About a month ago, I made a TikTok about enjoying the act of doing my schoolwork. The video ended up getting over 300,000 views and, with that, my comment section was filled with people asking me how I trained myself to get excited about doing work.
To be completely transparent, my main motivation to study is stress. I’ve always cared about my grades, but I was never able to study without feeling like the world was going to end. Last semester I became fed up with hating doing schoolwork- especially considering that the entire reason I’m at college is to learn and eventually earn a degree. I’ve since been able to narrow down the factors that play into making studying more enjoyable.
1. Create an enjoyable environment.
For me, studying is my alone time. I’m an extrovert, but I occasionally need some time alone (or alone-ish) to relax and reset. I often have trouble studying in my dorm room because I tend to find myself wanting to hangout with my neighbors. Because of this, the study room in my dorm has become my happy place. It’s fairly easy for me to focus, and if I want, I can study with a group. This location may not be appealing to others, so I suggest trying out different spaces to see where it is both comfortable and not distracting. Personally, I like to have a larger desk so I can spread out and have everything I need to do in front of me without it feeling cluttered.
2. Plan, plan, plan!
I’m not exaggerating when I say that my planner has changed my life. The planner I use is the Papier Daily Productivity Planner. It gives me a lengthy box to write a to-do list, and I can schedule my entire day through time blocks. My planner is also super cute and matches all my other school supplies. If you don’t like using a planner, I do still suggest making daily and weekly to-do lists. It sounds simple, but I feel so much more put together and less stressed when I have everything I need to do written out in front of me. Also, crossing off a list is super satisfying!
3. Convince yourself to get EXCITED
I act like going to the study room is a fun, aesthetically pleasing excursion. I always put on a cute but comfy outfit, fill up my water bottle, and bring a snack- although I could always go upstairs to grab anything I may need. Especially at night or on a weekend, getting ready makes me feel like I’m making an active decision to go somewhere and be productive, no matter how close to my bed I actually am.
4. Curate your online space to find inspiration
Like many other college-aged women, all I see online is “that girl”. “That girl” wakes up early, makes healthy meals and drinks green juice, and is, in my opinion, unrealistically productive. While I find some issues with the “that girl” aesthetic that’s all over my Pinterest and Tiktok feeds, I find it motivating to see someone romanticize productivity and organization. I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to study motivation. I feel that this allows me to not only associate homework with being aesthetically pleasing, but to also get ideas for notetaking, study spots, and more.
Each of these factors fall under the category of romanticizing your life. I like studying because I’ve taught myself to think of it as cute and relaxing. I still get stressed over exams and papers, but I no longer dread sitting down to do my work.
With love,
Maddie
**Edited by Sierra Byrne