Like most activities or actions that people carry out, motivation is the engine that makes these activities carry out satisfactorily. This motivation can be both intrinsic, when we do something for the sheer pleasure of doing it; or extrinsic, when what motivates us is the achievement of an external reward.
Likewise, motivation can also be affected by our mood. On some occasions, the different situations that we go through in our day to day condition our state of mind and therefore this also affects our motivation to carry out certain tasks, including study habits.
This week we share 12 tips to motivate you to study, following these small steps, little by little they will become habits and your academic performance will improve remarkably.
1. Plan the study session
It is essential to start by planning your study session. Choose which subject or subjects you are going to study and try to set a time limit for doing so. A good idea is to make a list of the tasks to be carried out during the session and order them according to their priority. As you progress in the tasks you will feel more motivated and accomplished.
2. Set small goals
The establishment of small goals or objectives in those moments in which the study or work material is of great volume, will help us feel fulfilled and therefore keep our motivation high.
3. Do the hardest first
During the first moments of study is when we have more energy. This energy will be consumed little by little as the hours go by, therefore it is much more effective to carry out those activities or study those subjects that are more difficult for us at the moment.
Otherwise, if we leave it to the end, it is very likely that we will hardly have any strength left and we will perceive this task as much more complicated than it is.
4. Avoid distractions
Mobile phone, social networks, internet, television, etc. All of these are distracting agents that take us off task and cause our minds to wander, making it much more difficult to refocus on our task.
All these distractions only make us lose a lot of time, be less effective and therefore favor us to develop a feeling of incompetence and demotivation.
5. Rest from time to time
It is highly recommended to take some time off before fatigue takes over. If we leave our task when we can no longer do it, it will be very difficult for us to resume it and, surely, we will do it unmotivated.
The ideal is to take short breaks of 10-15 minutes when we notice the slightest sign of fatigue. In this way, we will be much clearer and with more energy to sit down to work again.
6. Reward yourself
Once the work or study session is over, reward yourself with small rewards. If you think you have done well or that the work has been productive, allow yourself some reward that motivates you.
To be able to do it effectively, you can follow the following steps:
– Set a goal and set the reward beforehand. This way you will be motivated to get it.
– For the reward to be effective, it must be proportionate to the effort or difficulty of the task.
– If you think you haven’t performed enough, don’t reward yourself, otherwise it won’t have any effect when you do.
Self-affirmations are also small rewards that we can give ourselves while we are working.
7. Find the ideal study context
Each person performs better in a specific context and schedule. Therefore, it is necessary to know what our ideal schedule and environment to study are.
For example, we can study with music if it is appropriate, study in a place where there are more people like a library, or on the contrary be totally alone and in silence.
In the same way, it is possible that during the first hours of the morning we find ourselves clearer to work well or, on the contrary, the afternoon is our ideal time to concentrate better.
8. Use the libraries
Although, as mentioned above, each person has an ideal study place. Libraries provide us with a quiet space without the distractions that we may have at home.
In addition, if you are accompanied you can set joint goals and rest together with another person, something that long study sessions always make more bearable.
9. Adapt your workspace
Make sure that everything works correctly and that you have everything you need to study or complete the tasks that you have pending. Otherwise, you will waste a lot of time looking for things and this can get very frustrating when you see that you cannot get the job done.
Likewise, an orderly and clean workspace will not make us feel more comfortable and at ease.
10. Think about long-term goals
Reflect on what has led you to carry out these studies or activities, as well as what you can achieve once you finish them. All of this will boost your motivation and help you find a reason to continue.
A good option is to leave it reflected somewhere, a piece of paper or a blackboard that will serve as motivation and can help you remember why you are making this effort.
11. Do not procrastinate
Procrastination is the “art” of leaving what we don’t feel like doing for another time, replacing it with something lighter and that we feel like more. Although this sounds good, the reality is that you will always end up putting it off, so it is best to set out to do it and do it when we still have energy.
12. Assume a certain level of stress
Experiencing a minimum level of stress is not harmful, on the contrary, it helps us stay active and attentive to what we are doing.
However, we cannot let it overwhelm us. Although a little stress is good for our performance, too much can cause us to become overwhelmed and the accompanying anxiety prevents us from concentrating and doing our job well.
