How to be motivated/enjoy a-levels

9

Hi,
I’m really struggling to not procrastinate and enjoy doing school and a-levels. It’s gotten really bad and I don’t want to become behind or underachieve. I need some advice and help to lock in and actually not procrastinate, I find doing school work about school hard especially as I get back from school around 5/6pm.
Any help is truly appreciated.

Reply 1

Nitrotoluene

12

Original post

by Edelweiss12

Hi,
I’m really struggling to not procrastinate and enjoy doing school and a-levels. It’s gotten really bad and I don’t want to become behind or underachieve. I need some advice and help to lock in and actually not procrastinate, I find doing school work about school hard especially as I get back from school around 5/6pm.
Any help is truly appreciated.

Hey, go easy on yourself. Getting home at 6 p.m and studying is seriously impressive. If you're just not feeling it one evening, take a break. Forcing yourself when you're not in the zone will just make you feel bad, and you won't even learn anything.

Reply 2

Edelweiss12

OP

9

Original post

by Nitrotoluene

Hey, go easy on yourself. Getting home at 6 p.m and studying is seriously impressive. If you're just not feeling it one evening, take a break. Forcing yourself when you're not in the zone will just make you feel bad, and you won't even learn anything.

I am just struggling to mange it all and always super tired, so end up doing stuff last minute and it’s a cycle I can’t get out of.

Reply 3

BCU Student Rep

Official Rep

18

Original post

by Edelweiss12

Hi,
I’m really struggling to not procrastinate and enjoy doing school and a-levels. It’s gotten really bad and I don’t want to become behind or underachieve. I need some advice and help to lock in and actually not procrastinate, I find doing school work about school hard especially as I get back from school around 5/6pm.
Any help is truly appreciated.

Hey @Edelweiss12, I hope you are doing great! Firstly, trust me, you are not the only one who goes through this so do not be too hard on yourself. You are not lazy, or bad at discipline. You are tired, overwhelmed and stuck in a cycle that a lot of A-level students fall into. Here are a few steps that tend to help:

Stop expecting yourself to work immediately:
If you come home and try to start work straight away, your brain will most likely rebel.
Instead:

•

Give yourself 30 - 60 minutes of guilt free rest

•

Do whatever helps you reset

This is not wasting time, it is recovery!

Shrink the task until it feels ridiculously easy:
Most procrastination comes from tasks feeling too big, once you start momentum often kicks in.

So something like: instead of saying, "Revise biology" tell yourself, "Open biology notes, write one or two flashcards, revise for at least ten minutes."

Use timers, not motivation:
Finding what study method works best for you is essential and using that method with timers is key. So trying:

•

25 minutes work

•

5 minutes break

•

Repeat once or twice

But of course, cater it to what works best for you!

Always decide before you get home what you will do:
Decision fatigue is absolutely real, we have all been victims of it.

Before leaving school, decide which subject and which topic for that subject will you be looking at.

This helps because when you get home, you no longer have to think, you just have to follow the plan.

Make schoolwork less miserable:
Create an environment that works best for you, you can try studying somewhere you feel comfortable or even studying silently with someone else. Have snacks if you feel that would help.

You do not have to suffer for it to count.

Take care of yourself
Studying whilst feeling burnt out will result in you learning absolutely nothing. Make sure you are sleeping enough, not overloading and taking care of yourself. It is always good to ask a teacher, tutor or someone at school for help!

This is also why a routine helps because you are also able to track how much rest you are getting.

Remember, you do not have to change yourself entirely to succeed at A-levels. You just need systems that respect how tired you are. Resetting is always essential, and trust me, you have got this! I wish you all the best 🙂

Ru
BCU student rep.

How to be motivated/enjoy a-levels

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