How To Stay Motivated For School

It can be hard to get back into the swing of thing with school after summer holidays and it’s important to find the motivation for school so that you start the New Year on a good foot. I have always struggled with finding motivation for school, I’m definitely a daydreamer and I always found myself getting in trouble in class for zoning out. When I started online school I had to become super self-motivated and disciplined to ensure I got all of my work done. As I no longer had a teacher there to make sure I was keeping on track with my work/ I still struggle with finding motivation sometimes, but I have discovered a few things along the way that have really helped me, so I thought I would share them with you.

 

PLANNER / DIARY

I used to be dreadful at using my planner in primary school- my teacher even tried bribing me with Freddo frogs to start filling it in, but that didn’t even work! After starting high school I’ve realized how important it is to keep track of upcoming events and exams/assignments. We are so fortunate to have so many types of planners nowadays, last year I had a bullet journal and I loved it! If you’re a creative that struggles to actually use a planner I definitely recommend setting up a bullet journal. This year I decided I wanted a more structured and less time-consuming planner so I purchased a colour coded weekly diary from Kiki K and so far I love it! For those looking for a simpler and more affordable option to Kiki K, Sighh by Polly Vadasz has recently released a pad planner collection, that features a weekly planner, a daily planner and a student planner.

Planners Mentioned:

• Bullet Journal
• Kiki K Diary
• Sighh Balance Collection

 

TO-DO LISTS

As someone who gets overwhelmed easily and also has the memory of a goldfish (there is a reason my nickname is dory haha) I find writing lists really helpful, I usually have a few which include:

• Daily To-Do List: This one is pretty self-explanatory, just a list of everything non-school related I want to achieve that day.
• School To-Do List: I use this in conjunction with my planner, I check in my planner for any upcoming or current exams/assignments and then break each down into a detailed step by step to do list.
• Random To-Do List: This is the most important list to have in my opinion, as it’s for the billions of random things I always seem to suddenly remember I need to do while doing my school work. If I wrote them all down I know I will do them later and I have no excuse not to continue with my work.

 

HOMEWORK ROUTINE

When you go to school you have a daily routine – you get up, get ready, have breakfast, go to school, get your books and head to class. After a while, your brain begins to recognize the routine and it teaches your brain that when you sit down in class its time to work. It’s the same thing with studying, a routine doesn’t have to be complicated it can be as simple as grabbing you could grab a snack and set up a cozy or formal space to study (depending on how you learn best). By doing this it will teach your brain that school isn’t the only place you have to knuckle down and work.

 

 

BACKGROUND NOISE

When I find my mind starting to drift I like to put something on in the background, occasionally it will be music but I tend to find it distracting. So it will usually be a podcast or inspiring videos. This has helped me so much with not daydreaming while doing work as for some weird reason it makes school not feel like so much work, I don’t fully understand the logic behind it, but I’m not going to question it cause it helps!

 

TREAT YOURSELF

School is a lot of work and most people like me find it really hard, long term you get so many rewards from it, but in the short term, it’s good to reward yourself for all your hard work. It can be something small like watching your favourite show or going out for a lunch break at a local cafe. Or something bigger like buying that item you’ve had your eye on for ages.

TAKE BREAKS

It’s important to take breaks! I used to force myself to sit and stare at my work for ages, thinking if I sat there long enough I would get it done. But my heart and brain weren’t in it so the work I did was nowhere near my best. There is a reason why school lessons are usually 1 hour and why double maths is hated by literally everyone. Everyone has a personal attention span and some like me have shorter ones than most. I can usually sit still for an hour if I’m lucky, so after I finish each online class I will get up and give myself to do whatever I want that will help get rid of my built up energy so when I sit back down I am more focused.

 

DREAMS / FOCUS

It’s easy to lose focus with school and feel as if it’s all pointless, trust me I’ve felt like that more times than I’d like to admit. By having a focus/dream on the back of your mind while completing your work, as a reminder of what you are going to be able to achieve from having an education. While I still have no idea what exactly I want to do when I’m older but I know I that I’d like to do something in writing or film, so I make sure to remind myself of that when I’m getting frustrated at having to write yet another essay.

 

– How do you stay motivated for school? Comment down below, I’d love to know! xx