Let’s set the scene:

You’re sitting alone at your desk, and you’re SUPPOSED to be working on math.

So far, you’ve scrolled TikTok for 10 minutes, followed 3 new people on Insta, and took 2 videos of yourself as an adorable puppy with your tongue sticking out. That’s math, right? There are numbers involved!

Does this sound at ALL familiar?

If you find it difficult to focus when there’s an elusive, far-away end goal, don’t worry - you’re not alone! It’s completely normal to struggle with self-motivation when left to your own devices, especially when you’ve been conditioned to working in a classroom environment. What you need to do now is figure out what makes YOU tick.

One common way to convince yourself to sit down and work is to break down larger chunks of work into more manageable pieces. This makes the process less intimidating because the various end goals don’t feel as far-fetched. Sometimes, however, setting accomplishable goals is only a part of the winning equation. 

When the satisfaction of a job well done isn’t enough to make you get work done in the first place, it will always be a slog to make yourself sit down and focus. If you find yourself in this category of humans, you’ll need to find a different motivating factor. In this case, it’s often helpful to set corresponding, concrete REWARDS. 

Since a reward’s purpose is to motivate your effort, make sure it directly rewards your EFFORT. While this might sound straight forward, it’s a little more complex than just giving yourself a cookie every time you get an A. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, and one person’s C is not the same as someone else’s A. Even to the same person, a B in math may not be the same as a B in English.

Let the grading system in place deal with your marks and take advantage of this opportunity to directly reward your actual EFFORT. You have a huge advantage over a teacher giving similar feedback because you actually know how much work went in! A teacher can only guess how hard you worked based on how many questions you answered correctly…hence the creation of the traditional grading system.

Don’t assume prizes have to be major

While they could mean some kind of treat (like a cookie or a popsicle) or other material prizes like stickers, you can also reward yourself with gifts of free time. Take a 5-minute crossy-road break. Let yourself go outside for 10 minutes. Don’t be afraid to get creative! Anything can be a reward if it makes you happy.

If you’d like all of this explained in a cute little minute-long video, check out this week’s 20 Second Tip!