8 tips on keeping motivated at university
You aren't always going to feel motivated at university, and that's fine. Sometimes we all need a little push and I've got some tips at hand to help:
1. Remember your reasons for going in the first place. Did you go to university because you want a specific career, for the benefits of having a degree, because you love your course, or because you wanted to learn something new? There are so many reasons for going to university and a good way to get motivated is to remember yours. You aren't there because you have to be, you're there because at one point this is what you really wanted. If you can remember that feeling, then there's a good chance that it'll motivate you to keep going.
2. Imagine your future self. Picturing yourself five or ten years down the line might seem like a stretch, but graduation really isn't as far away as it seems. Graduation is a time to feel proud of yourself and to celebrate all of the hard work you're doing now - every bit of effort counts, so set some goals and get excited about achieving them.
3. Make a to-do list. I'm definitely a list person. I love being able to cross things off because it's almost like a visual representation of how much work I've done so far, and it makes me feel like I'm getting closer to the end. I know that some people get really put off by seeing everything that needs to be done written down and feel that it's a bit oppressive, but if you're like me then lists are great! You could have a daily to-do list, a list for what needs to be done for your essay, a revision to-do list...just all sorts.
4. If you keep procrastinating, think about why. It could just be laziness (we can all relate) or you might have been busy with other commitments, but it could also be out of worry or stress. Whenever I had a new essay to write I'd try to get on with background reading and research pretty early on, but I would always put off the writing part. I found it really difficult to get started, sometimes because I put so much pressure on myself to write a great essay, and sometimes because I just simply couldn't think of how to start it off. The easiest way of dealing with it that I've found is to work on the bits I knew to start with, which got rid of some of the panic about having a blank document, and once I had a few bits and pieces to tie together I found it easier to add in paragraphs rather than to write from start to finish. If you're very logical then this might not be the best approach for you, but you could maybe produce an in-depth draft or plan to work on instead. Break everything down into baby steps and a big task suddenly seems more manageable.
5. Go to your lectures. There weren't many people who regularly attended lectures in my year. Of course some people could just never be bothered to turn up, especially when a lecture happened to be at 9am, but I think it's also related to the quality of the module. You can easily tell how good a lecturer is by looking at the students' attendance rates. When you get lecturers whose presentations are a complete mess to the point that you can barely make sense of them, it does feel like a bit of a waste of time, but just keep going. You'll get some lectures that are so inspiring and make you think, "yes, this is why I signed up for this course!", or at the very least, you'll often find that lecturers mention useful information that isn't on the slides. Treat university like it's your job - although you can't be fired from university in the same way for missing lectures, getting into the habit of going will create a schedule which can be really helpful for motivation.
6. Break revision down into chunks. This one relates to the procrastination tip but I'd like to expand on it a little bit. When revising for an essay, a lot of people tend to allot a certain amount of time to revise before taking a break. I used to swear by the pomodoro method, which is when you work for 25 minutes, have a 5 minute break, then repeat the cycle; it works because you know that you'll get regular breaks, and therefore put a lot of energy into the short amount of working time that you get. The issue with working to a time limit however is that you could lose your train of thought during a break, or get too distracted and accidentally end up on Facebook for half an hour. If that sounds familiar, try revising in chunks rather than working for a set time, e.g. work until you've completed your essay plan, or finished learning about a certain topic. It might mean that you end up working for longer than you originally planned, but it helped me to concentrate more, and if I got "into the zone" then it wouldn't be interrupted by taking a break (which I would almost definitely do if given half a chance). Also, make sure that you keep rewarding yourself. This can be as little as a cup of tea for finishing a certain section of an essay, or as big as planning a meal at your favourite restaurant or night out once your exams are over. Having something to look forward to can be a helpful motivator to carry on!
7. Buddy up. Find a friend (it doesn't have to be someone on your course, but it helps) who will encourage you rather than help you to procrastinate. You could arrange to meet up with them at certain times throughout the week or just go to the library for an hour with them after lectures, whichever way works best for you. This helps in two ways: you can get support and encouragement from your friend, and again, it also creates a regular schedule to get work done.
8. Have the right atmosphere. By the time you get to university you'll probably have some idea about your best working environment. Everyone is different: some prefer early mornings, others prefer nights; some prefer background noise, others need total silence; some need a tidy work space, and others can work with a bit more clutter. If you keep getting distracted at home, then utilise the library. It might seem like a little thing to some people but I really believe that your environment can make a huge impact on the quality of your work - plus, if you have set place to study then that'll create an association, which will hopefully in turn help to motivate you (which is why people often tell you not to work in your bedroom). You could also try listening to classical music if you like having a bit of background noise but find songs with lyrics too distracting - YouTube is a great place to search for long playlists so that you won't have to keep finding the right tracks (try this, this, or this)
Good luck!
1. Remember your reasons for going in the first place. Did you go to university because you want a specific career, for the benefits of having a degree, because you love your course, or because you wanted to learn something new? There are so many reasons for going to university and a good way to get motivated is to remember yours. You aren't there because you have to be, you're there because at one point this is what you really wanted. If you can remember that feeling, then there's a good chance that it'll motivate you to keep going.
2. Imagine your future self. Picturing yourself five or ten years down the line might seem like a stretch, but graduation really isn't as far away as it seems. Graduation is a time to feel proud of yourself and to celebrate all of the hard work you're doing now - every bit of effort counts, so set some goals and get excited about achieving them.
3. Make a to-do list. I'm definitely a list person. I love being able to cross things off because it's almost like a visual representation of how much work I've done so far, and it makes me feel like I'm getting closer to the end. I know that some people get really put off by seeing everything that needs to be done written down and feel that it's a bit oppressive, but if you're like me then lists are great! You could have a daily to-do list, a list for what needs to be done for your essay, a revision to-do list...just all sorts.
 |
| Not as good as a stock photo, but a bit more real. This notepad was "the chosen one" for third year which held all of my notes and lists. |
4. If you keep procrastinating, think about why. It could just be laziness (we can all relate) or you might have been busy with other commitments, but it could also be out of worry or stress. Whenever I had a new essay to write I'd try to get on with background reading and research pretty early on, but I would always put off the writing part. I found it really difficult to get started, sometimes because I put so much pressure on myself to write a great essay, and sometimes because I just simply couldn't think of how to start it off. The easiest way of dealing with it that I've found is to work on the bits I knew to start with, which got rid of some of the panic about having a blank document, and once I had a few bits and pieces to tie together I found it easier to add in paragraphs rather than to write from start to finish. If you're very logical then this might not be the best approach for you, but you could maybe produce an in-depth draft or plan to work on instead. Break everything down into baby steps and a big task suddenly seems more manageable.
5. Go to your lectures. There weren't many people who regularly attended lectures in my year. Of course some people could just never be bothered to turn up, especially when a lecture happened to be at 9am, but I think it's also related to the quality of the module. You can easily tell how good a lecturer is by looking at the students' attendance rates. When you get lecturers whose presentations are a complete mess to the point that you can barely make sense of them, it does feel like a bit of a waste of time, but just keep going. You'll get some lectures that are so inspiring and make you think, "yes, this is why I signed up for this course!", or at the very least, you'll often find that lecturers mention useful information that isn't on the slides. Treat university like it's your job - although you can't be fired from university in the same way for missing lectures, getting into the habit of going will create a schedule which can be really helpful for motivation.
 |
| Can you spot me? |
6. Break revision down into chunks. This one relates to the procrastination tip but I'd like to expand on it a little bit. When revising for an essay, a lot of people tend to allot a certain amount of time to revise before taking a break. I used to swear by the pomodoro method, which is when you work for 25 minutes, have a 5 minute break, then repeat the cycle; it works because you know that you'll get regular breaks, and therefore put a lot of energy into the short amount of working time that you get. The issue with working to a time limit however is that you could lose your train of thought during a break, or get too distracted and accidentally end up on Facebook for half an hour. If that sounds familiar, try revising in chunks rather than working for a set time, e.g. work until you've completed your essay plan, or finished learning about a certain topic. It might mean that you end up working for longer than you originally planned, but it helped me to concentrate more, and if I got "into the zone" then it wouldn't be interrupted by taking a break (which I would almost definitely do if given half a chance). Also, make sure that you keep rewarding yourself. This can be as little as a cup of tea for finishing a certain section of an essay, or as big as planning a meal at your favourite restaurant or night out once your exams are over. Having something to look forward to can be a helpful motivator to carry on!
7. Buddy up. Find a friend (it doesn't have to be someone on your course, but it helps) who will encourage you rather than help you to procrastinate. You could arrange to meet up with them at certain times throughout the week or just go to the library for an hour with them after lectures, whichever way works best for you. This helps in two ways: you can get support and encouragement from your friend, and again, it also creates a regular schedule to get work done.
8. Have the right atmosphere. By the time you get to university you'll probably have some idea about your best working environment. Everyone is different: some prefer early mornings, others prefer nights; some prefer background noise, others need total silence; some need a tidy work space, and others can work with a bit more clutter. If you keep getting distracted at home, then utilise the library. It might seem like a little thing to some people but I really believe that your environment can make a huge impact on the quality of your work - plus, if you have set place to study then that'll create an association, which will hopefully in turn help to motivate you (which is why people often tell you not to work in your bedroom). You could also try listening to classical music if you like having a bit of background noise but find songs with lyrics too distracting - YouTube is a great place to search for long playlists so that you won't have to keep finding the right tracks (try this, this, or this)
Good luck!
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