The ability to get motivated to study can have a very positive effect on a student’s study levels and grades. A motivated student will find it easier to go the extra mile and do all the necessary tasks that need to be done to assure success. The right motivation will allow students to study a lot more focused and with more concentration. Motivating yourself to study is especially helpful when you feel a lack of motivation or face procrastination during your studies. The following will show you what you can do to get motivated for studying. Also, be sure to have a look at Study Smart Not Hard and How to Focus on Studying to boost your academic accomplishments even further.
The following tips on how to study effectively will help you to become motivated to study and to beat procrastination!
In the following, you can learn what you can do to get motivated to study.
How to become motivated to study?
I. The motivational power of having a goal!
A very powerful motivational technique students can apply is to set themselves well-thought-out goals and objectives. These aims could be either short-term goals (e.g. about an upcoming exam) or long-term goals (e.g. about the achievements you want to reach during your studies in the university). Objectives and aims are one of the best sources of motivation, as they will keep you focused and enable you to “do whatever it takes” to accomplish your goals. Furthermore, cleverly chosen objectives will inspire you to greater heights, allowing you to reach your true potential. A very positive side-effect of an excellent goal is that it will drastically increase your perseverance.
Important tips for goal setting:
- #1 Write your goals down
- #2 Avoid vagueness, negations and necessities
- #3 Split complex goals into main targets and sub-goals
- #4 State how you intent to achieve your goal
- #5 Visualize the accomplishment of your objective and what it feels like
- #6 Gratification: reward yourself once the goal is reached
For more details and an in-depth explanation on the above named aspects of the best goal setting strategies, visit How to set goals effectively?
II. Gratification: Reward yourself!
Personally, I don’t consider the act of rewarding oneself – once a goal is accomplished – as a motivational technique for students per se. However, the positive effect that a gratification can have on your motivation to study is stupendous. Hence I have no other choice other than including the fantastic aspect of gratification into this article. If you feel the urge to become motivated to study, set yourself a goal (as discussed in I. The motivational power of having a goal) and determine an appropriate reward once the objective is accomplished. It’s really that simple, but so effective. By rewarding yourself, whenever a goal is achieved, your brain elicits positive emotions, leading to the realization that an effort results in a positive reward. Furthermore, you will – consciously or subconsciously – recognize that a high effort will result in an even more positive gratification. In accord with the formula {high effort + accomplishment of the objective = gratification} you start linking hard work with a gratification. Basically, you will associate upcoming challenges (and necessary efforts to reach a goal) as another chance to get rewarded (= positive emotions). Hence you increase your motivation to study which allows you to maintain your motivation on a high level until the objective is accomplished. Also, your willingness to make an expenditure (e.g. studying) in order to accomplish the objective (e.g. an excellent grade) will raise, when having a reward in mind that you have desired for a long time.
Please keep in mind that this method can only stir your motivation to study as long as you apply the simple rule: {demanding objective = glorious reward} and {simple goal = small reward}. Also, it’s crucial that you DO NOT reward yourself if you fail. If you were not able to reach the objective as determined you will not get a reward. Furthermore, the reward should be received once the goal is reached, not any time prior to this.
Important tips for rewarding yourself to become motivated to study:
- #1 Set a goal & determine an appropriate reward for it’s accomplishment
- #2 Associate the efforts you take with the positive reward
- #3 Ambitious challenges require outstanding rewards
- #4 Basic objectives should only be rewarded slightly
- #5 Do not allow yourself to receive a reward if you fail
- #6 Reward yourself subsequently after achieving the goal
III. Just do it & start studying
I know that whenever you feel a lack of motivation to get started with studying, there are a dozen other activities that sound by far more interesting than studying. Sometimes you would rather watch TV, an episode of your favorite sitcom, the new movie that has hit cinemas, listen to music or hang out with your friends. The simple trick to overcome this dilemma is to just get going. Start studying, no matter what. “Boost” yourself to get started with studying, no matter if you feel tired or if the teaching material isn’t interesting at all. You might have to force yourself, but it is worth it.
“It doesn’t matter where you go, as long as you get going.”
Why am I recommending “to just do it“, whenever you lack the motivation to study? That’s simple. Forcing yourself will allow you to free your mind from all kinds of negative thoughts about being lazy or lacking the right motivation. Basically, instead of wasting important time worrying about being unenthusiastic and lazy (in short: playing the victim) you take action. You will notice that once you’re getting started “just for a couple of minutes“, time will fly by and you will get used to your tasks. Once you got into the habit of studying, it will feel just natural after a while to remain on your tasks for longer periods of time.
Important tips to just get started with studying:
- #1 “Force” yourself to do 15-20 minutes of studying for now
- #2 Don’t agonize yourself by picturing the alternatives to studying
- #3 Try not to procrastinate.
- #4 The more you focus on your task, the faster you’re finished
- #5 Imagine the negative consequences of prolonging studying
- #6 If you’re tired, get up and jump on the spot, take a shower (or the like)
- #7 Prevent distractions (TV, internet, email, telephone, smartphone)
IV. One step at a time – avoid prolonging
Let’s face it, one of the main reasons we students are not very enthusiastic about studying is the fact that we prolong studying for too long. As a result, we fail to grasp the subsequent teaching and learning contents, which forces us to become self-tutors that have to teach themselves everything that was missed. In the end, that’s a very time-consuming method of studying and a direct result of prolonging. The alternative is to constantly keep up with your tasks in college or university on a daily basis. This – by all means – doesn’t suggest that you will have to study for hours each day. Instead, it means that you keep going one step at a time, which allows you to grasp subsequent contents and to stay ahead with your tasks. If it takes you 10 minutes each day to organize and revise the contents you learned in the present day, that’s fine! That way, you will understand what’s being discussed, thereby you can avoid the accumulation of gaps in knowledge.
At the beginning of your term, you could write down the specific goals you aim to accomplish (as discussed in I. The motivational power of having a goal). Consider this to be your letter of motivation for the upcoming semester. Whenever you feel a lack of motivation or disinterest in studying, grab this letter and reassure yourself of the higher purpose of why you are studying. Realize that you have a “once in a lifetime” opportunity; you are young and entitled to study, so you might as well make the best of it by working and studying hard and by doing the best you can to get accepted at the destination of your choice. Otherwise, you might regret it at a later point in time.
V. Music – there is no easier way to get motivated
Music is a wonderful way to stir your motivation, as it elicits positive emotions. If chosen wisely, a song can get you powerfully motivated to study; it can cause a spirit of optimism which evokes the epic feeling of being able to do anything. When compared with other techniques to get motivated to study, listening to music is by far the simplest way to become excited about studying. As a rule of thumb, you shouldn’t opt for ballads, chill-out or lounge music. Instead, choose songs that you find motivating and inspiring, songs that immediately energize your whole body and make you smile from ear to ear. So, grab your headphones, turn on your stereo equipment and listen to some fantastic songs, for instance, Jorge Quintero’s 300 violin orchestra.
I really hope you like the song and if it stirred motivation then it’s even the better! In general, you can listen to any kind of music, as long as it energizes you, makes you happy and increases your motivation to “get going”. In the following, I’ve prepared a short list of suggestions for music that could help you to get motivated to study.