Planning the optimum time for homework

I've just finished the annual stock take and it's been a huge job. Although I'm competent enough at maths and can do the business figures well enough, I don't particularly enjoy it. If I'm tired, it all seems to go a bit haywire – as was demonstrated over the last couple of weeks.

I did all my calculations for the stock take over two days, only to realise the next morning that some of the calculations were complete nonsense. What was I doing? What was I thinking? I would have to spend inordinate amounts of time recalculating everything.

This I did begrudgingly, and came up with a very different scenario. This was perplexing, annoying and gratifying all at once – gratifying because I'd picked up the errors and got the right result in the end.

When it comes to undertaking complex work, or work that needs creativity, the brain needs to be functioning at its best. For me, that's early morning. Had I planned to do the stock take over several early mornings, and not pushed on throughout the day, I'd have got the job done efficiently.

When our daughters get home from school, they've already been working a near full day, and had a journey to and from school to boot. They arrive home tired and hungry. So are they always likely to produce the best quality homework at the end of their day? Added to this is whether they're coping with their periods and PMS (pre-menstrual symptoms).

Most girls won't have much flexibility mid-week as to when they can do their homework, and school deadlines have to be met, regardless of how tired they feel. The weekends offer much more flexibility.

Knowing your daughter's best times for different activities is useful to pay attention to. She will probably know herself, but if not, this can be a helpful conversation to have because it will help your daughter to be more aware of how she functions at different times of the day.

Armed with this self-awareness, you and your daughter could agree as to when things such as homework are best completed. Tasks that need less brainpower, such as emptying the dishwasher, can be left for when they're not at their peak.

The environment is important too. What works for the parent may not be what works for the child. Many girls like to work sitting cross-legged on the floor with the headphones firmly fixed, or possibly with music blaring loudly; some are happier sitting at a desk in a quiet room with their books and work tidily arranged. Whatever works for your daughter should be supported and encouraged.

If homework can be done when girls are comfortable, alert and at their most creative, they are more likely to produce good quality homework, and find it gratifying.