Senior year is by far the hardest time to stay focused, especially with early application time now coming to a close. Between college applications and essay writing, extracurriculars, tough classes, it’s a constant struggle to stay in the moment and keep up with everything that needs to get done. Even outside of senior year, it can be troublesome just to stay with homework and not fall behind. So how do you start getting motivated, and how do you stay there?
Lack of motivation can be the result of any of a number of things, from lack of sleep, to burnout, to mental health struggles. With everything going on in the world around us, seeing the importance in the newest assignment for any class can be difficult, and it can seem so much simpler to just let it go and deal with the consequences. As tempting as it is to do so, this can often result in a downward spiral, as the more you fall behind, the harder it is to catch up, and thus begins a vicious cycle. As such, the first step to staying motivated and getting things done on time is to ignore that little voice telling you to let it go, as difficult as it may be. There’s a few strategies that may assist in this process:
- Take a step back. One of the major factors that leads to burnout is frustration, and spending more time staring at something trying to figure it out won’t help with that. Close the computer or put down the paper, take a few minutes of break time, then come back and see if you’re feeling any better.
- Ask for help. It feels a lot easier to just not do something when you don’t understand it, but it’s most certainly worse in the long run. As scary as it may be, asking for help will help you gain a better understanding, and will likely make it feel much easier to work on.
- Try and look at it from a different perspective. If you just aren’t getting something and it’s starting to look very attractive to just “let it go”, try changing how you go about the issue. How you do this depends on the kind of work, but if you’re stuck writing an essay, try arguing against the points you’re making, or on a math assignment, think back to see if any prior knowledge can help you form a newer conclusion.
Outside of the moment of work, it can be hard to keep track of everything that needs to be done, and it can become overwhelming when there’s too much going on at once. One of the best methods to overcome this is to create a clear, defined schedule that not only outlines what needs to get done, but the process to do it and lays out a timeline for each step. With this kind of schedule, you don’t have to spend time worrying or making major decisions about what to work on, as you already took the time to lay out those plans ahead of time.
Although there are times where a lack of motivation can seem insurmountable, following these steps and holding yourself accountable, as difficult as it can be, can majorly assist in this process.
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