Stressed and in need of motivation!?

Question

Hwy everyone, I have tonnes of work to be getting on with (i'm a postgrad. student) and I can't seem to find the motivation. I keep messing about online etc instead.

The stupid thing is though, of course, the less I do the more stressed I feel.

Anyone got any tips for dealing with a largre workload and getting started?!

Thank you

xSx

Answer 1

1) Give your computer to a friend you can trust for 2 weeks and make them lock it away.
2) Work to the following timetable for the 2 weeks
Sundays are free days to go swimming/jogging/visit friends etc
All other days you are not in lectures you work
10am-noon
1pm-3pm
4pm-6pm
7pm-9pm

The hours in between you do housework., go for a walk, have something to eat. By the end of 2 weeks you will be so up to date it is untrue. PLUS - it is only TWO WEEKS out of your WHOLE LIFE. Get a grip now.

Answer 2

Hi, I have been just as bad if not worse than you with motivation.

I have just sussed a little plan out that has worked over the last hour. If you have the attention span of a goldfish (like me!), try setting yourself a little task every 20 mins (eg reading one section of something). I am critiquing healthcare literature (zzzzzzzzzz) and have a form with 8 sections to fill out for each article. So I decided to give myself 20 mins per section on the form. I have just done 3 - 20 minute sections and am really impressed. I have a little online look for a couple of mins after each 20 minutes! In 5 more 20 minutes I will have done this article!! I feel more motivated already!

Another thing my tutor said was always leave yourself a nice easy task to do first thing the next morning cos at least that gets you started.

PS I HAVE JUST DONE ANOTHER 20 MINUTE SECTION, THIS IS REALLY GOOD!

I know this doesn't work for all tasks as you need longer to get your head around stuff, but for me its a great starting point. Good luck.

Answer 3

Well first break it up into chunks. This is hard for people who are eager to excel coz they (and i'm one of them) think they can do everything at one go but this is, sadly, unrealistic. If you break your workload up into smaller bits, its a lot easier to accomplish & you feel satisfied after every chunk you finish, which is a great feeling.
Also, if you're addicted to the internet, don't try to just shut it off. Get addicted to something else to reduce your addiction to the net. Naturally, that something else should be your work- so try to convince your brain into thinking that your work is fun & you'll enjoy it a lot more than surfing the net. Its difficult the first few times but slowly you will be coaxed into thinking that your work is a lot more exciting & beneficial than anything online.
This works for me & I hope it works for you too! Good luck!

Answer 4

having the same problem myself. knuckle down make yourself work for a whole hour, then reward yourself with 15mins on line, then back to work for another hour ect. If you can try and work away from the computer or at least come off line it would help. But regular breaks is the key, good luck x

Answer 5

write a list of what you've got to do. this will help organise things in your mind and break it up into manageable chunks. it's also an easy way of getting started as you're doing something useful without having to tackle the huge workload you've got in one go!

try bribing yourself with rewards - if you can tick something off your list then you can do something nice.

good luck x

Answer 6

make a timetable of work giving yourself 10 Min's rest every hour. Stick to it and results will come.

Answer 7

Hypnotize yourself with an idea that the more you work the more beautiful and interesting you become.

Answer 8

think of your future,,what you do now,will greatly effect the outcome,of the rest of your life