Succeeding Academically: Maintaining Motivation

• Learn from your previous mistakes and put past failures behind you. Maintain an optimistic attitude by using positive rather than negative “self-talk.”
  
  
• Create a supportive climate consisting of other students, mentors, faculty, family, and friends.
  
  
• Develop a career goal so you have a sense of purpose and direction. If you are unsure of your major, explore several options that are consistent with your skills, strengths, and areas of interest.
  
  
• Since the long-term benefits of a college education are often years away, set short-term goals that are achievable and will help you see progression towards your goal.
  
  
• If you’re taking a course that’s uninteresting to you, try one or more of the following suggestions:
  
  
  • Study this course first and study small amounts of material at one time.
  • Study with someone else.
  • Find topics that are interesting to you or arouse your curiosity.
  • Look for ways you can relate the information to previous knowledge and experiences or apply to your own life.
    
    
• If a task is difficult or long, divide it up into smaller parts and work on one portion of it at a time.
  
  
• Record your progress when studying. Keep track of the number of pages read, problems worked, etc. so you feel a sense of accomplishment.
  
  
• Before you begin a task, try to determine its value for you personally. If you understand the importance of the task at hand, it can motivate you to both start and finish it.
  
  
• Put your education first! Don’t overload your schedule with too many other obligations (e.g. job, family) as you may become overwhelmed and lose your incentive for trying to keep up with your coursework.
  
  
• Consider the amount of time, money, and effort you’ve invested thus far. If you don’t follow through, your investment will be compromised or, perhaps, lost all together.
  
  
• Strive for excellence rather than perfection. Perfection is difficult to achieve and can lead to frustration which can decrease your motivation. Striving for excellence, however, is both a worthwhile and attainable goal.
  
  
• Above All: Examine your reason(s) for attending college. If you’re attending college because of family pressures, job dissatisfaction, or the opportunity to play sports you may not be as motivated as if you’re attending college to earn a degree for a career you’re interested in.

Note: Motivation for studying is usually higher when students believe that academic success is the result of effort (hard work!) rather than luck.

Susan Ziegert, University of Wisconsin – Waukesha, Maintaining Motivation