I really admire people who are consistent in their emotional state. You know those people who are just stable and have one or two emotions that they exude at all times? I specifically admire those people when these emotions are “energetic and motivated”.
That said, even the most driven, hard-working, and enthusiastic people have days when they feel unmotivated. Yup, there are days when they can’t care less about that Biochem lab report or that AP Psych diagram.
While there are many reasons for why a person can be unmotivated (fatigue, overwhelm, aimlessness, etc.), there are specific ways that you can motivate yourself to study when you don’t feel like it.
It would be ideal if we could all sit back and give ourselves some much needed rest when we reach these levels of unmotivation. But, that’s not always possible. Although it’s recommended that you rest when it’s needed, it’s not always practical for the results that you want.
Motivation is especially scarce during exam season (hello!), where you are at the steepest part of the hill before you reach the summit. You can’t just give up and climb back down or camp for a little nap, you gotta keep moving.
Sometimes you’ll have an assignment due the next day that you seriously need to get done or a test tomorrow morning that you urgently must prepare for.
But, you feel tired and bored. And you want to do everything but look at that assignment or prep for the exam. What do you do then?
Well, my friend, I got you. Below are the top five ways to get rid of procrastination and study when feeling unmotivated.
1. Eliminate Distractions
I get annoyed by people who want to avoid a specific habit or action, but place themselves in situations where it is impossible to not do that thing.
Your environment impacts your behavior. End of story. We’ve always known that. The question is how do you simulate an environment that induces certain desired behaviors (i.e. studying)?
You don’t have to go far to find the answer. You just need to power off your phone, isolate yourself from other humans, and put yourself in an area where nothing can shatter your focus. You would be lying to yourself if you said you can’t do that.
If other people talking around you isn’t a distraction, then great! Figure out what distracts you and get rid of it! I don’t care if you have to lock yourself up in a bathroom if you don’t have any other viable options (I’ve done that before). You have to take matters into your own hands and not make excuses. Get rid of the things that hinder you so that you could begin to focus on the remainder of the process.
2. Choose Inspiring Scenery
By “inspiring” I don’t mean go solve derivatives in the Grand Canyon. All it means is to find an environment that stimulates your imagination or creative faculties. Because even if your doing logical, left-brained work, you still need your artistic hemisphere to go about it.
Scenery initiates and facilitates the creative process, whether you are aware of it or not. On the other side of things, it makes you less bored and more likely to be engaged in the work then if you were in a boring, every day-environment (like a living room, bedroom, or classroom).
However, if you have to choose between tip #1 and tip #2, always sacrifice the latter.
3. Start Small
If you have seven exams all taking place in one week, don’t scare yourself by making a 12-point to-do list of all the studying you want to tackle in one sitting. That’s very intimidating and quite unrealistic.
Nobody wants to do that. Nobody wants to feel like they are being forced to do something that overwhelming. You will repel it at all costs.
You should start with a little task: something necessary, somewhat difficult, but very doable. That way, once you check it off, you get a tiny confidence-boost that can push you to do the next thing.
4. Make it Fun
Studying has to be fun for you if you want yourself to do it AND do it well.
You don’t have to love each subject or even like the things you are learning about. You can very well just enjoy the process.
How do you make something so horrendous, fun? Well, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Meaning, you will never really know if studying is fun or not until you try all the ways that you can MAKE it fun. Only then can you decide.
Have you tried studying with a partner, friend, or classmate at a local cafe? Have you tried “study-with-me-sessions” on social media with groups of your friends or favorite influencers? Have you tried the classic “listen to your favorite music”, “eat your favorite snack,” or “drink your favorite beverage”?
Maybe I’m very easy to please, but all of these methods win me over every single time! I love beautiful scenery and a group of focused friends. I’d love any excuse (even if it’s balancing redox equations) to get a Cinnimon Dolce Latte and get together with my best friends (especially in quarantine).
5. Use the Brain’s Reward System to Your Advantage
I will never tire of preaching this. We love pleasure. We just do. That’s why all the methods in the previous tip will help you get over the initial hump of unmotivation. But, what about when you are mid-way through?
What about when you have been studying for hours (using all of the above techniques) and then suddenly crash and need a pick-me up?
That’s when I say, take a break. Frequent breaks and consistent rewards between specified intervals of studying help keep you fresh and mentally fueled. They renew your energy after it has been depleted.
What kind of breaks should I take and for how long?
That’s up to you, man. Whatever makes you feel energized.
I will say one thing, though. Don’t resort to an activity that can affect you negatively. For instance, if browsing through social media tends to be the thing that makes you lose track of time and feel unmotivated again, then don’t make going on your phone be your break.
There is always something that you can enjoy but that won’t be a problem for you. Find it and do it. It doesn’t get any easier than this.
Just keep in mind that staying motivated 24/7 is not very realistic, but implementing little tips like these goes a very long way. Unmotivation is such a small obstacle because it’s almost always temporary and very overcome-able.
If you found this post useful, then you might also want to take a look at some of these as well: