Motivation to learn

No motivation to study?

There are days when you think from 9 in the morning until 11 at night: I really should study! But then you don’t open the book. Because the mountain of work is so big, or because there are so many other things you could be doing. But that’s over now, because with our tricks you can manage to start learning and to keep it up until the end. If you don’t have time to read through everything right now, then take a look at our video on the subject!

Motivation to learn: tips and tricks

Tip 1: Plan

Write down your goals and break them down into smaller steps. You should be as specific as possible. For example, instead of “Study for the exam,” write down the topics you need to know. This will give you a better idea of the scope of the task. If this doesn’t motivate you more, because you realize that you’re facing a huge mountain of tasks, it will help you to set partial goals. For example: “For topic X: Summarize notes, read book Y.”. For topic Z: write a notepad.

Tip 2:Motivate learning with deadlines

Once you’ve divided up your task packages and packets, next set yourself a time limit for each task area. Try to be realistic. If you know from experience that you tend to dawdle, set a slightly tighter goal. If you tend to put a lot of pressure on yourself, add about 15% to the time frame you set for yourself. In any case, you need a study schedule to avoid getting bogged down, daydreaming, or getting lost in small topics that aren’t really that important.

Tip 3: Space for concentrated work

The right workspace is also important. Are you easily distracted? Then you should look for a place without conversations, music or people running past you. But you should also be distracted by other tasks, as in a workspace with a view of unwashed dishes. A quiet study or library is the ideal place for you to study. But maybe you’re the kind of person who needs background noise to concentrate. In that case, a busier place is better for you, such as a collaborative study room at the university or a café. Again, you won’t be tempted to spend time on everyday tasks like sorting socks, you won’t be constantly interrupted by people talking to you, but you’ll still be surrounded by people.

Tip 4: Learn with others

Many things are easier together, and that usually applies to learning as well. A common goal is easier to achieve, you can motivate and complement each other, or look for solutions together when no one knows what to do. You also know that if you make an appointment to study, you’re pretty much sure to go. If, on the other hand, you’ve decided to get up from the sofa in half an hour and sit down at your desk, you probably won’t do that.

Tip 5: Have yourself checked

Putting yourself under pressure rarely works. At the end of the day, you always cut yourself some slack, don’t you? So why not let a friend, partner, or study buddy do it? Your friend could periodically ask you how far you’ve gotten with your homework. Or you might make a bet with a study buddy about who can get the difficult topic down first. That way, you’re challenged – and if there’s a reward waiting at the end, you’ll even enjoy it.

Tip 6: Regularity

Appointments that take place regularly are easier to keep. You have gotten used to a rhythm and would not forget them so easily. So why not use this principle for learning? Set a day (or days) when you want to study at a certain time and stick to it. After a while, you’ll find that it’s easier to study at that time.

Tip 7: Prepare and follow up

If you know you have to gather all the materials to study, it is not very motivating to start studying. Therefore, take your time beforehand and prepare all the documents you need. That way, you don’t run the risk of having to get up from your desk again after ten minutes to fetch something – and getting stuck in another room. But just as important is the follow-up. After studying, pack everything back up neatly so your desk is ready for the next study session. Afterwards, it’s best not to rush to the next point of the day. Take time to let what you’ve learned sink in over a walk or a coffee, or clear your head with a round of yoga.

More questions around motivation to learn

How do you motivate children to learn?

You’re most motivated to do a task when it’s easy for you, right? It works the same way with kids! If you want to motivate children to learn, you can use the tips from above just as you would if you were learning yourself. Important: Children should have a say in when they learn and which tasks are most important. Another method that motivates children is called the sandwich. That is, it starts with an easy task that is done quickly and brings a sense of achievement. Then comes a more difficult task and finally something playful. This way, the child learns more complicated topics without frustration.

Motivation to learn while studying

In contrast to children, as a student you are in most cases responsible to no one but yourself when it comes to learning. And you can easily get around that. As described, you should therefore ensure with structure that you get everything done in time. But there is another trick that works wonderfully at any age, and that is the reward! Set yourself an incentive for getting that learning package done. You’ll see that it comes easier to you. And it will feel all the better afterwards when you can finally enjoy the reward. But that also means switching off and no longer thinking about the topic that has occupied you for the last few hours.

Intrinsic motivation to learn: What is it?

Basically, your motivation to learn can come from outside or from within. This means that you are either extrinsically motivated by the desire for a good result, in the case of a professional degree for a job in a high position or similar. In short: social pressure from the outside. In the case of internal or intrinsic motivation to learn, your incentive to sit down at the books comes from within. Because the subject is exciting, because you learn together with nice people, or because you simply realize that the subject corresponds to your own values.

Learning motivation: is it possible?

Intrinsic motivation is very important to keep you learning, but it is not the only important thing. To be able to learn successfully, you should have a certain amount of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. You can foster this by asking yourself, for example, what learning will bring you in the future, but also what excites you about the subject and why you started in the first place. This trick is called visualization. You can do this in a very practical way, for example, by finding a picture that represents your motivation for learning. Maybe it depicts a goal you want to achieve at the end, or how you want to feel when you’ve done it. Hang the picture in your study space, stick it in your notebook: the important thing is to keep it in front of you as you study. This way you will be reminded of your motivation and in a way learn it.