10 Ways to Stay Motivated 

Throughout the struggles of this pandemic everyone has been affected in so many different ways. Students especially have had to shift into online schooling which has been difficult for many students. I have definitely had trouble finding motivation to do my work and I have found a few ways to motivate me into getting work done. I have found ways to make college work feel like a normal school day. This is my freshman year, and it is nothing like I ever imagined, however with the tip I list below I have felt like I am actually in school even if I am a hundred miles away. 

1. Set a schedule and keep to it 

By setting a schedule you’re making sure that you see exactly what needs to be done in whatever time frame that you have. If you break the schedule that causes you to have to refocus which is much harder than if you just keep your pace and make sure that you’re following your schedule, but make sure that you allow time for breaks. Breaks help to make sure that you are not overworking yourself which will cause you to become stressed. 

2. Making a set space to do work in 

Make sure that you make a place to work in whether this be a small section of your desk or even a vanity. Do not do your work in your bed. It will make it much harder for you to keep focused and also you might fall asleep which is a lot harder to do if you’re at a desk. By working in your bed you make it much more difficult to sleep at night which will also cause you to be more stressed and tired which will affect your work later on. 

3. No distractions

No distractions means no phones, or even checking your phone. Not checking your phone or checking your text just make sure that you’re focused on what you have to do to get the work done quicker. The longer that you stay on your phone the less work that will be done and then the longer the project will take, so say it would’ve taken 10 minutes by going on your phone every two seconds you’re making it take 30 minutes, when you could’ve just saved 20 minutes of your day. I know it’s hard not to go on your phone if you hear a buzz but I think it’s so much more effective when I just put on my phone across the room and go to my desk to just work on my homework when I do this I save myself so much more time. I’m more focused than if I had my phone sitting right next to me.

4. Listen to motivational podcasts/ read motivational books 

I listen to motivational podcasts and you can even read a motivational book. I think this really helps me stay motivated to do all the work that I have to get done. It lets me see someone else that has also done this work so it makes it much easier for me to be able to focus on what I need to do. The motivational podcast also a really good just to keep you focused and balance throughout the day they not only will let you do your homework and all the other work you have to do as a student, but also just to get things done in a day for example maybe cleaning your room or getting everything organized even reading a book or finishing something that you had planned to do earlier that week. 

5. Make sure to take care of yourself 

Make sure that you take care of yourself because if you’re not taking care of yourself you’re not going to want to do things such as working or doing your homework, reading that chapter you have to get done for English class etc. By taking care of yourself you’re taking care of your brain which in the end really helps you to focus overall and just be happier in general. Self-care is really the most important thing that I think you need in daily life, as well as your school life. 

6. Create small goals 

By creating small goals to make it much easier to fragment the work that you have to do. I think that small goals really help me to stay focused and even get the tasks done faster. When I see a really huge project that I have to get done, I kind of stress which makes me take longer to even focus on the project because I’m just worried about how much that project will entail. By creating small goals I help myself to see that I can get things done quicker which ultimately will be the longer project, but it just makes it feel shorter to me which helps me overall. 

7. Set a quit time, and break times 

The most important thing I think is to make sure that you see a quit time. By setting a quit time that means that you know that you have to stop that project at a certain time because you just spent too long on it, and it lets you know you need a break. For example maybe you need to finish your homework by 10 PM and at 10 PM whether or not your homework is done you stop and you go to sleep. This overall will help you with keeping a schedule and making sure you stick to the schedule. Another important aspect is breaktime. You need to make sure that your schedule involves breaks in order to distress and help you focus later on. Maybe that break time is going to talk to your friend or going to grab a snack really quick, or even just go shower and then come back to work. You need a break! 

8. Celebrate “wins” 

Celebrate your wins I think this is pretty self-explanatory but make sure that you celebrate finishing a task like reward yourself for doing something. Say you take a five minute break and go watch part of your show and then you finish the next task and go to finish 10 minutes or however long. Make sure that the rewards coincide with what you just finished so if you spent an hour doing a project don’t take an hour to have a break, you’re just wasting time instead you could do like 20 minutes. 

9. A work playlist 

I think a work playlist is one of the most beneficial things that you can do. I have a playlist that is solely just for when I’m studying or when I’m doing my homework. My normal playlist is mostly just like popular music or things I just sing along to, but a work playlist should not be songs that you’re going to sing along to. They’re supposed to keep you focused and if you’re singing along to song then you’re not being focused, you’re just distracting yourself. This music should be calming but also make you more productive. 

10. Connect with classmates 

Connect with your classmates I think this is a huge thing especially since we’re all online right now. When you connect with your classmates maybe it’s just being like “hey did you get this part of the project done yet” or “how long do you guys think that should be” and even “do you think this is good”. Just talk to your classmates and see how they’re doing with their projects. If you all are doing the homework you guys can help each other if you need it, and in the end it just connects you with your classmates which is quite hard right now due to the pandemic. It is important to stay social even if many students are doing remote learning.

– Brenna Nealon