Do you ever find that sometimes when you're supposed to be studying or
working you just seem to lack motivation? It's like your 'get up and go' has got up
and gone. Oh yeah me too, sometimes. Well don't you worry because I have ten study
hacks that are gonna help you to get motivated but before we get started I do
want to say a huge thank you to today's sponsor. A sponsor that helps me to stay
motivated as an entrepreneur, someone who's self-employed and working alone, and
could help you to stay motivated as an independent learner. They are Skillshare
Skillshare is an online learning community with over 17,000 classes to
choose from. Now you don't pay per class you pay for an overall membership and
there are a couple of options when it comes to membership. If you go for their
premium membership then this can offer you unlimited access to high-quality
classes with experts who are working in their fields so that you can improve
your skills and unlock new opportunities to do the work that you love, and this is
what I am using them for. I am literally doing about 17 different courses with
them at the moment. I'm doing business, marketing, accounting, photography,
software courses in things like Adobe Illustrator. If you're anything like me
and you like to take lots of courses and learn lots of different things then
Skillshare is definitely one of the more affordable learning platforms. An annual
membership will cost you less than ten dollars a month but the really exciting
thing is if you are quick off the mark and click on the link in the description
box below, the first 500 people to click that link and sign up will get two
months for free. So if you do decide to take a look and sign up, then do check
out the English classes they have on offer as well as the business courses
they have available, things like how to write a good CV,
how to speak well, have to sound confident, these kinds of things can be
really helpful in all lines of work.
Study hack number one is to mix up or change your resources. If you use exactly
the same method and exactly the same resources to learn all the time then
eventually you'll become disinterested. So every now and again you should mix
things up, change your routine, perhaps introduce something new, like a
new class perhaps studying with someone different, studying in a different place,
buy a new book, find a new teacher on YouTube to listen to, take a class with
Skillshare. There are lots of different options just to refresh your learning
experience and to keep you motivated.
Number two, and this goes for absolutely anything that you're struggling to get
motivated for, just get started. Even if you really really really don't want to
do something, sometimes all you need to do is take that first step and then
everything becomes a little easier. For example if you really want to go for a
run in your head but your body is saying "no no no" if you just put on your
trainers and step outside and start to jog to the end of the road
then usually within a few moments you start to feel better about being outside
and being active and then the rest of the run becomes so much easier. So if
you're putting off your study session then just sit down open a book and get
started.
Study hack number three is to set yourself short-term achievable goals. Now
I'm not saying it's bad to have a big ultimate goal or to have a big dream.
It's important to know what you want to achieve eventually to have a bigger
picture but in the short term in order to stay motivated you need small
achievable steps. Focusing on one thing at a time. By doing this you'll
continually feel a sense of achievement and be able to measure your progress. So
for example you might decide that by the end of the week you would like to be
able to confidently have a conversation about a certain topic, perhaps you'd like
to be able to easily describe your day in English without hesitation.
So that whole week you'll spend time learning the vocabulary and the phrases
that you would need to have that conversation. Study hack number four
follows on very nicely from study hack number three and that is to reward
yourself. Give yourself a reward every time you do achieve one of those
short-term goals. Even if it's something as simple as: once I finished this
particular chapter and completed the quiz then I can take myself off for a
nice walk in the park. Or, something that I like to do, once I finish this part of
my work I can have a snack and a nice cup of tea.
Study hack number five might seem obvious but so many people neglect this
particular point and it's get enough sleep. You can't effectively learn when
you're tired, everything slows down and it's hard for any information to reach
your long-term memory. So rather than pushing through and trying to study hard
even when you are exhausted what you're actually doing is slowing yourself down
so it's better to have a power nap or get an extra hour sleep every night and
have a more efficient effective study period. Study hack number six is another
common sense tip and it is to make sure you're hydrated. Goodness me, so many
people do not drink enough water and what you may not realise is when your
brain is dehydrated it slows down, so if you want your brain to be at its
absolute best for your learning period then make sure you've had enough to
drink and do keep sipping water throughout
your study period to keep it fresh and awake.
Study hack number seven is to work in a suitable environment. Now everybody is
different so it might change from person to person but if you are struggling to
get motivated then perhaps you just need to change where you're working. That
might be as simple as opening up the windows and letting fresh air in, turning
on the lights and making sure that you can see clearly, and maybe even having a
tidy up will make you feel clearer in your mind and more motivated to work.
Perhaps you need to change your environment altogether and go somewhere
else to study. You just need to find what works for you, and that brings me on to
study hack number eight know your learning style. If you know your learning
style then you can create methods to help you learn effectively. There are
many learning styles that people talk about but mostly we would refer to the
visual learners, the oral learners, and the kinesthetic learners. People who
learn through what they see, people who learn through what they hear, and people
who learn through feeling and through experience. Once you understand the type
of learner you are and this is really going to help you to make the best
decisions in your studying.
Study hack number nine if you are really struggling to get motivated then buddy
up find someone that you can work with. Maybe someone who's in your class or a
friend someone who is studying the same subjects or who doesn't mind giving you
a hand during your study sessions. Having someone to help you can really make all
the difference and last but not least study hack number ten short study stints.
Hmm there's a little bit of alliteration for you. If you study for hours and hours
at a time you are doing yourself a disservice, after around 20 to 40 minutes
of study your brain really starts to slow down and the rate at which you can
understand, take on, and retain information really slows down so it's a
waste of time doing very long study stints. The best thing to do is to study
for 20-30 minutes perhaps, and then have a short break just a few minutes get up
walk around, go and have a drink, listen to your favourite song, get some fresh air
then come back and do another short study stint. By doing this you're
refreshing your brain every time and you'll have a much more effective study
period. Well there you go ten study hacks to help you to stay motivated. If you
have any study habits of your own then please do write them in the comments box
below so that we can all benefit from them. Also if you decide to sign up for
Skillshare then do let me know which classes and courses you're taking
because we might end up being classmates. I mean I'm taking so many courses
already and I plan to take lots more. Anyway thanks for joining me until next time, take care and goodbye.
time take care stay motivated and goodbye
you