Feeling a bit down lately? Don’t worry, I totally understand how you feel. A whole month has passed after midterms, and I honestly still feel like I’m under post-midterm stress. However, our finals are coming up, if we don’t do something about it we might just end up cramming and we know that doesn’t end well.
Bearing that in mind, I wanted to create a guidebook for my fellow students. Share tips that worked for me, experiences we come across as students, and just about anything academics and growing up. I’d like to welcome you to the student guidebook by yours truly Sab, and in today’s chapter, I’ll be sharing some tips that can help boost your motivation, especially for the upcoming exam season.
Set goals and keep your objective in mind.
The first thing we have to do is to get back on track. Whenever you’re feeling lost or drained, grab your pen and paper. Write down all the requirements due and important events coming up. When writing it down, you’re able to visualize it. It enables a higher level of thinking and prevents your brain from getting overwhelmed.
There are times when I panic because, in my head, I have so much to do. However, as I write them down, I start to realize there are not as many as I thought and I was just stressing myself out.
After writing them down, you’re able to prioritize and identify the goals you want to achieve, make this your “why.” Why are you doing this performance task? Why are you making time every day to memorize the poem? When you identify your “why,” you start to get motivated once again and want to produce the best output you can.
Have a specific study area.
The bed may constantly call for you but never let it control you! You must think doing tasks in bed is a great idea, well, I can’t blame you. It’s soft, you can rest your back, you can put your legs up, and whatever you do is comfortable. Nevertheless, I bet you’ll be sleeping in 30 minutes or an hour while trying to get work done on your bed.
When you ask yourself, “What do I usually do in bed?”, wouldn’t you say “rest”? Binge your favorite show? Eat? It shouldn’t be studying or accomplishing your tasks. If you study or work on your bed, not only will you be unable to accomplish your tasks, but your sleep quality will also worsen. Looking at your bright screen reduces the melatonin you need to be able to sleep. Meaning, it’ll be challenging for you to fall and have a nice quality slumber, which will then affect your productivity the next day. Create a space just for studying, pick a moderately comfy spot in your home. Whenever you’re doing work, always do it there and resist the temptation of doing anything else other than your tasks. If you continue to do this, your brain will see this space as your workspace and will most likely be in the headspace of doing work. Similar to the comfort your brain relates to when you’re in bed.
Take breaks and make time for self-care.
“I think we have to take a break, it’s not me, it’s you, academic requirements. Let’s give ourselves some time away from each other, you’re not good for my mental health.” and . . . scene!
Taking breaks is an important part of any work schedule. Working for long hours without breaks can possibly lead to burnout and it may end up taking a longer amount of time to finish the tasks we have to do. This makes us despise our requirements even more, which is not going to help anyone.
Our brain can maintain true focus for around 45 minutes before it declines. So forcing yourself to review for the test or finish your requirements when you start to feel tired will not benefit you or your grade. Breaks will help you regain focus and refresh your mind. Take a power nap, walk around your village, or even play with your pets, do something that truly takes your mind off academics.
Celebrate your small victories and reward yourself.
Finished a quiz and forum? Treat yourself to a small gift! When rewarding yourself, your brain releases positive emotions, which leads to your brain realizing that doing similar tasks will make you feel better. As you continue to do this, your brain will begin to associate pleasure with completing work or achieving a goal and you will be drawn to it in the future.
Everyone deserves to celebrate their small victories, small progress is still progress. Success does not come overnight and we must enjoy the process.
To wrap this all up, there are lots of ways for us to boost our motivation. The tips I mentioned may be present in a lot of articles similar to this but that’s because they do the job. It’s challenging to stay motivated during these times and you may feel like you’re all alone. Nevertheless, remember that your friends and family are always there to support you, and add me to that list too! I hope this helps you boost your motivation and ace your finals. Good luck to all!
Sources:
The Brain Break: How to Study Smarter! (2012, January 9). Retrieved November 15, 2021, from Healthy UNH website: https://www.unh.edu/healthyunh/blog/2012/01/brain-break-how-study-smarter
Editor. (2021, June 8). How to Stay Motivated During an Exam Season - BlogPhobia. Retrieved November 15, 2021, from BlogPhobia website: https://blogphobia.com/how-to-stay-motivated-during-an-exam-season/
The importance of study breaks | Swinburne Online. (2019, May 14). Retrieved November 15, 2021, from Swinburne Online website: https://www.swinburneonline.edu.au/blog/the-importance-of-study-breaks
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