Managing School and HW

One of the biggest challenges for equestrians is finding the time to do homework after a long day at school and then a lesson or hack at the barn. So how do we fit it all in? In this blog post I am going to share with you the tips and strategies which have helped me turn in all my assignments on time and maintain good grades in all honor classes.

First things first, plan out your schedule ahead of time! Each school year, I try to schedule at least 1 study each semester. Having a study throughout the year literally saves my life! I normally can get at least 1-3 classes of homework done (depending on the homework level) each study. I plug in my air pods, put on some Lofi music (I love this Spotify playlist or this Apple Music playlist), and sit in a quiet space. Though studies are always a fun time to chat with friends, I have found I get too distracted and never get any work done. But, what if you don’t have any studies this year? Well! If I’m super overwhelmed with schoolwork, I try to get a little bit done during lunch. Typically, lunch is my time to relax and spend time with my friends, but the days when I have a ton of schoolwork and I know I’ll be at the barn in the evening, I will pull out my laptop and start my homework.

There are always those days when I still have so much homework even after my study and lunch, so I have to really plan out my night. I live at about 40 minutes away from my barn, so I can usually use that time to knock out an assignment or two. In school, I try to get all the homework I have on paper done, so in the car I can pull out my laptop and get homework done neatly and promptly. I’m not a fully paperless student, but I try as much as I can to use online resources such as Word, Canva, and Quizlet so I’m not wasting a lot of paper. I find Quizlet to be the best online studying website. It’s super easy and quick to use, especially if I am in a time crunch. I have found the Learn and Flashcard features are the best options for me to maintain information, but check it all out to see which features work best for you!! Canva and Word are the best resources for note-taking and projects. I usually will do most of my assignments and notes on Word and any fun projects, presentations, etc. I will use the free version of Canva. Occasionally, my sister and I will have back-to-back lessons on the weekdays, so I will have at least an hour to get schoolwork done at the barn. It can get pretty distracting, especially with furry little faces staring at you, begging for cookies and pets, but if I focus in on my schoolwork, I can get quite a bit done.

Now, my absolute holy grail product I use to organize my life and schoolwork is MY BIGGEST TIP! A planner. Some people prefer an online planner, but I absolutely love a good paper planner. I find I am more productive when I actually write out my list of to-dos for the day. I use a planner I got from amazon (linked), and it’s the perfect size. I like a smaller planner that fits in my backpack (now desk drawer since I am remote), but big enough that I have space to write enough detail. I’m not really set on a specific brand of planners, but I normally will pick a small planner with both a monthly calendar and a day-to-day planning option. I use the monthly calendar option to plan out all projects, tests, and long-term assignments, while I use the day to day option for my homework and to-do list throughout the day. I try to get projects done right when it’s assigned so I don’t procrastinate and wait until the day before to do it or completely forget about it, but also to potentially gain an extra study in class if I’m finished way ahead of time. For tests and quizzes, I normally try to study at least 2-4 days before an assessment. But, let’s be honest, there are times I procrastinate and study last minute (oops).

Those are my best tips on how to get work done, plan out your week, and stop procrastinating! Setting a good class schedule at the beginning of the year, squeezing in study time and using a planner should help you get ahold of your schoolwork and time management. Of course, we all have those days when we’re unmotivated and don’t want to do anything (blog post coming soon!), but if you plan out your day right and give yourself a balance of school and free time, you’ll feel much better!