Reminding Yourself to stay motivated.

[PFStudent]

Hey,

I was just wondering how you guys remind yourself to keep motivated when you feel like your bogged down with college work. Or when you feel like your confronted with so much to do--that you feel you just can't do it all (in your classes).

I know I feel like that sometimes. So, often I need to figure out how to get "back into the game," so to speak and stay motivated in my mathematics and physics courses.

So, how do you guys stay motivated?

Thanks,

-PFStudent

 

[user101]

Sometimes I feel the same way. I'm back on track after this Thanksgiving break. It was good to relax and not have to do school work. Though, you really can't take a break whenever you please.

Anyone have some ways they do it? I'm really interested as well.

I don't know if this will help, but zenhabits.com usually has some pretty interesting articles: http://zenhabits.net/2007/08/get-off-your-butt-16-ways-to-get-motivated-when-youre-in-a-slump/

 

[GleefulNihilism]

A night of stargazing does it for me, but I do graduate astrophysics so it may not work for everyone.

 

[Laura1013]

Coincidentally, just two hours ago I gave myself a serious pep talk as I was staring out the window of a plane into the rainy night, flying back to school for this last stretch. Over this past Thanksgiving break, I found myself feeling very overwhelmed with the sheer amount of responsibilities, upcoming deadlines, and challenges that face me. There's no humanly way I'll be able to accomplish everything to the quality I've come to expect from myself, and I've been giving myself hell because of it. Self-pity can be paralyzing. We really are our own worst critics, aren't we?

But I will do my best. What is the alternative - give up, cry, and fail in pursuing my dream? I've gotten this far, and I'm not going to allow myself be defeated. I can accomplish the tasks set forth for me, or else I would not have been entrusted with them to begin with. I will self-motivate and focus because I must. To do otherwise really isn't an option for me. I will do what I must do now, and the benefits will come later.

And if I do fail in some way, it's really not the end of the world. I'll pick myself up and move on. No one expects me to be perfect. I may not be able to complete these last assignments or ace these exams, but in the long run, it's persistence, not perfection, that really matters.

Best wishes to you all.

 

[leakin99]

This might sound extra snobby but I sometimes like to check out houses online in the "nicer" part of town. It's not because I have a thing for houses but more so to remind me that great things are ahead and I have to work for them. And I also like reading inspirational quotes from time to time.

 

[user101]

Sometimes I think about the good test grades I get and how it feels to know that you did really well in it. This can especially help if you've done well in a class altogether. In my case, it was my ODE class and I didn't get below a 95 on anything, so it made me feel good about myself. Maybe you have a previous course in which you can do the same?

 

[j-lee00]

Hey,

I was just wondering how you guys remind yourself to keep motivated when you feel like your bogged down with college work. Or when you feel like your confronted with so much to do--that you feel you just can't do it all (in your classes).

Thanks,

-PFStudent

Yes i would like to commiserate with you, finding my 2nd year in physics a lot of work!

 

[tuna_wasabi]

Reread (or rewatch, or whatever) some of the things that inspired you in the first place. The other I day I was frustrated with the amount of work I had to do, and so instead of doing it I was surfing the net, pretty much looking for excuses not to work. As it happened, I stumbled upon a documentary on Feynman on YouTube. I spent an hour watching the video, listening to him talk, and getting excited about physics all over again. After the video I stayed up half the night doing lab reports. The same thing has happened to me when I reread part of Cosmos, or other old texts that got me hooked in the first place.