How I’m keeping myself motivated during my second semester

As we approach the halfway point of the semester, I’ve come to the realization that I haven’t been as attentive to my studies as I should be. Rather than panic, I’ve been trying to subtly restructure my daily routine in a way that encourages me to stay motivated to learn and make sure I’m not falling behind. Here are three recent changes I’ve made that I’ve found to be most effective so far:

Making a planner

Last semester, I used a homework tracking app to remind me of any upcoming deadlines. I’ve decided to take this a step further and created an Excel sheet for each week with homework deadlines, appointments and exam dates written down; so far, it’s helped me relax more by being able to see exactly how much I have to do in a given day, as well as being able to adequately plan how far ahead I want to start studying for any tests. While I’ve chosen to keep a digital planner, this would work just as well with a physical journal.

Watching YouTube videos

While procrastinating on my homework, I’ve started watching videos of other people doing their homework instead: while this might sound counterproductive, it allows me to take a break and gives me insights on how other students manage their own workload, as well as exposes me to different study methods that I might not have considered before.

One YouTuber I’ve been watching a lot lately is Ali Abdaal, who has a lot of useful videos about productivity and how to study. You can check him out here:

Cooking my own meals

Finally, I’ve noticed a huge jump in my motivation and energy levels since I started regularly cooking at home. While I also really enjoy TalTech’s cafeteria food, I find that I feel more excited about going to school and eating lunch if I’ve put effort into making it — it also relieves some of my worries about how much I’m spending on food in a given month because I’m not constantly eating out.

One more key factor that’s been keeping me energized this week — we’re finally starting to see the sun again!