Before you read this, understand that I by no means have the secret to self-motivation, ESPECIALLY when it comes to school work. I myself am drowning in about two weeks worth of assignments, telling myself I will do them over spring break, when we both know I most definitely won’t. Why is it that always about this time of the school year no one seems to be motivated anymore. Is it the warm weather? The pure exhaustion from the beginning of the semester? Is Monday night Joe’s just too tempting to pass up anymore? Whatever the case may be, these tips are by no means fool proof, but hopefully I can help you (and myself) find some motivation to make it through this last month and a half.
Make Lists
I know it’s just another thing you have to do, but I am telling you it makes a huge difference. Seeing everything you need to accomplish written down helps you hold yourself accountable to finish them. Now don’t get crazy and make a fifteen part to-do list. Set small goals, and don’t say you are going to work on that book project tonight if you know you won’t have time to get to it. Set goals that are reasonable, making you more likely to actually work on them. I myself start every day with writing out what homework assignments I am going to work on that day. That way I already know what I need to get done, allowing me to use my free time more efficiently because I already know what homework needs to be completed.
Don’t Procrastinate
You probably are reading this thinking it is the most obvious and also hypocritical advice I could be giving you. I GET IT! Let’s be honest though, we are always told not to put assignments off. Yet we always do it. We know it only leads to stress, and if you are like me, maybe a few tears. So why do we let ourselves do it? The ending is always the same and both of us could avoid it if we just worked on the assignment in advance. I get that it isn’t always possible, but taking small steps makes big differences later on. If you have to write a paper, at least look at the prompt so you can start brainstorming ideas. If you have a test in a few weeks, maybe review lecture notes on the weekend between Netflix episodes. Along the lines of what I said before, take on what you are capable of and can realistically finish. Doing so will help make the entire process a million times more bearable in the end. Procrastination may create immediate satisfaction but we all know it only is going to kick us in the butt later on.
Avoid The Guilt
Here is the truth, time is going to go on. One day very soon it will be summer and you will be happy and loving your life. Then one day very soon after that, you will get your final grades. Depending on how those go, you may not be happy and thriving any longer. As stressed and overwhelmed as you may be now, time is still going to go on. Take advantage of the time you still have! Summer is going to taste so much sweeter when you know you did the best you could on your exams/classes. If you only half tried on your classes the whole semester you will be hating yourself for it once the grades are official. Take advantage of the time you have left and avoid the guilt later on!
We are in the home stretch of this school year and it is going to go by faster then any of us can predict. Let’s not let ourselves check out just yet and hopefully with these tips you, and myself, can bounce back these next 8 weeks!