If you are the type of person who believes that being unmotivated is the root of all your problems, I have to give you a brief warning; it's not! Motivation is often seen as the driving force behind our actions and decisions, but relying solely on motivation can be a dangerous trap. It comes and goes. Unlike what many suggest, it's impossible to always stay motivated even with the most advanced tricks and strategies.
Imagine the diagram above is your motivation. It is clear that there are many things that are out of your control that directly affect your motivation. Hence, if you purely used motivation to drive your studies, it would mean that you would only study on days that you were motivated, making you highly unproductive.
So how do we fix this?
The only solution is to make studying plans that do not depend on motivation but rely on a routine instead. Your study plans need to require such little motivation to complete that you should be able to execute them even on days you do not feel motivated at all. That is the true secret to studying; don't make plans that are over-ambitious.
Let me explain this through 2 scenarios:
Scenario 1: You are suddenly very motivated to study Spanish so you schedule ahead to study 1 hour of Spanish every day. However, the high level of dedication, time, and motivation needed to execute this plan meant you only managed to study 2 days out of the week.
Scenario 2: You realize that it is unrealistic for you to study Spanish for 1 hour every day so you reduce that to just 20 minutes every day (10 in the morning and 10 at night). Because this plan requires much less dedication, you managed to study every day despite being busy and on occasion, unmotivated.
In a week with scenario 1, you managed to study 120 minutes, but with scenario 2 you manage to study Spanish for 140 minutes. In addition, due to the spacing of your studies in scenario 2, you manage to learn more in the end as well. Ultimatley, the goal is to create plans that require the smallest amount of motivation, so they are executable every time.
Along with making un-intimidating study plans, there are a few other things you can do to help you consistently study.
2- minute rule
Many people find studying intimidating, especially when they think about the hours they may have to spend solving difficult questions. Try this instead:
Whenever you start procrastinating try your hand at the 2-minute rule. Instead of thinking of the entire study session, just think of the first 2 minutes. Think about just sitting down and opening your book and laptop. That's it. Put all your willpower together to do just the first 2 minutes.
You will find that after doing this, not only will you complete the first 2 minutes, but you will sit down and finish the entire study session.
Burn-the-boat
This strategy is named after a strategy Roman soldiers used during war. After landing in enemy territory, they burned down their ships so that retreat isn't an option. You can also plan your studies to mimic this.
Let's say you go to the gym every day around 6:30pm. To implement the burn-the-boat strategy, tell yourself that "if you do not finish your work before then, you cannot go to the gym". By setting a negative consequence, you will feel more motivated to finish your studies before a deadline.
Burnouts
Burnouts are inevitable. Regardless of how well you plan your time and workload, everyone gets burned out at some point. Some people completely stop working during burnout; however, this isn't the best outcome especially during busy exam periods. From personal experience, here is a list of a few things that actually help during burnouts.
Get a study buddy
Having a study friend while experiencing burnout may be advantageous for a few reasons. Firstly, studying with someone else can help break up the monotony of studying alone and make it more enjoyable. Secondly, setting challenges can allow you to be accountable for each other to stay consistent with your studies.
Lead a balanced lifestyle
Sometimes, all that is needed is a little break. Go for a walk, do some exercise. Anything that takes your mind off studying can greatly help, so always make sure to schedule breaks in into your study schedule.
Think of the bigger picture
Always keep in mind your goals. Why do you study so hard, to begin with? Maybe you would like to go study abroad or do medicine. Thinking about these things can sometimes help provide some temporary motivation.
That's it! These are our main tips and tricks related to motivation. Understand that motivation is a double edge sword and is not something you should solely rely on.
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