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How do you motivate yourself to do work/revision?

I can never really keep the "nah fam I'd rather be making something to eat/gaming/binging netlflix right now" feelings away for long enough to actually get into the routine and habit of working hard for my A levels, and it's not really helping my results a great deal.

So how do you keep yourself from procrastinating beyond the end of time itself?

Reply 1

username2088165

I know a lot of people don't like this solution but... just start working! Generally, once you do a little bit, the rest becomes easier and it doesn't feel like such a chore. Setting tiny goals for yourself also helps, breaking down the work into little chunks rather than trying to take on a large amount at once :smile:

Reply 2

Kvothe the Arcane

It's really hard for many to summon the drive to study.
The key is discipline. As Leviathan alludes to above you simply have to learn to "just do it". Work out what it is you want and structure out periods in your day where you'll attempt to acheive those tasks.
You can use productivity extensions to block troublesome websites (like TSR :wink:

) in the times you've cordoned off in your day to be productive and build systems to create consequences for when you aren't on-track.

You may also benefit from utilising the pomodoro technique where you have work slots punctuated by brief breaks. A common ratio is 25:5 work to break. Ideally after awhile of doing this you'll be able to figure out how many cycles it takes you to complete particular tasks. So you could say, for example, that after school you'd spend 1.5 hrs on doing a first draft for an essay followed by preparation of your evening meal.

If you're into games, perhaps try Habitica. It's an application that's aimed at people like yourself and attempts to build good habits through a process known as gamificaiton.

Whatever tactic you choose to employ, you need to form habits. After some time you'll find that your motivation will increase.

Lastly, I'd like to recommend the youtuber Thomas Frank to you. He has some really insightful videos on productivity :smile:

.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG-KntY7aVnIGXYEBQvmBAQ

(edited 7 years ago)

Work = Money

Original post by Willy Pete

Work = Money

This thought process never works for me, I don't get excited at the prospect of having more money for some reason.

Reply 5

Willy Pete

Original post by Retired_Messiah

This thought process never works for me, I don't get excited at the prospect of having more money for some reason.

You will when you have debt.

Reply 6

YourPalCal

The truth is you will never really want to work, but with practice you will become disciplined and you will be able to overcome the urge to procrastinate. For now, make a plan (this really helps), grit your teeth, and just start working

Reply 7

MrsSheldonCooper

I've been working my ass off to get the grades to get an offer from my firm choice. My motivation is making sure I don't log onto UCAS on results day and see I didn't get my firm.

Reply 8

CCC75

I have to allocate dedicated revisions slots in my diary in advance and complete that study away from home. At home I find myself doing anything but studying. If I take myself off to a quiet corner of a library, with my laptop and notebook I am motivated to get it done.

I even roll the boat out and treat myself to a nice lunch, instead of a packed from home one, when I feel that I am achieving my targets.

Reply 9

dragonkeeper999

I make a detailed timetable saying what I plan to do every hour of every day, which includes set rest breaks - so I can look at my timetable and be like "well, I have to work on organic chemistry for one hour, but after that I have 10 minutes of wandering around the gardens" so there's something to look forward to at the end of the work...

Also, I find it basically impossible to study in my room, where there are so many distractions. But if I go to the library there's not much else to do there other than work, so I'm much more productive :smile:

Reply 10