Homework for Life | Matthew Dicks | TEDxBerkshires

"Homework for Life" is a strategy that I originally began using to generate more story topics for the stage, but as I began to use the strategy daily, it changed my life. It made everything about my life so much more vivid and slowed my life down remarkably. It's a strategy I teach to my storytelling classes often, and I've had people tell me that it has replaced therapy and meditation for them. It truly changes lives. Powerful.

Matthew Dicks is the internationally bestselling author of Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend, Something Missing and Unexpectedly, Milo, and others. He has published work in Reader’s Digest, Huffington Post, The Christian Science Monitor and DoubleTake Comics.

When not hunched over a computer screen, he fills his days as an elementary school teacher, a storyteller, a wedding DJ, a minister, and a Lord of Sealand. He has been teaching for 17 years and is a former West Hartford Teacher of the Year.

Matthew is a 19-time Moth StorySLAM champion and 3-time GrandSLAM champion.

Matthew teaches storytelling and public speaking throughout the world including at Yale, University of Connecticut Law School, Purdue University, Kripalu, and Graded School in Brazil.

Matthew grew up in the small town of Blackstone, MA, where he made a name for himself by dying twice before the age of 18 and becoming the first student in his high school to be suspended for inciting riot upon himself.

[EthanSmith]

Hate finding out the answer I needed 8 years ago, existed 8 years ago. But at least I found it today.

[redandy]

Wheezy Waiter sent me - I'm glad he did!

[Scoopforge]

Here from 2025, 16yrs but I watched this video at 3am and was sleeping but I realized I had been watching for 16 minutes feeling like it was a YouTube short. Great storyteller.

[vnsmk]

This is Nhattan your 5th grade student 2020-2021, I just finished the first homework for life.

[NishthaGehija]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the innocence with which Matthew is delivering it. The fact that he hasn't been bitten by the bug of the pretentious world is commendable. PS: I have started doing homeworks for life and also recommended it to at least 5 people in the last two weeks.

[GianDON]

June 09, 2021 I was working at a clinical laboratory as a phlebotomist 2 years ago and being new to it all, I still didn’t know how much I’d like this job. At that time, I was grateful for the job and any experience i could get at the early stages of my career. One afternoon, close to the end of a busy day, an old man comes in. He looked like someone in his 80s. He didn’t particularly standout being as I see so many old people regularly and his face was hardly recognizable as he had a mask on his face. We exchanged friendly remarks and the usual patient screening questions I asked. To my surprise, what stood out for me from this old man was not his wrinkled looking face or his white hair, but rather the way he spoke. Here is my boring, repetitive and mundane questions I’d ask to every patient, and here is this old man responding to me with so much vigor. I was 22 that day and I swear from the way we spoke, it sounded like I was the one near it’s death bed. So finally I asked him, “Don, you speak with such beauty and profoundness that I need to ask you how you are able to learn it”. He told me that he used to be a writer when he was younger but when he retired, he then started to pursue his passion in poetry. Because it peaked my interest, I asked him if I could hear one of his most favoured poems that he made. He was shocked, I don’t know if it was because of what I had asked of him, or his body is finally reacting to the blood I took from him. He started reciting his poem. I was entranced, I listened to his poem which was about 8 minutes long and I could tell from just listening to him reciting it, it was made with so much care, so much love, so much passion and so much hurt. I listened to those 8 minutes thinking I was being shown a part of his life and I listened with intent because to write something so beautiful has always been something I wanted to do. So when he finished he told me the story about the poem, about his wife of 30+ years, the life they built, and the day he lost her in her battle with cancer. I teared up a little. Afterwards when it was time to go, I told him how grateful I was to be able to hear his poem. he smiled and told me this “No young man, Thank you for giving an old man like me, an ear to hear”. I went back home, wrote it in my entry. 2 years later I still remember that day and to this day, I’ve been using it for interviews or just for a good story.

[drew]

7:45 Homework for life example.
In case you were wondering how to do it exactly.
Welcome!

[guusvanrees-old]

He IS amazing at storytelling! Gonna commit to this with faith. I know I will stick to it because I am learning storytelling anyway for my personal brand on X

[alexanderthegreat]

I feel so fortunate to have found this video at the age of 21 & not 75 🙏. Ever since highschool these past few years flew by and I assumed that was normal because everyone older than I said they would. Every day has felt mundane & every month feels like a week. But this, this is a key to adding more meaning to my life. Just another reason to get up from my bed each day. 😊

[lulucao]

I don't know why, I started tearing up from the first story he told. And my tear didn't stop the whole time.

[Sammh]

This man was my twin brother’s, and older sister’s elementary school teacher, and now my teacher, for life.

[LuisVZ]

wow can't believe it has less than 1 million views. Great talk!

[BK-fluw]

I am surprised Matthew does not get more notoriety. His book is brilliant, and when you listen to him tell stories you realize he walks the walk - no swagger necessary - only his authentic self. Which is a big part of what he suggests to his audience. Each of our lives are interesting, we must only take the brief time to reflect, and find the ways to procure the stories. Atomic Habits + Storyworthy (homework for life) = Life changing

[brianwong]

Been doing this for a while now and can testify to the benefits he described to be accurate. In addition, I do keep a "photo of the day" in my Notion app. For those who are not writers, taking a single shot helps a lot when time travelling back to your notes. And yes, it only takes about 5 mins a day. Well worth it.

[donkowalewski]

In less than a month of doing this, I know it's changing my life. For example, this was the first year we didn't have a Santa-believer as your twelve year old learned the truth from friends at school. I don't remember how it all happened with my 14 and 15 year old years ago when they found out, but NOW I know my 12 year old first confessed to her 15 year old sister, who then relayed the revelation to my wife and I said to my wife it was HER job to talk with my 12 year old about it - not that I couldn't or wouldn't. But I remembered my wife tearfully and broken-heartedly giving a tearful confession and explaining how much she loved being Santa to my other children, so I thought our final "believer" should also have that tear-filled moment. So now I have a story about the actual sequence of events AND of how amazing it is to BE SANTA and why. Thank you,

[drummermomcjs]

Thank you Matthew for the assignment, I gladly take up this assignment and look forward to the many jewels and gems, nuggets of precious moments that can be shared and treasured for eternity. Thank you for such a wonderful idea, and way to become a better me who will love others more effectively and enjoyably.

[theresafrancomacaro]

"Dander in the Wind, " what a powerful image. Love it.

[truptiraut]

I write emails to myself, throughout the day - reflecting on life tasks and lessons...

[charitygrant]

I haven't discovered that I'm an important person in this world yet but MDicks is my favorite author. His fiction slays me. I didn't discover his MOTH moments till years after I discovered his books. He reinvents himself with every book since Something's Missing. He's from another planet.

[tietoliikenne]

"Matthew grew up in the small town of Blackstone, MA, where he made a name for himself by dying twice before the age of 18 and becoming the first student in his high school to be suspended for inciting riot upon himself."

gosh I love this last line in the description about Matthew.