs . Our advice?

• Get their insight. Ask them about how much homework they have each night and how long they think it might take them to finish.
• Organize their workload. Get a homework planner to help them to prioritize their tasks and set achievable goals.
• Encourage participation. Involve them in crafting their routines, empowering them to take charge of their education and sleep.
• Work together. If they’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed, work together to find solutions.

This isn’t just about bedtime routine; it’s about fostering responsibility and finding balance.

Explore more sleep-related resources, tips, and research at bettersleep.org .

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How to Do Homework in the Morning

Last Updated: June 28, 2021 References

This article was co-authored by Jennifer Kaifesh and by wikiHow staff writer, Amber Crain . Jennifer Kaifesh is the Founder of Great Expectations College Prep, a tutoring and counseling service based in Southern California. Jennifer has over 15 years of experience managing and facilitating academic tutoring and standardized test prep as it relates to the college application process. She takes a personal approach to her tutoring, and focuses on working with students to find their specific mix of pursuits that they both enjoy and excel at. She is a graduate of Northwestern University. There are 11 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 144,568 times.

If you want to get some homework done in the morning, that's awesome! Just make sure you get everything ready the night before so you can get right to work in the morning. We've created a list to help you do just that! We'll start by walking you through some ways to prepare the night before and then share a few pointers to help you have a stress-free morning.

Figure out how much time you'll need in the morning.

• Don't forget to leave plenty of time for eating breakfast and getting ready!

Leave your homework out so it's ready to go.

• If you think you might need stuff like a dictionary, graph paper, or a ruler, go ahead and grab it now. [3] X Trustworthy Source Child Mind Institute Nonprofit organization providing evidence-based care for children with mental health and learning disorders and their families Go to source

Pack your lunch and set out your clothes at night.

Set your alarm to wake you up in the morning.

• If you have a family member who wakes up early, ask them to make sure you’re awake in the morning and to wake you up immediately if you’re still snoozing.

Go to bed at a sensible hour so you won't be tired.

• Put your phone on a sleep timer if your friends have a habit of calling or texting you late into the night.

Sit at a desk or table to finish your homework in the morning.

• If your bed is starting to look a little too appealing as you’re working at your desk, get up and go work at the kitchen table, just in case!

Do logic-based homework first.

Get up and move around if you start to feel sleepy.

• Be careful not to get distracted! Limit your break to 1-2 minutes.

Leave enough time to get to school before the first bell.

Give yourself more than a day for tough assignments.

• If you're procrastinating because you don't understand the assignment, don't be afraid to ask your teacher to clarify! Ask for clear instructions and examples so you can get started. [13] X Trustworthy Source Edutopia Educational nonprofit organization focused on encouraging and celebrating classroom innovation Go to source

Community Q&A

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.startupwisconsin.org/tricky-tips-on-how-to-do-homework-early-in-the-morning.htm
• ↑ https://ofy.org/blog/homework-hacks-8-tips-get-done-faster/
• ↑ https://childmind.org/article/strategies-to-make-homework-go-more-smoothly/
• ↑ https://childmind.org/article/school-mornings-without-the-stress/
• ↑ https://www.fastcompany.com/3041455/8-tricks-to-make-yourself-wake-up-earlier
• ↑ https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/sleep/Pages/healthy-sleep-habits-how-many-hours-does-your-child-need.aspx
• ↑ https://childmind.org/article/teenagers-sleep-deprived/
• ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/organize-focus.html
• ↑ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2017/04/12/maths-classes-should-taught-morning-improve-attainment-study/
• ↑ https://www.chkd.org/patients-and-families/health-library/quick-tips/homework-procrastination/
• ↑ https://www.edutopia.org/article/3-reasons-students-procrastinate-and-how-help-them-stop

About this article

If you want to do your homework in the morning, prepare the night before by setting out your homework on your desk so you don't waste time the next day. Then, set your alarm so you wake up with enough time to complete your assignments, have breakfast, and get to school. When you wake up in the morning, do stretches to make you feel more alert and drink a glass of cold water to release adrenaline. Finally, sit at a desk or table to do your assignments to help you stay focused. To learn why you should complete logic-based homework first, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How should you study in bed- 4 Tips that can work

Are you getting bored or feeling sleepy or tired while studying in bed?

If yes and still want to study in bed without facing these problems then make sure you read this article till the end.

Because in this article, I have 4 simple tips and some guides that will make your study easy in bed and you’ll have a better focus while studying in bed.

Is it good to study in bed?

If you think, Is it good to study in bed? Or, Is it healthy to study in bed? then let me first answers your questions.

Well, many blogs or people will recommend you to don’t study in bed and use a study table and chair instead. Somewhere they are right also.

Because some research has found that studying in bed can be unhealthy. Working or doing homework in bed  will reduce one’s focus because most people tend to associate their beds with comfort and sleep.

You must have also realized that studying in bed can make you feel sleepy and lazy and you may want to leave your study.

Well whatever it is you, now you better know what you should do.

Read also: 17+ Useful things that every college student can use

So regardless of the reasons why you want to study in bed, let’s dive into the tips and guides that will surely help you to study in bed in the right way .

The first two tips will be helpful to make a good position and body posture, and it will also give you a healthy way to study in bed. And the last two tips can make your study effectively without getting bored and feeling sleepy in bed.

1: Don’t study while lying

Your position and body posture really matters when you study in bed. And, I will never recommend you to study while lying in bed because when you study like this you must feel sleepy or tired.

So instead of studying like this, use a study desk for your bed or a book stand that will give you a perfect body posture. And if you can afford more then also use a reading pillow that will keep you away from back or neck pain.

Here are the best things that I’m talking about:

• Study Table for study in bed

• A Bookstand for reading in bed

Read also: 19 Books for College Students that they must read!

• A reading pillow for a better position in the bed

These all things are necessary to sit and study comfortably in bed or we can say to turn your bed into a perfect study place.

Read also: Dorm Kitchen Essentials You Must Have

2: Light for Study

As your position matters while studying in bed similarly light also matters for study. Good light for study not only can reduce your eye strain even it can improve your mood to study.

Read here : How to choose the best lighting for the study desk?

Brief guide: If you study in the daytime then daylight is best for your study. And when you study at night or in a dark room then general lighting (ambient lighting) can provide smooth and radiant illumination to your study area. This type of lighting enhances your sense of well-being, which can increase your productivity and reduce your stress.

Never study in dim light; It can affect your eyes and make you feel sleepy while studying.

You can also use a desk lamp, table lamp, or floor lamp for a better study in bed but make sure, to place the desk lamp on the opposite side of your dominant hand so the light sweeps across the study area without creating shadows.

3: Make your study Interesting

Have you ever tried to make your study interesting?

When you make your study interesting then not only you can retain your focus while studying even you won’t get bored too while studying in bed.

But, how can you make your study interesting while studying in bed?

Well, here I have two tips that you can try while studying:

1: Study with music

Studying with music in bed not only can make your study fun but even give you better concentration.

It’s a scientifically proven fact studying while playing music improves your concentration but the condition is that music (not song) should be different from your genre and have a repetitive pulse.

So while studying in bed, try to listen to music and keep some snacks close to you.

2: Study with flashcards or color-coded notes

To make your study interesting (not bored) in bed, make flashcards or color-coded notes. These two are the best ways to study and learn something quickly and not forget it easily . And when you’ll make flashcards by yourself it will also improve your creativity.

So must try these study techniques when you study in bed.

4: Take breaks

Studying continuously in bed or sitting with one subject is not too good and you can’t stay focused . And that’s why you want to procrastinate your study.

So never study continuously for long hours in bed. And mix up your studies with different subjects.

Try to study in bed for short durations and every half-one hour, take breaks for 10-15 minutes. And don’t use your phone while studying (use in breaks). After a break takes other subjects to enjoy your study.

It’s very important to take breaks with one subject while studying in bed to refresh your mind.

My views and points:

Studying in bed is a challenging thing but possible with proper guidance. And if you have a study desk, bookstand, and a reading pillow then you must be able to study in bed.

I hope you enjoyed my tips and guides on how to study in bed.

Now I want to hear from you:

How did you find this article and are you gonna try all tips from now on?

Tell me in the comment, I am curious.

2 thoughts on “How should you study in bed- 4 Tips that can work”

Thank you so much for answering some of our questions! My mom always told me studying in bed is bad, and I have this to prove it to her.

the data you have provided is productive. it can enhance the study way

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Associations of time spent on homework or studying with nocturnal sleep behavior and depression symptoms in adolescents from Singapore

• Sing Chen Yeo, MSc Sing Chen Yeo Affiliations Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Program in Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore Search for articles by this author
• Jacinda Tan, BSc Jacinda Tan Affiliations Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Program in Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore Search for articles by this author
• Joshua J. Gooley, PhD Joshua J. Gooley Correspondence Corresponding author: Joshua J. Gooley, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders Program, Duke-NUS Medical School Singapore, 8 College Road, Singapore 117549, Singapore Contact Affiliations Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Program in Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore Search for articles by this author

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Put this information right at your fingertips with my book, It’s Never Too Late To Sleep Train

Craig Canapari, MD

Proven advice for better sleep in kids and parents

Homework vs. Sleep: A Cause of Stress in Teens (And Younger Kids)

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Craig Canapari M.D.

Homework stresses kids out; there is no way around this fact. The combination of heavy homework loads and early school start times is a major cause of sleep deprivation and consequent stress in teens, but this can be a problem even in younger kids.

When we moved to Connecticut, I was struck by the perception of some parents that my son’s classmates that he and his peers were not getting enough homework. I was shocked; these kids were in first grade at the time.  Fortunately, my son’s teacher have resisted this pressure.

When I started looking into the evidence,  I was surprised to find that there is not much evidence that homework before high school benefits children.  I really love this article by Justin Coulson, a parenting expert and psychologist, detailing why he bans his school age children from doing homework , concluding from the evidence that homework does more harm than good. A recent study showed that some elementary school children had three times the recommended homework load . In spite of this, homework has started appearing even in kindergarten and the first great in spite of recommendations to the contrary. This has become a source of great stress to families.

Sleep deprivation in teenagers is an epidemic here in the US, with up to 90% of teenagers not getting enough sleep on school nights . The most important factor causing this is school start times that are too early for teenagers, who are hardwired to go to bed later and get up later compared with younger children (or grown-ups, for that matter). I’ve discussed this at length on my blog .

Another factor which can cause sleep deprivation is homework. Some studies suggest that the amount of homework which teenagers receive has stayed constant over time. I don’t pretend to be an educational expert, but I frequently see children and teenagers who have hours and hours of homework every night. This seems most common in teenagers who are striving to get into competitive colleges. This is piled on top of multiple extracurricular activities– sports, clubs, music lessons, and public service. Of course, the patients and families I see in clinic tend to be the people with the greatest difficulties with sleep. So I decided to look into this issue a bit more.

How common is excessive homework, anyway?

The recommendation of the National Education Association is that children received no more than ten minutes of homework per grade level. So a high school senior would max out at two hours of homework per night. An analysis published by the Brookings Institute concluded that there has been little change in the amount of homework assigned between 1984 and 2012 . About 15% of juniors and seniors did have greater than two hours of homework per night. Interestingly, the author also referenced a study which showed that about 15% of parents were concerned about excessive homework as well. This would suggest that the problem of excessive homework is occurring only in about one in six teenagers.

There is a perception that homework loads are excessive. This certainly may be the case in some communities or in high pressure schools. Teenagers certainly think that they have too much homework; here is a well researched piece written by a teenager  who questions the utility of large amounts of homework.

Some generalities emerge from the educational research :

• Older students get more homework than younger students
• Race may play a role, with Asian students doing more homework
• Less experienced teachers assign more homework
• Math classes are the classes most likely to assign homework

How beneficial is homework?

The US is a relatively homework intense country, but does not score as well as countries where homework is less common. In high school age kids, homework does have benefits. However, 70 minutes total seems to be the sweet spot in terms of benefits ; homework in excess of this amount is associated with decreasing test scores.

Homework clearly can have benefits– development of good organizational habits, review of materials, and improving skills such as reading and critical thinking. Homework should be assigned, however, with the goal of helping children learning, not because the teacher or school has decided that a certain amount should be assigned nightly, or because some parents want their children to get more  homework. Alfie Kohn, an educational leader and a big critic of homework. published a great article on rethinking homework . Here’s another thoughtful perspective on homework by a history teacher named Glen Whitman.

When To Worry About Excessive Homework

Obviously, I am not an educational expert. My review of this topic suggests that most children do not have an undue burden of homework. Thus, the best way to help teenagers get more sleep is to start school later . However, there are a subset of teenagers who may have an excessive amount of homework. I would define that is over two hours of homework a night, or an amount of homework that keeps children up late at night with regularity, especially given that getting enough sleep is critical for learning. No child should have to regularly decide between homework and sleep.  These factors can contribute to excessive homework:

• Unreasonable amounts of assigned homework (10 minutes/grade level)
• Excessive extracurricular activities leading to a late homework start time
• Learning problems such as ADHD or dyslexia, especially if they have not yet been diagnosed.

Some final advice:

• Teenagers:  If you cannot get your homework done at night without staying up past ten or eleven on school nights, please talk to your parents about this. They can help you. Also, recognize that there are diminishing returns; I got the worst grade I ever got in college on a biochemistry exam after pulling my one and only all-nighter. Going to sleep earlier on the night before a test might be more beneficial than sacrificing sleep to study.
• Parents: Be conscious of how late your teens are staying up and how much time they are spending on their homework. If it seems excessive, please review your child’s schedule with him or her, and have a frank conversation with your child’s teachers.
• Educators:  Ask your students how long they are spending on homework. If they seem sleepy in class, talk about this issue with them and  their parents. Try to make sure that the culture of your school is such that homework is assigned for clear educational benefits, and not simply for the sake of doing so.

I would love to hear your perspectives on these issues. Of course, to paraphrase “Bones” McCoy , “I’m a sleep doctor, not a teacher.” However, if I was asking my patients to do a nightly treatment that required an hour or more of their time, I would have to be absolutely sure that it was helpful. I’m not convinced that homework meets that standard.  Do I have this issue all wrong? Let me know in the comments.  Is the homework load excessive in your town? I would love to hear.

You May Also Be Interested In...

• Lack of Sleep is A Cause of Childhood Obesity
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Reader interactions.

August 31, 2015 at 11:54 am

I agree in part. My child (who is freshman at your school now) and who took pretty much all AP/Honors classes did, at times, have an excessive work load. It wasn’t so much that what was asked by each teacher was excessive; it was that there is no coordination among teachers in terms of regular homework, tests, and projects. So the teachers have no idea that the totality of the work for any given day might be excessive. There are a handful of teachers at the school that give an assignment for the week or month, giving students flexibility to less on a busy day, and more on less busy day.

I think there are activities and there are activities. The student referenced above did not do athletics and that makes a HUGE difference. She was very involved in a few clubs and was (is) a serious musician. So even though she was busy all day Sat and half of Sunday with music school and orchestra, on weekdays a coach was not dictating how many hours and when she would have to practice.

I really think you must factor in the role of athletics. I am not anti-athletics (number 2 child is an athlete), but the practice time demand (generally 5 days/week) put on athletes coupled with games that may require two hours of travel and getting back at 6pm or 8pm does then make it difficult to do the homework plus get enough sleep.

Last, I’ve noticed that some kids are really a lot more efficient at getting work done than others. Some of my kids’ friends seem to spend more time on work without benefit necessarily of higher grades. And certainly homework takes a lot longer to do if you are checking email, texting, going on FB, etc. I have to remind my kids -and myself – that it isn’t an efficient way to work.

I think it’s great to look at homework and sleep, but I think homework v. sleep doesn’t take into account some of the issue around both. Great that you’re bringing this up!

August 31, 2015 at 12:28 pm

Thanks so much Valerie! This is tremendously insightful. I agree with you that this is a complex issue. In terms of efficiency, I also think that a well rested kid gets homework done faster and gets to bed earlier. This was the experience in Minneapolis when they moved school start times later.

August 31, 2015 at 8:02 pm

I just read your article and saw your video regarding homework vs sleep – very well said! I remember hours and hours of homework in high school and not getting enough sleep. I have been a 4th grade teacher here in Florida for 13 years and feel the same way as you in regards for homework, even at the elementary level. My school is a late starting school, we go from 9:30 until 3:50. On some evenings, some of my students are not even getting home until 4:30/5:00. I would never ask them to do hours of homework. From the minute my students enter my room each morning, I am motivating, educating and basically keeping them going non-stop all day long (except for lunch and recess). I go home on a nightly basis exhausted from teaching them, I can’t imagine how exhausted they are from learning all day. I truly do not think it is fair to then have them continue to go, go, go into the evening. That is their down time, time with their friends and most importantly time with their family and to basically decompress from the day. They need that. I feel they have the rest of their lives to be on the go continuously. In my career and my son’s educational career (which he is only 10 years old) I have come across teachers that don’t give any homework, to teachers that give 2-3 hours of homework each night. It’s very frustrating trying to get a young child who has learned all day long in school to then again sit down to do hours of homework each night. Their brains are shutting off and telling them to stop. Anyways I could go on and on about this – hopefully things will change for the better and allow our youth to enjoy life. They have adulthood to be tied down with responsibilities. I truly enjoy your articles!!

August 31, 2015 at 8:03 pm

Thanks so much for sharing, Lisa. I wish all teachers shared your perspective.

January 26, 2016 at 8:21 pm

The reason I’m on this website was to look for some guidance as to whether my sophomore daughter’s homework load is normal. The takeaway – no, it’s not. I’d say she averages 3-4 hours a day, but some days are significantly worse than others. She’s in all Honors classes, and she’s getting good grades (5.79 GPA out of 6.00), but she gets about 5-6 hours a night sleep, sometimes less. Then, she spends 12 hours sleeping on Saturday and Sunday. From what I’m hearing, the juniors at her school that are in the Honors/AP courses average about 3-4 hours a night sleep. Of course, the logical thing to do is to discourage students from taking such a punishing course load. Unfortunately, every college admissions officer tells these kids that they need to have a “rigorous” course load in high school. Specifically, the admissions offices have been quite clear that if there’s an AP class offered, and the student doesn’t take it, it looks like they’re not challenging themselves. Add that to the fact that colleges want “well rounded” students who are athletes, leaders, community volunteers, etc., it’s no wonder these kids aren’t sleeping. My daughter is completely convinced that she won’t get into the schools she wants if she doesn’t take all of the Honors/AP classes and do well in them. Simply put, high school sucks for these kids. My daughter’s health is being ruined, and I’m seemingly powerless to stop it. The schools (not just my daughter’s, but every high school that I know of), want these honors kids to get into the college of their choice, so the teachers push and push and push. It breaks my heart to watch my daughter go through this, and I’ve repeatedly tried to talk her out of the AP classes, but she is insistent. So sad…

March 07, 2016 at 11:00 am

I agree with you. It is totally insane. I would encourage you to make some noise at your local Board of Education.

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How to Get Your Homework Done Fast

Last Updated: May 6, 2024 Fact Checked

Staying Focused

Getting organized, staying motivated, expert q&a.

This article was co-authored by Jake Adams . 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. There are 8 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 1,154,574 times.

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.

• 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.

• 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."

• 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.

• 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] X Research source

• 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.

• Try eating celery sticks and apple slices with peanut butter.

Supercharge Your Studying with this Expert Series

Reader Videos

• Wear something very comfortable while you work. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
• Make sure to hand in all assignments on time. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
• Try using a planner to help you remember the tasks that you need to complete. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

Tips from our Readers

• 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.

• Take your time. If you rush through your homework and don’t try your best, you might end up getting a bad grade. Thanks Helpful 177 Not Helpful 19

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/creating-ideal-homework-environment-for-kids-with-adhd-0913164
• ↑ http://info.achs.edu/blog/never-do-homework-in-bed-3-reasons-why
• ↑ https://childmind.org/article/strategies-to-make-homework-go-more-smoothly/
• ↑ https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/take-charge-of-distractions/
• ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/homework.html
• ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/homework.html
• ↑ https://ofy.org/blog/homework-hacks-8-tips-get-done-faster/
• ↑ Jake Adams. Academic Tutor & Test Prep Specialist. Expert Interview. 20 May 2020.

About This Article

To get your homework done fast, work in a comfortable, well-lit area that doesn't have any distractions. Also, try setting a timer with however many minutes you want to finish your homework in so you can glance at it as you work and see if you're spending too much time on something. You can also make a to-do list before you get started so you don't waste any time figuring out what you need to be working on. To stay motivated, have a snack and some water nearby, and reward yourself with a fun activity once all your homework is done. To learn how to get organized so it's easier to do your homework, scroll down! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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