Once you have learned how to increase and maintain your focus, by reading our previous article, then we can learn about the process of improve your motivation for study effectively. So, today you are going to learn how to improve your motivation for learning. Motivation is a key component of your concentration. If you are an achiever, if you are results-oriented, you know that your motivation is essential in this way. Anything you might want to achieve in your professional or personal life demands a high level of motivation and focus. In order to develop a skill or to achieve the goals you set for yourself as swiftly as possible, with the least amount of effort, and also to experience joy in this process, you need motivation and the right focus that comes with the motivation.
The concentration level directly depends on how much you are interested and motivated for the respective topic, how you perceive it. Develop how you can increase your motivation in the topic, so you can better concentrate and improve your learning skills. But can motivation be built? Studies that draw from psychology and neuroscience suggest that there are at least a few things that you can do to boost your motivation, whether that’s putting yourself in a certain frame of mind or finding a quick way to boost your mind and body. If you find yourself struggling with motivation, here are 10 ways to boost it.
01. Force yourself to start and the motivation will come afterwards
Many people tend to wait for the right moment when they feel inspired and or motivated to start their work. But the reality is they may never feel inspired to do the work that needs to be done. The most successful people don’t wait around until they are in the right mood. They just get started and what they notice is after a while they realize, wow, what I have done so far is pretty good. And this results in them feeling motivated and wanting to take more action. As an exercise for you, start doing something small, such as writing one sentence, thinking to your goals, designing the big steps of a project, getting the book out of your bag, etc. It won’t take long before you are on a roll and deeply immersed in your project.
02. Do the toughest task first
This will ease a lot of your day-to-day worries and boost your self-confidence for the rest of the day.
03. Use reward as self-motivator
Focus on what you have learned and see what you can draw from that. Give yourself more encouraging words. Use small incentives in between tasks as well to motivate you.
04. Share your progress
A small sense of accomplishment pushes you for more. Maybe your mom or your dad or your sister. They may become the source of interesting conversations that may motivate you.
05. Tell yourself why studying is important
This is different for each person. Maybe you really care about the subject material. Maybe your parents promised you a reward and you want to win it. Whatever it is, remind yourself of why you are working hard and tell yourself it’s worth it. We lack motivation when we can’t see the point in what we are doing. Before you engage in your work, ask yourself, why am I doing this? Where am I heading? And where do I want to be in three years time? Answering these questions can help you gain clarity, focus your energy and propel you into action. Now, for you, take your time and answer to these three questions.
- Why am I doing this?
- Where am I heading?
- And where do I want to be in three years time?
If you want to, you can share your insights with us in the discussions section.
06. Make a personal connection
Rewrite your lecture notes or concepts in your own words. And in this way, you are taking a giant leap toward contextually understanding the study material. Think of your rewrites as a summarization technique and as an excellent way to check for understanding. Each time when you completely understand a topic, you become more motivated.
07. Change the study strategy after a few hours and allow yourself to take a short break
This will refresh your routine and decrease the chances of becoming bored. For example, if you haven’t done it before, read the chapter out loud to yourself or ask yourself a question on the paragraph you are reading. Change the usual study location and plan a revision session in an open air. Have a deserved study break to do some exercises or just to relax and change the place.
08. Imagine the end result
If you are really struggling with a project, you can start imagining the end result and how you will feel once you accomplish it. Athletes use this strategy frequently to help them stay focused on their goals and to keep motivated. My advice for you is to put a picture of the end result up on your wall. This will be a great way to keep motivated when dealing with obstacles and setbacks.
09. Ask yourself meaningful questions
For example, what am I happy about in my life right now? Or, what am I excited about in my life right now? It’s important that you really feel how it makes you feel. When I think about the last part about what makes me happy right now, I really feel it. These questions, especially in the morning, are great because the way they are set up makes you recognize things you take for granted and they really get you to feel those positive feelings.
10. Compare yourself with yourself and remember your successes
Focus on you, on your results and how you can improve them. Reviewing your results is important so you see where you have gone wrong in the past to avoid similar missteps further on. But it’s also important because it’s a great motivator to see how much you have improved and how far you have come. Often, you can be pleasantly surprised when you do such a review. Remember your successes and let them flow through your mind instead of your failures. Write down your successes. Consider using a journal of some kind since it’s easy to forget your successes. Alright, that was with this lesson. In the end, I have two questions for you and please answer them in our discussions section. First, what tricks and tips have you discovered to increase your motivation or give yourself a big boost in energy? Have you discovered if any of those offered previously work particularly well for you? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
In the end, we hope you are going to use these tips to improve your study and work efficiency. If you have any interesting suggestions, let us know in the discussions section. Thank you very much.