Freshman year! A year of adjusting to your college campus, meeting new friends, numerous opportunities to get involved and lots of studying for those gen-ed classes. Like all freshman students, I struggled to find my footwork in balancing my schoolwork, whether trying to find the time to finish all of my homework or building up the courage to meet with my professor one-on-one.
I’ve tried everything. From studying with a group of people from my classes or going to office hours, everything felt super overwhelming as I dealt with the transition from my high school routine to now college. However, as I continued my schoolwork and kept my motivation going, I learned a valuable lesson in the true definition of motivation.
When studying, people try to find their motivation to allow them to continue and keep up their schoolwork. However, motivation isn’t always the answer to everything school-related. Self-discipline is also crucial for a student to possess.
First, let’s define motivation and self-discipline. Motivation is the willingness to do something where you expect a reward or goal to be fulfilled after completing it, whereas self-discipline is being mentally aware of your tasks and having yourself do things you know you should do.
Whether you are also an incoming freshman or an upperclassman who seemingly knows their study strategies and routines, implementing self-discipline into your daily schedule takes time and isn’t something that comes naturally. A student has to work hard to see improvement within themselves and their study habits, and it’s the same thing with self-discipline. While it might take a while to notice your own shift into a new type of discipline, it will all be worth it in the end.
A major change that is extremely helpful is to break down and specify your tasks for the day or a particular amount of time. For example, don’t “study chemistry,” study certain sections and complete practice problems within that chapter. Specifying your tasks will help you stray away from broad tasks, which allow for more distractions. Breaking down your to-do list also calls for smaller deadlines, meaning that you can start with small assignments and eventually start taking on more.
To be self-disciplined also means to give credit where it’s due, which means to allow yourself an award and to acknowledge your progress frequently. This mixes aspects of self-discipline and motivation together to help a student through a rough patch within their schoolwork. Whether that means getting a five-minute break from studying or buying yourself a self-care gift as a reward for your hard work, it’s critical to be aware of the assiduous work you’ve been putting in.
Lastly (and most importantly), you need to be patient with yourself. Shifting into a new schedule and beginning a new school year always comes with its own challenges. Taking one day and one study session at a time will allow you to smoothly transition into this new form of studying. Start off with completing one or two tasks a day, and eventually take on more to create a daily routine. If you aren’t feeling well or you need a break, be patient with yourself and give yourself a well-needed rest. Remember, success isn’t a linear path. While it is true that we cannot solely rely on motivation to reach our goals and to act on our dreams, motivation is still very necessary when it comes to taking initiative and working towards overall success in our lives. A student must need motivation to get started, but self-discipline is what keeps them going.