Academic Motivation: how to stay motivated in spring term
As spring returns to Douglas County, motivation for school seems to be moving in the wrong direction. Students’ thoughts naturally turn to summer vacation, outdoor activities and other distractions from studying.
How does one stay motivated and focused on school when the days are warmer and longer? One of the best tips comes from Lifehack.org. They encourage procrastinators to “Find the Good Reasons.” Everyone has a good reason to be in college: a degree, a certificate, an opportunity to improve or whatever else a student’s personal reason is for attending school. This organization suggests that students keep that reason first and foremost in mind, especially when immersed in classes that might not seem relevant.
Janine Clute, a UCC student who is returning to school to find more employment opportunities, says she stays motivated by remembering “I won’t be doing this again; I’ve got to get it right the first time.”
Support groups can also offer encouragement to reach goals. Family, friends, coworkers and fellow students are a great place to start. Sue Archer, from UCC’s Transfer Opportunity Program, offers, “We do a lot of cheer leading here.” She added that TOP also does regular check-ins with students enrolled in their program and tracks them down to assure they stay motivated.
Mentors can also provide a much needed boost of enthusiasm and sense of direction. Mentors are most often teachers or experienced students in one’s field of study, but they can be anyone who is willing to serve as an advisor to assist in reaching your goals. Student Barb Stephens says that after connecting with instructor Paula Usrey, she decided “then and there that I was changing my major to Communications. This gave me what I call my ‘oomph’.”
Sometimes motivation problems arise when a task seems too big or overwhelming. When that is the case, the best tip is to break the project down into smaller, more manageable tasks. Three smaller, well-defined steps are much easier to manage than one large amorphous job.
Maybe writing a paper or studying for a test doesn’t seem nearly as important today as Frisbee golf, but when professors are handing out grades, students will be glad they spent their time studying first and having fun later. Lifehack suggests a helpful motto: “Reward Yourself.” Hiking, an afternoon movie or a couple of hours relaxing in the sun seem like just the way to get ready for an evening of studying, but studying first and enjoying the reward later, will make studying efficient without distractions.
Some other tips that work are to connect with classmates, chart academic progress and practice positive self talk. Motivation is such a mysterious thing that what worked last spring might not work this spring. Scarlett O’Hara may have put her faith in “tomorrow is another day”, but students who let too many days go by without studying will be stuck in the same classes next year.
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