How To Stay Motivated This School Year
We have all experienced it, that surge of motivation in September making promises to study every day and be the best version of yourself this year, and while it’s great to want to better yourself that motivation usually is gone by October and you are back to your old habits. Most of the time this is simply because we expected too much overnight or because we didn’t plan things properly. So this post is your full guide on keeping that motivation going all year long.
Don’t plan to change overnight
Good things never happen overnight and if you set an unachievable goal for the first month you are greatly increasing your chances of not even trying again in the second month. I’m not saying you should lower your goals but make them something you can achieve. If it’s not realistic to study for three hours every day this year because you have other commitments then that shouldn’t be your new plan.
Instead, make out a schedule for your normal week with everything except studying then look at what you have free and make that your final goal, start with half of that and ramp it up a small bit every month until you reach it, I know it mightn’t sound as productive as your original goal but staying consistent with an hour every day is much better than doing three hours a day and giving up in the first week.
Simple organisation systems
When going back to school it’s tempting to spend a small fortune on hundreds of highlighters, planners folders and notebooks that usually go unused for half the year, and while I’m guilty of this myself I would strongly suggest you don’t overcomplicate things for yourself. Buy long-lasting basics that will help you stick to your strategy and organise easy systems to follow, here are some examples.
- Put name labels on your highlighters and write down what you use them for so you don’t mix up your colour codes
- Get a folder in your backpack to hold homework sheets and then use it to divide up your normal books and homework books so you can find things quicker
- Keep your timetable taped up on your locker
- Organise the pockets in your bag so that everything has a place
- Tape a small folder/ poly pocket to the front of copies and use them to hold sheets your teacher gives you
Have a “why?”
To keep up your work when you get stressed you need a reason to keep going so make sure that you know yours. Is it to get a course you want or is it to grow as a person? Are you trying to learn a subject to help you in later life or simply because you are interested? These may seem like simple questions but knowing the answer will make self-discipline much easier. A bad reason to keep going is that it will please your parents or someone else as your motivation will likely not last. Use a vision board or master vision to help remind yourself of your goal!
I hope some of these tips helped you, but the most important thing is to not overcomplicate things, just buy what you need and be realistic and your hard work will pay off. Good luck!
By Clara Crichton