MOTIVATION
It’s very normal to have times, even a lot of time, where you lack motivation to study. In order to increase your motivation, try thinking about these three things:
1. If study was not important, we would not have schools and compulsory education. Studying helps you grow – to grow wiser and stronger, more resilient and resourceful. You also learn useful information and skills along the way.
2. It’s okay to feel unmotivated. Admit to yourself that you’re unmotivated. Sit with this. It is not your fault and so do not blame yourself for being unmotivated.
3. How might it feel to be getting some study done? How would it feel to be ticking things off and being on top of the content?
What should I do?
Many people try sitting and waiting for motivation to come. It doesn’t work like that. It is you that have to start the ball rolling, so to speak. You have to DO something, however small. You have to take action. Try these three things:
1). Write down one thing that you will do today. And don’t make it an outcome, like, ‘write a practice essay’, rather make it a process, like ‘spend 30 minutes working on my practice essay’ (a good way to do this is often to set the length of time that you’re going to work on something). Now write down two more, so that we have a list of three things you’re going to do today.
2). Do it. Sometimes it helps to tell someone, or many people, the three things you’re going to do today.
3). At the end of the day, focus on what you have achieved (rather than what you still have to do). That is, remind yourself, for example, that you spent 30 minutes working on your practice essay (not that you still have not yet completed it). Your success is about how far you’ve come. And this will build. Imagine that this ball you have started rolling is a snow ball and so, as it rolls on tomorrow and the next day, this ball of successes will grow larger, will build momentum and will be hard to stop!
Other things that may help include creating a ‘To Don’t’ list (this can be just as helpful in getting things done) and helping others with their study. Helping others with their school work will serve to deepen your knowledge and understanding but moreover, you will have given something to someone else and that is always a good thing.
Finally, if none of this works, you may benefit from meeting with one of the School psychologists to explore your barriers to motivation, such as your beliefs about your intelligence and abilities and how you respond to challenges and setbacks.