Motivation (guest blog written by Dr Philip Lloyd-Williams)
Motivation is a funny thing. We can easily be motivated to do the things we like. If you love the gym, you will always go. If you like to shop, you will always click on-line for the latest ‘must have items’. When is comes to being motivated to study it is a different story. The rewards of studying for a professional qualification are long term, so the desire to keep going when the satisfaction of passing the exams is a few months away can be tough. What this tells us, is that we need a motivation plan to keep up the interest in studying and it’s long term gain.
So, here are a few tips:
- Recognise early on that motivation to study goes up and down but it’s no reason to give up as it will come back
- Try hard not to see the task as passing the whole programme, cut it up in your mind into little chunks
- Be focused on small steps but take those steps willingly. Force yourself to do this – being a qualified professional person is not meant to be easy, it requires effort (it what makes you so proud when you finish is all)
- When the motivation is hard to find, have a small break from it – but plan this and know when it will end and you will be back to the study. Have a night off but only one night or watch a film and then get busy and focused with your next small study step
- Small rewards help motivation. Tell yourself that if you do well in a mock question or finish a particular module you will have a hot chocolate, bag of crisps or whatever treat that you enjoy.
Finally, you are never alone in having motivation go up and down. What differentiates those who succeed is the hidden secret – manage your motivation and get used to turning it on and off as you need to.