Published: February 17, 2021
I'm a fairly self-motivated person, however, on occasion I have struggled to find the motivation to start reading or writing my assignments.
Many of my placement mentors have told me how hard it can be to finish their planning and that they sometimes still struggle to manage their time effectively, but emphasise the importance of having a good work-life balance. This can be extremely difficult when you're a trainee teacher as you want to make sure you're doing your best during your school placement, whilst also ensuring you do well in your assignments. Here, I'm sharing some of my top tips on how to stay motivated at university.
Studying on the BA (Hons) Primary Education course, there are certain assignments where I get to make my own decisions on the topic I want to write about. Sometimes I'll find inspiration from places such as Facebook groups, my previous mentors, websites or even the news, to see what's currently relevant and what interests me.
I also find it helpful to create a to-do list every week where I can tick things off when I've completed them. When I do this, I also add a date and time next to the items on my list, so I know what I need to complete on which days of the week. I make sure to add things I need to complete for university or placement, but also add in anything from my personal life, like making time to go out on walks, so I'm making sure I'm achieving that work life balance.
Another one of my top tips is to never work in bed, as you'll get much more work done when sitting at a desk. If I do start to feel a bit bored or demotivated, I'll take a study break and go for a snack or talk to a family member, or even go for a walk to clear my head.
I also make sure to get in touch with my personal tutor if I'm really struggling, just so I can get a better idea of whether I'm on the right track for my assignments or with an idea that I want to do on placement. They're always able to tell me what's good about the idea and where I could improve, which gives me the motivation to complete it. For me, sometimes I also need accountability, so if I tell one of my friends that I'll complete something today and ask if they'll look through it for me, I'm much more likely to actually finish the work.
My advice to anyone who might be struggling to stay motivated with studying is to try multiple different techniques to stay on track and you should soon start to see what works best for you.
Harriet Behan
Primary Education with QTS
Topic: Course