"How do you motivate yourself to study?" is one of the most commonly asked questions by students - and for good reason. Motivation can be quite elusive! As much as we'd love to tell that motivating yourself to study is simple, that's not always the case. Inspiration, enthusiasm and high energy levels can be seldom sighted in your life unless you have a true passion for what you are doing with your time.
But instead of boring you with reasons why motivation to study is something that can easily be achieved, we've asked students just like you to give us some tips on what helps them find the motivation to study. So without further ado, here are five tips sure to help you find the willpower to start studying!
Tip One. Become very aware of your thoughts. We have thousands of conscious thoughts every day. Thoughts such as "What's for breakfast?" or "I will never get this study or assignment done on time!" Thoughts such as these must be carefully monitored and controlled. Why? Well, if you think you can, you can. If you think you can't, you can't. It really is that simple. Start changing the way you think by replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. Use thoughts like "I can do this" or "I'm always making progress" or "I always get work done on time!" The more you say these things to yourself the more they will become ingrained in your psyche.
Tip Two. Visualize yourself taking action and having success. We all know that the best athletes in the world visualize themselves achieving great things, so you can do it too! Think about yourself doing all your homework, getting your assignments in on time and acing the next test or exam. Then visualize what it feels like to achieve this. Do this as many times as required to start really believing it will happen!
Tip Three. Take baby steps. If you look at an assignment or a task in its entirety it often looks massive! That's why you need to chop things up and take small actions - consistently. If you think "I have to work hard for five hours to get this done" you will not be motivated to get started. But if you think "I will do 30 minutes of work now and then have a break for 30 minutes" then you are making progress. Do that a few times and you're done! Keep in mind that you have to take action to achieve a result. Even lottery winners actually buy a ticket you know!
Tip Four. Set up a personal stick and carrot routine. Warning! This one will work better for some than others. Establish a goal for what you are going to get done each day. For example, you might say "I am going to get my Maths homework done and write the first two paragraphs on my History paper." Now, if you complete the goal you get to have the reward. The reward could be eating pizza or ice-cream, or watching television, or buying yourself a new song for your iPod, or going out to see a movie with friends (or a combination of many things). But make sure your rewards are important and desirable to you. If you didn't do as you promised yourself, then you get nothing. Nothing at all. You can't watch television, stuff your face with sweets or spend time with your friends. But if you do complete your goals you can do whatever you please! Granted, this routine does require a serious level of self-discipline, but if you master it you will find that motivation comes very easily to you.
Tip Five. Remind yourself that you're closer to the end that you've ever been. One of the biggest challenges for students is not being able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. You've been studying and working hard for years and you still have a few years ahead of you. You've done mountains of work in your lifetime but more work just keeps piling up. It's relentless! Well, you need to take a deep breath. Every day brings you closer to the end - of your studying days! Every time you study for an hour or hand in an assignment or complete a test you have moved forward. You won't have to do that again and you've knocked down one obstacle in your way. Every action you take brings you closer to your destination. The light at the end of the tunnel is coming.
Keep in mind that life is not about study. But it's something you need to do and because of that you need to find a way to motivate yourself to study. So follow the five steps and start taking baby action steps each day and before you know your study days will be over. Good luck!
But instead of boring you with reasons why motivation to study is something that can easily be achieved, we've asked students just like you to give us some tips on what helps them find the motivation to study. So without further ado, here are five tips sure to help you find the willpower to start studying!
Tip One. Become very aware of your thoughts. We have thousands of conscious thoughts every day. Thoughts such as "What's for breakfast?" or "I will never get this study or assignment done on time!" Thoughts such as these must be carefully monitored and controlled. Why? Well, if you think you can, you can. If you think you can't, you can't. It really is that simple. Start changing the way you think by replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. Use thoughts like "I can do this" or "I'm always making progress" or "I always get work done on time!" The more you say these things to yourself the more they will become ingrained in your psyche.
Tip Two. Visualize yourself taking action and having success. We all know that the best athletes in the world visualize themselves achieving great things, so you can do it too! Think about yourself doing all your homework, getting your assignments in on time and acing the next test or exam. Then visualize what it feels like to achieve this. Do this as many times as required to start really believing it will happen!
Tip Three. Take baby steps. If you look at an assignment or a task in its entirety it often looks massive! That's why you need to chop things up and take small actions - consistently. If you think "I have to work hard for five hours to get this done" you will not be motivated to get started. But if you think "I will do 30 minutes of work now and then have a break for 30 minutes" then you are making progress. Do that a few times and you're done! Keep in mind that you have to take action to achieve a result. Even lottery winners actually buy a ticket you know!
Tip Four. Set up a personal stick and carrot routine. Warning! This one will work better for some than others. Establish a goal for what you are going to get done each day. For example, you might say "I am going to get my Maths homework done and write the first two paragraphs on my History paper." Now, if you complete the goal you get to have the reward. The reward could be eating pizza or ice-cream, or watching television, or buying yourself a new song for your iPod, or going out to see a movie with friends (or a combination of many things). But make sure your rewards are important and desirable to you. If you didn't do as you promised yourself, then you get nothing. Nothing at all. You can't watch television, stuff your face with sweets or spend time with your friends. But if you do complete your goals you can do whatever you please! Granted, this routine does require a serious level of self-discipline, but if you master it you will find that motivation comes very easily to you.
Tip Five. Remind yourself that you're closer to the end that you've ever been. One of the biggest challenges for students is not being able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. You've been studying and working hard for years and you still have a few years ahead of you. You've done mountains of work in your lifetime but more work just keeps piling up. It's relentless! Well, you need to take a deep breath. Every day brings you closer to the end - of your studying days! Every time you study for an hour or hand in an assignment or complete a test you have moved forward. You won't have to do that again and you've knocked down one obstacle in your way. Every action you take brings you closer to your destination. The light at the end of the tunnel is coming.
Keep in mind that life is not about study. But it's something you need to do and because of that you need to find a way to motivate yourself to study. So follow the five steps and start taking baby action steps each day and before you know your study days will be over. Good luck!
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