Keeping the Motivation

One thing a lot of students struggle with studying, myself included is finding the motivation to get up and pick up the textbook. I've tried studying with a friend, setting notifications on my phone and other methods you've probably heard of before; but none of them really worked for me (if they worked for you that's great!). So, for anyone who's having the same struggle as me, here are few things I did to motivate myself. For the purpose of this post, I will be talking about these methods as a study method but I have used them for my work and personal projects and they still worked so feel free to use them in a different part of your life.

Carry Around One Thing That's Related to the Study

If you don't feel like studying or working on an assignment, just carry around something related to the study/assignment. For example, if you don't feel like studying, just carry around a pencil or a flashcard. Eventually, you will get the motivation to use the thing you're carrying around with. If you're using online material, you could have the tab open or PowerPoint open. For extra effectiveness, you can make it that you can't put down the thing or close the tab until you do 1hr of study. It will annoy you enough that you will start studying.

Starting with a Task You're Already Motivated to do

One psychology paper I was reading (which was completely unrelated to my degree let alone anything I was doing at the time) talked about how a group of people who volunteered for the study showed greater motivation after finishing a difficult task that they enjoyed doing compared to the group of people who did an easy task which they weren't motivated to do. So instead of starting off the day with checking emails and cleaning up the desk, start off with something like a hobby project. I've tried this method myself and it has been helping me keep my motivation throughout the day.

Not the paper I read but it summarizes similar topic: Brandtzæg, P. B., Følstad, A., Heim, J. (2018) Enjoyment: Lesson from Karasek, Funology 2. p.331-341 <https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-68213-6_21>

Break The Task into Smaller Steps

You might have heard this one before but when writing down the tasks on a to-do list, break up the tasks into smaller steps. When I'm making my to-do list, instead of just writing "work on microbiology report" I break up the tasks into things like "Format the word document", "Find at least one paper that I can reference", "Read the marking rubric" and so on. You can combine this method with the second method I mentioned and carry around the to-do list or have the app open. You can also write it out on a piece of paper and put it up on the wall. This might be a good idea for any neuro-diverse students who have trouble remembering tasks that they need to work on.

Including the Time it Takes to do the Task on To-Do List

When making a to-do list include how long you think it would take for you to finish the task. Some times you might not have the time to go through an entire set of note but have just enough time to go through a flashcard. By including the time it takes to do the task, you're giving yourself a better idea of what you can do right there on the spot. Personally, with the to-do list, I like to set myself a goal to get at least more things done than the previous day rather than trying to get everything on the list done. I found this much easier for me to get things done since I'm giving myself less pressure.

Plug-in or Plug-off

To some people, listening to music can help them block off external distractions or use it to mute their inner critic. But to some people listening to music can be a source of external distractions. For me, when I'm working on my assignments or reading through notes, I find listening to music really distracting. But when I'm working on my creative work like this blog, music helps me mute my inner critic and help me get more work done. It also helps me separate my study brain from my work brain so it makes it easier for me to focus on what I'm doing at that very moment (apparently you can do a similar thing with scented candles. I haven't tried it though). So if you're not sure if listening to music can help you study better, try it in more than one situation or subject and see how it goes. You could even try listening to music while going through notes and working on assignments and see if there are any difference in your productivity.

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Did you find any of these study tips helpful? Or are there other methods that I didn't list it this blog that you personally find helpful? Share them in the comment section and let's help each other study better!