Maintaining motivation to study throughout the entire school year can be a struggle. I know, I’ve been there! In fact, the number one question I get asked is “how do you stay motivated to study?” For many people, the answer is not simple. Every student is different and many factors influence motivation. So today, I thought I would give you my top ten study motivation techniques. Hopefully, after you read through them, you can choose your favorites to add to your own study schedule. This way, you can switch up your study routine when needed and ensure you maintain study motivation all year round! Let’s dive right in to my top ten study motivation techniques.
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1. Make a Study Plan
The first, and perhaps most important thing you can do to maintain motivation while studying is to create a detailed study plan. This helps you outline what exactly you need to get done in order to successfully study and ensure you always know what your next study task is. I go over the process of creating a successful study plan in my post How to Study for an Exam.
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To help you get started, be sure to grab my free study planner!
2. Determine WHY You Need to Study
Don’t answer this question with “I want to get an A on my exam.” This usually isn’t good enough. Look at the larger picture such as your career, scholarship opportunities, internships, etc.
After this, I highly recommend you create a vision board and look at it every day. This is such as HUGE motivational tool, and it works so incredibly well. To learn more on how to create the perfect vision board, check out my Ultimate Guide to Creating a Motivational Vision Board.
Related: How to Reach Your Goals When You Have No Motivation
3. Set small goals and rewards for yourself
Set small, realistic study goals and don’t forget to reward yourself!
For example, I always set a goal of study 8 hours for each exam. I track this goal using a simple timer and a habit tracker (I use this printable habit tracker I offer in my shop). Once I reach my goal, I get a reward!
Here are some small reward ideas:
- Candy, cookies, or some kind of treat
- 30 minutes of free-time (I love reading during my free time, here is my current book list)
- Speaking of books, a new book purchase!
- A nice long bath
- Fresh flowers for your desk
- A fun new purchase (Here is my list of 99 cheap gift ideas, I use this as my reward list AKA gifts to myself haha!)
4. Before you begin to study, watch inspirational videos
A great way to get inspired to study is to watch others do it too. I know this might sound strange, but it really works! My favorite place to turn to is YouTube. Just search “Study With Me” or “Study Inspiration” and a ton of great videos will pop up!
You can also check out my Instagram Feed – you can find a ton of my study time lapse videos there.
Follow me on Instagram for even more study motivation!
5. Create an inviting Study Space
When you have a cozy, clean, and functional study space, you are more likely to spend more time there.
Related: How to Create a Realistic Cleaning Routine
6. Put Your Phone in a Different Room
Don’t just turn your phone onto airplane mode. Instead, turn it completely off and put it in a different room. That way, you completely eliminate the temptation!
7. Use a Student Planner
I cannot stress enough how important it is to use a student planner. This helps you stay organized, stay motivated, track your goals, and so much more. I was never able to find a great student planner, so I made my own! You can check it out HERE.
8. Separate your School Space from Your Home Space
Only use your study space when you are working on school related items, nothing else! This is essential in maintaining productivity during your study time and decreasing distractions. It also helps you differentiate your school life and home life.
9. Make Studying Fun
In order to change your mindset from “studying is a chore” to “studying is fun and useful,” make it more fun by creating colorful notes (here is how I create mine) and turning flashcards into a game (I love using Quizlet for this).
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10. Utilize Timers
Finally, my top tip to beat procrastination is to utilize the Pomodoro technique. This is when you and set a timer for 25 minutes. You can study for 25 minutes… right?! Easy peasy.
During this time, you immediately begin working. If you become distracted, just write down your distraction on a piece of paper and continue with your work. Once your timer goes off, set a timer for 5 minutes and take a short break away from your desk. Then, return to your work for another 25 minutes. Repeat this process four times, then take a 20 minute break.
For more information about this technique, I highly suggest you check out THIS video and THIS video. So useful!
Related: 13 Time Management Tips that will Blow Your Mind!
Further Reading
Looking for some more great study resources and tips? Here are some of my favorites:
- How to Study for an Exam
- The Ultimate Student Planner You NEED in Your Life
- 63 Mind-Blowing Study Tips to Help You Ace Your Classes
- An Ultimate Guide to Note-Taking
- A Complete List of Motivation Tips You Have to Try
- How to Organize Your School Binder for Success
- 13 Insane Time-Management Tips to Try Out Today!
I hope you found these 10 study motivation techniques helpful. I highly encourage you try out one or two each time you study. But don’t forget to switch things up when they get dull. Perhaps you can try technique 1 for your first exam, 2 for your second, and so on. Be sure to repeat any techniques that really work well for you. Good luck and happy studying!
Don’t forget to grab your free study planner!
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