It’s reaching that time in the semester where everyone is starting to feel burnt out and losing their motivation to keep up with assignments. One thing to keep in mind is that also means you’ve gotten this far, and you’ve only got a few weeks left until summer holidays.
However, motivation loss can be difficult to deal with, especially since in college time moves so quickly and assignments keep building up if you don’t stay on top of them.
Here are some tips to try help you overcome your burn-out and get back on top of your work.
Set small goals.
Breaking down everything you need to do into a list and being able to tick them off one-by-one can be a great way to make you feel productive again. Writing everything down ensures you remember everything you need to do, and lets you prioritise what needs doing. Plus, being able to tick off something that you’ve finished (no matter how small) is always a way to get your endorphins going.
Reward yourself.
Rewarding yourself can be one of the best ways of regaining your motivation. You can set little rewards for completing every task, or bigger rewards for completing a certain amount of tasks. Either way you’re replacing that motivation to want to keep on top of your work with motivation to get your reward, and any motivation is better than none.
Take time to relax without feeling guilty.
As important as it is to keep on top of your work and get it done, it is also important that you set aside time to relax. Not relaxing and working all the time will just lead you to burn-out much quicker. Taking time to go for a walk or spend time with friends can often leave you feeling rejuvenated and refreshed, which means you can get back to work with a better mood and a clearer mind. Feeling guilty about taking breaks will only make you feel worse in the long run.
Time management.
Organising your time is one of the most important ways of ticking off your whole checklist. You need to make your schedule as realistic and as adapted to you as possible to ensure that you stick to it, and it works. So if you’re a night-owl then make sure you’re planning to study and do assignments in the evening or night time, so you are most likely to do your best work. There’s no point on making a schedule that doesn’t work for you and then failing to stay with it.
Believe in yourself.
This one may sound cringy, but it is the most important. Always be sure to remember that you made it this far already, and that you are well capable. All the work you put in will be reflected in how you do, so if you keep up the right attitude it will stand to you later.
