Yale Grammatical Diversity Project English in North America 

Done my homework.

(Yerastov 2010b:117)

The done my homework construction involves a form of the word be , followed by the participle finished or done (or, for some speakers, started ), followed by a noun phrase. (1) and (2) show two examples of this construction:

1) I’m done my homework. 2) I’m finished my homework.

Note that the noun phrase does not have to be my homework . In fact, it can be almost any noun phrase, as shown by the following examples taken from Hinnell (2012:4):

3) a. Martin is done his bass tracks and we are ready to start vocals. b. By the time I am done dinner , I don’t want my side snack. c. So many bloggers I read are doing this. One is already done her 50,000 words ! d. This will be particularly important once you’re done the tattoo and need to leave the shop.

Who says this? Syntactic properties Recent survey results References

i'm done with homework

Who says this?

The done my homework construction is a widespread characteristic of Canadian English, and it is also found in the United States among speakers in the Philadelphia area, southern New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and the northern part of New England (Yerastov 2008, 2010a, 2010b, 2012, 2016; Hinnell 2012; Fruehwald and Myler 2013, 2015; Zanuttini et al. 2016). It has not been found in the dialects of the United Kingdom or elsewhere outside of North America.

See our interactive maps below to explore some of the raw data in more detail.

Syntactic Properties

The syntax of this construction has recently been studied in some detail by Fruehwald and Myler (2013, 2015). The following description is based on their work.

Degree modification by all

The done my homework construction may seem to resemble a sentence like I have done my homework . (A sentence that, like this one, contains have plus a participle is said to be in the perfect aspect ). However, the phrase done my homework is actually more similar to adjective phrases such as ready for school because, like an adjective phrase, these phrases can be modified by the degree word all . (4a) shows a typical example of all modifying an adjective phrase (namely, ready for school ), and (4b) shows an analogous example of the done my homework construction with modification by all :

4) a. I’m all ready for school. b. I’m all done my homework.

By contrast, done my homework may not be modified by all when it is used in a sentence with the perfect aspect. Thus, (5) is not acceptable:

5) *I have all done my homework.

This is evidence that the done my homework construction is not an instance of a verb phrase in the perfect aspect but rather is more like an adjective phrase.

Co-occurrence with perfect aspect

The done my homework construction also differs from verb phrases in the perfect aspect in that done my homework can actually co-occur with the perfect aspect, as in (6):

6) I have been done my homework for a while now.

i'm done with homework

By contrast, although done my homework can co-occur with the perfect aspect as shown in (6), the perfect aspect cannot co-occur with a second instance of the perfect aspect in the same sentence. Thus, (7) would not be acceptable:

7) *I have had done my homework for a while now.

Fruehwald and Myler (2013, 2015) show several other ways in which the done my homework construction is distinct from the perfect aspect.

No leaving the object behind

At first glance, it may be tempting to think that the done my homework construction involves simply not pronouncing the word with in a sentence like (8):

8) I'm done with my homework.

Fruehwald and Myler (2013, 2015), however, present several differences between the two constructions. One such difference is the ability (shown in (9c)) to move the word done to the beginning of the sentence, similar to the movement of proud and angry in (9a) and (9b):

9) a. Proud though John is of his daughter , it won't matter. b. Angry though John is with his daughter , it won't matter. c. Done though John is with his computer , it won't matter.

This kind of movement is not possible with the done my homework construction. For example, although the entire phrase done his homework may be moved as in (10b), (10a) would be judged unacceptable because only done has moved, leaving the object his homework behind:

10) a. * Done though John may be his homework , it won't matter. b. * Done his homework though John may be, it won't matter.

In this respect, it is similar to phrases like worth the money because (11a), like (10a), is unacceptable, whereas (11b), like (10b), is acceptable:

11)  a. * Worth though this may be the money , it won't matter. b. * Worth the money though this may be, it won't matter.

Fruehwald and Myler (2013, 2015) also argue that the meaning of the construction is not what we would expect if it involved an unpronounced with .

Allowed verbs

There is variation across dialects in terms of which verbs speakers allow in this construction. According to Yerastov (e.g. 2010a, 2010b), there is a hierarchy along the lines of finished > done > started . In other words, if speakers accept started (as in I'm started my homework ), they will accept all three verbs. If speakers accept done , they will also accept finished , but not necessarily started . Finally, some speakers accept only finished . This kind of hierarchy resembles the one found in the needs washed construction with need > want > like (see here for further discussion of the needs washed construction).

Recent Survey Results

The following map shows results from a recent nationwide survey. It represents speakers' judgments of the sentence I'm done my homework . There is some description of the map on the left, as well as a legend in the upper righthand side.

This next map shows recent results of a survey regarding various iterations of the PAST-PARTICIPLE + YOUR HOMEWORK construction:

Page contributed by Jim Wood on February 28, 2014.

Updates/revisions: August 9, 2015 (Tom McCoy); June 1, 2018 (Katie Martin); July 8, 2020 (Oliver Shoulson)

Please cite this page as: Wood, Jim. 2014. Done my homework. Yale Grammatical Diversity Project: English in North America . (Available online at http://ygdp.yale.edu/phenomena/done-my-homework . Accessed on YYYY-MM-DD). Updated by Tom McCoy (2015), Katie Martin (2018), and Oliver Shoulson (2020).

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I am done my work VS I am done with my work. [regional variation]

  • Thread starter phlynhi
  • Start date Sep 9, 2009
  • Sep 9, 2009

Which of the following is correct to say? "I am done my work." or "I am done with my work." My daughter was telling the babysitter that she had completed her homework and said "I am done my work." The babysitter corrected her by suggesting that the proper sentence is "I am done with my work." Thanks very much.  

Tegs

Mód ar líne

I am done with my work is correct (in American English, not used as much in British English) It's not correct without with.  

Thank you very much for the quick response, Tegs. Do you know where I can look up this rule? Thanks again.  

envie de voyager

Senior member.

Saying that you are "done with something (or someone)" gives the impression that you are frustrated with something (or someone) and have completely lost interest in that thing (or person).  

On the other hand, you can say "I have done my work." But that's a slightly different concept, indicating that you simply completed a task. "I am done with (X)" indicates that the completion is finalized and will not be resumed.  

envie de voyager said: Saying that you are "done with something (or someone)" gives the impression that you are frustrated with something (or someone) and have completely lost interest in that thing (or person). Click to expand...
Calybos said: On the other hand, you can say "I have done my work." But that's a slightly different concept, indicating that you simply completed a task. "I am done with (X)" indicates that the completion is finalized and will not be resumed. Click to expand...
tadhgka said: This is an old thread, but I hope my answer might still be of interest to someone: This construction is very normal in Canadian English, while most people from the US or Britain will find it ungrammatical. The same goes for "I'm finished X", as in "I'm finished my homework", which in my experience Americans find about as bad as "I'm done the dishes." The judgement that these are fine sentences is very robust among the Canadian speakers I've checked with --- they are usually VERY surprised to learn that Americans can't say the same things. As a note, "I'm done the dishes" doesn't mean the same thing as "I'm done WITH the dishes", but instead entails: "the dishes are done". I'm not sure if "be done" means exactly the same thing as "have done", though. Note that you wouldn't necessarily notice this difference while speaking to Canadians, because in the third person singular "s/he+is" contracts to the same form as "s/he+has". Click to expand...
phlynhi said: Which of the following is correct to say? "I am done my work." or "I am done with my work." My daughter was telling the babysitter that she had completed her homework and said "I am done my work." The babysitter corrected her by suggesting that the proper sentence is "I am done with my work." Thanks very much. Click to expand...

Pedro y La Torre

I am done my work sounds strange, I am done with my work is definitely preferable. I'm finished my homework is perfectly correct Hiberno-English though - I am astonished to read that in AE, such a construction is unacceptable.  

Imber Ranae

Pedro y La Torre said: I am done my work sounds strange, I am done with my work is definitely preferable. I'm finished my homework is perfectly correct Hiberno-English though - I am astonished to read that in AE, such a construction is unacceptable. Click to expand...
Imber Ranae said: It sounds bizarre to my ear. It just doesn't parse. I don't see how "I am done" or "I am finished" may take a direct object. Would you ever utter such a phrase in a formal setting? And do you use any other past participles in the same way, like "I am eaten dinner" (I doubt you say that exact phrase, I'm just giving an example of the sort of construction I mean). Click to expand...
Imber Ranae said: Would you ever utter such a phrase in a formal setting? Click to expand...
Imber Ranae said: And do you use any other past participles in the same way, like "I am eaten dinner" (I doubt you say that exact phrase, I'm just giving an example of the sort of construction I mean). Click to expand...

panjandrum

I'm just passing by, but I remember some previous threads on this topic - and I found them. I'm done the dishes "to be done" versus "to be finished" - I'm done, I'm finished They might be interesting to those involved here.  

  • Sep 10, 2009
phlynhi said: For example, in this area (Mid-Atlantic US,) to say that something "went up" means that it is broken. I have, then, the distinct opportunity to pronounce "I'm finished the laundry, and just in time, the dryer just went up!" Click to expand...

pickarooney

pickarooney

I also found the "I'm done the dishes" really 'wrong' but it's true that "I'm finished my dinner" is completely acceptable to me. I've never even thought abotu it before - is it not said in the UK? By the way, what is meant by mid-Atlantic (c.f. phlynhi 's post and location)? For me the term refers either to some place west of the Azores or an accent which is an unholy blend of English and American and used exclusively by bad DJs.  

pickarooney said: I also found the "I'm done the dishes" really 'wrong' but it's true that "I'm finished my dinner" is completely acceptable to me. I've never even thought abotu it before - is it not said in the UK? By the way, what is meant by mid-Atlantic (c.f. phlynhi 's post and location)? For me the term refers either to some place west of the Azores or an accent which is an unholy blend of English and American and used exclusively by bad DJs. Click to expand...

So I guess I am the babysitter in question here. I found it interesting that both the daughter and the parents found "I'm done my work" to sound phonetically correct because we have recently moved north of the Mason Dixon and this simply sounded incorrect to both my wife and me. I thought that it was a regional difference but it still doesn't make it gramatically correct so we corrected the daughter (in a very nice way might I add). Can anyone provide a sentence structure to either support or refute this? I feel that there needs to be a qualifier in the sentence "I have done my work" or "I am done with my work". I am quite certain of her meaning as "I have completed my homework".  

pickarooney said: I also found the "I'm done the dishes" really 'wrong' but it's true that "I'm finished my dinner" is completely acceptable to me. I've never even thought abotu it before - is it not said in the UK? Click to expand...
that doesn't address the structural issue of the sentence. Click to expand...

I found this document, it appears to be a thesis written on this subject. Anyone with half an hour to kill can inform themselves to the point of being an expert on this little "turn of phrase." http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~cla-acl/actes2008/CLA2008_Yerastov.pdf  

Having just moved from the southeastern US (also known as "The South" in the US, a renowned bastion of grammatical and phonetic artistry, to be sure,) gtw1000 has become a great friend and trustworthy and dependable babysitter for me. I have often had the opportunity to gladly return the favor, and his offspring are indeed well-spoken, belying their unfortunate geographic origin. I agree that "done" as used by my daughter requires the preposition 'with' to modify 'done.' << --- >>  

<a) "I'm finished" describing my state of completion, intransitive, no object. This is acceptable 'correct' English, just like "I'm hungry". b) "I'm finished my homework" takes utterance a) and appends the finished activity. The end result is describing my state, not recounting my actions. The more grammatically acceptable, "I've finished my homework" recounts actions rather than describing my state. Click to expand...
I am guessing that AE speakers incorporate a sense of completion in the word "done" which speakers like me simply don't experience. Click to expand...
The end result is describing my state, not recounting my actions Click to expand...
envie de voyager said: I found this document, it appears to be a thesis written on this subject. Anyone with half an hour to kill can inform themselves to the point of being an expert on this little "turn of phrase." http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~cla-acl/actes2008/CLA2008_Yerastov.pdf Click to expand...
  • Feb 13, 2017

I'm from the Eastern Shore of Maryland (considered part of the Mid-Atlantic region), and these "I'm finished/done X" forms are perfectly natural to me. I find that I say them without realizing, and my friends who have lived on the Eastern Shore but aren't from there/whose families are not originally from there find it disgustingly ungrammatical (like "I'm not finished my coffee yet" will receive a grimace from my breakfast partner when they ask if I'm ready to go). I distinctly remember telling my parents when I was done my homework (see? past tense applies here too), asking "I'm done my homework, so can I go hang out with my friends now?" My brother finds these grammatical, too. Maybe an influence from up north? It's interesting to find out here that there are Canadian and Scottish uses as well. Or maybe it's a grammatical re-analysis with influence from other immigrant languages common to these areas? Just throwing it out there. How is there such a commonality of use but also such a diaspora? I was speaking with another Linguistics friend who is from outside Philadelphia and also uses these forms - we came across this language analysis/atlas project: Done my homework | Yale Grammatical Diversity Project It also includes mentioning of the verb 'started' within this schema, but I personally find it weird. Not to say that it doesn't work for others, though. Thanks phlynhi, envie, and Aidanr444!  

Wai Ho

  • Sep 2, 2021

I agree that to say "I am done with" conveys the meaning "fed up with / over with" etc. However to say "I am done" can mean "to be finished" but also "to be exhausted" Much better in my view to use the verb "to finish" in the sense of "accomplished or completed" -- "I have finished ..." It all depends upon the demeanor of the speaker however body language, mood, etc to fully understand what is being meant.  

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i am done with my homework vs i am done my homework

A complete search of the internet has found these results:

i am done with my homework  is the most popular phrase on the web.

  • i am done with my homework

389,000 results on the web

Some examples from the web:

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  • No, I am done with secrets.
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  • Tell my uncle I am done with him.
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i am done my homework

59 results on the web

  • On the other hand, some say " I am done my homework " and it sounds fine to native speakers. Regular Member858 · Avangi: I think b. is actually a bit higher ...
  • Feb 20, 2011 ... Sometimes I'll say "I'm done my homework?" to which she says, "Yes. I am done my homework ." – eternalmatt Feb 20 '11 at 6:18 ...
  • Mar 23, 2013 ... I am done my homework . b. *My homework is been done. No agent oriented modification. While degree modification is possible, agent oriented ...
  • (10) Done my homework cannot be passivized a. I am done my homework . b. * My homework is been done. Secondly, agent-oriented modification is not possible ...

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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! 

body-stack-of-textbooks-red

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. 

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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! 

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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. 

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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. 

body-focus-meme

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!)

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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. 

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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!) 

Need more help with this topic? Check out Tutorbase!

Our vetted tutor database includes a range of experienced educators who can help you polish an essay for English or explain how derivatives work for Calculus. You can use dozens of filters and search criteria to find the perfect person for your needs.

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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.

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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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Are You Down With or Done With Homework?

  • Posted January 17, 2012
  • By Lory Hough

Sign: Are you down with or done with homework?

The debate over how much schoolwork students should be doing at home has flared again, with one side saying it's too much, the other side saying in our competitive world, it's just not enough.

It was a move that doesn't happen very often in American public schools: The principal got rid of homework.

This past September, Stephanie Brant, principal of Gaithersburg Elementary School in Gaithersburg, Md., decided that instead of teachers sending kids home with math worksheets and spelling flash cards, students would instead go home and read. Every day for 30 minutes, more if they had time or the inclination, with parents or on their own.

"I knew this would be a big shift for my community," she says. But she also strongly believed it was a necessary one. Twenty-first-century learners, especially those in elementary school, need to think critically and understand their own learning — not spend night after night doing rote homework drills.

Brant's move may not be common, but she isn't alone in her questioning. The value of doing schoolwork at home has gone in and out of fashion in the United States among educators, policymakers, the media, and, more recently, parents. As far back as the late 1800s, with the rise of the Progressive Era, doctors such as Joseph Mayer Rice began pushing for a limit on what he called "mechanical homework," saying it caused childhood nervous conditions and eyestrain. Around that time, the then-influential Ladies Home Journal began publishing a series of anti-homework articles, stating that five hours of brain work a day was "the most we should ask of our children," and that homework was an intrusion on family life. In response, states like California passed laws abolishing homework for students under a certain age.

But, as is often the case with education, the tide eventually turned. After the Russians launched the Sputnik satellite in 1957, a space race emerged, and, writes Brian Gill in the journal Theory Into Practice, "The homework problem was reconceived as part of a national crisis; the U.S. was losing the Cold War because Russian children were smarter." Many earlier laws limiting homework were abolished, and the longterm trend toward less homework came to an end.

The debate re-emerged a decade later when parents of the late '60s and '70s argued that children should be free to play and explore — similar anti-homework wellness arguments echoed nearly a century earlier. By the early-1980s, however, the pendulum swung again with the publication of A Nation at Risk , which blamed poor education for a "rising tide of mediocrity." Students needed to work harder, the report said, and one way to do this was more homework.

For the most part, this pro-homework sentiment is still going strong today, in part because of mandatory testing and continued economic concerns about the nation's competitiveness. Many believe that today's students are falling behind their peers in places like Korea and Finland and are paying more attention to Angry Birds than to ancient Babylonia.

But there are also a growing number of Stephanie Brants out there, educators and parents who believe that students are stressed and missing out on valuable family time. Students, they say, particularly younger students who have seen a rise in the amount of take-home work and already put in a six- to nine-hour "work" day, need less, not more homework.

Who is right? Are students not working hard enough or is homework not working for them? Here's where the story gets a little tricky: It depends on whom you ask and what research you're looking at. As Cathy Vatterott, the author of Rethinking Homework , points out, "Homework has generated enough research so that a study can be found to support almost any position, as long as conflicting studies are ignored." Alfie Kohn, author of The Homework Myth and a strong believer in eliminating all homework, writes that, "The fact that there isn't anything close to unanimity among experts belies the widespread assumption that homework helps." At best, he says, homework shows only an association, not a causal relationship, with academic achievement. In other words, it's hard to tease out how homework is really affecting test scores and grades. Did one teacher give better homework than another? Was one teacher more effective in the classroom? Do certain students test better or just try harder?

"It is difficult to separate where the effect of classroom teaching ends," Vatterott writes, "and the effect of homework begins."

Putting research aside, however, much of the current debate over homework is focused less on how homework affects academic achievement and more on time. Parents in particular have been saying that the amount of time children spend in school, especially with afterschool programs, combined with the amount of homework given — as early as kindergarten — is leaving students with little time to run around, eat dinner with their families, or even get enough sleep.

Certainly, for some parents, homework is a way to stay connected to their children's learning. But for others, homework creates a tug-of-war between parents and children, says Liz Goodenough, M.A.T.'71, creator of a documentary called Where Do the Children Play?

"Ideally homework should be about taking something home, spending a few curious and interesting moments in which children might engage with parents, and then getting that project back to school — an organizational triumph," she says. "A nag-free activity could engage family time: Ask a parent about his or her own childhood. Interview siblings."

Illustration by Jessica Esch

Instead, as the authors of The Case Against Homework write, "Homework overload is turning many of us into the types of parents we never wanted to be: nags, bribers, and taskmasters."

Leslie Butchko saw it happen a few years ago when her son started sixth grade in the Santa Monica-Malibu (Calif.) United School District. She remembers him getting two to four hours of homework a night, plus weekend and vacation projects. He was overwhelmed and struggled to finish assignments, especially on nights when he also had an extracurricular activity.

"Ultimately, we felt compelled to have Bobby quit karate — he's a black belt — to allow more time for homework," she says. And then, with all of their attention focused on Bobby's homework, she and her husband started sending their youngest to his room so that Bobby could focus. "One day, my younger son gave us 15-minute coupons as a present for us to use to send him to play in the back room. … It was then that we realized there had to be something wrong with the amount of homework we were facing."

Butchko joined forces with another mother who was having similar struggles and ultimately helped get the homework policy in her district changed, limiting homework on weekends and holidays, setting time guidelines for daily homework, and broadening the definition of homework to include projects and studying for tests. As she told the school board at one meeting when the policy was first being discussed, "In closing, I just want to say that I had more free time at Harvard Law School than my son has in middle school, and that is not in the best interests of our children."

One barrier that Butchko had to overcome initially was convincing many teachers and parents that more homework doesn't necessarily equal rigor.

"Most of the parents that were against the homework policy felt that students need a large quantity of homework to prepare them for the rigorous AP classes in high school and to get them into Harvard," she says.

Stephanie Conklin, Ed.M.'06, sees this at Another Course to College, the Boston pilot school where she teaches math. "When a student is not completing [his or her] homework, parents usually are frustrated by this and agree with me that homework is an important part of their child's learning," she says.

As Timothy Jarman, Ed.M.'10, a ninth-grade English teacher at Eugene Ashley High School in Wilmington, N.C., says, "Parents think it is strange when their children are not assigned a substantial amount of homework."

That's because, writes Vatterott, in her chapter, "The Cult(ure) of Homework," the concept of homework "has become so engrained in U.S. culture that the word homework is part of the common vernacular."

These days, nightly homework is a given in American schools, writes Kohn.

"Homework isn't limited to those occasions when it seems appropriate and important. Most teachers and administrators aren't saying, 'It may be useful to do this particular project at home,'" he writes. "Rather, the point of departure seems to be, 'We've decided ahead of time that children will have to do something every night (or several times a week). … This commitment to the idea of homework in the abstract is accepted by the overwhelming majority of schools — public and private, elementary and secondary."

Brant had to confront this when she cut homework at Gaithersburg Elementary.

"A lot of my parents have this idea that homework is part of life. This is what I had to do when I was young," she says, and so, too, will our kids. "So I had to shift their thinking." She did this slowly, first by asking her teachers last year to really think about what they were sending home. And this year, in addition to forming a parent advisory group around the issue, she also holds events to answer questions.

Still, not everyone is convinced that homework as a given is a bad thing. "Any pursuit of excellence, be it in sports, the arts, or academics, requires hard work. That our culture finds it okay for kids to spend hours a day in a sport but not equal time on academics is part of the problem," wrote one pro-homework parent on the blog for the documentary Race to Nowhere , which looks at the stress American students are under. "Homework has always been an issue for parents and children. It is now and it was 20 years ago. I think when people decide to have children that it is their responsibility to educate them," wrote another.

And part of educating them, some believe, is helping them develop skills they will eventually need in adulthood. "Homework can help students develop study skills that will be of value even after they leave school," reads a publication on the U.S. Department of Education website called Homework Tips for Parents. "It can teach them that learning takes place anywhere, not just in the classroom. … It can foster positive character traits such as independence and responsibility. Homework can teach children how to manage time."

Annie Brown, Ed.M.'01, feels this is particularly critical at less affluent schools like the ones she has worked at in Boston, Cambridge, Mass., and Los Angeles as a literacy coach.

"It feels important that my students do homework because they will ultimately be competing for college placement and jobs with students who have done homework and have developed a work ethic," she says. "Also it will get them ready for independently taking responsibility for their learning, which will need to happen for them to go to college."

The problem with this thinking, writes Vatterott, is that homework becomes a way to practice being a worker.

"Which begs the question," she writes. "Is our job as educators to produce learners or workers?"

Slate magazine editor Emily Bazelon, in a piece about homework, says this makes no sense for younger kids.

"Why should we think that practicing homework in first grade will make you better at doing it in middle school?" she writes. "Doesn't the opposite seem equally plausible: that it's counterproductive to ask children to sit down and work at night before they're developmentally ready because you'll just make them tired and cross?"

Kohn writes in the American School Board Journal that this "premature exposure" to practices like homework (and sit-and-listen lessons and tests) "are clearly a bad match for younger children and of questionable value at any age." He calls it BGUTI: Better Get Used to It. "The logic here is that we have to prepare you for the bad things that are going to be done to you later … by doing them to you now."

According to a recent University of Michigan study, daily homework for six- to eight-year-olds increased on average from about 8 minutes in 1981 to 22 minutes in 2003. A review of research by Duke University Professor Harris Cooper found that for elementary school students, "the average correlation between time spent on homework and achievement … hovered around zero."

So should homework be eliminated? Of course not, say many Ed School graduates who are teaching. Not only would students not have time for essays and long projects, but also teachers would not be able to get all students to grade level or to cover critical material, says Brett Pangburn, Ed.M.'06, a sixth-grade English teacher at Excel Academy Charter School in Boston. Still, he says, homework has to be relevant.

"Kids need to practice the skills being taught in class, especially where, like the kids I teach at Excel, they are behind and need to catch up," he says. "Our results at Excel have demonstrated that kids can catch up and view themselves as in control of their academic futures, but this requires hard work, and homework is a part of it."

Ed School Professor Howard Gardner basically agrees.

"America and Americans lurch between too little homework in many of our schools to an excess of homework in our most competitive environments — Li'l Abner vs. Tiger Mother," he says. "Neither approach makes sense. Homework should build on what happens in class, consolidating skills and helping students to answer new questions."

So how can schools come to a happy medium, a way that allows teachers to cover everything they need while not overwhelming students? Conklin says she often gives online math assignments that act as labs and students have two or three days to complete them, including some in-class time. Students at Pangburn's school have a 50-minute silent period during regular school hours where homework can be started, and where teachers pull individual or small groups of students aside for tutoring, often on that night's homework. Afterschool homework clubs can help.

Some schools and districts have adapted time limits rather than nix homework completely, with the 10-minute per grade rule being the standard — 10 minutes a night for first-graders, 30 minutes for third-graders, and so on. (This remedy, however, is often met with mixed results since not all students work at the same pace.) Other schools offer an extended day that allows teachers to cover more material in school, in turn requiring fewer take-home assignments. And for others, like Stephanie Brant's elementary school in Maryland, more reading with a few targeted project assignments has been the answer.

"The routine of reading is so much more important than the routine of homework," she says. "Let's have kids reflect. You can still have the routine and you can still have your workspace, but now it's for reading. I often say to parents, if we can put a man on the moon, we can put a man or woman on Mars and that person is now a second-grader. We don't know what skills that person will need. At the end of the day, we have to feel confident that we're giving them something they can use on Mars."

Read a January 2014 update.

Homework Policy Still Going Strong

Illustration by Jessica Esch

Ed. Magazine

The magazine of the Harvard Graduate School of Education

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i'm done with homework

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Im done with my homework could mean you give up on it and you don’t want to do it anymore and I’ve finished my homework means that you completed

"i'm done with my homework" can mean you've given up on it due to frustration. "i've finished my homework." means you've completed everything needed..

i'm done with homework

  • What is the difference between I'm finished with my homework. and I finished my homework. ?
  • What is the difference between I'm done my homework. and I have done my homework. ?
  • What is the difference between I have finished my homework. and I have done my homework. ?
  • What is the difference between I've just finished my homework and I just finished my homework ?
  • What is the difference between I am done with my homework. and I have done my homework. ?
  • What is the difference between I have just finished my homework and I just finished my homework ?
  • How do you say this in English (US)? 做作业 。做练习。刷题。 除了do homework,do some exercise
  • What is the difference between I have to do my homework and I must do my homework ?
  • What is the difference between I asked a question about you. and I asked a question of you. ?
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  • How is this read? Je parle Tu parles Il parle Nous parlons Vous parlez Ils parlent

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How to Get Homework Done when You Don't Want To

Last Updated: March 2, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Ashley Pritchard, MA and by wikiHow staff writer, Hannah Madden . Ashley Pritchard is an Academic and School Counselor at Delaware Valley Regional High School in Frenchtown, New Jersey. Ashley has over 3 years of high school, college, and career counseling experience. She has an MA in School Counseling with a specialization in Mental Health from Caldwell University and is certified as an Independent Education Consultant through the University of California, Irvine. There are 9 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 246,748 times.

Homework can be a drag, but it's got to be done to keep your grades up and stay on track during school. Going somewhere quiet, making a plan, and giving yourself breaks can all help you stay focused and on task to get your work done quickly. Try to keep your assignments organized and give yourself credit for completing hard or boring work, even if you didn’t want to.

Getting Motivated

Step 1 Pick an easy assignment to start with.

  • Keep a list of your assignments and check them off as you finish them. This can give you a sense of accomplishment that can motivate you to keep going.

Step 2 Work on your homework with your friends to keep each other motivated.

  • Make it the rule that you work for a certain amount of time, or until a certain amount of work has been accomplished. Afterward, you can hang out. Stick to this schedule.
  • Try this out and see if it works. If you're too distracted by having friends around, make a date to hang out after homework instead.

Step 3 Make completing assignments a competition with yourself.

  • Make sure you keep the competition to yourself. Competing with your friends isn’t fun, especially over homework assignments and grades.

Step 4 Understand why you’re doing homework so it doesn’t feel pointless.

  • Learning something that will probably help with future assignments, even if you don't know what they are yet.
  • Proving to your teacher that you understand the homework so that they don’t keep assigning it over and over.
  • Improving your GPA.
  • Getting a good grade.

Step 5 Reward yourself when you finish an assignment.

  • Try not to reward yourself with food, as that can lead to snacking when you aren’t really hungry.

Staying Focused

Step 1 Break your work up into 45-minute chunks.

  • For instance, tell yourself that if you finish your first assignment in 20 minutes, you can go on your phone for 5 minutes.

Step 2 Take 15-minute breaks.

  • Make sure you stand up and do something when it's your break, or you won't get your wiggles out.
  • Set a timer on your phone or use a kitchen timer to let yourself know when it's time to switch tasks.

Step 3 Incorporate your own interests into your assignments.

  • If you don't have control over the subject, try to find connections between the topic and something you care about. Find aspects of the subject that interest you.
  • For instance, if you have to study History but you care the most about fashion, investigate the styles of the times and places you are studying. Learn how political and economical developments changed the way people dressed.

Step 4 Listen to soothing music that isn’t distracting.

  • You can find playlists on Spotify and YouTube that are made for studying and doing homework.

Step 5 Turn off any entertainment when it’s time to focus on the hard stuff.

  • When you're struggling to focus, sign out of your email and all social media so you don't check them as a reflex.

Creating Good Study Habits

Step 1 Set up a dedicated workspace.

  • If you have many textbooks and worksheets, stack them and put them to the side.
  • Get things like pencils, erasers, calculators, rulers, and paper.

Step 2 Keep a homework planner.

  • Having a planner will make it less tempting to procrastinate, as long as you have broken up your studying into manageable chunks.
  • Your planner can be paper, or you can get one on your phone. Just make sure it has space for task lists as well as events.
  • Once you have completed a task, cross it off or put a check next to it. Seeing that you're getting your work done will make you feel better, which in turn will motivate you to keep up the good work.
  • Don't put more than you can do in one day on a list! Split up your week's work so that every day has a manageable amount.

Step 3 Stick to a weekly homework routine.

  • If you have a job or extracurricular activities that change your daily schedule, determine a weekly schedule that you stick to as much as possible.

Step 4 Get help with your homework if you’re struggling.

  • Sometimes just explaining what you have to do will help you understand it better.
  • Talking to another person is a great way to brainstorm ideas. They may ask you questions or provide comments that can help you organize your ideas.
  • Other times, the person you are talking to will notice something about the prompt that you overlooked.

Supercharge Your Studying with this Expert Series

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Expert Q&A

Alexander Peterman, MA

Reader Videos

Share a quick video tip and help bring articles to life with your friendly advice. Your insights could make a real difference and help millions of people!

  • Try asking a family member to help you remember when to start your assignments so you don’t forget. Thanks Helpful 4 Not Helpful 2
  • Getting motivated can be tough. Just try your best, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Thanks Helpful 4 Not Helpful 2
  • If you’re really struggling with a topic, consider going to a tutor for extra help. Thanks Helpful 4 Not Helpful 2

Tips from our Readers

  • Set up a dedicated study area at home with your needed supplies, to establish a consistent homework routine. Having everything in one prepared place helps minimize distractions.
  • Use a planner to schedule out all your assignments. Break them into small, manageable pieces so it's less overwhelming. Checking tasks off as you finish motivates you along.
  • If completely stuck on an assignment, reach out and talk it through with someone. Verbalizing it can provide new insights to move forward.
  • Take short activity breaks every 45 minutes. Get up, stretch, grab some water. It refreshes your mental focus so you stay engaged.
  • Incorporate a fun personal interest into an assignment when possible. Writing about something you care about keeps you absorbed.
  • When you really need to concentrate, eliminate enticing distractions like your phone. Logging out keeps you on track.

i'm done with homework

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Concentrate on Your Homework

  • ↑ https://hwpi.harvard.edu/files/comm/files/smarttalk_staff_guide.pdf
  • ↑ http://www.wcsu.edu/housing/wp-content/uploads/sites/55/2018/05/Handout-V6N6.pdf
  • ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/worry-wise/201410/how-prevent-homework-procrastination
  • ↑ Ashley Pritchard, MA. Academic & School Counselor. Expert Interview. 4 November 2019.
  • ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/homework.html
  • ↑ http://kidshealth.org/en/kids/organize-focus.html?WT.ac=p-ra#
  • ↑ https://www.stonybrookmedicine.edu/sites/default/files/homework_tips.pdf
  • ↑ https://childmind.org/article/strategies-to-make-homework-go-more-smoothly/
  • ↑ http://kidshealth.org/en/teens/homework.html#

About This Article

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COMMENTS

  1. tense

    Mom, I'm done doing my homework! Mom, I'm done with my homework! In the first case, "doing my homework" is the task. In the second case, "homework" is the task. It depends on whether you regard 'homework' as a concrete noun - a collection of papers to be worked with in some way - or as an abstract noun - an assignment to be accomplished.

  2. grammar

    1. Add a comment. -1. I am (I'm) is the present tense. To say I'm done my homework looks a bit of a mess and incorrect. The sentense combines present tense with past "done". Therefore something in the sentence seems obviously obsolete. Or more than required. Unnessessary.

  3. Done my homework

    The done my homework construction involves a form of the word be, followed by the participle finished or done (or, for some speakers, started), followed by a noun phrase.(1) and (2) show two examples of this construction: 1) I'm done my homework. 2) I'm finished my homework. Note that the noun phrase does not have to be my homework.In fact, it can be almost any noun phrase, as shown by the ...

  4. I am done my work VS I am done with my work. [regional variation]

    I'm done the laundry. I'm done the bills. I'm done my dinner.-or-I'm finished the laundry. I'm finished the bills. I'm finished my dinner. The missing word (to your ears,) could be "doing" or "with," I suspect. I believe the earlier post by envie de voyager (#7683607) that linked to an older post by taghgka gets to the root of the issue.

  5. i am done my homework or i am done with my homework?

    Some examples from the web: i am done with my homework; I am done with this by-proxy hand jive.; I am done with Earth in general.; I am done with this whole committee thing.; I am done with Miss Cinnamon Cider.; I am done with small spaces.; But I am done with fighting a losing battle.; No, I am done with crafts. I am done with your little power push.; Because I am done with the Grail.

  6. What is the difference between "I am done" and "I am through"?

    Done and through have been used in these sentences as an adjective. Both adjectives are interchangeable, without any difference in meaning. We use them when we have finished doing or using something. A few examples are given below: 1- I am done or I am through. It means I have finished doing or using something. 2- He is through or done with his ...

  7. finished, have finished, be finished, be done, ,have done, did

    I am done with my homework. Not just similar; probably identical to "I am finished with my homework. I have done my homework. Very much the same as "I have finished my homework" but rather less immediate. "Done" is more likely than "finished" to imply "I did it yesterday".

  8. "I'm done my homework" vs "I'm done with my homework"

    For the first one it would have to be "I'm done my homework", without the "with". The others are as I would say them, though the last one is variable. I would say "I'm done at the library" but not "I'm done at work/school", where I'd say "I'm done work/school" instead. I can't think of any scenario where I'd say "I'm done the frying pan" unless ...

  9. How to Do Homework: 15 Expert Tips and Tricks

    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.

  10. Is It Correct to Say "I'm Done"?

    Conclusion. While both I'm done and I'm finished are correct, common, and generally accepted, I'm done is by far the more popular choice. Some grammar sticklers might argue that the best construction is I have finished, but this sounds a bit formal and stuffy in my opinion. I'm comfortable teaching my students that I'm done is correct.

  11. "I'm done my homework": is this a regionalism? An idiom ...

    "I'm done homework" is something I'd never say, but "I'm done work" or "I'm done eating" are both fine. I think the "my" is obligatory when it involves a single task, like "homework" or "chores," while for a more ongoing event, like "work" or "talking," it's not. In fact, in my dialect there's a difference between "I'm done my work," which ...

  12. Which is correct? "I'm done with my homework" or "I ...

    Boglin007 • 19 hr. ago. "I'm done with my homework" is correct in Standard American English (and Standard British English, though "finished" may be used more than "done" there). "I'm done my homework" is widespread and correct in Canadian English and some regional dialects of American English: https://ygdp.yale.edu ...

  13. How to Do Homework (with Pictures)

    Just make sure to save enough time to circle back and give it another shot. 4. Take a break every hour. Set a specific amount of time you will spend every hour doing something besides homework, and stick to it. Be sure you set how long after the start of the hour, and how long you will take.

  14. Is it wrong to say 'I am done with doing something.' instead ...

    Also, "I'm done with this" is can be used to be "I am frustrated and quitting" or "I refuse to do more of this" ... I'm done with (my) math homework is less severe than I'm done with math homework. (the latter could sound like you've had it with math homework in life)

  15. Are You Down With or Done With Homework?

    These days, nightly homework is a given in American schools, writes Kohn. "Homework isn't limited to those occasions when it seems appropriate and important. Most teachers and administrators aren't saying, 'It may be useful to do this particular project at home,'" he writes. "Rather, the point of departure seems to be, 'We've decided ahead of ...

  16. What is the difference between "I've done with my homework " and "I'm

    Synonym for I've done with my homework I've done with homework은 말이 통하지 않습니다~ I've done my homework *|I think so! |I've done my homework. Means: An action or a way conveying fact that you did your homework and it is settled now. "I am done my homework." This one is a bit grammatically incorrect. Add 'with' like this, "I am done with my homework" but then, the meaning is ...

  17. 3 Ways to Get Out of Doing Homework

    2. Look up the answers online or in the back of the book. Many textbooks have all or half of the answers listed in the back of the book (especially math books). Your teacher may have found the worksheets or questions online, too, so search for the answers online. 3. Act like you did the homework, but forgot it at home.

  18. What is the difference between "I'm done with my homework!" and "I've

    Synonym for I'm done with my homework! Im done with my homework could mean you give up on it and you don't want to do it anymore and I've finished my homework means that you completed |"I'm done with my homework" can mean you've given up on it due to frustration. "I've finished my homework." Means you've completed everything needed.

  19. 3 Ways to Get Your Homework Done Fast

    Every 25 minutes or so, take about 5 minutes to stretch and walk around to give your brain and body a quick rest. [11] 2. Eat snacks and drink water. Drink plenty of water and eat light, healthy, tasty snacks while you work to enjoy foods that you like, enhance your memory, and revitalize your brain and body.

  20. Homework challenges and strategies

    The challenge: Managing time and staying organized. Some kids struggle with keeping track of time and making a plan for getting all of their work done. That's especially true of kids who have trouble with executive function. Try creating a homework schedule and set a specific time and place for your child to get homework done.

  21. 3 Ways to Get Homework Done when You Don't Want To

    2. Take 15-minute breaks. Every 45 minutes, take a break and walk away from your study area. [7] Breaks are the time to get your reward, to use the bathroom or get a glass of water, and to move a little. Taking a break can give your brain a short rest from your work so you come back feeling refreshed and energized.