Motivation and students in higher education

It happens to the best of us. You start off your collegiate career with good intentions and bring your A game in terms of motivation. But somewhere along the way, you start having to dig a little deeper to find that mojo. You officially lose your oomph.

Here’s what you can do differently.

Whether you’re 18 and starting college or 38 and returning for a degree while holding down a job, it’s not hard to understand the value of motivation. And students, who have a lot of things competing for their attention, can benefit from a little perspective. 

Here are eight ways Andrews recommends igniting — and maintaining — motivation.

A simple yet effective method for developing motivation is time blocking, in which you set aside certain times or days for different tasks.

“It can be overwhelming when you have this big syllabus to look at, but when you take it week by week, and have a plan, it will be a lot easier to get through,” says Andrews.

Break it down by task first and see how much you need to do each week. “That way you can see, ‘Well, OK, I need to do some reading each week. That’s going to take a couple of hours. I have a discussion to do. That will take another hour,’” Andrews explains. “Once you break it down like that, you can find the time to fit it all in.”

Penning in coursework and related tasks to certain weekly slots — much like you would a child’s soccer game or a work meeting — also ensures you’ll get to it, she adds.

Another key aspect in the relationship between motivation and students? A dedicated study space. You don’t need to have an entire room dedicated as a home office either. It could just be the left-hand corner of the living room couch or the right-hand side of the kitchen table. Just make sure your family knows that when you have your laptop out in a certain part of the house, it’s a no-distraction time, says Andrews. “It’s important to set up an invisible boundary of, ‘Yes, I’m at the kitchen table but right now this is my office,’” she says.

Sometimes, all you need is a simple location swap, one where you’ll have fewer distractions. Experiment to find what works for you. Maybe you’ll discover that you can focus on reading assignments in the morning from your living room chair, while a neighborhood coffee shop offers that perfect headspace to work on a research project in the afternoons. By expanding your notion of where you can study, it takes some pressure off — and boosts motivation.

“It’s much easier than it used to be to work and study from different locations, so take advantage of that freedom,” says Andrews. “If your house gets noisy, and you really need to get something done, maybe you just need to check if your library has Wi-Fi or find a different location down the street where you don’t have distractions.”

If you have school-age children, you understand the value of motivation. Students, whether they’re in primary school or college, are uniquely positioned to help one another as study buddies. “I’ve had students with kids tell me, ‘We do our homework together at the table,’ and I think that’s great,” Andrews says. “Their kids are doing math homework while Mom or Dad is working on a discussion assignment for class and it becomes a family time, where everyone has that focus time together.”

Feeling overwhelmed? Clue in your instructor, because they are there to help, says Andrews. “Sometimes students are afraid to tell me they are going to be late on an assignment, but if you just tell me right off the bat, we can figure it out,” she says.

On the other hand, you may try to figure it out yourself. Or give up on the assignment and take the zero. This cheats both you (in terms of grades) and your instructor (in terms of the chance to be supportive).

That’s not to say all deadlines are flexible. But instructors may be willing to brainstorm ways to assist students who make good-faith efforts. Even talking it through with your instructor may help you get “unstuck” so that you can meet the deadline after all, Andrews says.

It might sound counterintuitive, but taking time off can actually help when it comes to motivation and students. For example, a 2021 study found that regular rest periods help solidify knowledge and skill-building. Taking regular breaks after periods of active learning, or switching between tasks, can help students better retain knowledge, which offers a motivation-boosting benefit.

This can be easier said than done. It’s easier than ever to bring your laptop wherever you go and hop on the computer “real quick” to finish an assignment, which means it’s also easier than ever to neglect building in rest time. Andrews maintains the value of standing firm against this habit. “I have one day a week where I’m not online, and it helps me reset and makes me more motivated during the week,” she explains.

Creating an energizing playlist for studying can put you in a scholarly state of mind. One 2019 study found that rewarding yourself with upbeat tunes can motivate you to learn new information.

Try to choose music without lyrics that would classify as background, ambient or classical music. Also, try to pick music that you feel relatively neutral about.

“Universities are designed to help students, yet sometimes students don’t realize that,” says Andrews.

For example, students at University of Phoenix can access a range of resources, including academic counselors and tutoring. Knowing which sources are available and which to leverage can sometimes be clarified by a conversation with an instructor or a University representative.

“Sometimes it’s just a matter of someone hearing you and validating that you have a lot on your plate or pointing you toward resources you might not know about,” Andrews says. “Talking to someone who knows what resources are available can help point you in the right direction.”

In some ways, the relationship between motivation and students boils down to what started the journey in the first place.

“Going to school is a huge commitment, so it’s important to assess for yourself why you’re doing it,” says Andrews. “A lot of times, for adult learners, it’s deep, emotional reasons like, ‘I want to provide for my family, or set an example for my kids, or I promised my parents.’”

In between discussion posts and papers, that why can fade into the background. When that happens, revisit all of these strategies but first remind yourself: Why are you here? What kicked this off? Why is it important to you?

That answer may just be what you need to kick you back into gear — and put the rest of the strategies into play until you walk across the stage to accept your diploma.

Learn about online degree programs at University of Phoenix.