GR: Motivation and Study, Monday 26th Aug, 7:30 p.m. AEST
Hey everyone!
This upcoming Monday we have a GR surrounding Study and Motivation
For those of us studying (and those of us not!) two big things that can really throw a spanner in the works are a lack of motivation and procrastination 😞
Even when the work starts piling up, it can be hard to get started sometimes! And this doesn't just apply to school work, but also professional work and the stuff we need to get done in our day-to-day lives!
It can be really frustrating, and often we can be pretty hard on ourselves when we're stuck in this kind of rut
So what we'll be doing to combat this is hosting a live Getting Real session on Monday the 26th of August at 7:30 p.m. AEST on the topic of how we can beat procrastination and build motivation!
Hope to see you all there 😄 
As an aside, how motivating is that study montage in legally blonde? 
@Hozzles i agree with you there, sometimes the frame of mind you're in when you start studying can really determine how it plays out
@scared01 i'm like you there, being frustrated makes me lose motivation verrrry quickly!
don't blame you for being frustrated after 12 hr @WheresMySquishy ! oof!
@Puppies026 do you ever study while pacing about your room? i know some people are really good at talking ideas through out loud
@xXLexi_Lou122Xx there's something about studying at night that's really productive, maybe because it's quiet?
Yes @xXLexi_Lou122Xx I agree it definitely takes some time to settle in for me too!
@ecla34 Yes I do!! Hahaha I actually find talking to myself out loud and pretending like I'm teaching the content to a class actually works so well for me when studying!
@xXLexi_Lou122Xx hahaha I used to want to be one as a kid!! It's also good because if you stop halfway and can't teach a concept well just like you're teaching a class, then you know you need to revise that concept! 😛
I always feel more relaxed and ready to work when it's after my bed time. So that's when I do most of my work. But occasionally, I'll go and do some other stuff after school, at homework club. It's useful to have tutoring or help in whatever subject you need help with. Even if it's only an hour and a half to do so. That's me in mathematics and humanities.... Soooooooooooooooo boooooooooorrrrriiiiiiiiiiinngggg….
I agree with @Puppies026. It also depends on the mood I'm in, and if I have nothing really absorbed into my brain.
// Nothing is impossible. The word itself says "I'm Possible" //
@xXLexi_Lou122Xx I love to study at night! I find it hard for me to study in the morning because I don't feel refreshed and my memory isn't as great when I've just woken up. Plus, we're usually trying to rush around getting ready in the morning. I have to eat breakfast, do other tasks, read the news and do something fun before I get started with studying.
@WheresMySquishy @xXLexi_Lou122Xx I also prefer to study in the afternoon/night because I just can't concentrate in the morning!
I also find that changing up my study routine helps me stay motivated. I might do some reading for a while and then do some visual aids/flash cards for a while. Helps keep me on track and not get bored too quickly!
I'm kinda like a night owl, but I don't stay up too late. The latest I'll stay up for study, is probably 10pm. I would be unconscious on the ground if I stayed up any longer than that!
I also struggle with mornings, because I don't eat breakfast, and my siblings always need a ticket to get back on the get ready for school train. We always leave the house later than we need!
I still do, but I could never go to the lengths of doing all the subjects needed for it.
That sounds pretty good @dog_lover94! I would do that sort of thing, but I don't have the attention span to make them... 😛
Agreed @ecla34! That must be why we're all up now! I mean, I'm busy procrastinating here, so maybe!
@xXLexi_Lou122Xx @WheresMySquishy I'm generally a night owl anyway, so I will very rarely be caught studying before about 1pm. Unless it's a book/novel or something, then I'll read it or take notes. But for any heavy concepts outside of literature... nope, too tired!
@Hozzles that's more than fair enough!
reading a book sounds like a really nice way to start the day, too bad it's for class 😛 😉
hmmm we're all such night owls, must be why we're all online right now 😛 
@ecla34 I don't mind that much! Usually my literature books are really good. Actually, I have about a 1hr 30 commute to uni, so I use the time then to try and get on track. Some days I don't actually need to go to uni but I want to anyway just so I can have some valuable reading time with no interruptions.
I don't really take breaks, but that's normally because I'll work, then I'll get bored, then my mum will come and see what I'm doing, so then I hurriedly change my screen back to my work. I try to work, but procrastination gets the better of me sometimes.
A productive break, I think, is like a brain break. I have these at school, once or twice each period. It'll be like a little quiz or video or game we play for 5 mins, and then get back to our work. That is, if the class settles down... 😞 😛
We all know what procrastination is... 😛
I don't really know. I guess it's the feeling of not wanting to do work, but knowing that we need to do it. I know that I get more stressed when I procrastinate, but I get stuff done too.
I try to take breaks every hour or so. There are some helpful apps and websites online that can suggest when to take breaks.
I think that a productive break can help you gather your thoughts and fight off exhaustion and anxiety and then you get back to the task after a while. Procrastination is when you put off doing the task, even when you know you need to do it.
I think that we procrastinate when we feel tired, distracted, overwhelmed or incapable of doing the work.
What is the difference between a productive break and procrastinating?
What do you think makes us procrastinate?
I like to take breaks every half an hour to an hour that way I can still have a productive study session but at the same time am taking breaks so not getting to overwhelmed. hmm the difference between a productive break and procrastinating I think is the length of the break. anything longer than say 15 minutes (unless its meal time in which case longer is ok) then it starts to become procrastination. 15 minutes is usually enough time to grab a drink and/or snack and have a short walk, bathroom break or whatever.
@scared01 @May_ that sounds pretty spot on! once breaks start becoming longer than your actual study period then it's a good sign it's not really a 'break' anymore
i feel like if you know that you're avoiding something and keep finding excuses to take breaks then that's a difference too.
What do you think makes us procrastinate?
I think that when we're worried about something, when we feel overwhelmed or are afraid of failure, then we avoid whatever's making us feel that way as a sort of self-protective mechanism you know? Sometimes just starting is the hardest part!
I usually like to watch a video on youtube completely unrelated to my study, or walk around the house or talk to someone over the phone 🙂
What is the difference between a productive break and procrastinating?
I think this is a fine line - I think it relates to how you are thinking about the break. Eg if you are consciously taking a break to rest your brain and relax then I think that it productive, whereas a procrastination break might be really long and without intention of returning to the work.
What do you think makes us procrastinate?
I think it's a way of coping with stress and/or boredom. You just need to do something different after focusing on one topic for many hours
@ecla34 Hamlet by Shakespeare! One of my favourites, actually. 
My literature unit this year is around Shakespeare so it can be intense sometimes to sit down and make sure I'm understanding what he's saying, but I love Shakespeare so it's really enjoyable!
so I try to be kind to myself. A productive break has a set time limit, I guess, while procrastinating just goes on for a long period without any knowledge of when to stop?@Hozzles hamlet's probs my fav Shakespeare too! 🙂
Being kind to yourself is so so important when it comes to studying, and i feel like it involves a lot of self-forgiveness as well what do you think?
@WheresMySquishy good point! if you're feeling tired and stressed then having a short break can help refresh you, and often you're more productive that way than if you'd just tried to push through it
4. How can we snap out of a procrastinating mood?
I find that setting up timetables can help me stay on track. Scheduling specific study times was helpful for me.
I would also think about what I would gain from doing well on an assignment or exam. I thought that if I studied hard now, I would be able to be rewarded later on. I would also think of the free time I would get after a hectic exam period. Quotes and vision boards really inspire me to work hard.
Sometimes, doing something else or getting out of the house for a while, then going back to the task, can also help.
@ecla34 I agree! The other day, I was trying to put off working on something, so I told myself I would only do some of it. But I ended up doing it all of it. It ended up taking up less time than I thought it would.
