It is important to look after yourself, not just during exam season, but also afterwards – and part of this includes maintaining your motivation. It is easy after an exam season to lose focus, you have just spent weeks if not months revising for exams which are then over in a flash, which can sometimes leave you feeling unmotivated. However, this is okay, it is completely normal to feel this way after exams.
In my experience, I find it is important to get that motivation back. I am here to give you a few tips on how I stay motivated even after exams.
Take time to relax
It is important to give your brain a rest, you have just worked extremely hard, and in order to keep this up you need to give yourself a break and reward yourself for all your hard work. Taking breaks can be as effective as studying. Perhaps this will involve downtime watching a series, reading a book, going on walks, spending time with friends etc. Whatever it is, make sure you allow your mind to switch off from work.
Take time to reflect
What went well for you? What could you do to improve in the future? It is always helpful to look back and appreciate your hard work but to also see if there is anything you would do differently next time around – to ensure you achieve to the best of your ability. A simple list of your successes and weaknesses will help with this.
Remember your long-term goal
Each year of university is getting you closer and closer to your end goal, keep this in mind regarding what you want to achieve and what you need to do to achieve this. You have just got over another hurdle on your journey to success, so keep going! You will get there soon.
Make new goals
It is helpful to have a goal, and a plan in place to achieve that goal, to keep your motivation up. This will help you to focus on your new goal which will get you closer to where you want to be in the future. This goal needs to be realistic, setting an achievable time frame with plenty of breaks will help with this. Sometimes it can seem overwhelming to look at the big picture, but when you break it down into lots of smaller and more achievable goals, it will make the future seem less daunting and more achievable. You have got this!
Stay resilient
Sometimes things will not go in your favour, and that is okay, university is not easy but you are here because you are capable, so do not forget that. You need to get yourself up, brush yourself down, and try again. Perhaps this will involve changing your strategy towards revision, asking for help etc, whatever it is try again and do not feel defeated.
I am sure by using these simple tips you can get your motivation back – good luck!
About the author
