Home Work & Study
If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.
Read the community guidelines before posting ✨

Motivation towards studies

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
edited March 27 in Work & Study
I have a really quite large issue concerning motivating myself towards my studies. I used to be really good with things like handing my work in on time and stuff, but since I started falling behind with my GCSE coursework (I only ever handed two pieces of coursework in at the right time :|), I've not been able to motivate myself towards doing my work on time and to a decent standard. I only finished my GCSE coursework because one of my science teachers (godsend, she was) sat me down and told me that I had to, and wrote me out a rota type thing for doing it.

It's usually when it's something that I find hard. I put it off and put it off and it never gets done sometimes. Rarely on time. A lot of my teachers at college are pushovers (sounds harsh, but it's true), so I usually get away with it. The thing is, the course I'm doing is really hard and demanding (see here), and it's gonna get worse. I'm only in my first year, and we haven't started the coursework or the Extended Essay yet. I keep finding myself saying "it's too hard, and I'm too tired, I'll do it on the bus" or "I'll do it in x lesson" or making up excuses to teachers as to why it's not in (like, "it's on my computer and I got a virus, to print it I have to email it to my stepdad and the virus won't let me" kinda thing).

It's stupid really, because I know I CAN do the work, as my English teacher said the other day in my review (I've decided to be honest for my reviews this time :|), I do have the ability, but I really do need to start motivating myself more. However, I have a stupidly small amount of willpower. I am gonna try really hard, but I need some tips on how to like...keep my motivation up. The scare tactic works, but this work isn't all that important and doesn't count for anything, so it won't work at the moment...

Help, please?

Franki
Post edited by JustV on

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You might be someone who can't do work until the pressure hits in and it's last minute. I am like that. I can't motivate myself until the terror kicks in that I might not get it done.

    How long is the extended essay?

    It would be a shame to not get the mark you deserve.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    PussyKatty wrote:
    You might be someone who can't do work until the pressure hits in and it's last minute. I am like that. I can't motivate myself until the terror kicks in that I might not get it done.

    How long is the extended essay?

    It would be a shame to not get the mark you deserve.
    4000 words.

    We have to have done all the research and done the "rough draft" (i.e. the actual thing pretty much) by the end of the spring break. That shouldn't be *too* bad because we get to choose the subject, so I can do it on something I'm interested in, and we get a supervisor to help us.

    That kinda describes it, although if it's not worth anything I think "Oh, 'tisn't important, it can be a day or two late" and it ends up being a week or two or three.

    I didn't get the marks I could have done in my GCSE's (not that I'm complaining with what I did get, I was damn lucky to get what I did), because of the lack of time and effort I spent on my coursework. The 4 things I got A's in (History, BCS, and English Lang & Lit) were the 3 subjects I got my coursework in on time and did quite well in. That says something to me...

    I think it's got a lot to do with my teachers. I know I shouldn't blame them, but a lot of my teachers at GCSE were pushovers as well and you could get away with not doing it. I guess I just slipped into bad habits. Which isn't good :|
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Is the essay for a particular subject, or can it just be anything? I hate being given the choice of "anything", it's too wide! Do you have any ideas?

    Are you planning on going to uni? You really need to get used to pushing yourself, because no one will chase you for work at uni.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    PussyKatty wrote:
    Is the essay for a particular subject, or can it just be anything? I hate being given the choice of "anything", it's too wide! Do you have any ideas?

    Are you planning on going to uni? You really need to get used to pushing yourself, because no one will chase you for work at uni.
    We can do it for any subject as long as it's a subject that is offered on the IB (although it doesn't necessarily have to be a subject that is offered by our college, just the IB as a whole). I'm doing mine on Psychology, I already have my research question, and have given my proposal in to my Psychology teacher. I know a lot of people who don't know what their question is yet and our proposals had to be given in a week ago :p

    I am planning on it, yeh. I know I need to. I think by then though I'll probably have pulled myself together a bit. I just need to figure out how to start doing that :|
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'm studying for a Psychology degree so just to let you know that if you need any help, or just someone to read over what you've done, then feel free to ask.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    PussyKatty wrote:
    It would be a shame to not get the mark you deserve.

    You always get the mark you deserve.

    Good luck.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'm actually quite proud of myself...I actually wrote a half-decent essay. Well, I say half-decent, I mean crap. But I put much effort into it, didn't come on here and procrastinate AT ALL :|

    Look (but please don't attempt to read it :|):
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    didn't come on here and procrastinate AT ALL :|

    lies :)

    but still, feel very good that you've got it done and out the way! good work :thumb:

    as for attempting to read it, no chance, would make my eyes bleed :yes:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Franki I feel your pain I have no self-motivation whatsoever. INnact my tecahers granted me today off to sort out coursework and stuff for my oral exams and I'm on here :| Make yourself little timetables. Say you've got a history essay and you have a week to do it. Create three time slots when you HAVE to do it. By giving yourself three or whatever it'll be a bit more flexible but you'll still have to do it. And remember that much as teachers can be pushovers they do keep track of things.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Oh yes. I can so empathise with the lack of motivation. I could be Princess Procrastination. My uni work is such a terrible standard, I know I could do so much better but I leave all my essays until the night before they are due in and sit with a huge amount of coffee doing it through the night. Even now I should be doing my presentation, but like Girl_gunner I am sat here.

    I also so know the feeling about how it isn't counting for anything. Other than needing to pass the compulsory modules to be able to continue, the first year of my degree is worth sod all overall and that just makes me even less motivated.

    I's agree with the above about time slots. I am a list maker. Each night before I go to bed I make a to-do list for the next day, and then attempt to do everything on it. If not, I make the list for the next day and add it on-then eventually there is too much work and it kick-starts me a bit into doing things on time.

    Good luck for getting stuff done though :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i used to be like this, leaving things til the very last minute when the pressure hit..........now i have completely changed, and i put it all down to majorly fucking up the first year of college (got 3 e's, which is pretty crap), i took it for granted i would get the grades if i had the brains, like with gcse's where i didn't do shit........then i realised i might not make it into uni, and whole life could be affected as a result, was quite a low point in my life but i'm glad it happened bcos it shook me up...........i had to work my arse off all the next year plus redoing all last year's work, and ended up with BBB which was more than i could have hoped for..........havent looked back since then, just don't ever want to feel that way again, it was the only way i would ever have learned that lesson......
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Replicant wrote:
    lies :)

    I actually really didn't! I was like "I must do essay I must do essay I must do essay". And I did it. It's shit, but I did it.

    GG + MoonArcanum, I may try that timetabling thing. I have another History essay to do this week before next Thursday. I have tomorrow in my frees to do the plan, I'll show it to her on Wednesday, get it back Thursday, start the essay next Tuesday (I have a presentation to do on Sunday and I have a friend over Thursday - Sunday) in my frees so I can do other work on Monday night. It should be mostly done in that time, but then I still have Tuesday night and Wednesday night if necessary.

    If you see me posting on here, PM ME AND TELL ME TO FO!
Sign In or Register to comment.