The Student Room Group

How do you motivate yourself to study?

Right now, i could be in the library reading and making notes and being a swot. But instead im on tsr. :nah:
I like my course and am finding the work i am doing at the moment really interesting, but i still manage to procrastinate like its going out of fashion and when i do settle down to work i always end up getting distracted.
And what makes it worse is that i am a third year, i should have learnt some self discipline by now!

Has anyone got any techniques for getting in to study and sticking at it?
This might sound odd, but hearing other people say ''I have finished such and such an essay'' actually makes me get my skates on to start doing my own work.
It works for me the majority of the time, but like you today I could be in the library actually writing my essay and etc, but instead im on :tsr: . . . :rolleyes: lol
Reply 2
Stu-dy? :eyeball:
Reply 3
Usually my motivation comes from a desire to beat everyone else. I'm an ugly, ugly person.
Reply 4
1) Beating everybody else
2) Corroborating my intellect
3) Justifying my arrogance
4) Getting the girls :wink:
Reply 5
wallflower*
Right now, i could be in the library reading and making notes and being a swot. But instead im on tsr. :nah:
I like my course and am finding the work i am doing at the moment really interesting, but i still manage to procrastinate like its going out of fashion and when i do settle down to work i always end up getting distracted.
And what makes it worse is that i am a third year, i should have learnt some self discipline by now!

Has anyone got any techniques for getting in to study and sticking at it?


For essays i remember how stressed i felt the previous year when we had umpteen essays due at once. Then i make a list of how many essays/coursework/dissertations basically written pieces of work i need to do this year that count towards my grade. I push myself to do them as early as possible, making up my own deadlines and emvisioning how happy i'll be when their all done or how stressed i'll be if i have to be writing out my dissertation at the same time as my essays are really due.

Be hard on yourself, ignore where everyone else is on the schedule. You always must think your behind schedule, its the best way to get your butt in gear. Get as much written work done as soon as possible, not only will it help you learn anyway but you don't need to be fiddling around with coursework when exams are looming.

Write a schedule everyday of what you need to get done the next day. Be realistic of your limits, but only just. Set it a little higher than you think you can get done. Even if you don't quite make it, you'll get more done than you would have otherwise. Just move the failed stuff onto the next day and be hard on yourself for not getting it done. You'll resent yourself for a while, but it'll be worth it once the years over.

I've just finished my third week of uni and am catching up on my reading before i start my next essay, then i'll have 3 of the 8 written pieces done. I've set my deadline to have it finished before i have to see my dissertation suprivisor next thurs as i know she'll pile me down with things to do and stress me out.

Try not to leave things till the last minute, because things always like to come up then. Studying, i'm laxing just a bit on at the moment as i'm trying to get written work out of the way, but every week i write up a list of what i need to read for the next lecture. Every now and then, espically between essays i'll schedule in what reading to catch up on.

I plan once i have less written work to set aside an hour a day to read a chapter of a relevent text book, making notes. Having a clock to look at helps a lot with keeping on schedule. Also tend to read through whatever material i have avaliable before each lecture, as i never feel like doing so after the lecture.
I have the same problem as you, OP. I had to spend about 3 hours in the library yesterday and really hated it. Got so distracted :s-smilie:

If I'm being ridiculously, appalling lazy, I tell myself that I'm not going to get a 2:1 unless I pull myself together. Usually does the trick! :biggrin: Otherwise, I just acknowledge that I procrastinate and try to balance things out. So if I'm on TSR a lot, I read/make notes until about 3am :s-smilie:
1) I generally do a 10am-5pm day at uni inc. lectures. I know that if I sit down in the library and get my work done, then my evening is free.

2) I need to get at least a 2:1 or I will be wasting my time/not have the career of my dreams/be seen as a failure.

3) I want to learn the most I can whilst studying degree-level law, which is still the tip of the iceberg and that's frustrating at times.

4) I think of all the mistakes I made in first year and I don't even want to fall into any of those again!!

They're generally my motivating factors.
Reply 8
Just think about the :biggrin: feeling that you get when you hand things in, well if you get a really good feeling when you hand things in. Think about all the work you've put in for your degree and then think about failing it. You don't want to fail, right? Good, so study :tongue::thumbsup::thumbsup:
Reply 9
Original post by carlabeaton
Just think about the :biggrin: feeling that you get when you hand things in, well if you get a really good feeling when you hand things in. Think about all the work you've put in for your degree and then think about failing it. You don't want to fail, right? Good, so study :tongue::thumbsup::thumbsup:


LOL This thread is like 4 years old :lol:
Mainly by looking at my calender and thinking, "dammit I've only got 4 days till that bloody essay has to be handed in" at which point I sprint to the library.
Reply 11
Zombie-thread! :O
Could really do with some advice!

I'm a first year, and i'm usually ok when it comes to work. I never have a problem with motivation when it comes to essays, but I struggle with exams. I have a big exam coming up in a month, and my lecturer decided to 'motivate' us by telling us that 1 in 3 failed the exam last year. And because he's said that, it's made me almost too scared to even revise, as it's hanging over my head! I've done some mock questions, but even they're terrifying me! My biggest problem is names and dates, any advice? :frown:
Reply 13
Original post by lozzyhickers
Could really do with some advice!

I'm a first year, and i'm usually ok when it comes to work. I never have a problem with motivation when it comes to essays, but I struggle with exams. I have a big exam coming up in a month, and my lecturer decided to 'motivate' us by telling us that 1 in 3 failed the exam last year. And because he's said that, it's made me almost too scared to even revise, as it's hanging over my head! I've done some mock questions, but even they're terrifying me! My biggest problem is names and dates, any advice? :frown:


Break it down into smaller chunks. Most of all, when you think 'i should revise' and catch yourself talking yourself out of it STOP and DO THE WORK.
I get myself a nice coffee anmd sit myself down in the library for a few hours. There's something about being around other people studying that makes me want to do so too...almost like it's a race or something.
That, and keeping my main academic goal in mind :smile:
Original post by lozzyhickers
My biggest problem is names and dates, any advice? :frown:


Post-it notes. In your room. Everywhere.
Reply 16
Original post by lozzyhickers
Could really do with some advice!

I'm a first year, and i'm usually ok when it comes to work. I never have a problem with motivation when it comes to essays, but I struggle with exams. I have a big exam coming up in a month, and my lecturer decided to 'motivate' us by telling us that 1 in 3 failed the exam last year. And because he's said that, it's made me almost too scared to even revise, as it's hanging over my head! I've done some mock questions, but even they're terrifying me! My biggest problem is names and dates, any advice? :frown:


mnemonics are also useful. I found one online and i still remember the reactivity series which i learned 2 years ago :smile: making up your own might help as well
Thank you, all of you.. I'll certainly try them out!