5 Strategies to Stay Motivated in Academic Settings

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classes can be boring life can be

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stressful plans can fall apart and the

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world has lots of distractions and

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bigger problems to make certain things

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like that homework assignment feels

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small and

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meaningless it happens to everyone at

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some point the key is to find your own

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best way to manage this we'll offer

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several strategies in this video and

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some of them might not work for you

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that's fine you don't have to try all of

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them but if you feel like you need a

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boost

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we hope you'll find something to

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try first let's talk about goals and

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checklists goals give us direction

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checklists help us break goals down into

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steps and let's remember to keep our

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goals and tasks concrete so you know

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exactly what to do and achievable so

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that you know you'll be able to do it

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here are two troubleshooting tips to

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keep in mind if you're having trouble

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getting started you might start with one

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tiny goal commit to just the first

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step like writing a basic outline not

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the whole paper or studying one chapter

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for 30 minutes just starting is your

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goal if you often forget to do things

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consider ways to remind yourself like by

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tracking your progress posting notes

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setting alarms or telling someone else

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your goals public commitment often helps

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us increase our

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accountability second let's talk about

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fun sometimes the things you have to do

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just aren't fun

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but if you can make them even slightly

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more interesting it may help you to do

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them here are some examples make a treat

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you only have while you read like your

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favorite tea or hot chocolate set a nice

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scene to work pick a comfy spot light a

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candle play a song you love reward

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yourself after you finish reading a

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chapter writing a page or two or

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completing a homework assignment study

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with a friend sometimes just being with

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someone else who's studying is motivating

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and if they're from your class you

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can discuss material even

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better next up are Fresh Starts some

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researchers looked at when people

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searched online for the word diet and

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they found an interesting pattern it's

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not only around new years which you

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probably expected but also on people's

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birthdays the first of each month and

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Mondays so the researchers call this the

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Fresh Start effect how do Fresh Starts

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apply to school say you're in a studying

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slump or your grades are dipping or you

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got a bad grade and need to make a

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change instead of saying well this

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semester is ruined it might help to

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create a fresh start for

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yourself the idea here is that you

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forgive yourself for whatever's been

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going on for your previous grades or

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habits rather than giving up you decide

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to make a change you pick a study

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behavior you're going to change and a

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day you're going to start doing it the

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time interval could be whatever you want

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but smaller and sooner are better for example

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you could say things like before the

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next exam I'm going to make sure I go to

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office hours every week starting Monday

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I'm going to do at least five chem

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practice questions every day after lunch

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I'm going to get back on track with my

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tasks for the day so if you get sucked

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into a Netflix Vortex you could beat

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yourself up and say what the heck I'll

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finish this season or you could give

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yourself a fresh start and say okay

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after this episode I'm going to read a

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chapter fourth put what you can on

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autopilot for some tasks you can use a

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set it and forget it strategy like

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recurring reminders alarms or automatic

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bill pay but for more complex Behavior

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changes we need to build habits the goal

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is to make something so automatic that

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you don't have to use your willpower in

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other words rather than having to decide

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over and over again whether you'll do

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something it's just something you do no

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willpower needed here are a few

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ideas first set time blocks or triggers

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pick daily or weekly blocks of time that

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signal its time for a specific task for

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example do practice questions during

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breakfast set the two hours after

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lecture as the time you'll do the next

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assigned readings assign Wednesday

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evenings for studying for your hardest

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class and second minimize the

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Temptations in your environment unplug

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your TV so you're not tempted choose an

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upright chair so you don't fall asleep

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close a door to signal to others that

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you're busy put your phone Out Of Reach

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while you

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study finally find the balance of work

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in life that really works for you in a

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given moment ask yourself whether it's

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better to push through or if it's time

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to take a break sometimes taking a break

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and coming back to something helps you

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face it a little more easily consider

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what limits you might make on certain

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activities that get you out of balance

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like how many hours you watch TV or how

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late you'll study to make sure you get a

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certain amount of sleep and if you need

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it reach out for support to help you get

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the balance you

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need when is it low motivation and when

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is it something more

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serious for example rather than missing

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a class here and there some people might

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stop going

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altogether or instead of getting a late

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start on an assignment some people don't

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turn it in at

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all in these more serious examples the

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low motivation might be caused by mental

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health issues like anxiety or

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depression if you think this might be

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the case for you consider getting help

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from a family member instructor advisor

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or

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counselor