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Many learners experience periods of low motivation at various points during their studies, and this can become a major stumbling block for those who don’t know how to handle it.
There are several possible causes for lethargy that might creep in to your learning experience, and some may appear to be beyond your control.
Perhaps you’ve received some negative feedback from a tutor, or you just can’t get your head around a complex topic. If you study part-time, or via distance or online courses, you face the extra challenge of staying motivated without the accountability imposed by a classroom of peers or a tutor’s watchful eye.
It’s all too easy to slip into the feeling that study is a chore – something imposed upon you that you have to endure. This is a very limiting mindset to let yourself get into. It often means that you haven’t fully engaged intellectually or emotionally with either the topic you are studying or the process of studying itself.
Whatever the reason for your low ebb, there are many techniques that will help you stay motivated, and keep your studies fresh and engaging. Here are a few tips that I’ve picked up along my learning career.
Location, location, location
Is it really necessary for you to be tethered to that desk in the library or in your bedroom all the time? Could you be a little more adventurous? Most towns and cities have plenty of coffee shops, gardens, museums and other public spaces that make colourful and inspiring places to study.
Got a hefty paper to trawl through? Read it under a tree in a beautiful park. In the final year of my PhD I wrote the bulk of my
Peer support
Nothing raises motivation like a shared goal, and it’s easy to underestimate the importance of engaging with fellow learners during your course. This can present special challenges for distance learners, but many e-learning colleges now offer online forums and social spaces where you can connect with other students. You’ll be surprised to discover how much better you feel just knowing that ‘bigspecs23′ in Ohio was also up till 3 a.m. writing her assignment last night!
If your learning provider hasn’t created an online social space for students, why not suggest it to them? Alternatively, try starting a Facebook group for others studying your subject.
Don’t drift away
Isolation can be a major problem for graduate students. Depending on the structure of your specific programme, your Masters or PhD work might leave you completely absorbed in your solitary research bubble without regular classes to attend. Soon, you stop bothering to go in to your Department at all, and before you know it you’re feeling distanced and estranged.
It is vital to make an effort to get in to your Department on a regular basis, even if it’s just to have morning coffee with other students and staff. Become an active member of the graduate student group if there is one. If there isn’t, think about starting one. Whatever you do, stay engaged.
What am I doing here anyway?
There often comes a time, usually in the second or third quarter of your study programme, when you find yourself questioning whether it is all worth it. In the heat of your daily battle with assignments, tutorials and exams, it’s so easy to lose touch with your original reasons for embarking upon your studies.
Forgetting your goals is a major motivation killer, and it may come as a surprise to learn that it takes effort to keep them alive.
Take time out to remind yourself why you have chosen this path. Imagine how you will feel when you have achieved your learning goals. Will you feel a sense of pride or accomplishment? How will your family and friends react to your success? How will you feel after a successful job interview in which your qualifications were noted and commended? What will it feel like to be going through your ideal day in your dream job? You’ve got to really feel your goal as if you’re already living it – a skill that will get easier with practice.
That continuous emotional connection with your ‘inner fire’ is what will get you through the tough times, and keep you motivated long after the novelty of being a student has worn off. It’s up to you to keep it burning.
There are many techniques for staying motivated and beating procrastination while you study, and excellent books on the topic abound.
The Good Study Guide by Andrew Northedge has a very useful chapter on taking control of your studies, and includes advice about morale and motivation.
I’ve also found a great resource for correspondence or online learners in Studying at a Distance by Christine Talbot. Well worth a read.
It is perfectly normal to feel overwhelmed and uninspired from time to time. But you can count yourself among the small minority of people who are proactive enough to take that step into independent learning. That already makes you a winner. Remember this when you’re next feeling low, and give yourself a break. One day you might draw upon this experience to help others break through similar barriers, and encourage them to reach their learning goals.
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