How to do SCHOOL WORK over BREAK

Hi, it’s me, Seth. I hope you’re having a great day. It is probably Thanksgiving break for all of you, so I am sending this out a little bit early this week.

What I wanted to talk about today is how to do your homework over Thanksgiving break. Here’s the problem: it often doesn’t happen. Students and parents frequently intend to get certain projects done over Thanksgiving break, on trips, or during vacations, but it usually doesn’t happen with kids who struggle with executive function.

Why is this especially important right now? Because it is crunch time. It is the end of the semester. After Thanksgiving break, you only have two or three weeks before winter break. If your grades are borderline—if you have a C that could become a D or an F—and you’re trying to bring them back up, what’s likely to happen is that things are actually going to get worse right now. You have to anticipate that in order to plan for it.

What I mean by “getting worse” is that the last week of school before break is often filled with exams, papers, projects, and reading assignments that require additional work. There are four major things: longer reading assignments, big projects, big exams, and big papers or essays. Those are all on top of your normal homework.

Usually, those major assignments are due during the last week before break. Students who struggle with executive function often don’t get them done, don’t finish them on time, or rush through them at the last minute, resulting in low-quality work.

So, one problem is that it’s crunch time. Another problem is that people who struggle with executive function often have an unrealistic perception of how much time and energy tasks will require. Many of you probably know that you want to get something done over break, and you might be telling your parents, “Yeah, I’m going to get this done. I’ll do it Saturday,” or, “I’ll do it over break. Just leave me alone.”

Unfortunately, having an unrealistic perception of how long something will take—and not having a clear plan for when you’re actually going to do it—makes it much more likely that you won’t do it. Then you’ll either be rushing at the last minute on Sunday night or avoiding it altogether.

So, here is what I recommend.

First, don’t plan to work for just half an hour each day over Thanksgiving break—Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. That’s not realistic. Half an hour isn’t even enough time to get started.

Instead, plan one large chunk of time to do the work. Schedule a block of three to five hours, even if you don’t think it will take that long. Plan that chunk of time so you can really get into your work, focus on it, and finish it. I strongly recommend getting it done in one large block.

Second, schedule that block early in the break and early in the day. For example, if you can do it on Friday, get it done on Friday. Don’t wait until Sunday. Do it as early in the vacation as possible, and as early in the day as possible. Don’t wait until Sunday night, Saturday night, or even Friday night. Do it in the morning. The earlier in the day, the better.

Third, make a detailed plan for when you’re going to do the work and exactly what you’re going to do. I recommend using something like my “Today’s Plan” sheet on my website, although you certainly don’t have to. It includes your number one priority, a task list, estimated completion times, and the order in which you want to complete the tasks.

Create a very clear and detailed plan. Decide exactly when you’re going to work and what tasks you’ll complete. For example, you might say:

“I’m going to work on my assignments from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, and I’m going to do this, this, and this in that order.”

The more detailed your plan is, the more likely you are to follow through.

Finally, use a timer to help you get started. If you’re someone who procrastinates, get a digital timer that is not on your cellphone and use it to help you begin. Set it for 10 minutes, 15 minutes, or 20 minutes—whatever feels manageable. The goal is to make the task feel less overwhelming and use the timer as a push to get started.

And guess what? You’re probably going to stop at some point, and then you’ll need to get started again. That’s normal when you struggle to focus for long periods of time. You’re going to get distracted.

So how do you get undistracted? It’s not rocket science—you simply restart. The timer is a great tool for restarting. Recheck your plan, see where you are, and start again.

So, to recap:

1. Plan large chunks of work time.

2. Schedule them early in the day and early in the vacation.

3. Make a detailed plan for what you’ll do during that time.

4. Use a timer to help you get started.

I hope you have an awesome Thanksgiving break. I’m very grateful for you, and I hope you’re grateful for the education you’re getting. Have a great break, and take care.