Personally, I like Spring semester. Time just flies by much faster to me, despite there being less breaks in the Fall. Maybe it’s because I don’t feel as rushed as I do in the Fall? I don’t know. Either way, I’m always more productive in the Spring Semester than the Fall (I’m serious; my GPA always jumps in the Spring).
But, maybe you’re not like me. Maybe you have some problems getting motivated for Spring semester (I mean, it IS always cold for like half of it), or maybe you have problems getting motivated in general. Below are some ways that I get motivated, so hopefully they’ll help you, too!
Buy a planner
I’m not kidding on this one. Planners are great for keeping you organized, and, when you find the right one, you are actually excited to write in it. It doesn’t feel like a chore anymore. I’ve used a variety of different planners, and most recently I started a bullet journal. They’re super customizable, and you don’t have to stick to one layout. In fact, you can make it as plain or as decorative as you like!
Set an alarm for the same time everyday
This one’s hard, not gonna lie. If I don’t have to be somewhere at the same time everyday, I love to sleep in for as long as humanly possible before getting up. But, when you set an alarm for the same time everyday, your body gets into the habit of being up and around at a specific time, and eventually you won’t need the alarm. Plus, you can take a nap later in the day if you have time, anyways, so don’t worry too much about being up early. You’d be surprised at the amount of things that can get done in the early morning while you’re sipping on coffee (or tea!).
Clean!
I hate cleaning. SO MUCH. But, after scrubbing shower walls and vacuuming the floor, my adrenaline is going and I feel like I can do anything. Plus, it’s nice to admire my handiwork and see something go from dusty to shiny. With all that leftover adrenaline, you can sit at your desk and crank out a paper in no problem.
Actually use your desk
This leads me to something I struggle with. I have a tendency to use my desk for storage, just tossing clothes that are dirty-but-not-too-dirty onto the back of my desk chair and throwing paper handouts from my classes (come on, do professors think we actually use those besides in class?) on top. I stack books I only open once, notebooks I give up using halfway through the semester, and more onto my brown wooden desk. But, after I reorganize and move all those things away, and actually USE my desk, I find that I am much more motivated to get things done. It’s quite nice, actually.
Pick up a hobby
For me, that hobby is crocheting. I don’t mean make your hobby binge-watching New Girl on Netflix for five hours. I mean something that requires you to start and finish and PRODUCE something. That can be baking, painting, reading, couponing, I don’t care. Once you start something, it’ll start to bother you that it isn’t finished, thus motivating you to actually complete the project you started. In fact, I urge you to give yourself a deadline.
Set lots of short goals
This is actually a piggyback off starting a hobby. By setting a bunch of short goals, you have motivation to do something. For example, if you have to read three chapters of your textbook for your American Studies class by Friday, make a goal to have it finished by 3:30pm on Thursday. Have a game or event at 3:30? All the more reason to have it done.
Give yourself consequences for not getting things finished
The best motivator for me growing up was when my mom would say, “If you don’t have x thing done by y time, then you can’t go do z thing with your friends.” By giving yourself a consequence for not completing your goals, you’ll soon start to realize that you hate not finishing anything. These consequences can be not going out on Friday night with your friends, not buying a latte for two days in a row, or having to eat salad for dinner instead of chicken nuggets. Ironically, the things you cut out can actually end up being good for you, but that’s another story.
These are just some of the things that I do (and am challenging myself to follow through with this year). Do you do something that’s not on this list? Let us know in the comments!