I’m done with the word motivation. It can go in the trash. The number of DMs and comments I see of people complaining that they have no motivation is just getting exhausting if I’m honest.
Everyone always asks me how to stay motivated or how to study and it’s always annoying because I don’t want to be rude but it’s not possible for me to hand you the secrets to productivity in a less than 100 word response.
But I can’t blame people for sending these, because I was the one in that position in a few years ago, searching tumblr for the perfect textpost that would hand me the secrets to life ... but ... it doesn’t exist. There is no perfect cure or one size fits all solution.
However, what I have figured out about motivation is as follows:
Firstly, long term motivation is great. I’m pursuing a difficult engineering degree because I want that accolade for myself, because I want the knowledge, because I want to help make the world a better place and because I want a good career. All of those are factors that motivated me to enrol in this course.
Secondly, those factors do not get me out of bed at 7 am in the morning. What gets me out of bed is looking forward to the day, obligations and habits. Stop focusing on motivation and focus on those instead.
How to look forward to the day:
1. If you have the privilege to, pursue a career you love. I believe you only get one life and while there is no such thing as a job so good you while never work another of your life, there is such a thing as a job you are excited to get out bed for.
2. Find small ways to love your life and small things to look forward to in your day. Read fiction books on the bus or walk to school/work listening to your favourite podcast or band. Schedule a workout session into your day if you enjoy that. Pack yourself a tasty lunch everyday.
3. Most relevant to studygram, find ways to love studying/working. This is still something I’m working on so I dont have much advice to offer but I can definitely recommend watching a youtube video called ‘How to actually ENJOY the Process of Studying?’ by Ruby Granger.
4. Make plans!! I love having plans in my diary for a few weeks or months in advance. They give me
something to look forward to even on days when my life feels very mundane and full of drudergy.
5. Surround yourself by friends. My course friends are currently my favourite thing about university.
Between me and you, sometimes I go to lectures just for the socialising. They make lectures enjoyable and hanging out in the evenings without having to worry about work or being smart is only better.
Obligations:
Some people will probably argue against this but we are not always motivated to do things. People are often lazy and choose the path of least resistance, including me. I don’t often wake up wanting to solve difficult engineering problems even though I know I will feel proud at the end, so I signed up for a degree that forces me to do it. Enrol in a course. Sign up for regular volunteering. Book extra curricular classes and experiences.
Having no choice but to get out of bed is probably the best motivation you will find. Those five minutes of motivation when you enrolled are now getting you out of bed for six months. And there’s not shame in that. That’s brilliant! At the end of the day, you are still the one that enrolled.
Build Habits:
I’m not sure how many self help books you’ve read but habits are everything. Doing something because it is a habit has been seen to be so much more effective than doing it because you feel inspired or motivated.
Motivation often comes and goes in waves, whereas the key to habits is consistency. Your brain will also becomes accustomed to complete these tasks and they will feel a lot less difficult. This feeds into the idea of the paths of least resistance that I was telling you about. Completing a habit, requires a lot less willpower than completing a different task, even one that you feel motivated to do. You have to just do it!
Motivation might help you in the long run, but it is not going to sit you down in the library and tell you to study. Your habit tracker and your boss will.
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