Students' Blog

The world is undeniably in a strange situation at the moment. But with almost everything else closed and some restrictions we’re still adjusting too, for a lot of students, deadlines are still fast approaching. If you’re finding yourself struggling to motivate yourself from wherever you are, you’re not the only one.

First of all, acknowledge that things are hard and don’t get frustrated with yourself or blame yourself for procrastination. Acknowledging that you’re unmotivated and struggling to adjust is useful but getting frustrated or self-blaming is only going to make it harder to make the necessary changes needed to get started. Try and pin down the specifics of why you are finding it hard to get going beyond the fact COVID-19 has jumbled life up a bit. Are you feeling anxious about what happens next? Do you miss friends and family? Is being in your bedroom just making it hard to get started? Working that out might mean you can act on it and make a small change to your day that helps you to focus better on the task at hand. Nobody is going to feel motivated all the time, with or without a pandemic, but that doesn’t mean you should give up. There are things you can do to make it a little easier to get going.

Remind yourself why you’re doing a degree and the grades you are hoping to achieve or where you want to go next (if you’re one of the rare students’ that know this bit of course). Write them down and when you feel unmotivated read them to remind yourself why you’re doing this in the first place.

Create a study space. If you haven’t done this already, set up a desk (preferably in a different room entirely to your bedroom or sitting room) which you can dedicate to working. Set times in which you will work at the desk to simulate a normal working day. If you’re having online lectures through Brightspace, include those in your schedule too. Creating a separate area and a timetable can help you to focus and bring some normality to your routine. You can further this by creating to do lists for the day, set yourself daily word targets for essays and prioritise your workload. Breaking it down into small manageable chunks can make it a lot easier to get started. And don’t forget to eat well, sleep well, exercise and schedule free time where you can do things you enjoy too.

If you’re somebody that studies better with people, don’t neglect that. If someone else in your unit is working or studying, why not work in the same room? Or videocall people you would normally study with and create a virtual study group. You may find yourself feeding off each other’s work ethic and increasing your motivation going through it with others.

And don’t panic. It’s hard, we get it. The university is aware that things are difficult right now and so don’t feel neglected. Your Students’ Union are still here to give you friendly and non-judgemental advice through Facebook or email (su.advice@uos.ac.uk) or using the live chat option on the website so even when the buildings are closed there is still support available to you as always. Don’t hesitate to email your tutors if you’re struggling, if you don’t let them know they can’t offer you any extra support. If you need a little bit more time you can apply for Extenuating Circumstances. The application form can be found on OASIS.

Don’t forget to check out the social portal too. Here you can find book, Netflix and game recommendations as well as creative activities and exercise, wellbeing tips and a self-care checklist and more to help you through this difficult time.

Author: Hannah King