How to (re)start on the right foot and stay motivated at university

This is an article I had fun co-writing with fellow Psychology final year Megan Cherry (see her LinkedIn profile!)  It was great to share ideas and find out that feeling demotivated is far from being a rare thing after the lack of a proper Christmas break owing to the long hard slog of January exams.

Exams are finally over, HOORAY! I don’t know about you but we’re happy to see the back of the library. However, for many of you (including us two) the work doesn't end when exams do.  It would be nice to have a few weeks off and if you’re a fresher you can probably afford to do this but as final years, there isn't much room to slow down. 

We have now reached a period of post-exam calm where everything feels like it might turn out OK and you may even be looking forward to starting new modules.

Image source: Everest

But just because a fresh start is presented, you can’t expect to tackle the work in the same way as before and expect not to be laden with as much stress and pressure as what we just went through. 

Now is the perfect time to think about what you have learnt from the experience, look at what worked for you and what didn't  and actually implement changes to help you cope better, be more efficient and therefore enjoy more well-earned free time for all the other things you love to do.

From a pair of final years who've been through the mill, here are our tips for starting the next semester on the right foot:

• Break tasks down. For a big assignment like a final year project, dissertation or ones that just feel colossal, it is better to divide them into smaller parts – you will feel good about yourself when you complete each part and it will help you stay committed

• Set targets! Be specific when you want to complete each part and reward yourself when you do by going out with friends or just taking some time out to do what you enjoy. Rather than setting yourself the whole day to work on an assignment, it is better to split the day up with an allotted time for working and time spent on socializing and activities. Otherwise, you could set yourself the whole day to work and end up procrastinating until late afternoon.

• Finding it difficult to start? If you are finding an assignment particularly difficult, work on the easier tasks first to build confidence.

• Get into the style you will be examined in. Do you get a lot of essays for coursework and exams? When doing lecture reading, don’t just copy down the material – try to write about it as if you are explaining it, think about what it links to and jot down any ‘critical thinking’ that might have popped into your head! This will speed up the process when it actually comes to planning the essay.

We know that everyone studies differently but we have found these tips to be useful in the past and hope they will be helpful for you too!

Image created by Bryan

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TED Talk: Nature, Beauty,
Gratitude by Louie Schwartzberg

Read the rest of The Stag Issue 55