So, you love school. Right? Right! Who doesn’t like to learn new things and make sense of the world around them? But are you motivated to do homework or take an online exam?
Unfortunately for some people, school can be really really hard. You know how it is – you have a great idea of what’s going on in class but somehow it just slips your mind when you get home! Then, before you realise it’s 10 pm and homework hasn’t been done again
These are all problems that most students experience, and they’re real. But what’s the real problem? Is it a lack of motivation across the board? Or is it something else – perhaps stress or anxiety over work you haven’t yet learnt?
It can be tricky to identify how you feel about schoolwork, especially if these feelings have been going on for a while. However, even if your grades aren’t as good as you’d like them to be, identifying your emotions should help give you a better idea of why you put things off.
Why do students procrastinate?
I’m scared/anxious! This might sound silly but ‘fear’ is one of the main reasons students don’t do their work! In fact, it’s one of the main reasons anyone doesn’t do anything they’re meant to!
Fear can be a really powerful deterrent to whatever you want to achieve. So how do we overcome these feelings?
Motivation is not a feeling or a switch that people can turn on or off at will, but for some reason, so many people struggle with this concept. The misconception about motivation being an all-or-nothing thing leads students to think there’s something wrong with them when they don’t get work done – and worse still, if their grades aren’t good enough then surely something must be broken inside…right?
Actually, no. This belief about motivation being an either/or situation is messed up because it means that every time you don’t do something, you ‘give up’ a little bit of yourself. And who would want to be defined by their failures?! That’s dark stuff…
Instead, try thinking about motivation as a skill that everyone has. Some people just have more practice than others! It might take time and effort but with the right direction and desire to improve, it is possible to become better at motivating yourself.
So how can we get started?
The best way to practise motivation is to start small – if you don’t achieve much in your first few tries, then there’s no sense trying and setting yourself up for failure. Start off with easy tasks: maybe tidy your room or go for a walk outside! Don’t worry about getting things perfect; just do what you can.
By doing this, you might feel a little better about yourself and realise that it’s not the end of the world if you put things off or mess up. Plus, take it from someone who knows – once you get started on something, it gets a lot easier! If motivation is truly an either/or situation then it would be impossible to start anything….but hey, here I am writing away!
Motivation isn’t about being perfect, or getting everything right first time around. It’s more like practice for your brain to learn new behaviours and become better at motivating yourself in different situations. If these techniques help, then hopefully they will stick with you when exams come around and finally mean that you’re less likely to put things off until the last minute!
Are you motivated to do school work on your own?
If motivation to do school work is your problem, here are a few point that will help increase school motivation and be able to do your schoolwork.
- Identify what your fears are about schoolwork – write down all of them on a piece of paper. This is important because otherwise they will just fly around in your head and cause chaos. If you do nothing else from this post, please let it be this step. This will really help you focus on what’s going on in your brain right now!
- Imagine how ridiculous these fears sound when written down – they might still be scary, but seeing them written down on paper might help you realise that they’re not as bad as you think. If your fears are totally crazy like mine were (oh no I’m going to fail everything and it’s the end of the world lol), then congrats! But seriously- give yourself some credit for working through these fears. You’ve come this far; I promise things will get easier from here on out.
- Tell yourself that whatever happens, school is still important – even if you don’t feel like it at the moment, remind yourself of why education is good for you in general.
I know that sounds really cheesy but honestly- this was a key part of my journey out of school motivation problems. Even when things looked their bleakest, I just kept reminding myself that school is important and that it’s there to help me in the future.
How to get motivated to study in class
As for when you’re in class…well, here’s a few tips to get you motivated to study better.
- Take breaks – sometimes the best way to get stuff done is just to give yourself a break from it! It might be hard at first but taking regular breaks can actually make work feel easier too. My favourite study tip is getting up every twenty minutes or so and going for a short walk- even if I’m not taking an exam it helps me concentrate so much more.
- Do what works for you – this goes hand in hand with taking breaks (i.e. don’t force yourself to follow someone else’s method if it doesn’t work for you). For example, I can’t colour coordinate my notes to save my life. But do I have to? Nah! I just need a pen and paper and something to write with- the order in which I fill these up is entirely inconsequential.
- Practice gratitude – sometimes even when we know that our work will pay off one day, motivation still seems like a distant dream. As cheesy as it sounds, practicing gratitude really does help me remember how much school has helped me over the years. In fact, now whenever I find myself struggling with motivation I make a point of writing down three different things for which I’m grateful at the end of each week. It’s amazing how this simple act can improve your day, week and month.
And there you have it- motivation in school for high school, college, and graduate school students in a nutshell. It might feel like an uphill battle right now but just remind yourself that school will always be here for you. With time, patience and effort all things are possible!
Tips on how to get motivated to do school work
Here are 15 tips to get motivated to do school work or complete your homework:
1. Set a goal
If you have no goals or do not care about your future, it will be hard to get motivated to do school work. Setting goals can motivate you because they give you something to aim for and help you decide what classes are important for you. Some good goals are getting into the college that has been your dream, becoming an architect because you love to design buildings, or getting a degree in biology so you can work as a doctor.
2. Make it visual
Take pictures of things that inspire you and put them up where you study. They should be pictures of your family or something that means a lot to you. You will be reminded of the reason why you are working hard for your future when you look at these pictures every day.
3. Get organized
It is very important to be organized because then it is easier to get started on your school work, complete it faster, and take out all your assignments once they are due instead of scrambling around looking for them the night before they are due. This also lets other people know what’s going on with your school work. You can become more organized by using a agenda for classes, marking the due dates of assignments in it, and setting an alert for yourself when you need to pull out your homework.
4. Get social
It is good to talk about what you are doing in your life, both at home and in school, because it lets people know what you are up to which helps motivate you even more because they will be expecting something from you soon. It also helps you get feedback on how well you are doing so that way if there is something wrong, like not enough time spent studying for a test or forgetting about an assignment, then there is time to fix it before anything important happens
5. Set reminders
Make sure you write down all your deadlines, tests, and assignments in your agenda, study planner, or phone so that you do not forget about them. If something does slip your mind then set up reminders so you can be alerted when it is due or is coming up. This will also help if the date/time of an event changes because you will be less likely to miss it than if there was no reminder
6. Give yourself breaks
Every now and then give yourself a reward for getting something important done like studying for a test or finishing one assignment. You can take 5-10 minutes every hour just to rest your brain which helps with remembering things much more than cramming everything into one night does. Your brain needs time to process what you are learning in your classes, especially when it comes to memorizing things, so do not rush yourself.
7. Reward yourself with a goal
Doing something for an extended period of time is hard and doing it all the time is even harder. For example, studying for class everyday can become very stressful if you are not motivated enough which makes it seem like there is no point in continuing because you will just be doing more practicing than anything important. One way to prevent this from happening is by setting up rewards after you have been studying for a certain amount of time, say three hours or six hours if that seems too long to study at once. This doesn’t give yourself a reason to stop but rather a reason to keep going until you reach your goal/reward which helps motivate others in different situations as well.
8. Do something you enjoy
Sometimes people get so caught up in their work that they forget to have fun. If there is a subject or assignment that you do not like, then find someone who can help you with it. You can also ask for help online because there are many helpful websites that will explain what you don’t understand. The most important thing is to remember not to stress about things because being stressed makes humans less likely to be able to think clearly and take good decisions, two things which are necessary when studying.
9. Focus on one task at a time
Doing too much at once makes it seem more difficult than it really is. For example, if you have five tests in one week but spend all your study time trying to study for all of them, then you will get nowhere because it’s like trying to run five marathons at the same time. You are less likely to remember everything that happened in each test if you are constantly thinking about what is coming next.
10. Get enough sleep
It is important to get enough sleep when your brain needs a little break from studying or when you are feeling tired because it gives your mind time to rest and process the information in your head which makes it easier for you to understand new ideas when they come along later in life. Taking short breaks often also helps with keeping yourself motivated because every now and then it’s good for both your body and mind to relax instead of focusing on studying nonstop.
11. Get homework help online
It is easier than ever to get help online because there are so many helpful websites and people who would love to answer your questions if you ask them nicely. For example, Google has a feature called “homework answers” which allows you to type in what you want and then it will give you the best results that match up with your question. With this tool at your disposal it makes studying for big tests much more manageable because if they don’t go well then someone who understands the subject may see your problem and help you fix it quickly. Ask for homework help by professionals.
Why school motivation matters
School motivation means making sure students feel encouraged and enthusiastic about the tasks at hand in the classroom. In this way, teachers can encourage students to learn more effectively, which benefits them for years to come as well as society as a whole. Building up motivation in students can help the school system because the school climate is more conducive to learning.
It’s important for teachers to motivate students so they feel positive about class and about themselves while there. This ensures that students are able to concentrate on what they’re supposed to be learning, which makes it easier for them to understand concepts and absorb information. If a teacher can build up motivation in each student he or she has, then even if the whole class seems somewhat incapable of focusing when the teacher begins lessons, at least there will be one person who will remain interested in what’s going on. Since motivation is lacking in many schools these days , this could make all the difference in whether or not a student succeeds academically .
A lack of motivation affects not only students’ educations, but their lives as well. Low motivation may lead to a student’s dropping out of high school or even not graduating from college when they’re supposed to. This has a negative impact on his or her chances at getting a good job in the future and being able to provide for themselves and their families . This can have a significant effect on poverty rates across America, so it is important that students be motivated in class in order to ensure a better life for everyone.
In conclusion , it is necessary for teachers to help motivate each student so everybody feels encouraged about learning again. When this happens, then the whole class will be more engaged in lessons and likely succeed with less difficulty than no one was feeling motivated. So, teachers can change students’ lives for the better if they take the time to make sure everyone is feeling encouraged about learning.
