With exams around the corner, and your social life being sacrificed for studying, it can be hard to motivate yourself to hit the books and stay focused. There will probably never be a time when you are jumping for joy at the prospect of studying, but there are ways to up your motivation levels and help you through the dreaded exam period. And luckily for you, we have some of them listed below.
Challenge Yourself
Reading through the same revision notes can quickly become monotonous, leading our minds to shut off from studying and starting to daydream about a time when studying was just a distant memory. To help you stay focused, try to avoid repeatedly reading the same notes. Instead, try to mix it up and challenge yourself. You could make flash cards to quiz yourself, complete past papers, or choose a certain topic and write down everything you know about it from memory. Tasks like these will not only help your notes really sink in and point out any areas you need to do more work on, but will keep your brain more active and keep you focused.
Set Goals for Yourself
Trying to study with no goals or ambition is near impossible and any motivation you had will soon be set to drop. Setting yourself a goal – no matter how big or small – can give you a much needed boost and get you feeling ready to hit the books and accomplish your goal. Whether it’s perfecting a topic by a certain time, getting an A on your favourite subject, or achieving the grades needed for your dream career, setting goals can really help you push yourself when faced with the mountain of books and notes.
Study with Friends
When studying is taking over your life and leaving you no time to hang out with your pals, it’s only fair that you have some study seshs with them. Studying with your friends can feel a lot more laidback than studying on your own, and discussing your subjects with your friends is a sure-fire way to study without actually feeling like you’re studying. Studying in a group isn’t for everyone, however, and can easily turn into a catch up with pizza, instead of a quiet study session in the library, so make sure you are all focused on studying when meeting.
Make a Motivational Playlist
Certain songs have the ability to boost our energy levels and make us feel ready to take on whatever life throws at us, so it makes sense that a great playlist can help us feel motivated to tackle the seemingly never ending pile of revision notes. Check out all the motivational playlists on Spotify and Apple Music or make your own, and we promise you’ll be feeling pumped up and filled with enthusiasm in no time. Just try not to dance too much when reading your flash cards. You’ll only get them muddled up.
The Power of the To-Do List
Going back to basics here, but to-do lists can be a great aid when juggling a lot of work. Balancing looming exams and multiple deadlines is tricky, and the amount of work needing to be done can be overwhelming, leaving us feeling defeated before we have even started. Making a to-do list can help us see how much there really is to do, what tasks we should prioritise and help de-stress our minds. Having things written down can help us feel on top of things and back in control, and it cant be denied, ticking off items on a to-do list is a great way to feel super productive.
