How often do you ask yourself "why do I do my homework - it's no sense to do". But there is and if you are a responsible person, you will see a great impact on it in your future.
In an overtly digital world where social media and smartphone apps take up most of your free time, there is a tendency to be completely divested of the essential traits of a learner. Even though education has evolved over the years – both in how it is given and consumed – and paper and pencil are no longer the default objects used to practice, there is still one thing that can help you give an upper hand in a lot of things including improving your writing and composition skills. That one thing is doing your homework on a daily basis.
The more you get used to your little electronic friends, the more detached you are from the things that really matter. Things such as scientific concepts, mathematical formulae, and historical stories that are the building blocks of an elementary education which pave the way for higher studies. Regardless of who you become and which course your interests maneuver you to indulge in, writing is one of the most important skills that you will need to succeed in life. Technology is perennially changing the skills needed to be an advanced human being, but expressing yourself through written communication is still one of the biggest requirements for any profession. And nurturing it from the beginning is going to help you stay ahead in this competitive world.
Established German literary critic Walter Benjamin once said, “The more circumspectly you delay writing down an idea, the more maturely developed it will be on surrendering itself. Speech conquers thought but writing commands it.” Writing down and revising the things that you have learned at school or college on a daily basis increases your ability to recall them with more clarity and connection. This is the main and the only reason why teachers give homework in the first place. Writing sentences and formulate the same day or week that you learned them helps you in two things: one, remembering them for a longer period, and two, interrelating them with other academic or non-academic things you know or have learned in the past. The latter part is what improves your writing skills as you are better able to compose sentences and express your ideas.
The key is to do your homework daily and on a regular basis. Regardless of how you do it and for how much time you do it, it must involve you writing down words, sentences, and phrases. Grabbing that dictionary to look up a word? Even better, as good vocabulary is crucial for good writing. Further, daily journaling is a scientifically-proven and a highly-recommended method to retain more of what you have learned and to improve your life psychologically.
However, aggravated by the “always online” trend, students often tend to procrastinate, as doing homework does not yield direct results unlike that addictive Clash of Clans game. Thankfully, this can be easily prevented by following these quick tips and tricks:
Vow to switch off your devices (smartphone, laptop, etc.) while you are doing your homework, and then do it
Setting aside a specific period time each day for homework. It could be right after you return home or just before dinner
Take a power nap just before
Involve your parents and siblings and inform them about your new plan of doing homework daily
Reward yourself for every assignment that you complete. It can be listening to that new playlist on Spotify or watching that one PewDiePie video or eating a whole chocolate pie all by yourself (don’t tell your sister)
Involve your best friend and challenge each other in doing the homework
Start with tiny tasks first. Once you get a hang of it, start the bigger ones
Go slow and incorporate homework in your daily schedule, and you will gradually start to see improvement in how you perceive and conceive ideas and words. Daily writing and reading exercises have helped leaders and businesspeople around the world to excel in their respective fields. So, why don’t you take out those notes and complete that assignment? Maybe you’ll impress Mrs. Jones. Along the road, it will assist you in acing your exams, gaining more knowledge, increasing retention power, and with the ability to think like a lifelong learner.
