Nathaniel Fried
Education is hard. For many students, it becomes a real quest to finish school or college, as constant deadlines and assignments make them feel depressed and tired. Even if you were a motivated first-year student, by the end of the year, you may experience the burden of education at its fullest. Procrastination and lack of motivation become your best friends.
How do you keep up with the educational burden? Where do you find the strength to not give up studying? How do you keep the interest in studying after graduation? All these and other questions we will discuss in the article below.
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What Is Motivation?
Motivation is a stimulus, desire, or need to do something. It doesn’t mean that motivation is always related to something positive that can change your life. But in reality, we use motivation in various ways:
- You need the motivation to watch a TV series the entire night.
- You need the motivation to get up earlier.
- You need the motivation to go to a college or university that you are fed up with. You can’t just avoid going.
As you can see, motivation can be used for various things in life. If you have the right stimulus, you will always get motivation. Your path to increased motivation will consist of small steps. Some of them may work, some of them not. But eventually, you will find your own recipe that works for you the best.
There are some methods and recommendations that may get you out of the procrastination hole. Read the following tips and recommendations to fire up your motivation and finally get to studying.
1. Find the right stimulus.
You need to find the right reason to do something. For example, let’s say you want to do your assignments without rushing and sleepless nights, and with the motivation of getting good marks. But will this inspire you when it will be hard? Try to ask yourself questions, such as, “Why do I need to do this?”
Having really compelling reasons is important for you. For example, you may have the desire to freely manage your workload and time. Take a rest if you want to. Be responsible for the result. Choose which disciplines are interesting and which are not. There is a possibility to earn extra money on things you always wanted to have. So, does this sound inspiring?
2. Set goals.
You need to find out why you need to study to stay motivated. This aim shouldn’t be the graduation itself. You need to make a list of what an education will give you. For example, your education in medical school will help you become a plastic surgeon. You will have a possibility of earning good money, working with models and stars, and helping people to overcome an inferiority complex and gain confidence. And to reach this goal you need to get to studying right now and learn anatomy like a guru.
Or you can set other goals, such as to get energy and positivity from your classes. You can enjoy the small trip to the campus, have a small talk with your classmates, and become best friends with several teachers. Try to make everyday studying enjoyable. This may motivate you even more than a far-off dream of becoming a famous plastic surgeon.
3. Strive to learn from competent mentors.
It’s hard to believe that all professors during your courses will be brilliant mentors and real tutors. If you are lucky enough to meet one or several real tutors, do everything possible to make your collaboration effective. How do you detect such a tutor? Easily! If your professor motivates you to study, gives you valuable information, and makes every lesson marvelous – that’s it.
Don’t be shy to ask your tutor various questions if you can’t understand something or ask where you can find information on the topic. The more you communicate with your tutor, the more motivated you will be.
4. Create a study schedule and reward yourself.
First, the schedule will help you be organized with assignments, deadlines, and your personal life. If you have planned to write a ten-page research paper and have already written five, it’s time to reward yourself with a bit of chocolate or call your friend. But you need to remember that the reward should be equal to the effort. You can’t go for an overnight party if you haven’t done the assignment today.
5. Ask for help.
If you don’t understand the course material or a specific term, you can always contact your professor for clarifications. There is no reason to be shy. Make a list of questions and schedule a visit to the professor’s office or send an email. Usually, professors are pleased to see student interest and eagerly go on contact. Also, it’s a great step to establish a good relationship with him or her.
Another trouble lies in assignments. It’s common to not be able to do all of the assignments on time. Don’t panic or fall into despair. All you need is to ask your friend or someone else to help you. If you don’t have such friends, you can always ask a service to “write my paper for cheap.” Failing a class or getting a bad score for an assignment may be much more demotivating than forcing yourself to ask for help.
6. Get organized.
Make a habit to clean your desk before and after you do your homework. Also, you can buy fun office supplies that will please your eyes during classes. Some students like when they see a bouquet of fresh flowers on the work desk or an inspirational quote hanging before your eyes. It’s hard to enjoy studying when you need to write in a shabby notebook with an old pencil.
Also, it concerns your appearance. Always wear fresh closes, take a shower, and eat healthy snacks. It’s not criminal to do homework in your favorite old sweatpants, but what if you try to wear something new?
7. Feel comfortable while studying.
Wear comfortable and clean clothes. When you have several classes in a row or need to study for a couple of hours, you need to feel the maximum level of comfort. Nothing should irritate you from studying.
If you need a maximum level of concentration, turn off notifications on your phone and use various blockers for social media. Apply the appropriate settings on your phone to receive important calls only. Use earplugs if you can’t reduce the noise.
Take a bottle of water and some snacks. It will reduce the risk that you will accidentally turn to the living room to watch Netflix on the path to the kitchen.
8. Avoid procrastination.
Procrastination is not simply laziness. Usually, the reasons for procrastination are deeper. Some students procrastinate because they can’t understand the assignment or can’t decide which assignment to do first from the list. It’s much easier to take some coffee instead. Another reason for procrastination is having many uncompleted tasks not connected to studying. To fight procrastination, start writing a to-do list and set priorities. Divide big tasks into small manageable parts and enjoy the results.
9. Think about your well-educated friends and classmates.
If your friend has already graduated from college and gained a good job, it’s time to ask them how they achieved it. Perhaps, they have learned a new language or gotten a certificate on modern courses. Every bit of information may be valuable for you.
Also, you can gather a company of interested students to do homework in the team. Find a partner that is interested in studying. Find the right place: a library, coffee shop, or any other cozy place for studying. You will see how studying turns into a fun and pleasant process.
10. Practice mindfulness and concentration.
Sometimes, if you need to do something, you just have to do it. Recently, meditation and mindfulness practices have become popular trends that can be also applied to studying. To get tuned into the studying routine, turn off the distractions and take a piece of paper. Try to write down all the thoughts and feelings you are experiencing at the time. It will help you deal with the tasks that have been bothering you for a long time, discover feelings that you have tried to hide, and free your head from obsessive thoughts. After this, take several breaths in and out to strengthen the feeling of release.
As an addition, you can start yoga practices or running. Take care of your body and you will see how beneficial it is. Even a short evening run may tune you into the studying process.
Wrapping Up
And lastly, stay positive. No matter whether you need to study, work, or do something else, you may face a lot of troubles and obstacles on your way. Failures and pessimism may seriously affect your motivation. But if you tune into positive things, your efficiency and productivity will only increase. Listen to your favorite music, reward yourself for the completed work, talk with friends, and fill your life with positive thoughts. If you are tired, watch a new episode of your favorite show (dibs on one episode only!) or eat some chocolate.
Even the most gifted teachers and recommendations won’t help you become an A-level student unless you really want to. We live in a really dynamic time where studying doesn’t end after college graduation. Accept that studying will become your everyday companion until the end of your life. Hopefully, our advice will be helpful! Good luck!
