Motivation

(Graphic courtesy vhv.rs)

Closing in on the last week of graduate class on Web 2.0 Based Learning and Performance and I can tell it sure wasn't much of a summer for me with working full time and taking this class, not to mention the quarantine from COVID-19 and the nationwide riots from the George Floyd killing, and more.  And a huge project is due by midnight tonight!

Despite the urge to run screaming out of the house, I realize that motivation is an issue more important now than ever before.  So I did some Google research on how to stay motivated in graduate school, and instead of coming across some pithy tips, I was surprised in one article to see that personal health was listed at the top of the list on how to stay motivated.  Getting enough exercise, sleep and proper nutrition are essential. Some days I do better on some of those than others.  

Other tips in the article included staying socially connected which is ironic since this class is all about social connectivity, even during a pandemic.  Prioritizing relationships was key to not get more distracted and burned out.  The last three tips were setting and keeping a schedule, proper money management (to avoid financial stress), and give room for failure. The last point includes being OK if you don't get straight A's, and keeping the long game goals in sight.

In another article, it gave tips on what to do if you can't check all the boxes listed above.  The solution:  start small.  Instead of procrastinating on a large college project, chunk it down into small parts and then start one at a time.  And a third article that exposed grad school motivation killers had a good one:  following a schedule that doesn't work for you.  We all may create what we think is a workable schedule, only to find out we are getting stressed and falling behind.  The article recommends listening to your body and brain, and re-calibrating your schedule as needed throughout grad school.  And with the pandemic, quarantine and nationwide riots, re-calibration is necessary and includes for me meditation, nature walks and other things to bring calm and control in my world.