Studying is one of the most important activities that students will engage in during their academic careers, which is why it is so important to make time for this habit; students who fail to study properly run the risk of performing poorly on tests or exams that end up determining their grade in the course.
As many students know, however, it can be very challenging to find the discipline needed to make time to study, especially when you are tired or have a huge workload to tackle. Fortunately, there are several tips that you can follow to make motivation easier. Thinking about how to motivate yourself to study can be one of the best ways to make studying less of a chore and more enjoyable.
Listening to music
While everyone has different study habits, many people enjoy listening to music while they are studying. The music helps them drown out other distractions in their environment, which often allows students to zone in on the materials that they are studying so that they can learn more efficiently. Some people may prefer upbeat music, to help keep their energy levels high while studying for a prolonged period of time. Others might lean more towards slower, instrumental music that can serve more as background filler to help with studying. If you have never tried it before, listening to music is a good thing to do when thinking about how to motivate yourself to further study.
Reward yourself
One of the best ways to motivate yourself to get work done is to give yourself a treat or reward if you complete a certain milestone. It doesn’t have to be anything significant. For example, if you study for a full half an hour without getting distracted, you might reward yourself by taking a walk to a local coffee shop to indulge in your favourite brew. Another strategy is to treat yourself to a nice dinner at the end of a long day of studying where you have accomplished what you need to. Whatever kinds of rewards you decide to establish, it is a good idea to ensure that they are carefully segmented so that you give yourself a chance at more rewards, which will improve your motivation.
Study with a friend or group of classmates
Study groups can be extremely effective for students who are looking to learn as quickly as they can. A study group is also valuable because it allows you to bounce information off of others and check each other for understanding. A study buddy may be able to point out details or explain concepts in a certain way that makes it easier for you to understand, which is extremely valuable for students. This is particularly useful if you are doing VCE at TAFE.
Another great way that studying with others can help you when you consider how to motivate yourself to study is through competition. In some cases, even the most apathetic students will become more excited about learning if it is made into a competition. Think about holding a competition to see who can get the best score on a practice exam, or to see who can answer the most study questions correctly within a given timeframe. Be sure that the winners get rewarded sufficiently so that they can be happy about gaining the knowledge they need and coming out on top in the study competition.
Take breaks
While it may seem counterproductive to recommend breaks when you are thinking about how to motivate yourself to study, this is the next step. Taking some time to rest and recharge your brain will serve you very well when it comes time to start studying again.
Many students find the most success by breaking their study schedule down into blocks of time that are interrupted by breaks. Beginners to this approach may want to start off with shorter blocks of studying and gradually increase the time. For example, you could start by doing a work schedule of twenty minutes, followed by a five-minute break. After you get used to this, you may want to increase it to thirty minutes of work followed by a ten-minute break, and so on. This method of managing your time is known as the Pomodoro Technique, and it has been used by all types of people to help manage time more effectively.
The challenge of how to motivate yourself to study is one that students have faced for decades. Today, there are plenty of methods that disciplined students can use to help them focus more on their studies without getting burned out by the feeling of having too much to do.
Author Bio
The author for the Kangan Institute blog posts is Chris Camwell.
Chris believes in a fair education for all. He works tirelessly to ensure that even people from disadvantaged backgrounds have an opportunity to engage with learning. Chris’ passion for education translates in the way he instils a love of learning in the young people at Kangan Institute. You can read more here.
