Monday, 28 October 2013

Why Can't You Motivate Yourself To Study? Five Tips From Top Students To Turn It All Around

By Lachlan Haynes


If you want to get good grades you need to learn how to motivate yourself to study. Why? Well, study isn't always the most interesting thing going on in your life and as such it can sometimes be very hard to find the motivation needed to study.

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 your awesomeness. It might seem corny but visualization is a great tool for getting motivated. Think about how good it feels when you hand in your homework or assignment on time. Or how great you feel when you get a top grade on your next test. Think first, act second.

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. Always remember that you're much closer to the end than the start. One of the greatest challenges is to remember that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It is easy to get bogged down in mountains of work and think "I can't do this!" But the reality is that you have come this far and you are certainly capable of going all the way to the end. You must realize that life is not about study and that your study days will certainly end. Each time you complete a task you are closer to the end than before. Every time the bell rings and a day is done you are closer than before. You are always getting closer. Every minute brings you closer. Believe you will get there - because you will.

When you don't know how to motivate yourself to study it's time to take some action. Do something. Do anything. But don't just sit there wasting time! Use the five tips students have shared with us to make it happen for you. Good luck!




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