So, you’re struggling to get motivated?! No need to bury your head in the sand, Essay Writer is here to help you! Follow some of the below hacks to find your study mojo!
Hack #1 – Generate interest in your study area
Naturally, if you are interested in a certain area, it will not feel like ‘work’ and it will feel like more of a ‘hobby’. If you are interested in a specific topic area whilst studying, this would be considered situational interest, and this can increase attention and engagement which in turn enhances learning. Situational interest is a spontaneous and temporary interest that arises from [environmental] factors that generate curiosity, i.e., if students are given a problem to solve, they become intrigued to find the answers.
A situational interest may even develop further into an individual interest. If this occurs, you are more likely to explore the topic further and be more engaged as an individual interest is a high level of interest in a specific area. Individual interest may also involve close associations with the area and a positive feeling and/or experience. Naturally, if you experience positivity, you are more likely to engage with the topic area without it feeling like work.
Hack #2 – Get physical or creative
Whichever is more appealing to you – physically active (i.e., go for a walk) or creatively driven (i.e., listen to music).
If you prefer to be more physically active, you can increase your focus and attention by simply completing any form of aerobic exercise. The brain receives a boost of endorphins when participating in physical exercise as the pituitary gland stimulates during such activity. This gland is responsible for dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin levels—all of which affect focus, attention, and feelings of euphoria.
Alternatively, you may be more of a creative person who may use innovative measures to boost your motivation and attention. Research has suggested that music is able to increase stimulation, as there’s a connection between auditory neurons and motor neurons meaning that music is able to increase stimulation.
Therefore, indicating that listening to music has positive effects when completing tasks. Studies have also shown that music can cause the brain to release the same level dopamine as per physical exercise.
Equally, creative minds are often improved when you’re feeling motivated, this may be by means of interest, enjoyment and/or satisfaction. Some are driven by a deep involvement in their work and a passion for it.
Finally, not only can listening to music increase your motivation and attention; research has also shown that music has positive effects on mental fatigue caused by routine tasks. As a whole, physical activity sparks mental activity; therefore, music fuels productivity and motivation.
Hack #3 – Start with the ‘low effort’ approach
The term ‘low effort’ probably seems too good to be true. Well, it’s good news – it’s not! Here’s how it can work for you… Using mind maps is a great way to encourage this approach as once you have noted your first idea down, the following ideas will become a natural thought shower on the page.
This approach focuses on thinking that is automatic and instinctive therefore, low effort thinking often leads to a huge effort outcome. So, try not to get too trapped when approaching new projects.
Hack #4 – Word vomit on your page
We know the term doesn’t sound great but splurging your words all down on the page is one of the best ways to get started and avoid that dreaded ‘blank page block’.
In other words, this is known as brainstorming but how many times do you hear that term?! This hack combines a relaxed, informal approach to problem solving with lateral thinking. Lateral thinking is a way of thinking ‘outside the box’ and uses an indirect and creative approach via reasoning that is not immediately obvious. It involves ideas that may not be obtainable using only traditional step-by-step logic therefore, opening the possibility of better resources with more solid answers.
Hack #5 – Block out distractions & use blockers (web and app)
Blocking out distractions is highly important, although procrastination can be a useful thing it can also be detrimental to your progress. With all technology at our fingertips, it’s the easiest it’s ever been to succumb to distraction, and even severe cases, addiction. Research suggests that 32% of people open an app on their phones on average 1-10 times per day however, it is also said that people are highly likely to underreport their phone and app usage.
It’s widely known that we are a generation of social media and apps that are just a touch away, in fact, 76% of young adults use Instagram and 75% use Snapchat. However, by clicking on that social media icon, or even a game, you’re making it much more difficult to get back into your flow of work as studies have shown that it takes 23 minutes on average to restart a task after acknowledging a distraction such as a social media break, phone call and/or text message.
However, we know that taking breaks are important however why not use an app blocker to incentivise your breaks? You may set yourself fun little challenges or become more creative with how you fill up the blank spaces in your day when socials and websites are still blocked. You’ll be amazed at what activities are out there and you may even find your productivity and creativity is boosted due to the release of dopamine.
If you do prefer to have a scroll through your tech, you don’t have to fully block all socials and websites out. There are sophisticated Apps that allow you to set timers for specific websites. Utilising this feature is important as you should always incorporate small breaks during your study time too, as detailed in the hacks below.
Hack #6 – Structure your procrastination
As above, procrastination can be useful, if applied correctly. But how do you shape and structure your tasks so that procrastination can be fruitful? Structured procrastination is about deceiving yourself by making your task list less horrifying to look at. It doesn’t change anything that you must get done, and it plays to the strengths of procrastinators. If you really struggle with procrastination, it’s one way that makes the most important task on your list a little easier to start working on.
Make sure you always include your social commitments when creating your structured plan. Cancelling on social commitments is detrimental for a procrastinator because that’s when the list becomes smaller, stress builds up, and nothing acts as a breather during the day. Apart from being the usual procrastinator and not accomplishing tasks you were supposed to accomplish, you also end up not meeting people you were supposed to have been otherwise meeting, so it’s a lose-lose situation.
