Staying motivated (1 Viewer)

robocat

New Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2010
Messages
9
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2009
What are some specific strategies people use to stay motivated at university?
 

Andi0390

Member
Joined
Feb 6, 2009
Messages
359
Location
Armidale
Gender
Female
HSC
2008
Post-it notes.

They are the only thing for me that keep everything together. I am serious.

A white board too. Its like a giant post-it note that you can erase.
 

DeNiMuLiC

Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2008
Messages
41
Gender
Female
HSC
2009
that mac app that spams your desktop with post it note like things is pretty good too
 

Bananaberry

Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2010
Messages
210
Gender
Female
HSC
2003
The financial burden of having to repeat a unit
The big fat FAIL on your transcript if you fail a unit
And graduating uni in time i.e not going back to uni for one semester after everyone else graduates.
 

sinophile

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2008
Messages
1,341
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
You haven't even started uni, you don't know what it's like yet.
No, I haven't gone to uni yet.

However, what I do know is that external motivators such as financial threats or time threats are what gets people moving, not wise words written on a post-it note. People become complacent unless they put themselves in situations which pushes them.

10 Tips for College Students

"By the law of forced efficiency, if you put more things on your plate, you’ll find a way to get them done with the time you have available. So if you don’t challenge yourself a little, that extra time will slip through your fingers."
 
Last edited:

Andi0390

Member
Joined
Feb 6, 2009
Messages
359
Location
Armidale
Gender
Female
HSC
2008
In my experience, when you have 3 or 4 essays due plus tests looming in the next week you don't give a damn about a fee you'll have to pay in 3 or 5 or even 10 years time. In first year you don't particularly care about graduation either, some people might, but I know when I am stressed out hiding in a corner at home seems fine if the only consequences are fees in the distant future and a possibly delayed graduation, also in the somewhat distant future.

Post it notes may seem immature or inconsequential but when you can immediately wake up or have breakfast and look at your wall or where ever you keep your post it notes and have a task written clearly on a small piece of paper, then all of a sudden it seems more doable.

Its easy, a little sentence outlining what you need to do, that you can pick up and walk away with. When its done you can just screw it up and throw it away. It gives a sense of completion and achievement, as well as breaking large multi-part projects into small, easily achievable parts.

A white board sets out your big picture so you can keep on top of it before crappy time management skills ruin your essays. You know what it is and when its due, and it keeps reminding you every time you see it.

Obviously everyone has different methods, but for me, small tasks, constant reminders and achievable goals work wonders for my motivation.
 

Absolutezero

real human bean
Joined
Nov 17, 2007
Messages
15,082
Gender
Male
HSC
N/A
I've always found that keeping track of your deadlines keeps you motivated. Other than that, at uni, you should already be motivated, as you're doing a course you want to. If you don't like it, you can always leave.
 

bio_nut

Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2009
Messages
874
Gender
Female
HSC
2008
In my experience, when you have 3 or 4 essays due plus tests looming in the next week you don't give a damn about a fee you'll have to pay in 3 or 5 or even 10 years time. In first year you don't particularly care about graduation either, some people might, but I know when I am stressed out hiding in a corner at home seems fine if the only consequences are fees in the distant future and a possibly delayed graduation, also in the somewhat distant future.
Exactly.
 

Doomah

Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2008
Messages
236
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2011
if you cant get credits, DN and HD in first year, u mayaswell drop out, coz u will be less motivated in years 2 and 3
 

Andi0390

Member
Joined
Feb 6, 2009
Messages
359
Location
Armidale
Gender
Female
HSC
2008
if you cant get credits, DN and HD in first year, u mayaswell drop out, coz u will be less motivated in years 2 and 3
It kind of amuses me that you are saying this and probably haven't even started year 11. I am just starting second year so I probably don't know as well as others, but I find my "motivation" is replenished at the beginning of each semester and I get all excited and go to everything and take heaps of notes and do extra readings and I just sort of use it all up.

I wish life was like a computer game where you eat more apples or shiny rocks and your motivation is magically replenished. That would be cool.
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Top