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Quite possible, this phrase, imbued with academic spirit, has just made you shiver violently and awoken terrifying memories about pulling all-nighters to study for exams. Let’s admit, gaining knowledge is not always a pleasant process. Students are experiencing permanent stress, so getting the long-awaited diploma might mark the final stop of their academic Odyssey. However, with the rapid development of technologies and the new labour market requirements, we have update our skill sets more often. Therefore, going back to school for training becomes inevitable.
In today’s article, we would like to share the life hacks of our specialists on how to stay motivated while studying when you’re in your early… well, you’re just not 17 anymore.
What is your reason to study again? The most common one is to fulfil some professional gaps and increase your value as a specialist. In the long-term perspective, people pursue the aim to earn more, unlock new career opportunities, get a promotion, or relocate. What about you? Understanding how to apply new skills in the future, people are less likely to quit. Visualize the ultimate result by writing it down or printing it on the wall. The first step should be defining why you are taking the study up.
Education in its classic sense doesn’t evoke only positive emotions. We tend to think about strict rules, rigid schedule, tough lecturers, or lack of sleep. Bearing all these associations in mind, we doubt the idea of studying again. However, these days education became as flexible and open, friendly, and student-oriented as never before. It gives more freedom of choosing what and how to learn. Diversity of approaches and unprecedented access to education make the learning process more comfortable and productive.
Procrastination is something people of any age are familiar with. If you are a happy exception, please close this article and don’t get on my nerves? However self-disciplined the person is, our brain always resists the need to learn and do completely new things. To stir up this engine, experts recommend plunging into the studying process gradually and not be way too hard on yourself from the start. Learning is an accurate representation of the phrase ‘’practise makes perfect’’. To succeed at studying, turn it into your hobby. To turn something into your hobby, make it attractive for your brain. Our brain is curious but not very hard-working, so give it time. Although keeping yourself entertained is an important element of a successful academic comeback, limiting yourself to it would be a mistake.
Experts emphasize the need to stay self-disciplined and realistically assess your own capacities. To achieve the set goals and not quit them half done, people have to budget time for attending the lectures or doing readings, find inspiration for learning after the long day at work, strike the delicate balance between professional, social, and personal commitments. Let’s sort out how to turn these general guidelines into reality.
One of the most common reasons why we struggle to study again is fear of anything new. No one enjoys looking ignorant. Our ancestors perceived newness as a danger. That’s why we are also wired to be wary of completely unfamiliar experiences. The notorious spotlight effect (when everyone seems to be laughing at our rookie mistakes) is hard yet possible to tackle. First of all, recall yourself in such situations. Do you pay any attention to people minding their own business? Very rarely. So, why should they do the opposite? When it comes to the fear of something new, remember similar situations you had before. We usually don’t like things straight away, but once we do, progress is inevitable.
As we see, coming back to studying needs a little preparation and research. We have less time and more other responsibilities. Therefore, the key to success is being honest with yourself, admitting your own laziness, and visualizing the results. People subconsciously oppose unfamiliarity and avoid feeling uncomfortable. On the other hand, small but permanent steps can ease such struggles. Working on how to learn will pay off in the long-term perspective.
Stay tuned for more insights and tips on how to get back on track with studying!
