Motivate
As students (heck, just as humans) we often face periods of burnout and lack of motivation. Given the many stressors of academia this impending state of demotivation may seem inevitable, but it doesn’t need to be.
This article is broken down in four sections synthesizing key information about the common roadblocks of motivation as well as tips for how to overcome them and stay happy and productive in the long-term.
- What is motivation
- Causes of demotivation
- Jumpstarting motivation
- Staying motivated
What is motivation?
Motivation is that thing we all seem to seek. It is, in the simplest of definitions “the desire to act in service of a goal”. Motivation is so sought after because it is central to our creativity, productivity, and happiness. It is what causes us to act, grow, and change — giving our life purpose and happiness. As students, with what sometimes seems like endless deadlines and responsibilities, this golden ticket of motivation may often feel out of reach.
Causes of demotivation
Generally speaking demotivation is the experience of not being fully committed to an act, but it is important to realize that there are many reasons you may end up in this place, and identifying your particular root cause is essential for moving towards a solution. To keep things simple, here are 8 common causes of demotivation, do any of them resonate with you?
There are some great articles that go more in depth about how to tackle your exact cause of demotivation, but in all cases, the first thing you need to do in order to fight those demotivation demons is jumpstart your motivation.
Jumpstarting motivation
One of the most important things to recognize about motivation is that it often comes AFTER starting a new behavior. We all want to believe that motivation “just happens” but this is usually not the case. This is because motivation is often the result of action, not the cause of it. As such, one of the most important steps to jumpstarting your motivation is simply getting started. These initial steps, no matter how small, will ignite active inspiration that will naturally produce momentum.
Although, before getting started you need know what it is you’re working towards. Therefore, the first key to jumping your motivation is defining your goal in clear, specific terms. Be sure to make your goals clear, concrete, and measurable whenever possible. For example, if you want to work out more, don’t make your goal “be healthier” that’s far too vague and hard to hold yourself accountable to. Instead, try making your goal something like “run for 20 minutes, twice a week.” In this updated goal you have added metrics which are measurable and can guide your actions.
Before getting started, it is also essential to think critically through your goal(s) and ask yourself why. Why are you pursuing this goal? If the answer is vague, the motivational energy will be the same. For their to be a target to focus your energy, your motivation must have meaning. Don’t worry, this meaning doesn’t need to ground-breaking, it just has to add value to something/ someone that matters to you. Another helpful exercise for figuring out meaning is to ask yourself what accomplishing the goal will get you. Although extrinsic motivators can be responses to these questions, answers that feed your intrinsic-self and values are more likely to keep you motivated in the long run.
Once you have defined your goal, schedule it into your routine. This will help put the decision making on autopilot and mitigate the lack of accountability of otherwise vague goals. Additionally, especially in the beginning, it can be helpful to structure your motivation in such a way that begins with the smallest tasks (say putting on your gym shoes). The purpose of this is to make these first few steps towards motivation hard to say no to.
Staying motivated
Maintaining your motivation is a whole different beast. Often we start off strong and keep the motivation flowing for a while, but eventually we all hit a slump. This slump often comes when we have made some progress but not enough to see the finish line. To try and mitigate these intermediate slumps it is most helpful to ensure you have smaller milestones and rewards. These will keep you motivated throughout the process. These progress reminders don’t need to be elaborate rewards. A simple checklist is a great way to visualize small (even larger) goals, providing you bouts of motivational energy to keep you going. It can also be helpful to shift your perspective. While in the beginning it may be more motivating to think about how you have “completed 2 out of 10 tasks”. Later, it may be more encouraging to view your progress as as “2 tasks to go until completion”.
When the going gets tough, visual motivation can be really helpful to remind you why your goal is important. If you choose to use visual cues, it is important to put these in places where you will continuously see them (for example on your bedroom walls or as a phone background), as a reminder, especially on the hard days, of why your goal is important.
Last, but not least, burnout IS REAL. So it is important to listen to your physical and psychological needs because you can not perform your best if you are not taking care of your biological needs. Great resources to do so are available here.
While this is by no means an exhaustive evaluation of how to attain motivational flow. I hope it gives you a good place to start! Remember to be kind to yourself — you got this!
Resources for maintaining your motivation:
Progress Tracking Tools:
This a great resource for making your own to-do list, planners, and budgets to help keep your goals on track! There are many different styles and templates available that are all FREE and customizable.
If you are more into lists on your smartphone or desktop Any.do and Google Tasks are great, free options to ensure you stay on top of your tasks.
Visual Motivation:
We have also created some original graphic content that you can either print or set as your phone lock screen for an additional boost of daily motivation!
