Struggling to Find Motivation at univeristy

Hi everyone,

I just started university on September 30th, and even though it's only my second week, I’m really struggling with motivation. I know I need to start my assignments, but my brain feels like it's switched off, and I just can’t get into the right mindset. It’s frustrating because I do like the classes I’m taking, but I feel stuck and unable to get going.

Reply 1

BCU Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post by Matadd

Hi everyone,
I just started university on September 30th, and even though it's only my second week, I’m really struggling with motivation. I know I need to start my assignments, but my brain feels like it's switched off, and I just can’t get into the right mindset. It’s frustrating because I do like the classes I’m taking, but I feel stuck and unable to get going.

Hi @Matadd

I'm pretty sure you won't be alone in how you're feeling. Especially if you've had a break from studying over the summer, it can be hard to regain your focus and motivation.

But all is not lost! Motivation can be missing sometimes, but it will always come back.

When I'm feeling low on motivation, there's a few things I like to do...

I set myself deadlines. You've probably got a main deadline for your assignments, but I like to set myself mini deadlines throughout a project so that I can gauge if I'm on track. I try to treat these as if they were the actual deadline for my work, and this can help push me to work if I convince myself I have less time. Of course, I don't submit work when my mini deadline approaches, but if I feel like I've made the progress I originally outlined for myself, I might treat myself to something (usually food related), have something planned for this date - essentially just something to commend myself for my work so far. I find having these goals and treats can help me get started on my work.

Something as simple as reminding yourself why you're doing what you're doing can be a real help. Why did you take your chosen course? What are goals after your degree? I like to think of what I'm doing now and how it's a step towards my bigger goals, which can help me rediscover my passion for my course and regain some momentum to finish my work.

I also like to change the way I work, to see if a new perspective can encourage some motivation. I study a creative subject and I typically work in a sketchbook. But, if I'm stuck for motivation, I might decide to go visit a museum or gallery, try some digital work instead, maybe work on a much bigger scale, or simply change my usual working environment. I might not utilize any of these activities in my final assignment, but I think getting out of your repetitive ways of working can help reset your mindset. Sometimes the hardest part when you're lacking motivation to work, is just actually starting your work. So even if you do something a little different, it can get the ball rolling.

I hope you start to regain some motivation. It will return and you'll start to feel like you're making progress, I'm sure of it.
Hope this helps. :smile:

Emily
Student Rep at BCU

Reply 2

University of Salford Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post by Matadd

Hi everyone,
I just started university on September 30th, and even though it's only my second week, I’m really struggling with motivation. I know I need to start my assignments, but my brain feels like it's switched off, and I just can’t get into the right mindset. It’s frustrating because I do like the classes I’m taking, but I feel stuck and unable to get going.

Hi @Matadd

First, well done for reaching out, as that’s often the hardest step. Second, I wanted to say you aren’t alone in struggling to find motivation when starting university or a new academic year.

I know it can be hard to get back into the habit of studying even after a few months away from studying over the summer, let alone if you have had a longer period away from studying.

I am in the final year of my degree as a mature student, but it was pretty tricky to get back into studying after several years out of education despite really loving the course, thanks to my tutors, our student support services, and my classmates I did manage to get stuck into my work in the end.

Can I ask how long you have been out of education? Did you complete your level 3 qualifications this summer?
Beginning university can be a whirlwind, meeting new people, getting used to an unfamiliar environment, potentially a new course, and a new home, so it is normal to struggle with various aspects of starting university. Hopefully, you have had some time to have some downtime and take things at your own pace.

If you haven’t already it is worth speaking to your tutors or academic mentor if you have been assigned one to see how they can help. It could also be worth speaking to your student support services to get some advice and support. I have always found my university student support services very empathetic and encouraging when I have spoken to them.

Last but not least if there are any coursemates you get on particularly well with and feel comfortable chatting to them about this, then you could ask them how they motivate themselves. Perhaps, they could be your study buddy e.g., arranging study sessions together so you can hold each other accountable. I always find having a study buddy or group makes me sit down and get some work done, we can help one another if we are struggling. We always ensure we have regular breaks involving some nutritious, but most importantly yummy snacks to look forward to and help us focus.

I hope that helps, feel free to get in touch with any further questions and I will be happy to help.

Lucy 😊
(Official University of Salford Student Rep)

Reply 3

Neurodiversity

Hi Matadd,

Firstly, I empathise with you - finding motivation to start writing assignments, after a week of lectures is not unusual; I have been there. The thing is, whether you realise it or not, your brain is probably tired and overloaded. The first week of uni is hard, especially if you haven’t studied at this level previously. Above all, try not to worry. Rest is important, so getting a few good nights of sound sleep will help a lot. Also, it does no harm to talk to your tutor and lecturers, outside of lectures - in fact, most will welcome your doing so!

When is your first assessment deadline? (It should be towards the middle / end of November, because there will be lots of information and resources not yet given, which you will need to “read around”). After getting some sleep, a good idea is to start planning your assignment before you start writing - the old adage is true: “fail to plan, and you plan to fail”. There are several good assignment structures online, well worth considering (e.g. PEEL, etc. - try entering “academic essay structure” in a search-engine - there are examples). The key here is careful planning. What does the assessment require you to cover? Look for the keywords: explore, evaluate, discuss, etc. Arguments are simply the views of other academics/writers, etc. - take time to read them fully, and work out what you need to use - weigh the proponents but don’t argue directly against them; academic politeness, respect and diplomacy is vital.

Most importantly, please resist the temptation to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) essay writing apps. Most uni’s use software to detect this. Using AI will result in a poor grade, or even an Academic Offence - to be avoided at all costs!

Sleep well, eat well too! What you eat is important - good, wholesome meals, eaten slowly, rather than pizza, etc. Your brain needs proteins, vitamins, minerals, to enable you to think - and question, with rigour. Developing a good personal “daily routine” is also worthwhile…

Hope this all helps!

Reply 4

LIBF

Official Rep

Original post by Matadd

Hi everyone,
I just started university on September 30th, and even though it's only my second week, I’m really struggling with motivation. I know I need to start my assignments, but my brain feels like it's switched off, and I just can’t get into the right mindset. It’s frustrating because I do like the classes I’m taking, but I feel stuck and unable to get going.

Hi @Matadd

Completely agree with everything the others have said.

At this point I wouldn't worry too much, it's your second week like you said, and everything is quite overwhelming! Having a slow start in terms of motivation will not set the tone for the rest of the year, and it's amazing that you're liking the classes you're taking! The rest will follow, I promise you!

The only other thing I'd recommend is going to a space where others are studying. So going to the library for a few hours or even a café where others are working and try to get in the same mindset as them. Sometimes environments or other people can be really good motivators.

Have you met anyone on your course yet that you can talk to about the assignments, just having a conversation with them to get some ideas flowing can be really motivating too.

Honestly though, don't worry. You're all good, it's just the start and in a couple of months you'll be flying!

Alex - LIBF Rep 🙂

Reply 5

UCLan Student

Official Rep

Original post by Matadd

Hi everyone,
I just started university on September 30th, and even though it's only my second week, I’m really struggling with motivation. I know I need to start my assignments, but my brain feels like it's switched off, and I just can’t get into the right mindset. It’s frustrating because I do like the classes I’m taking, but I feel stuck and unable to get going.

Hi @Matadd ,

Procrastinating and feeling unmotivated is entirely normal, however I'd love to share some tips I use to get out of that zone.

Writing down all your goals and tasks is the first step in getting organised. Just start bullet pointing exactly what you need to get completed. This way you can visually see what required of you and move onto making it into an organised plan. Personally, my favourite way to plan out my tasks is to use my Outlook calendar 🗓️. I ensure to write all my deadlines, work and times I intend to do some independent study. I would also suggest colour coding it! 📑

The most important part after that is stick to it! It could possibly be an environmental change that is demotivating you, especially if you are around distraction. I recommend trying to do work in the library and power off your phone to avoid using it. 📵

I've seen you have also had some excellent replies about thinking about your future in order to motivate you. Possibly take a look at the final grade required for desired graduate courses, then you know what to aim for. Seeing university as the best step into your career is an excellent motivator.

Finally, remember this is only your second week! University can be quite overwhelming at first so give yourself time to settle in and you will fall into the flow of things.

I hope this helped, please feel free to ask me questions,
-Sophia (Business and Management)

Reply 6

hallamstudents

Official Rep

Original post by Matadd

Hi everyone,
I just started university on September 30th, and even though it's only my second week, I’m really struggling with motivation. I know I need to start my assignments, but my brain feels like it's switched off, and I just can’t get into the right mindset. It’s frustrating because I do like the classes I’m taking, but I feel stuck and unable to get going.

Hi @Matadd ,

It can be tricky when you start to lose motivation and I have definitely experienced this, so I thought I'd share some of my tips which have helped me when I start to lose motivation:

1- Have a schedule. If you have a schedule for your week, this shows you where you have to be and when which I found helpful when I was struggling a bit. You should mark on when you need to be in uni, as well as any other commitments you have - e.g. part time job, society etc. If you also mark in time for studying and completing work, I found I was more likely to do it as I had already made time for it and it was written down.

2- Go to the library to work. I found this very helpful as I had a lot of distractions at home and would end up doing something else or talking to my housemates, whereas at the library you have less distractions and can focus more. It's also good to just get out of your room and go to another space as this can really help as it's a change of scenery rather than just your room which you spend a lot of time in.

3- Ask your friends if they want to spend time doing work together. Sometimes woking with others can be more motivating as you will see them working which encourages you to do work. You can also bounce ideas off each other which I like as it helps you to think of new ideas and keeps you on track with your work.

4- Ask your tutors for help if you are struggling. If you need help with your work or you are stuck on a certain topic, this can be really demotivating so it is important to ask for help if you feel you need it. They will be there to answer your questions so make sure you are asking them to clarify anything you need help with and make sure you fully understand the work.

I hope some of this helps,

Lucy -SHU student ambassador 🙂

Reply 7

Matadd

Original post by University of Salford Student Rep

Hi @Matadd

First, well done for reaching out, as that’s often the hardest step. Second, I wanted to say you aren’t alone in struggling to find motivation when starting university or a new academic year.
I know it can be hard to get back into the habit of studying even after a few months away from studying over the summer, let alone if you have had a longer period away from studying.
I am in the final year of my degree as a mature student, but it was pretty tricky to get back into studying after several years out of education despite really loving the course, thanks to my tutors, our student support services, and my classmates I did manage to get stuck into my work in the end.
Can I ask how long you have been out of education? Did you complete your level 3 qualifications this summer?
Beginning university can be a whirlwind, meeting new people, getting used to an unfamiliar environment, potentially a new course, and a new home, so it is normal to struggle with various aspects of starting university. Hopefully, you have had some time to have some downtime and take things at your own pace.
If you haven’t already it is worth speaking to your tutors or academic mentor if you have been assigned one to see how they can help. It could also be worth speaking to your student support services to get some advice and support. I have always found my university student support services very empathetic and encouraging when I have spoken to them.
Last but not least if there are any coursemates you get on particularly well with and feel comfortable chatting to them about this, then you could ask them how they motivate themselves. Perhaps, they could be your study buddy e.g., arranging study sessions together so you can hold each other accountable. I always find having a study buddy or group makes me sit down and get some work done, we can help one another if we are struggling. We always ensure we have regular breaks involving some nutritious, but most importantly yummy snacks to look forward to and help us focus.
I hope that helps, feel free to get in touch with any further questions and I will be happy to help.
Lucy 😊
(Official University of Salford Student Rep)

so i was out of ecutation since summer 2023 i went to uniuversity untll dicmeber of 2024 then i decid to go back to univeristy in 2024