Unmotivated, but there’s so much to do? Our tips on how to climb out of your motivation slump:
You don’t have to be motivated
Sounds like the stupidest tip in the world, but it is justified. Many people wait for the moment when motivation turns the corner and strikes. Most of the time, however, a lot of time passes by then, which could have been used already – even unmotivated and therefore maybe a bit more ineffective. Don’t let procrastination happen!
No motivation? Get bored!
Cell phone ringing, TV on, laptop on your lap? No wonder you can’t motivate yourself to open your script. Against this flood of information, a printed script looks as attractive as Brussels sprouts next to steak. Sit down at your desk and give yourself two choices: Do nothing or learn. And “doing nothing” means exactly that. Boredom will make it easier for the muse to kiss you than distracting yourself with anything.
What have been your successes so far?
A good way to bring your motivation back from the dead is to think about your past successes. Think about the exam or the paper you were happy about. Visualize the success: let your imagination run wild and make a Rocky-like movie with you in the lead role and the exam as the final opponent.
Do something you’ve never done before.
Climbing park, visiting improv theater, it doesn’t matter: the main thing is to get out of your daily routine and give your brain new environmental stimuli. If exams are approaching, it can also help to simply change the place where you study. It can also help to change your learning position. Our friends at Standsome explain why it’s smart to add variety to your routine with a standing desk. With a fresh head, motivation also has a chance!
Depending on type: apply more or less pressure
Type 1: Only deadlines and consequences have a positive effect on your motivation? Then increase the pressure yourself: Tell your friends and parents that you intend to achieve your best performance in the next exam. You can only increase the effect by confidently telling fellow students you don’t particularly like that you’re absolutely sure you’ll get a 1.0. This won’t win you any sympathy, but it will put a lot of fire under your butt.
Type 2: Are you so panicked about the exam that you’d rather drop everything? Then calm yourself down with the following mantra: “Many people before you have already passed this exam. Many people before you have already passed this exam. Many people before you have already done this exam …” 6.
Keep in mind why you are studying.
Create a mental causal chain that proves to yourself why you have to study for an exam now, even though you don’t really feel like it. You ask yourself a question, whose answer you question again and so on. If you take the game a bit further, you move from “having to” to “wanting to” and embed your current activity in a larger, meaningful context. This is the optimal basis for your motivation!