Motivation

[hdxx]

Does anyone have any tips on motivation? I really want to continue getting good marks but I am finding that I am losing motivation. I am most productive during the day so I find it difficult studying at night and I really think this is what makes me lose motivation. I am good at studying from around 4-8:30 but after this my mind wanders. Can anyone suggest how to stay motivated when you want to stop studying?

[Opengangs]

Hey there,

Motivation is hard to come by when you're burnt out. When you can't study, use that time to do some leisure activity that's not the VCE. As a former HSC student, I found that when I wasn't studying, doing something else that doesn't involve a lot of mental thinking helped to keep on track with studying.

Perhaps, go for a run for 10 minutes. Get some fresh air; secluding yourself from the outside world because of studies is highly demotivating and demanding.

In terms of studying, break up your studying session into smaller manageable chunks. Say study for 30 minutes and then take a 10 minute break. The break in between your sessions will allow you to avoid burning out. When I was using this technique, I made goals that I wanted to complete before the session ends. You could definitely try that to keep you motivated and on track.

[PhoenixxFire]

Hey,
Try going to sleep earlier and waking up earlier and studying before school, I did that for a bit and found that i procrastinated less because I didn't want to be up so if I had to be I wouldn't waste the time.

Also try not studying after say 9pm. If you find your concentration starts drifting at 8:30 it will be easier to focus knowing you only have half an hour left rather than having however long it takes left. If your concentration starts drifting at around 8 then make the end time 8:30 and the last half hour will be more useful than an hour spent procrastinating.

[Joseph41]

Does anyone have any tips on motivation? I really want to continue getting good marks but I am finding that I am losing motivation. I am most productive during the day so I find it difficult studying at night and I really think this is what makes me lose motivation. I am good at studying from around 4-8:30 but after this my mind wanders. Can anyone suggest how to stay motivated when you want to stop studying?

Hey hdxx. I think this would be a pretty common issue at this time of year!

For what it's worth, I don't think you need to study at night. Try to give yourself permission to take it off - just enjoy it for what it is. If you study best in the morning or during the day, then sweet - do that instead!

I really, really struggled to do anything productive after like 5pm, so I never did. Not once did I study at night through Year 12 (perhaps on my folio on occasion, which isn't really "studying", as such). Instead, I got to school early, studied then, and studied a bit directly after school. Whatever works for you is the way to go, so don't feel as though you need to be studying 24/7, y'feel?

If you keep pushing yourself consistently when you really don't want to be studying, burnout is a real concern IMO.

[Bri MT]

You shouldn't need to be studying more than 4 hours a day,  so I wouldn't worry about finding it difficult to study after 8:30.

Motivation comes back to a lot of things: habits, associations, connecting to your purpose (short and long term),  distractions etc but I think it starts at good health. 

Sustained high levels of stress is bad for motivation and can easily occur if you're invested in your scores.  I'd recommend actively taking some time aside to combat stress and aid your health