Starting the first day of term with newly bought stationery and an eagerness to learn is how we all like to envisage ourselves as we walk onto campus in September. But what happens when that brimming motivation is lost, and soon in the month of January the idea of sitting in bed with a cup of tea instead of going to an actual study centre is a no brainer.
We all start the academic year with motivation, but how do we keep that outlook when the University work starts to pile up and you are heading towards the end of the year? Below are my top five tips to start the term as we mean to go on, keeping that September eagerness all the way through till May.
1. Find a study routine that works for you
We all know someone that can sit in a study centre for twelve straight hours, with only their laptop and brimming motivation to power them through a 5,000-word essay. However, not all of us work like that. Finding a study routine that works for you will make university seem so much easier. Find out if you work better in the morning or the evening, and from then you can begin to plan your days around when you want to crack on with your work.
2. Don’t study too much!
This may sound paradoxical but studying too much leads to burning out. Remember to take breaks, see friends and enjoy living in Bristol. Make time for joining societies and planning fun activities for the end of the day, so you have something to look forward to while dredging through your set reading.
3. Use time blocking and to-do lists
I am a sucker for organisation and making to-do lists! At the start of your day write a list of everything you want to achieve and block out hours of the day to complete little tasks. This will make a 2,000-word essay seem a lot more manageable. I even write down menial tasks such as doing laundry or writing some notes as an item on my list so I can feel satisfied knowing I’ve completed a small task.
4. Vary where you are working
This tip is going to be ever so important during this academic year. With blended learning a lot of our time is going to be spent in our university bedrooms try to figure out how to turn our mic on for our online classes. But, as someone who struggles to concentrate in one space, I know this might make me unmotivated and bored, and it will be very likely that after a few minutes I will be binge watching Netflix as a ‘well deserved break’. Try and make sure to vary where you are working. Whether that be going out for a coffee and taking a book or working with friends in a shared living area or study centre. Move about and go and see Bristol while studying for your degree.
5. Remember the end goal
Sometimes university can feel overwhelming. Try and remember that studying at Bristol is an already amazing achievement, and that struggling to keep up with the workload is completely normal. Everyone works at different paces, so don’t compare yourself to someone who appears to be smashing it. You are all smashing it!
This article is part of a themed content week exploring ways to embrace new beginnings at the start of the new academic year.