Another school year has officially started, and if you are like me, you probably had in the first weeks a set a load of new resolutions to have the feeling of having your life *all put together*.
This semester, I will be up every morning at 6 AM. I’ll make an overnight oat the night before so that my breakfast is already ready. I’ll get to bed at 10:30 PM every night and be off my phone an hour before bed.
How long do these new goals normally really stand? Two weeks? Three weeks? Maybe four weeks if you’re lucky?
What I’ve learned with time as I entered my 17th year of school (yikes!) is that when it comes to back to school, the best way to stay motivated during the whole semester is to keep SIMPLE goals. Like the famous quote: work smarter, not harder, the goal is not to drain your energy right at the beginning with a packed schedule, but rather find ways to keep your energy consistent as much as possible throughout the full semester.
Keep reading to discover my best tips to stay motivated this semester, and trust me this post doesn’t start with getting an agenda. We already got that part.
Ask ChatGPT for a personalized schedule
I must admit, I am awfully late to the ChatGPT party. I’ve been quite reluctant when IA like ChatGPT first came out for many reasons, but if I can resume in a few words, I was mostly afraid it would ruin creativity and the resourcefulness of humans in general.
I do not want to get too deep on that topic as I know it is prone to many debates, but this August, I decided to give ChatGPT a chance. What I discovered is that IA can allow you to save (a lot!) time on things so that you can focus (and use your creativity) on things that matter more to you.
This way, instead of writing down all the things you have to do, your obligations, your courses, your work shifts, your time for sport, time for this, and time for that in your paper agenda, you can simply ask ChatGPT to generate yourself a schedule with all of this. It takes about two minutes and your life feels so much more organized.
What I also realized when making a schedule with all my obligations is that at first, it felt like I wouldn’t have enough time in my week. However, once it was organized and sorted out, I noticed that I had actually much more free time on my end than I thought!
Plan fun things ahead
I feel like one of the reasons why we tend to be sad when we get back to school in September is that we think fun things are over and little adventures are reserved only for summer.
However, I believe one way to stay motivated during the semester is to continue to plan fun things on weekends. I’m aware that some periods of the school year can be quite busy, so it is not possible to leave for the weekend, but it doesn’t need to be a big project every time.
Let’s say the upcoming weekend you plan a hike with some friends. The following weekend, you have more work to do, so you try a new study spot. It isn’t a big activity, but still sparks some joy on your weekend.
Planning your free time is as much important as planning school things and study periods!
Here’s a list of fun things to add to your weekend plans. Some are more elaborated, but some are just simple things that can slide in easily between two study periods.
Want more ideas?
Use your energy level wisely
One of the things that has helped a lot when it comes to productivity has been to plan my week and my study periods according to my energy level. I know it is not always possible, and something you are stuck with a schedule that you haven’t decided, but take a moment to notice when you are more productive in general.
- Do you have more focus and energy in the evenings or mornings?
- Do you tend to feel more motivated and proactive at the beginning of the week, in the middle of it, or more around the end of the week?
- Do you feel more productive on weekends or weekdays?
Being aware of how your energy level fluctuates throughout the day and the day allows you to plan your work accordingly so that you don’t feel exhausted at the end of every week.
Let’s say you are more focused in the mornings, take this time to do your lectures and assignments. Use the time you have in the afternoon when you are less focused to do some chores for example, or for assignments that you know will require less concentration.
If you know that you are more proactive and have more energy on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, plan, if possible, your group project meetings, appointments, tutoring, and events on these days. Therefore, when you arrive on Thursday and Friday, your more demanding tasks will be behind and you will be able to do your assignments with slippers on ;).
Find the right study method for you
What works for one might not work for you
Another way to remain motivated throughout the whole semester is to find a study method that works for you. There are a lot of study apps out there and study systems, and while some might work for your friends, they might not work with you.
I have friends who always study music that has lyrics on. I’ve tried studying music for a long time, but it just didn’t work. I discovered that I am way more focused and productive without music. I also love working with loops earplugs (no affiliated link, I just genuinely like the product). I can be in my bubble, and work in a public place for hours with them on.
However, when it comes to more creative tasks or writing, I’ve discovered that lo-fi instrumental or instrumental music does help me with my creative flow. Here are three playlists on Spotify that I currently listen to, and that is awesome for writing assignments :
Study with me
During the pandemic or a bit before that time, I also discovered the study with-me videos. Whether you think it is a very depressing and lonely study method or you think it’s awesome!
Personally, I thought it was of great help because most of them are organized with the Pomodoro method AND it is like studying with a friend (I know, this is the sad part), BUT without the part where you just talk and not study. Just give it a try and see the magic happen.
Here are two YouTube chains I really like for Study with me :
This one if you want a friend :
This one if you already have too many friends :
Plantie
Finally, another study method that I’ve been wanting to try is the app Plantie. The goal is to set study periods where you are focused, and where you are not tempted to use your phone. You set a timer for your study session, and if you complete your study session without using your phone, you will gain coins. You can then buy virtual plants with coins to create your focus garden.
I think Plantie is a fun and joyful way to encourage you to not get distracted by your phone while studying. What I also like about Plantie is that it is completely free of use. There are a lot of apps of this kind, like Forest, which I heard is very popular, but for most of them, you have to pay.
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This is it for this post! I hope you enjoyed it, and that you discovered great tips to motivate you throughout your semester. I know sometimes motivation can get pretty low, but remind yourself of why you are doing that, why you chose this degree, and what you dream of doing with this degree. Then, you will have everything that you need for a successful semester!
Let me know in the comments which tip you found the most interesting, and that you would like to try. I would love to read you!
À bientôt!
Juliette
Simplement Juliette 