If you have already recognized that you should actually learn and are aware that the time invested will be worthwhile for you, you have already overcome the first big hurdle. Now all you have to do is overcome the annoying procrastination.
A few small tips are often enough to help you get started. Here are ten suggestions, each with a use case.
Be Specific!
As long as you don’t have a clear idea of what your learning session should look like, you will most likely not lift a finger. You have to be specific and think about what and how you want to learn beforehand: Which subject do you want to deal with? What content is it today? Do you rather memorize facts or train your transfer performance?
Our brain hates surprises and likes clear direct instructions. Only when you have thought about your approach and know what to expect can you flip the switch in your head and switch more easily to learning mode.
Throw Your Exaggerated Expectations Overboard!
High goals are good: They spur you on and ensure that you surpass yourself. However, if your expectations of yourself are completely exaggerated and unrealistic, that will not get you any further. Too high expectations block you and destroy your motivation.
If you set yourself the goal of reading the entire book or going through all the exercises and understanding every detail before you start studying, you put so much pressure on yourself that you won’t even start. So, say goodbye to your unrealistic expectations and set yourself meaningful goals. And if you have already missed all the deadlines on your paper you should just ask yourself: “Who could write my research paper?”, and hire proper online writing.
Write Down What You Want To Learn!
You have already got to know two essential points for your learning success: Firstly, you need a concrete plan and secondly, you should set yourself realistic goals. In order for these goals to become a binding action plan that you can also implement, you should write down your learning goals.
So, get in the habit of writing down your goals. Very classic on paper. It may be a small step, but it has a big impact on your chances of success. By writing down your goal, you give it a tangible form: you can see it and touch it. And that’s what makes it real. It is no longer a vague wish or some fantasy, but an obligatory goal.
Make A Contract With Yourself!
After you have written down your learning goals, you go one step further and put a shovel of commitment on top: you sign a contract. And with yourself.
Take your written goal and promise yourself that you will achieve it today at any cost. Make it an official agreement and sign under your goal. You’re much more likely to keep that deal than you would be with a loosely worded idea.
Think In Steps!
Large tasks have a demotivating effect before learning and make it difficult to start. You can eliminate this problem by dividing your task and breaking it down into small milestones.
These will then be completed step by step until you have reached all the mini-stages. In this way, you take the shock out of the big, powerful study work and concentrate on the concrete measures. In this article, I will show you in more detail how you can use this approach in your studies.
Get Outside!
Can’t you concentrate in the apartment because the neighbor’s child is busy practicing the recorder again? Or do you always find another activity at home that keeps you from starting to study?
Distractions lurk around every corner in your own four walls. Even if you don’t look for it, you’ll find endless alternatives, all of which are more exciting than what you covered in your last lecture. But you can do something about it: Go away! Change location: Grab your study materials and move to another quiet place where you can work undisturbed for a few hours.
Conclusion
Almost all students find it difficult to start learning. Because getting started is the hardest part of any task. But if you manage to pull yourself together and build small, regular learning sessions into your everyday life, your success in studying will come almost automatically.
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel of self-motivation to do this, but you can use a few well-known tricks and concepts that you can use to boost yourself and overcome your initial difficulties.