How to motivate oneself for coursework

[persistent-student]

So I hate doing assignments for most part to the point that my overall mark suffers. Yet I am highly motivated to get a good mark during exams and I tend to get over 80%, sometimes even 90-95%.

 

Any tips on how to get better with time management for assignments and motivate oneself?

[NeuroPreMed]

While talking with Cerena she suggested a great idea, get a whiteboard. I have my weekly/daily goals or objectives, and should you choose to you can even break it down into hourly objectives. Hopefully she chimes in and can show you a link.

 

This can better help you manage how you attack everything.

[future_doc]

Motivation is quite simple. Do you want to get into medical school? Are you prepared to work hard and smart always, to avoid distractions and make academics your first priority, even when faced with disappointments or setbacks? When I was in undergrad, I treated my studies professionally, and I was somewhat like a machine - always stayed on an even keel, always motivated as this was essential to win the prize. I stuck to the plan and got in on my first try. I could have gotten in years later or never, but I decided to live with no regrets. Your future is in your hands, nobody else's, so do what you have to do to maximize your chances.

[persistent-student]

Motivation is quite simple. Do you want to get into medical school? Are you prepared to work hard and smart always, to avoid distractions and make academics your first priority, even when faced with disappointments or setbacks? When I was in undergrad, I treated my studies professionally, and I was somewhat like a machine - always stayed on an even keel, always motivated as this was essential to win the prize. I stuck to the plan and got in on my first try. I could have gotten in years later or never, but I decided to live with no regrets. Your future is in your hands, nobody else's, so do what you have to do to maximize your chances.

 

Definetley. That is one aspect how I motivate myself, looking at the big picture. It has also been easier to motivate myself as I'm heading into my 4th year. I know I have to do really well and I know there is only one year left.

[Dark Light]

What I found that really hindered my studies is the internet and wasting time on social media. What I did is downloaded this free app called Cold Turkey ( http://getcoldturkey.com/ ) which basically blocks social media websites and whatever other sites you find distracting for a specific amount of time. No matter if you restart your computer, try to uninstall the app or whatever, the websites will still be blocked for that time. I also took my phone and turned it off so I don't get texts. As I basically cut myself off from any interaction I found that I really had nothing else to do but study. So now whenever I need to study I just cut off all distractions and give myself no other options but to study for x amount of time. It really helped me

 

I also found that doing a little each day seems a lot less than putting it all off to the weekend or a week before a midterm/exam

[Cerena]

While talking with Cerena she suggested a great idea, get a whiteboard. I have my weekly/daily goals or objectives, and should you choose to you can even break it down into hourly objectives. Hopefully she chimes in and can show you a link.

 

This can better help you manage how you attack everything.

 

Hey, thanks! Here a link for that post if you ever want to check it out.

 

I work very hard during the semester, and a HUGE motivator for me has been listening to music while I study! Super, super simple but effective. In the moment, notes out, whiteboard in sight... I just put on music (some students like instrumental music, I love GLEE - don't laugh). And I can study for hours. I swear, if it wasn't for Blaine Anderson my PULM mark would've gone down the drain.