The new school year has just begun and we may be full of motivation, but will we feel the same next month? Let's see how to maintain it. There are courses that we start with enthusiasm and excitement, while the start of others makes us feel drained of energy. It's normal: we can't always be in the same state of mind, but that's precisely what tells us that if what changes is our psychological disposition or our mindset, all we have to do is modify it and we will be able to find motivation even in the most unlikely places.
Traditional rituals
There are certain rituals at the beginning of each school year that fill us with motivation. We have been doing them every year since we were little and we shouldn't stop doing them just because we are older. Maybe now we don't have books to cover, but there are other things. A new school year deserves a new agenda, a calendar for the wall, new pens from our favorite brand, highlighters if we ran out last year, a new notebook to take notes in class... It's not just about focusing on material things, because the pleasure of using a new pen lasts only five minutes. Achieving good motivation that really lasts is closely related to the interest we put into what we are going to do, so as a ritual at the beginning of the school year, it is good to establish the healthy habit of reading the syllabus of our new subjects, looking for recommended readings and starting to browse them, finding out who our new professors are and locating some of their publications to learn about their areas of work. The journey to obtaining a university
eTítulo should be approached like a healthy romantic relationship. That is, we must ensure that the habits and routines don't make us lose our enthusiasm. That's why we need to show interest in everything and always look for the positive, the attractive, the exciting.
The power of writing
Our hands write, sometimes even without us realizing what we are thinking. They are connected to our mind, our ideas, and our memory. And although it may seem that they can only type now, the truth is that they have more power holding a pen. And no, this is not an argument against technology, we simply share the idea,
backed by science, that handwriting is extremely important for remembering and improving our emotional management. Therefore, to have motivation now and in the future, it is good to handwrite a list of our goals, what we hope to achieve throughout the course, what we want to learn, the obstacles we will overcome, etc. If at any point during the year we lose a little motivation, we just have to reread what we have written. We will feel better.
Dispersed motivation
No matter how much we love our degree, there will be moments when we hate it. Our life cannot be centered solely on studies because we would end up feeling overwhelmed. We need outlets that stimulate us physically and mentally, so even though it may seem absurd, one way to maintain good motivation is to do other things at the same time, such as learning to play a musical instrument, taking language classes, joining ballroom dancing or judo. It doesn't matter what it is, the important thing is that we have a few hours each week to occupy our brain with other things.
Change scenery and reward yourself
It's best to have a regular schedule, get 8 hours of sleep, go to class, and then study in the same quiet place. This is ideal for developing good study habits and maintaining a high level of
concentration. However, after a few weeks like this, if we don't see more than the view from the bus window, the campus, and the window of our room, we might go crazy. We need to go out and see new things. We're not talking about going to bars (which is important, but since we also turn it into a routine, it doesn't count), but about experiencing nature, walking in the countryside, visiting an exhibition, attending a concert, strolling on the beach and taking a look at the horizon, and things like that. We're talking about how, to maintain motivation, it's important to reward ourselves for a job well done. Giving ourselves small treats, like a camping weekend or visiting other cities, can be used as a system of small rewards that we give ourselves throughout the course once we have achieved certain goals. For example, if we submit a good assignment for the subject 'X' and get a good grade, we will go on a mini vacation next weekend. So, if we lose motivation for that subject, at least we can find the strength to study it by rewarding ourselves for doing so. If the COVID pandemic has taught us anything, it's that we don't have control over anything that happens in the world, we only have control over ourselves and our ability to be resilient, to see things from different perspectives, to accept what we have to experience, and to do it in the best way we can. We can't change the course of a river, but it's up to us to decide whether we will swim, paddle, or float on a popsicle-shaped float.
