The Key to Motivated Studying

May 31, 2021 Nadya Corscadden

I don’t know about you, but if I don’t feel like studying, I DON’T FEEL LIKE STUDYING. And trying to start just makes it worse!

Here are some ways to trick yourself into getting a little bit done, even when your brain says HARD PASS, I HATE THIS, NO.

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A little is better than nothing

If studying for three hours is overwhelming, break it down! Nobody can pay attention for 3 solid hours without any sort of distraction.

Break it down into itty bitty chunks. 20 minutes is ideal, but if that’s overwhelming, go even smaller. 5 minutes. Dedicate 5 minutes to paying attention to this one thing. Sometimes once you get started it’s actually easier to keep going, so you might even end up going for 20 minutes once you tell yourself it only has to be 5.

Variety

Very often the reason you don’t want to sit down and study is because it’s the exact same thing you were doing (or should’ve been doing) for the last hour, and the last hour, AND the last hour. No WONDER you don’t feel like doing it!

Change up your study techniques so that even if you’re studying the same material, you’re working on it in a different way. Re-write things, read them out loud, make flashcards, look for some videos about it, record notes and listen to them, explain them to a friend, draw diagrams. There are tons of different ways to study, so don’t limit yourself to just re-reading the same thing over and over and over again if you don’t have to!

Move

Don’t try to study in the same nook all day. When your surroundings stay the same, your brain will get bored even if the material changes.

If parts of your course are mobile, pick them up, and go to a different location. If they aren’t mobile, MAKE a mobile version so you can, again, pick it up, and go to a different location. Re-write things, record things, whatever you need to do to bring that stuff to somewhere else.

Prizes

If I _______, then I can _________.

Try it - it works pretty well!

Prizes don’t have to mean trophies or even cookies, either. Prizes can simply mean that you’ve earned x amount of time doing [insert super fun activity here].

To determine eligibility for prizes (wow - that sounds AWFULY formal), make sure you set accomplishable/completable goals. Not sure of what this means? Well, “study until I know x” isn’t as black and white to decipher as “study for 30 uninterrupted minutes”. 30 minutes is completable, whereas what you know can completely depend on the situation, and therefore will never be completed…at least not for a long time. I guess I probably now usually know that 2+2=4….but my current homework isn’t quite that straight forward…

Inspirational Wallpaper

Coat your desktop and phone with some inspirational phrases and photos so you have easy access to an instant dose of motivation when you need it most.

I have created a selection of inspirational desktop backgrounds/phone wallpapers should you like to download them. Download them here!

Try working somewhere public (but still quiet)

Sometimes a little accountability can go a long way, and working somewhere where other people can see you working can make a huge difference for some people.

Now, this doesn’t mean taking your work downtown and hanging out at the mall where there is bustle galore. Work somewhere like a library or a quiet coffee shop (as long as you don’t bust ALL of your money on caffeine). This is also a great fix if your home life is loud and/or distraction-central.

Write down your why

This one sounds super cliche, but when you’re really struggling with motivation, it’s imperative to remind yourself of the reason WHY you’re putting yourself through this. Whether it’s because you dream of becoming a vet one day or if it’s just so that your dad will stop bugging you, it doesn’t matter - there’s always a reason, and that reason is valid.

Don’t try to keep that reason in your head, though. Write it on a sticky note and always have it in your space. Look over and read it to yourself at those times where all you’re doing is throwing your head back and yelling WHYYYYYYYYYYYY

Get tools that bring you joy

For me, it’s all about having a super cute notebook and a nice pencil. For you, maybe it’s your favourite highlighter set and some fun sticky notes. Whatever you love, try to have it around.

PS I’ve recently started creating notebooks on my Amazon account - here’s one of my favourites if you’d like to check it out!

Involve your friends

If you can’t convince yourself to study by yourself, maybe the “by yourself” part of it is the problem. Even if you don’t have a classmate to study with, find another human who has time who you don’t mind hanging out with for a while…and give THEM your notes and work through it together.

If they know the course, great! If not, explaining things to someone else is the best way to make sure you know what you’re doing…so there’s nothing wrong with having a study buddy who has no idea what’s going on!

Listen to music

Music adds aura to a room, and this can abolish the good-old boring, silent room issue. It can often be the best way to put you in the studying zone.

It doesn’t matter if it’s upbeat or calm, just opt for something without lyrics (or at least lyrics in a language you don’t speak). If there are words there, you’ll either know them and sing them along in your head, or you won’t know them, and your brain will listen even harder because it really WANTS to figure out what they’re saying.

If you need a little music inspiration, check out one of my YouTube Study Music Playlists

Focus on one thing

Sometimes the reason for a lack of motivation is simply because there is way too much going on to process. Similarly to the “start with 5 minutes” strategy, narrow down your focus to a small section and work on that. Move on only once that little thing is done.

It’s amazing how much more you can get done when you focus on little baby tasks rather than the whole day’s worth of work.

Start easy

If the hard thing just seems too hard, don’t worry about it yet.

Start by reviewing the section you always get right. Make sure you still get it right. Even if this is only a very small section, a little positive momentum can go a long way!

Don’t sweat the crazy hard

If something is super hard, spend time on it, but don’t go overboard (unless this will be THE main thing on your test or something). It’s more important that you know the things you know. Don’t skip it altogether, but if you’re going to spend all of your time attempting to memorize a little tiny section of the course, make sure it’s not at the expense of all the other things you COULD know if you didn’t obsess over that one section.

Shake it off

Get up and move around, then sit back down. Get up, shake all your limbs, then sit back down. Get up, get a glass of water, and sit back down. Get up, do a little stretch, and sit back down.

Only sit for as long as you can stay 100% focused. If you’re not focused, take a breather and come back to it in 5 minutes.

Try the Pomodoro Technique

This is a way to keep your focus by breaking up the day into lots of precise time units with formalized breaks. There are lots of renditions timeframe-wise, but the typical format goes something like this:

20 min work/5 min break
20 min work/5 min break
20 min work/5 min break
20 min work/30 min break

If you stick to these short increments, make sure you dedicate your time fully to them. The whole point is to focus on ONLY your studies for the work time, and then do something completely unrelated in those breaks.

Set a timer to help you focus for those time periods and have a random thoughts notebook available nearby for anything that pops into your head that’s important to remember.

To learn more about the Pomodoro Technique, check out my other post: The Pomodoro Study Method - Everything You Need to Know

Remember: it’s ok not to be motivated sometimes

Sometimes, your body needs a rest more than anything. If you’re struggling to find motivation, allow yourself to take your foot off the gas pedal for a bit…whether that means for a few hours or a few days is totally up to your situation. Give yourself total guilt-free time off. Once you’re in total panic/stress mode, no good can come of continuing anyways, so you’re not missing out on “valuable study time”.

You are your greatest asset, and no opportunity, grade or goal is worth jeopardizing your own self.

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If you want to keep reading, here are some other articles that were specially picked for readers like you!

Who is Nadya Corscadden?

Nadya holds an MA in Musical Theatre and is no stranger to the home learning scene. Having spent a good chunk of her younger years in distance education (and opting for some correspondence electives at university), she has accumulated many tricks to help maintain focus and inspiration. She has a passion for independent learning and wants to help anyone and everyone find their stride in this atmosphere whether it’s homeschooling or simply studying for that next big test!

She is also a triple threat singer, dancer and actress….and can’t wait until stages are alive again!