severly lacking motivation, please help

Perhaps tell a sibling or your parents about this? Tell them that you don't feel like revising, and make them stand over you until you do. Also, going to university open days or lectures always inspire me to be motivated for at least 2 days after.

thank you for replying

my brother is only 5 and both my parents work full time so sadly this isn't possible

hi, i'm in year 11 and i have 3 months until my GCSEs

honestly, i know i am a smart and capable girl

my parents are very successful and i have many tutors, i go to a good school, i have every single textbook and resource i need

right now my grades are mostly 6 (B) and i know i can do so so much better than that

but the only problem is me

i'm really letting myself down and really the main reason is, i lack motivation

afterschool, i come home, and i have no desire to work
everything is ready for me, my food is served on a plate, i have a beautiful quiet table in my room, i know exactly how to revise what what i need to do
but it just. doesn't. happen.

i feel like i am stuck in this cycle where i end up doing nothing and so i feel de motivated and i continue to do nothing and feel even more de motivated urgh i don't know but i just want to get out

i have this vision of being the most happy and productive person, really living up to my full potential getting that 7/8/9 (A*), doing a - levels, a degree in economics even but i don't know why but thinking about the future just doesn't inspire me

in fact i feel even more de motivated, i feel like i will never be satisfied, work will never stop, my life will just be depressing.everyone says:
a-levels will be harder than gcses
degree will be harder than a-levels
work be harder than a degree

i wish i had a spark in me, something that will bring me to life so I can really reach my full potential for myself

i'm sure some people here on the student room have once been de motivated.

if you are reading this and can offer any advice at all, please please do and help a girl from wasting her life

thank you in advance

can i just say i am suffering from the exact same thing like legit but im in year 10 but im doing 2 of my gcses this year, infact i have mock in 2 days im supposed to be revising but im on here reading random threads

okay honey so here's the thing, firstly yes A levels are much harder than GCSEs but they only become a prob if you don't keep up to date with your work. Otherwise you'll ace it. There nothing to worry about and secondly DEGREES ARE SO SO MUCH EASIER THAN A LEVELS, ASK ANY UNI STUDENT.

you can reach your full potential. you can. if you're finding that you can't work at home then work at school! stay afterschool to work on revision and notes. It's exactly what I did at GCSE and it's still what I do now. Another thing is that if you can't work in silence then put on some music that's chill but not dancing along type or get someone to stay with you when you revise.... preferably someone that has a good influence on you (doesn't have to be a friend) and doesn't get distracted easily.

equally if u wanna get MOTIVATED to revise at home then write post it notes to inspire you and stick them on your wall. what are your goals? who you want to prove your capabilities to? is there anyone you want to prove wrong?


I hope that helps xxxx

im in my first year in college and I am struggling with that too. I guess last year ( when I was doing my GCSEs) I had the motivation to revise just by looking forward to getting all these subjects I hate over and done with so I can go study what I truly like. And now here I am doing the course of my dreams and I have o% motivation to do any revision or homework from it. I guess just find something to look forward too you know? We're all different I guess

The reason the future isn't motivating (this is based on my own experience so may vary slightly for you), is because that all it is... the future. Right now, in that moment when you get home from school and are already tired from a long day you don't find studying fun or fulfilling (maybe you think you will find it fulfilling but more likely if you do manage to do some work really all you are feeling is some relief that you perhaps are escaping the cycle you mentioned).

Because studying is fulfilling or fun it is really really hard to do in that moment even if you logically think it should be easy to just do it. I get your frustration as I too really want to just do work sometimes but just can't. I would suggest that it isn't really the lack of motivation that is the problem, but more how you respond to motivation (even if i feel motivated it is only brief and doesn't really help me push through. For me it is proving myself or others wrong or competition that helps me). I find it unlikely you will be able to find enough motivation out of nowhere to help you in time for exams. Instead you need to find what helps you to push through and get that work done.

Practical suggestions:
1) Accept motivation isn't going to be whats get you your grades (although it could help) and find something that does help you do work. Whether thats getting someone to check your working to competeting with a friend to get better grades/do work more effectively or even faster.

2) You're stuck in a cycle. You think that to break it you just need to find a way to become motivated and start to work again. Perhaps the answer is actually to accept you can't work for a couple of days. Take a break and tell urself you don't have to do any work. Don't even think about the work you will have to do in a couple of days. Try to enjoy urself. The guilt and demotivation should hopefully decrease. Even if you are no longer motivated, it will help set you up for working again using perhaps one of the other suggestions.

3) Perhaps get in groups and be responsible to teach each other sections for revision so you are responsible for learning your section well, this alone should "motivate" you as it means you won't be letting others down. I would be careful with this though as even if you don't realise it there may be some anxiety involved with your lack of being able to work. So don't put pressure on yourself.

4) Although A'levels are a bit tougher than GCSE's people over emphasize it. And anyways thats the future so don't worry about it. I would say degree level stuff isn't even compareable to GCSE's because by then you have matured as a person and will have learnt how you work best (I'm still doing A'levels so I can't be certain). Anyways point here is stop worrying about the future. Instead enjoy yourself now and you can always take a gap year if you need a break from working.

5) Find some sort of motivation, even if temporary. Although it will likely not be your main source of "help" to get you working, going to lectures or even just going to see how cool university campuses are (even online) can be a great motivator.

At the end of the day you are stuck in a cycle and you don't have time to get out of it in perhaps the most healthy and optimal way. You are just going to have to do what you can and accept it is all you can do so you don't feel too disheartened.

Goodluck! Hope things go well for you!

I have never read something more relatable than this ever in my life.. apart from the fact that I’m doing alevels at the moment

I got all B's in school. Never studied, did a levels, completely failed my first year. Retook and got an A in maths and physics and a C in further maths. Went uni, dropped out halfway into the first year after finding it pretty crap.
So I had to really ask myself what do I want to do in life. Well 1.make money of course. 2. I want time for holidays social and when I have kids I want time to spend with then 3. I want to work around my clock. So I figured I like self employment. I always liked electronics so I said let me try some trade work. Long story short I became an electrician and never been happier. Finally found direction. So idk, maybe you just have to think about what you want out of life and work backwards from there.