How To Instantly Increase Your Motivation To Study

Lacking motivation to study at the moment?

We all have been there…

It is the worst feeling when you know you need to study but you have absolutely no motivation to do so. To increase your motivation to study you should set SMART academic goals, make smaller study goals, remember to stay positive and adopt a growth mindset, challenge yourself to study for 5 minutes, avoid distractions, try exercising before studying or try a new study method!

1. Set SMART Academic Goals

My number one tip to instantly increase your motivation to study is to set SMART academic goals. This could be to pass all of your exams, get into a course or to come 1st in a certain subject. Ultimately it is super important to set goals as they will significantly increase your motivation. They will give you a solid reason to study and something to work towards each day.

The only problem is that your academic goal can’t just be anything for it to be effective. It needs to be a SMART goal.

The SMART goal acronym stands for:

S – specific
M – measurable
A – achievable
R – realistic
T – time bound

I highly recommend the SMART goal structure as it will significantly increase your chances of actually achieving your goal. You should check out my digital student planner where there is a template that guides you through questions so you can set your own academic SMART goal. Check out the screenshot below of a goal made in the goal planner in the digital student planner.

2. Then Set Smaller Study Goals In Your Schedule

The next step to increase your motivation to study is to set smaller study goals within your schedule. Setting a time frame to complete a study goal is super important as it will force you to do it then and there. When creating your smaller study goals you should also try to apply the SMART goal setting framework to make them super achievable!

For example, if you had a whole day to finish an assignment, you would probably spend the whole day slowly working away at it even if it would only take 2 hours. This is due to Parkinson’s Law that “work expands to the time allocated to it.” To combat this you should schedule this study goal so you maximise your productivity.

I really like to schedule my study goals for the day in my digital student planner:

3. Remember To Stay Positive & Adopt A Growth Mindset

This might not be the most obvious piece of advice when considering how to increase one’s motivation to study and despite how cliche it might be, I think it is very important. That is why I have put it as tip number 3.

Often study procrastination stems from negative feelings or associations with a subject or task at hand. You do not feel motivated to study because you do not feel positive about the subject and would rather avoid it as a way to avoid these emotions.

Staying positive, spreading positivity and having a growth mindset is important to maintain your motivation to study. If you are constantly falling into negative thinking patterns such as ‘I will fail this exam’ you will likely take the path of least resistance and not study, making you belief come true. You need to flip this thinking around and think about how studying a little bit now is going to benefit your overall academic goals.

4. Challenge Yourself To Study For 5 Minutes

If you have absolutely no motivation to study, the problem is that you haven’t built up any momentum. After all starting is the hardest bit! So to overcome this you should challenge yourself to study just for 5 minutes. It’s not a very long time so you have nothing to lose.

The reason why this tactic works is that it tricks yourself into starting, the 5 minutes will go super quickly and you won’t even want to stop. And if you don’t feel motivated to continue for the next 5 minutes, at least you have made a good start on the task!

5. Avoid Distractions

Another large reason why people don’t feel motivated to study is that they know there are other fun, interesting and easier things to do. For example, surfing the web, scrolling through social media, watching YouTube etc. These things are big distractions. You need to avoid them otherwise you will never feel very motivated to study.

If you don’t have much self control I suggest that you use a website/app blocking extension or app on your phone. A good one is called ColdTurkey however there are many different ones available. These apps allow you to block certain websites for certain amounts of time. Most people use it while studying so if they get the urge to check Netflix or YouTube or something else not related to studying they will get blocked from it.

6. Exercise Before Studying

Exercise before studying increases your motivation as endorphins are released into your bloodstream. It is a way to make yourself feel much more positive about studying and also increases your ability to learn (your concentration will improve) in your upcoming study session.

You also become more fit and healthy is you exercise before studying. Kill two birds with one stone as the saying goes!

7. Try A New Study Method

One reason why you might not be feeling motivated to study is because you are bored of your current study method or you are not finding your current study method effective. To increase your motivation to study you should mix up your routine by trying something new.

These Are My Suggestions For Study Methods You Might Want To Try:

• Self-Quizzing
• Spaced Repetition
• Leitner Method
• Pomodoro Study Technique (Check Out My Printable Pomodoro Tracker Here)
• Teaching Others
• The Feynman Technique
• Mind Mapping
• Colour Coding
• Cornell Note Taking. You can find out more about my super effective method for studying with Cornell Notes by reading my Ultimate Guide To Taking & Studying Cornell Notes!

Further Reading

• How Top Students Study *Secret Methods Revealed*
• How To Make A Super Effective Revision Timetable
• Try This Simple Trick To Stop Cramming For Exams!