6 Tips for Staying Motivated at University

When your classes are hard, you dislike a professor, or you’re just struggling to maintain your focus, it can be difficult to stay motivated at university. However, motivation is what will keep you going until graduation and ensure you achieve the best grades possible. Although there will undoubtedly be times when you lose your motivation, it’s usually possible to regain it.

1. Learn to Develop a Positive Mindset

Whenever you start having negative thoughts, reframe them as something positive. For instance, if you start worrying about your performance in a particular class, think about what you’ll gain from the challenge. Remind yourself that you can meet your goals. After all, if you’re unable on your own, you can always turn to your support system of professors, tutors, and academic support services.

2. Create a Flexible Schedule

It’s great to have a schedule to keep you on track for completing assignments and preparing for tests. However, you’ll benefit most from a schedule if it’s flexible. This will allow you to compensate for tasks that take more time than you originally thought, fluctuating energy levels, and unexpected circumstances. As long as you’re disciplined and don’t allow yourself to fall behind, you’ll find that having a flexible schedule is much better for your progress and motivation.

3. Become Better Organized

It’s hard to stay motivated when you’re disorganized. Every time you sit down to study, you need to face clutter and you may even waste time searching for notes. Dedicate a day to organizing your workspace and laptop. Once you’ve created a system for where you’ll keep things, make sure you stick to it. Never leave items lying around on your desk — put them back where they belong, or you’ll find you quickly slip back into disorganization.

4. Write Down Your Top University Achievements

It can be easy to forget what you’ve already achieved at university. A useful exercise when you’re feeling demotivated is to write down all your achievements so far, no matter how small. Include anything from receiving a high grade on a difficult assignment to great feedback from a professor. Keep a list and add new accomplishments to it. You’ll be able to turn to it whenever you need motivation.

5. Prevent Distractions

It’s difficult to maintain your motivation if you’re constantly facing distractions. These could be external (such as noise) or internal (like the temptation to look at your phone when you should be studying). Prevent both types of distractions by finding a place where you can concentrate, turning off the notifications on your phone, and committing to study for a set amount of time.

6. Take More Breaks

Be reasonable when setting the length of a study session. If you try to keep going for too long, you’ll not only feel demotivated and lapse into bad habits; you’ll also find it impossible to maintain your concentration. Figure out how long you can reasonably stay focused and schedule a short break for a relaxing activity after this amount of time. You’ll find that you make much more progress this way than if you try to complete an entire assignment in one go.

It’s easier to stay motivated when you can return home to an apartment you love. For an alternative to McMaster residence, there’s West Village Suites. You’ll have your own bedroom with a quiet place to study and plenty to keep you entertained when you’re not studying, including a fitness centre, yoga studio, and games room. Plus, our student housing is just steps for campus, meaning there’s no need to stress about how you’ll arrive to class. Apply now to secure your spot.