Aniqah’s five tips for study motivation

By Aniqah, Mayor’s Fund for London Youth Board member

Hey!

I know that staying motivated is super difficult, especially with so many distractions around us all the time. Whether it’s not doing great on an exam you revised for, or just burning out; issues with motivation are common.

Don’t get me wrong: it’s important to relax. Perhaps take a day off and go on a day trip somewhere, or just take a few hours’ break at your local park. But, practice is the key to success, especially when it comes to exams.

So, without further ado, here’s how I stay motivated:

1. Take breaks

I always make sure I have something to look forward to after every revision session.

So, for me, I love to have a bit of time to sit in the sun (when there is some!), read for five minutes, write a story, or eat an ice cream.

I also tend to have something at the end of my day to look forward to for an hour or so. Either I go on my phone and watch something, or I do an online course to learn something new. Yes, I actually enjoy that…!

2. Mix up your technique

In total, I have around six different techniques I use for revision, and I alternate between them.

This keeps the revision interesting and stops me from getting bored easily!

3. Keep things neat

This may seem like a weird recommendation, but the more effort I put into my work to make it look nice, the more I enjoy working and the more willing I am to revise the content.

Bright colours, cool fonts, and plenty of highlighting keeps me interested and helps me retain information. Yes, it’s obviously more time-consuming, but letting those creative juices flow helps to reduce stress!

If you’d like to see an example of what I mean, you can see some of my own flashcards!

4. Watch other people’s revision videos

I know, just like Tip #3, this feels like another strange bit of advice – but it works!

Have you ever watched a Spiderman film, and wanted to be able to swing around London in the same way he does around New York City?

Well, online revision videos have a similar effect on me! When I watch other people revising in videos they’ve shared online, I end up in a revision mood and makes me want to get stuff done.

Don’t believe me? Try it yourself – see if you feel the same way!

5. Picture your future

This is the most important tip for me. Whenever I’m studying and feel like I want to throw in the towel and watch some YouTube videos (Beta Squad subscriber here – any other fans…?), I imagine what I’ll be up to this time next year.

For me, that’s enjoying the sun with my family – with no study worries in mind. As I revised, my A Levels went well and I have an offer from my university choice waiting for me.

I think about the lab at my university of choice and how badly I want to be creating an aspirin synthesis there as part of my degree. Okay, I’m getting a bit nerdy now, but what I’m trying to say is – have a dream!

Know that, if you have a dream of where you want to be, you need to plant the seeds now to harvest them later. Tell yourself, “just 20 more minutes” when you’re thinking about stopping your study time early – that could be the difference between grades in your exam.

A mile walk is made of many steps – get those steps in, and you’ll go far! (I’m quite proud of that analogy – I made it up myself!)

There you have it – my five tips for study motivation. Ironically, I’ve written this while avoiding studying, but now I’m feeling motivated to get back into it! Hopefully, you do too!

I hope you found a useful tip or two for you to use over the next few months – enjoy the rest of your day and stay productive!