Completing homework assignments and problem sets for math and science courses can be stressful. Often, these problem sets can be long, and involve solving the more challenging questions in the unit. Students will want to minimize the stress associated with completing these assignments to ensure that they can complete them in a timely manner, while still building up the skills that the assignment is trying to reinforce. With this in mind, here are 5 tips to help students complete assignments stress-free:
- Work in study groups – Study groups can be great for completing assignments as each member of the group can offer different insights and perspectives into how you might solve the questions. It’s also more fun to work with others than alone, which can help to reduce the stress of completing assignments.
- Don’t wait until the last minute – One sure fire way to make completing a long and complicated assignment or problem set stressful is to wait until the day before it’s due to start. A better approach is to start right away, and work on it a little bit every day until the submission deadline. This will reduce your stress, and also give you the opportunity to look at tougher questions a few times before the due date, which can help with finding solutions.
- Take earned breaks – If you try to complete an entire assignment in one sitting, without any breaks, you will likely get tired, and become less effective over time. A great way to ensure that you’re taking breaks is to give yourself “earned breaks”. Tell yourself, “I will finish 5 questions, and then I will take a 15-minute break”. That way, you can ensure that you are taking enough breaks, while still getting lots of work done.
- Review similar questions – One helpful tool for working through assignment and homework questions is to review similar example questions, either in your notes from class, or in the relevant section(s) of the textbook. Taking time to review these examples can help to clarify which techniques you are meant use, and how they are meant to be applied, as you start working through your homework.
- Access additional support – Whether it’s office hours with a professor, before and after school tutorials with your teacher, or your personal tutor, make sure that you take advantage of the support resources that you have at your disposal. Knowing that there is always support that you can access can really help to reduce your stress as your work through your homework.