Midterms and fall break have passed and now is the time in the semester when it’s easy to get off track and lose the motivation you were once full of in August. The highlighted and post-it filled notebooks are now a pile of disheveled papers, and your goal of not saving homework until the morning it’s due is now long forgotten. However, it’s not too late to re-spark your motivation and finish the semester on the positive note that you envisioned during your first day of classes.
1. Re-organize – Buy a few new notebooks or folders and toss out the old papers that you are sure you won’t need again in the second half of the semester. By buying new supplies and ridding your notebooks and folders of the old, you will feel refreshed and able to start again on a high note. Also, having fresh new supplies makes going to class a little bit more exciting.
2. Set Goals – Whether you set goals at the beginning of the year or not, it’s good to evaluate where you are right now and decide where you want to be at the end of the semester. Whether that involves finishing a project you’ve been working on for weeks, going to office hours every Monday, or just studying for an extra 30 minutes a day, it’s important to set goals to find new motivation that will carry you through until finals.
3. Take Time for Yourself – It’s important to stay on top of your schoolwork and work as hard as you can, but it’s also important to take time for yourself. This might mean exercising, going for a walk, hanging with friends, or whatever you like to do in your free time. It’s necessary to create a balance that will allow you to maintain your motivation while not being overwhelmed.
4. Create a New Routine – When you do the same thing everyday or every week it’s easy to get stuck in a rut. To ensure that this doesn’t happen, switch up your everyday routine. If you always go from class to the gym to the library and then home, by simply switching up the order or adding in a new activity you will feel refreshed and less bored of the everyday routine.
5. Find a New Study Spot – Having the same spot that you study in everyday can be helpful – you know you’re able to focus, you’re comfortable, and it feels like home. However, this can get old which will decrease your motivation along with your ability to study as well as you can. Find a new spot on or off campus that will allow for a change of scenery and a new place to get things done.
Finish out the semester on a strong note and you’ll feel accomplished and content going into winter break! There’s still plenty of time left to set and reach all of your goals and ensure that this is your best semester yet.