Strategies for Students to Increase Self-Motivation to Study

Students are particularly well-suited to reap the benefits of self-motivation, but it can be hard to be self-motivated in the current educational environment.

Luckily, there are some things you can do as teachers, parents, and adult mentors to help students become self-motivated. In addition, there are plenty of strategies that students can apply themselves.

Here are some ideas for how to encourage self-motivation in students:

Provide students with as much autonomy and freedom of choice as possible (e.g., give students a choice in their seating arrangements or a range of options for their final project, and implement problem-based learning);

Provide useful feedback, praise hard work, and deliver critical feedback using words like “and” and “what if” instead of “but” to encourage student competence;

Cultivate a high-quality relationship with your students by taking a genuine interest in them, acting friendly, staying flexible, keeping your focus on the end goal of learning, and not giving up on them;

Encourage your students to think about, write about, and discuss how what they are learning is relevant to their own lives (Ferlazzo, 2015).

And, here are some ways that students can bolster their own self-motivation:

1. Attach meaning to your studies and take personal ownership over your knowledge and learning.
2. Create a plan: Map out your semester, your month, your week, and even your day.
3. Build a routine and apply time management skills to become more organized and productive.
4. Identify several comfortable study environments (they should be quiet and have few distractions).
5. Get enough sleep, eat nutritious food, and exercise regularly to stay healthy.
6. Tame “time monsters” like the internet, video games, or unproductive time spent with friends.
7. Avoid multitasking by choosing one subject or task to work on at a time and focusing all of your attention on it.
8. Take planned-and well-earned-breaks to stay refreshed and motivated.
9. Connect with a support system of friends and family who will encourage you to do your best.
10. Talk positively to yourself (Buckle, 2013).

 

How to Foster Self-Motivation in the Workplace

You may find it much easier to encourage self-motivation in the workplace than in school. After all, everyone in the workplace is there because they chose to be there, not because they’re required to be there by the law or by their parents. Employees might have vastly disparate reasons for being at work, but it’s unlikely they were compelled to work for their specific organization against their will.

As a manager, there are many ways to foster self-motivation in the workplace, including:

1. Giving your employees one-on-one attention, feedback, and recognition.
2. Ensure your employees have opportunities for meaningful advancement as well as training and education opportunities.
3. Set the example in terms of tone, work ethic, and values. Be a role model for positivity, optimism, and hard work.
4. Foster a culture in which each employee has a specific job and role with the organization, and give them room to grow and opportunities to implement ambitious new ideas.
5. Share your passion with your team and lead from the front by developing a positive mindset and displaying a positive attitude (2015).
6. Show your team recognition and appreciation for the hard work they do.
7. Focus on inspiring your staff instead of just motivating them. Inspired employees will inherently be motivated;
8. Cultivate an uplifting and motivating culture that encourage employees to want to do their best.
9. Foster socialization through teamwork and team-based activities, projects, and events.
10. Stay as transparent as possible and open yourself up to questions, concerns, and ideas from your employees. Implement an open-door policy to ensure your employees feel heard (DeMers, 2015).
11. Sell your mission statement to your team as you would to an investor. Ensure the people working to meet that mission understand it and buy into it;

Techniques to Motivate Yourself at Work

You can also take control of your own self-motivation at work. Some good techniques for becoming more self-motivated at work include:

1. Finding work that interests you (This is a vital tip—it’s much easier to be self-motivated when you are passionate about what you do and fully engaged in it.).
2. Learn a new skill that is relevant to your role (or your desired role)
3. Request feedback from your boss or colleagues to learn about where you can improve and to enhance role clarity.
4. Ask for a raise. Financial incentives are generally considered extrinsic motivation, but if you’re happy with your position, being paid what you think you are worth can be very self-motivating;
5. Remind yourself of your “why,” the reason you do the work you do. When you are doing meaningful work, you are more likely to find fulfillment and stay self-motivated.
6. Volunteer your services to others (This is especially helpful if you have trouble defining your “why.”).
7. Take a vacation to allow yourself to rest, recharge, and come back refreshed and ready to work (Stahl, 2016).