We all have ups and downs, and it’s quite common to experience moments of feeling utterly unmotivated to do your schoolwork even if you love to study. It’s not easy to cope with the stress of getting a task done on time when you have so many assignments to complete at the same time. But you shouldn’t get discouraged. Here are a few easy tips that could increase your motivation and productivity when doing your assignments, even on your toughest days.
Set Achievable Goals
When you set specific and manageable goals for your studying and make them public in some way, it can increase your overall performance and boost your motivation. But you should remember that a vague goal won’t help you a lot. So you should set goals with milestones.
First, you should create a to-do list of tasks that you have to complete during a week or even a month and set specific deadlines for completing each assignment. This way, you can relieve yourself from the stressful feeling of not meeting deadlines. But keep in mind that your goals should be manageable, specific, time-bound, achievable and measurable.
Break Large College Projects Into Smaller Ones
When you have a list of assignments to do during a week or a day, you should start with the most difficult one. That will help you stay motivated. If you begin with the easiest task, you may start to procrastinate and postpone the longer and harder assignments.
It’s not easy to complete a big assignment such as a term paper that requires a lot of effort and keep the same level of determination. No wonder that some students procrastinate and are unable to meet deadlines for lengthy projects. Then, they even start thinking about getting help and finding “someone to do my assignment.”
The trick is to break your time-consuming assignment into smaller steps. For example, if you have to write a research paper, you can break it down into several different steps like:
- Brainstorming ideas
- Doing online research
- Creating a thesis statement
- Making an outline
- Writing an introduction and conclusion
- Writing research paper sections
- Creating a references list
- Revising the first draft
- Editing and proofreading
Don’t try to complete all these steps at once — that’s impossible, and you will just set yourself up for disappointment. Instead, you should focus on a single step at a time, allowing yourself a sense of accomplishment, and your project won’t seem so daunting.
Reward Yourself
Numerous studies reveal that if you give yourself a reward for doing your work, you will enjoy the effort even more. You should reward yourself each time you hit your goal, and your brain will soon learn that effective study results in good things.
Rewards will help you enhance motivation, making you feel like you have accomplished something. Your reward doesn’t necessarily have to be something huge, but it should be something positive that will motivate you. For example, you can reward yourself with a longer break after you finish a big challenging project — or you can hang out with your friends, watch your favorite TV show, go for a massage or read a book you always wanted to get stuck in.
Take Care of Your Physical and Mental Health
You can’t be motivated to work hard if you feel tired, distressed or anxious. Take care of yourself and develop healthy lifestyle habits — exercise regularly, eat healthy foods, get a good night’s sleep, stay hydrated and find time to rest and relax.
Your mental health is also important, so you should always be kind to yourself. It’s okay if some days won’t go as you planned. Don’t criticize yourself when things get tough, and avoid thinking, “I can’t do this.” Forgive yourself if you didn’t do your best. You will be able to overcome the setbacks another time.
When you feel down and not confident in your abilities, make a list of your achievements and a list of things you are grateful for. It will help improve your state of mind and increase your motivation to succeed. It’s also important to celebrate all your accomplishments, even if they are small.
If you take care of your body and your mind, you’ll feel more energized to cope with everyday challenges and be more motivated to work hard and succeed.
