How do you get motivated to study

[rusty_boi]

Hey everyone

I have my final exams coming up in a couple weeks but i have found it hard to get back into studying (i just had a two week break after my last exams), i procrastenate alot lately and im finding any excuse not to study. So what im asking is does anyone have any advice on how to get motivated again.

[Suladan]

Quite simply, sit down and study! Stop making excuses, sit down and get started. Once you get started it'll be easier to get going after short breaks.

[friscodj]

Make it fun! Get a study group together if you can, rent a movie, pick up a 6-pack of your favorite beverage and start digging in...get stuff done but take regular breaks. Start early so you can let the information seep in...

 

Another trick is to "study" when you aren't officially "studying". Read and do some studying, then go to the gym and work out or something but think about what you just read. Sleep on it too...that works for me...

 

Don't look at it as a chore...no pressure...

[bhzmafia]

link removed

try that - you can sign up to get an email every day that should motivate you a bit.

 

You need to just get into it. I have the same problem (and am in the same situation - in year 12 as well). Get rid of distractions, and just go... you need willpower. Nothing anyone else says will get you motivated, YOU have to WANT it.

 

Good luck

[Mr Mister1]

I'm not sure if people will like this sort of advice but to be honest my major motivation has always been the fear of failure. That and the need I feel to do all I can to get through.

 

I also set time aside where I will do nothing but study and also work out the things I want to do to study. Do you have a text book with questions and solutions? Or maybe exams from previous years? I work out all the things I want to do to prepare a list in order of what I'll do first, etc.

[Honey Pumpkin]

Make a rough schedule, and make it realistic. Give yourself breaks and time off, and try to do 9 - 5 days.

 

It's important to work solidly and steadily - better to do five hours a day every day = 70 hours than ten hours the first two days and nothing for six days etc. Cover the work, make sure you know all the key points. Agree with friscodj about study groups - testing each other. Make it fun.

 

Get loads of sleep, drink lots of water, eat really well and take your multi-vitamin!!

 

You'll be fine, just stick at it and don't do the classic all-nighter the night before if you have a load of exams. That only works if you have just one exam Otherwise you're knackered for all the others.

 

Good luck!!

[robowarrior]

You study for yourself and your own future and that's enough motivation because you know that every ounce of effort is invested into yourself. Just put your mind of zero and go for gold.

[Belgian girl]

Perhaps it also helps to listen the same music CD after each other.

Found out that learning went faster.

When you're learning words, I thought it works the best if you learn them in groups of about eight each time.

For me, it also helps when I'm putting everything I've finished away or at one side of the table .

It's also good to eat lots of fruit and to get enough fresh air.

Good luck!

[NJRon]

Go to a place where you can focus and not be distracted... coffee shop or library.

[Belgian girl]

Prefer learning by unit or something, not by time (like now I'm going to learn 1,5 hour).

Change making exercises and learning theoretical parts, change eventually from subject during learning.

[Hope75]

Making flashcards has always worked for me. I also go to the library, because it's quiet, I can focus, and it kind of sets the stage for productivity. I go for a few hours than I give myself a short break (15 minutes). Try to do this for several hours a day, each day.

[RelaxByWater84]

What really gets me motivated to study is watching "October Sky." It's a movie that lets me know that with hard work you can make things happen. The main character is from a small town like I am. He wants to get away from it like I want to get away from my town.

[thirdeye]

Hi,

 

Guess what, never miss a single minute. Its so imp to get a good education with good scores. Think about the future. Look far and wide. Never postpone.

These are things I didn't do and I have landed up in a junk.

 

Learn from others mistake.

Its better to study well now rather than regret later.

[laboheme]

I've found that with a laptop on my desk, nothing ever gets done. In fact, at home (or in the dorm) I'm faced with so many distractions, that the easiest way for me to get things done is, like many people have said, in the library or at a coffee shop. If you make the effort to go somewhere where studying is the only thing you CAN do, you'll be forced to do it instead of procrastinating.

[friscodj]

I'm faced with so many distractions, that the easiest way for me to get things done is, like many people have said, in the library or at a coffee shop.

 

I'd say if you want to avoid distractions, stay away from coffee shops! Are you kidding me? There are so many good looking men and women in those places to distract you, the sound of that loud lachine that makes the double-mocha-chai-whipped-latte-or-whatever-you-call-its, and people on dates to people watch...

 

I swear, if I hear about another "coffee shop" date, I'm going to puke...

 

Anyway...

[Hope75]

I'd say if you want to avoid distractions, stay away from coffee shops! Are you kidding me? There are so many good looking men and women in those places to distract you, the sound of that loud lachine that makes the double-mocha-chai-whipped-latte-or-whatever-you-call-its, and people on dates to people watch...

 

I swear, if I hear about another "coffee shop" date, I'm going to puke...

 

Anyway...

 

Personally I have a little ADD, and a coffee shop would be death trap for me to try and study in. I'm in a happy and committed relationship, so no guy shopping for me, but the noise and chatter just drives me batty! I need to set the stage for studying, and when I am at home I tend to come online, or watch TV, play with my dog.... at the library it's like- YOU ARE HERE TO STUDY NOW DO IT.

 

Or, the other thing I do is my school has designated "study suites" upstairs if you want to go in a group or alone and get some work done. No computers, no TV, just some couches, a table and some chairs and lights. That is another good place to go where there is no distractions and I can focus. It's definitely hard to do though- I hear ya!

[friscodj]

Yeah, you need to figure out what works for you. Are you a person who needs peace and quiet? A little white noise? A lot of noise? What about music? A nicely stacked iPod can take you away from just about anywhere...

[RelaxByWater84]

Hmmm Hope, you have ADD and the coffeeshop is a distraction for you mm. Sorry, I'm ADD as well and I find the whirl of the coffee machine helps to cover the noise of people, I'm just trying to figure it out. I just thought a lot of ADD people think alike. Hmm appears I am wrong. I have noticed that when I study in coffeeshops I do better on my exams.

[Hope75]

Hmmm Hope, you have ADD and the coffeeshop is a distraction for you mm. Sorry, I'm ADD as well and I find the whirl of the coffee machine helps to cover the noise of people, I'm just trying to figure it out. I just thought a lot of ADD people think alike. Hmm appears I am wrong. I have noticed that when I study in coffeeshops I do better on my exams.

 

Everyone has a different style that works better for them. For me, outside noises cause me to look up from my book or notes and look around. Other people present who are talking are always more interesting then what's on the page in front of me. So, a quiet environment works well for me.

 

For you, not so much, and that is OK. We are not the same person, and I would not expect us to respond the same to stimuli.

 

I'm glad you've found a way to study that is condusive to good grades for you!

 

It's a good point to bring up that not all these techiniques work for every person. There are many different ways to study, and you have to try out a few until you find the one that works for you.

 

Some people, myself included, will also get a 'study buddy' or a small study group together, once they covered the material themselves a bit. We will go over my flashcards, or do practice questions from my NCLEX book. Sometimes having multiple ideas of approaches to a question enhances or encourages critical thinking. Someone else might show you a way to look at the question that you never thought of before.

[LoveMatters]

Set up an incentive plan, like if you get A, you will buy..... Or if you get A, your parents will buy you.... or allow you to..... Or think about your futher education at a very good university. I always want to have a good grade so my parents and everybody around me will be proud of me.