During these trying times, it can be difficult to remain or even get motivated. This could be the drive to study, to work out or to start a new hobby. This article contains tips on how to get and stay motivated so you can get started on your goals.
Firstly, it is important to understand what motivation truly is. The root of the word motivation comes from the Latin language meaning “to move”. Basically,motivation is a combination of what moves people to act and why they think and do what they do (Eccles et al, 1998). There are two types of motivation: Extrinsic- and intrinsic motivation. The first meaning: being motivated to do something based on the possible rewards one can get from performing thetask (Hsieh, 2011). The intrinsic motivation refers to the motivation based on the individuals desire to perform the taskfor its own sake (Shogren et al, 2017).
Now you can use the background of motivation to try out these tips:
1. Don't question your abilities: Try not to compare yourself to others. This way you won’t put yourself down.
2. Visualise yourself starting: Always start off slow and then work your way up.
3. Effective schedule: Make a realistic planning with all your schoolwork, workouts and other important things that need to be done.
4. Focus on the task at hand: Prioritise the most important tasks and avoid multitasking. Take it one task at a time.
5. Try to understand your studying style better: By understanding what methods work best for you, you can efficiently study.
6. Designated workspace: Create a calm space where there are little to no distractions. This way you can focus better on the tasks at hand.
7. Communicate to others any difficulties and/or what you intend to do: By communicating your struggles or intentions with others, you can better process and commit to the tasks. It is also a good way to get other points of view or tips.
8. Regular breaks: Taking short and scheduled breaks can improve your productivity. Make sure to add some breaks in your planning so you don’t forget them!
9. Reward yourself: Research says that rewards are one of the most important factors in staying motivated (Garaus et al, 2016).
10. Exercise regularly: Exercise isn’t just great for our physical and mental health, but it’s also been shown to improve concentration when studying.
Sources:
Eccles, J. S., Wigfield, A., & Schiefele, U. (1998). Motivation to succeed. In W. Damon & N. Eisenberg (Ed.), Handbook of child psychology: Social, emotional, and personality development (p. 1017–1095). John Wiley & Sons, Inc
Garaus, C., Furtmüller, G., & Güttel, W. H. (2016). The Hidden Power of Small Rewards: The Effects of Insufficient External Rewards on Autonomous Motivation to Learn. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 15(1), 45–59. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2012.0284
Hsieh PH. (2011) Extrinsic Motivation. In: Goldstein S., Naglieri J.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi-org.ezproxy.hhs.nl/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_1077
Kontakou, Z. (2018, 15 november). 10 ways to motivate yourself to study. UCL News. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2015/nov/10-ways-motivate-yourself-study
Oxford summer courses. (2021, 12 januari). 7 Ways to Stay Motivated While Studying At Home. https://oxfordsummercourses.com/articles/7-ways-to-stay-motivated-while-studying-at-home/
Shogren K.A., Toste J., Mahal S., Wehmeyer M.L. (2017) Intrinsic Motivation. In: Shogren K., Wehmeyer M., Singh N. (eds) Handbook of Positive Psychology in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Springer Series on Child and Family Studies. Springer, Cham. https://doi-org.ezproxy.hhs.nl/10.1007/978-3-319-59066-0_19
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