When I taught Algebra, I had some students who showed every bit of work.

And other students who pretty much refused.

The ones who showed their work tended to do much better, obviously.

And at the start of each school year, I gave a short talk on Habitry and its importance.

I would poll the class and ask:

"How many people show their work completely, every time."

Hands would raise.

"And now, how many people despise showing their work and only show it when required - and it's usually not very thorough."

And the other hands would raise.

I would pick someone from each group.

"Hey, you show your work each time, right? So, tell me... do you think it 'sucks'? Is it horrible, awful, and you hate every second of it?"

"No, not really. I don't even think about it, honestly."

"Interesting..."

And then I would pick someone from the other group.

"And you hate showing your work, right? You despise it? How bad is it? Tell me about it..."

"Oh, Mr. Helmes, it sucks - it's so boring and I hate it. I already know the answer, what a waste of time..."

"Gotcha, interesting.."

And then, I'd get to the point...

"So, there's one group who hates showing their work.

They think it's a waste of time, it's awful, they can't stand it, and they probably won't do it, no matter what...

And another group who DOES show their work, and they don't even mind it.."

"That's a pretty big difference, no?

What do you think makes the difference between the 'showing work' crowd and the 'not showing work' crowd?

Why does one group think it's the worst thing in the universe and the other group thinks it's not a big deal?"

"I'll tell you why... Habitry.

That's exactly why.

Somewhere along the line, the showing work group got used to doing the work.

It probably sucked at first when they were building the habit, but now, by 8th grade, it's solidified."

"And when things are habits, they're automatic.

You don't think about it.

They're neither good nor bad - they're just 'what you do' - and when your habits are good, good things happen.

And when habits are bad, well.... you know what happens next."

"If you want to do well in life, and in math class, you need to build the proper habits.

And the best part? Once you build the habit, the action itself ceases to 'suck'.

It doesn't 'suck' to brush your teeth or take a shower, but that takes just as long as showing your work."

"We do those things because they're automatic. We don't think about them. We've done them SO MANY TIMES that it's not even a 'thing'.

This is what you need to strive for.

To make doing things the right way automatic.

In both my class, and in life in general."

And then, after my poignant talk, they went back to texting their friends under the desk.

A few let it sink in, though.

And perhaps since you're not a hormone-riddled 14-year old, you'll find it useful yourself.