Motivation
Revision is dull.
By definition revision is seeing something again, so unless it is something exciting seeing it a second time is likely to be a little tedious. Revision is also necessary if you are going to do well in your exams, from short course GCSEs through to A2 module retakes, revision is key.
Lots of things can help make revision more palatable, for example well planned revision, however, that isn’t what I want to consider here. This is more personal – it’s about working out what motivates you.
If you are very very lucky the act of revision will be something you really enjoy so just doing it will be sufficiently motivating. I’ve never met anyone like this. If you are just very lucky then the idea of doing well in your exams will be sufficient motivation to keep you working. However, if you are like most people, then, in all probability you will need something (or some things) extra to motivate you.
So what does motivate you?
Looking for a partner?
Partying?
The good life?
Whether you like it or not, your performance at school or college will almost certainly influence how the rest of your life goes. Your qualifications may determine whether you end up saying “do you want fries with that” or “get me New York on the phone” in the course of your working life.
Short Term Motivation
This is a bit like being a puppy – you do something good – you get a biscuit.
In the case of humans there can be a short(ish) delay between doing the good thing and getting the reward. In terms of thinking about what works for you and how this affects your revision think of it a self-bribery. For example: “if I do five hours revision today I’ll go to the cinema tonight” or “if I get this reading finished I’ll spend twenty minutes on Facebook”.
Consider things that you like doing and reward yourself for meeting targets.
It’s quite important that your rewards tally with the something good you did. There is no point going “if I do fifteen minutes maths today I’ll then go shopping, get a pizza, catch a movie, and then going clubbing”. That is rather like being paid £2,000 to tidy you bedroom. So be realistic and reward yourself in a reasonable way. If you are in doubt as to what is reasonable ask a critical grown up!
Short term motivation to work at your exams is going to be mostly about various forms of self-bribery. Even if you like the work it’s still short term – if you enjoy getting stuff right or having the penny-dropping moment that is almost instant gratification.
You might even bribe yourself by saying if I finish this bit of maths revision, which I dislike, I’ll do some history which I do like.
Also recognise your own achievements – rather than thinking “I’ve got that crap out the way” try a slightly more uplifting “well done me, I’m fabulous” or whatever works for you. Try to think positively about what you are doing – if you approach something with the attitude that it will be dull/boring/mind-numbing then it is more likely to be. I know it is difficult to be positive about a dull task – but it is worth the effort.
Ensure that you set yourself achievable goals. For example, setting yourself the task of reading and making notes on the whole of “Of Mice and Men” in an hour is pointless – all you will do is fail and make yourself feel like you’ve failed. Incidentally much of the recent research on positive psychology (the psychology of being happy) boils down to the following simple advice: have achievable goal and laugh a lot.
Exercise One
- Write down at least five things that you think could be short term motivators for you.
- Write down an achievable revision goal, e.g. “do one exam style essay on Romeo and Juliet”.
Medium Term Motivators
This is much less like being a puppy. These are rewards that you will get sometime in the more distant future, e.g. between a couple of weeks and a few months. These may be rewards that you give yourself or possible rewards from others. They may simply be the consequence of doing well. The most obvious one is either moving up to the sixth form and being able to do the subjects you want to do or going to your favourite university from your UCAS choices.
Ultimately your performance at GCSE, IGCSE, IB or A level will determine which university you end up at. Which in turn determines the quality of your life over the next three or more years. It may, of course, determine whether or not you go to university or whatever the next stage of your education is. Even if you are not planning a university career your grades will almost certainly affect the job you end up with after sixth form.
An important point to remember, from a motivational point of view, is that being a university student is much more fun than having a job!
There are, of course, other medium term motivators, such as doing well in exams and getting good results, or perhaps doing something cool in the months before university, or something as simple as having a great end of exams party.
Long term motivation
This is nothing like being a puppy. Things that may motivate you in the long term (e.g. years in the future) are the most difficult to deal with – mostly because from a student perspective even a couple of years in the future might seem like a complete irrelevance. It’s not. The choices you make now about how hard you work, how much revision you do, how much you care about your academic work, etc. can have a massive impact on what you are doing years down the line.
Consider the following graph:
The simple fact is that for most people their prospects are better if they are well educated. That is not to say money will make you happy, but money will make doing things that make you happy just a little bit easier.
Motivation test: a quick self-marking test
Motivating students: tips for parents