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The podcast that teaches tweens and teens necessary life skills to achieve their goals, develop unconditional confidence, cultivate positive habits and become UNSTOPPABLE in all areas of life!
Will (00:00.534)
I need to be higher for the camera so that the caption can go here and this can be the top of the video. I think that looks good. Okay.
What's up chat. Let's go ahead and talk all about homework. I know you have been absolutely dying to hear a podcast on homework, but I just want to set the tone here and just let you know that I used to hate it. used to dread homework, like full body dread. I used to come home, you know, look at my backpack. I didn't even, you know, look at my homework. If I looked at my backpack and the kitchen table, then I would like get nauseous. Like that's
the extent of how much I hated homework, you might be in the same boat. And if that's the case, or maybe you're just here listening to this, you know, like, dude, I just want to make homework a little bit less sucky. I just want to make a little better. Then I got four rules for you that changed everything for me. I didn't learn them until senior year of high school. And maybe if you're listening to this, you're not quite there. Maybe you're in high school. Maybe you're in middle school. Learn them earlier than me so that you can just save yourself a little bit of stress.
Okay. I didn't do these all perfectly, but when I started to be intentional, remember intentional just means when I started to do this on purpose, when I started to, you know, just try to, you know, just, just grow and invest in my personal growth, everything started to change. Okay. So these are the four things my, and just a heads up, the fourth one is by far my favorite. I do that because I want you to stick around the whole thing, but I also do that because it is my favorite. Okay.
I'm gonna
Will (01:39.17)
Rule number one is to lower the bar to get started. This is so important because what most people do is they sit down and they think, okay, I need to finish these entire essay. I need to study this entire study packet. I need to get through all 58 math problems. And then when they think that their brain immediately goes, no, that's not going to happen. That's way too much.
instead of doing 58 problems on math. What if I just did, I don't know, 58 minutes of tick tock or 58 levels on my game or whatever it may be. Okay. Our brain resists big tasks. That's just how it works. The bigger the task feels, the harder it is to start because the more overwhelmed that we feel. So here's the trick. Make the task smaller. I talk about this a lot. So if you're tired of me saying this, then well, I don't know what to tell you. Maybe skip ahead a little bit, but that's it. Just like,
convince your brain that success just means to start for two minutes. Starting is the hardest part. Once you start momentum takes over, you're going to look up and you're going to realize that you've been working for 20 minutes without even thinking about it. And the other part is do the easiest thing. First, everyone says like, eat the frog. I don't know if you ever heard of that term. I am not a huge fan of frogs. So whenever I hear that, kind of get grossed out, but eat the frog.
always kind of talks about the principles is doing the hardest thing first. But personally, I like to do the easiest thing first because it like, you my brain likes to build momentum. I like to continue to prove to myself that I can, can do it. You know what I'm saying? If I eat the frog and I do the hardest thing first, then I don't know. I just kind of like, I doubt myself. I'm like, dang, this is so hard and I've got so much to do. So whatever your brain likes best, just do that. Um, but the, the number one thing that I can recommend,
If you're stuck, if you're overwhelmed, or if you just can't get started, then do the easy thing. Check something off quickly and build some momentum. Okay. Um, that is the first tip that I have for you. The second tip is that your environment matters. I'm going to ask you a question. You don't have to answer me because this is a podcast, but I do want to ask you the question, where do you do your homework? Are you sitting in your bed with like your phone next to you, Netflix on in the background and I don't know your little
Will (03:58.786)
brother just like running around the house and just yelling six, seven. If that's the case, that's probably not going to work. You can't focus on calculus in the same room as your X-Box. You can't write your essay with your phone lighting up every 30 seconds on your desk. Your environment either helps you focus or destroys your focus. And there's really no in between y'all. So here's what I recommend. Change your location. I know it sounds so crazy simple, but it is success.
Let me just be real is very, very simple. It's not easy. Otherwise everyone would have it, but it's very simple. Like you actually probably know how to be successful in your head. It's just like actually applying it. You know what saying? So how to change your environment, go to the kitchen table, go to the library, go to Starbucks, go literally anywhere that isn't in front of your Xbox or PlayStation or your bedroom or with your phone. And if you can't leave your room, at least like change the setup, right? Make it all cozy.
Have some lo-fi beats in the background. Maybe you can add some nice lighting. Christmas is coming up, so ask for some nice cozy stuff for your desk for Christmas. Close the door, turn the TV off, put on some music, like I said, and make it easier to focus and harder to get distracted. I kind of glitched out there. Make it easy to focus and harder to get distracted.
One of my students told me that he used to do homework in his room and it would take him like three hours. Then he started going to the library. Uh, he just like took the later bus and that same homework now takes him 45 minutes. Same kid, same homework, just different environment. All right. Environment matters way more than you think y'all rule number three, work in energy sprints, energy sprints. Okay. You know how teachers always say like, just work slowly and steadily. That's not what they say.
I don't know about you guys, but I have certain moments throughout the day where I just feel a little bit more motivated. It doesn't mean that I feel crazy motivated, especially to do stuff that I don't necessarily like to do, maybe like homework, but there are moments that I feel a little bit more energy and a little bit more motivated. Take advantage of those moments. A little fun fact. I make these podcasts when I feel more energy, right? It's an energy sprint.
Will (06:17.228)
And I'll just knock out some of the harder work that I need to do, or some of the work that requires a little bit more, you know, energy in front of a camera. And so you need to use those energy sprints to your advantage. Go all in for 30 minutes, no distractions. Once again, rule number two, change your environment. Okay. Kick that thing to the curb, throw it into the ocean. If you live in California or some, you know, I don't know, state other than Kansas, like me. Okay. Just don't check your phone. Pure focus. Then take a break.
get up, move around, grab a nice snack, check your phone if you want to then go again. There's another sprint that is way more effective than just sitting at your desk for two hours while secretly scrolling Instagram the whole time, trying to convince your parents that you are not on Instagram. Okay. You get more done and you feel way less fried by the end of it. Okay. Quality over quantity in my opinion, every single time. And then rule number four. Okay. Some of you guys got to like, I don't know if you're in the car,
then you just got to like, hold on to the seat. You know what saying? If you, don't know.
Will (07:22.574)
And, and rule number four, you guys ready for this? It's the most important rule. Um, spend less time complaining and more time doing. know it's not what anyone on the other side of this little devicey thing, uh, needs to, or I should say wants to hear, but sometimes it is what you need to hear. know homework sucks. You know, homework at times sucks. We all know homework at times sucks, but here's the truth. Complaining about it doesn't make it go away. It just makes it take longer.
There were so many moments when I was in high school, when I was in middle school, even like today, you know, I don't necessarily have homework, but I complain sometimes about the work that I need to do for an hour, where if I would have just gotten started an hour ago, I would have been done like in 15 minutes. Venting feels really good in the moment. know, complaining feels really good in the moment, but it's not helping you get it done.
The reality is the faster you start, the faster you finish. The less you complain, the more energy you have to actually do the work and you're not wasting it on actually complaining, which not only like, I don't know, it makes you procrastinate, but it actually decreases the amount of motivation and positive feelings you have that makes it easier to do your homework. Okay. So the next time they catch yourself complaining, just notice it and then just start be like, dang, if I just started my homework right now, then
maybe it wouldn't take me all night and I would be able to be done and I can go FaceTime my friends or I can go play some fortnight or I can go play some Madden, whatever you guys want to do. And it's a win-win. So the next time that you catch yourself complaining, again, notice it, even if you don't feel like it, even if it's annoying to start and I promise you, you're going to thank yourself later. That's what successful people do by the way. They do the short term hard for the longterm easy. And the more you do that, the more.
you're going to see wild amount of success. Okay? Y'all, I used to be the worst at this. Okay? I used to be the worst at this. I promise you, it just takes like a couple of minutes to set yourself up.
Will (09:32.652)
y'all I used to be y'all I used to be like I said the worst at homework. So what I want you to do, like I said, pick one of four of these y'all. Like I said, y'all, I used to be the worst at homework. Like I said, I hated it. I dreaded it. But even doing one of these four rules changed everything. So maybe it's lowering the bar and working for just five minutes. Maybe it's changing your environment and you know, putting on some nice tunes.
putting on a, you know, a little fall candle, getting yourself a tea and just kind of lock in it. Maybe it's working in sprints and trying to, you know, be aware of the times that you feel the most energy and taking advantage of those things. Maybe it's just cutting out the complaining. Pick one, follow it for a week. And I promise you, you're going to see that homework feels a lot easier. And not only that, but you get more free time. All right, everybody. Yo, come on, let's lock in. You've got this. Thanks for listening. And I'm going to catch you in the next episode.
Peace.