Many students end up in this predicament: you just spent a few weeks doing nothing but hanging out with your favourite people, lounging around, catching up on your shows, and even indulging in those holiday treats. Now, it is time to go back to school, and no matter what you do, you cannot seem to find the motivation to leave the couch.

It is not just winter break, either – finding the motivation to go back to work or school after a vacation, a leave of absence, or even a long weekend can be difficult. The longer you leave your to-do list to pile up, the worse it gets.

Fortunately, you do not have to do this alone. This blog contains tons of great tips and tricks you can use to learn how to motivate yourself to get back on track after the winter break. With our help, you will be back to the school grind in no time.

Female student presenting a persuasive speech to a friend with a megaphone

WHAT CAUSES A LACK OF MOTIVATION?

When you come back from a long break, like the holidays, your body has already adjusted to those days of doing nothing and getting much rest. That is great, as everyone needs a reset from time to time, but it can be a nightmare when you are trying to get back on top of your schoolwork.

Going home for a long period can throw off the routine you’re used to, which can be a difficult habit to break. This is especially true if you’re a senior and are in your final year. All you can focus on is how excited you are to graduate and set off in your career. However, while it might feel impossible to get motivated to go back to your school routine, it’s easier than you’d think – especially if you follow the right advice. Keep reading to help solve those back-to-school blues once and for all.

5 TIPS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Let’s get down to the real reason you came to this blog: learning how to motivate yourself to get back into school mode after the winter break. As we mentioned before, it’s not as difficult as it feels to get yourself back on track, and you have to know the right tips and tricks to use.

We will go over ten tips you can use to help yourself get motivated and keep that motivation for the rest of the semester. Each of these tips touches on a specific aspect of the psychology behind motivation and can be tailored to suit your lifestyle or the course you’re taking.

FIGURE OUT YOUR MOTIVATION BEHAVIOURS

Everyone is motivated by something, and it’s important to determine what helps you get inspired because you can build a reward system around it. Therefore, understanding which type of motivation works for the tasks on your to-do list is the first step in learning how to motivate yourself when you return to school.

Motivation itself comes in two core forms: intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. Learn about each one and see if you can apply it to the tasks, you’re having trouble with.

INTRINSIC MOTIVATION

Intrinsic motivation occurs when you perform tasks for internal rewards, and it is a core concept of self-determination theory in psychology and psychological wellness. Ultimately, you’re performing a task or doing an activity to fulfil a psychological need.

Internal rewards might include some of the following:

• The task is interesting or enjoyable
• You want to challenge yourself and feel good when you accomplish something.
• The task makes you feel good (like exercising or spending time with family)
• You are curious about something (such as traveling because you’re curious about other cultures)
• Self-improvement or personal growth (such as learning a new language or skill)

EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION

Extrinsic motivation occurs when you perform tasks for external rewards. In this case, you aren’t trying to satisfy any personal or psychological needs and are instead looking for the compensation you’ll gain.

Here are some examples of external rewards:

• Receiving payment such as a pay check or allowance
• Getting a good grade for completing an assignment
• Gaining awareness and exposure (for example, posting TikTok videos)
• To avoid consequences (such as completing your homework, so you don’t get a failing grade)
• College students spend outdoor time reading and studying.

DON’T OVERLOAD YOURSELF ON DAY 1

One of the key things to remember when learning to motivate yourself after an extended break is to avoid overdoing it and let yourself ease back into the swing of things. If you start to overload yourself with a ton of something you have to do, you’re going to become very overwhelmed very quickly.

Set goals for yourself, but make sure they’re set at a reasonable pace. Take it one step at a time and slowly build up your to-do list. Once you find yourself on a good productive streak, start adding more to your plate. However, only add things to your plate if you feel like you’re managing everything pretty well and are comfortable with your workload.

Think of it the same way you would start a new job. You don’t jump right in and take on every task and responsibility on your first day. Instead, you begin with an orientation, learn about how the company works, and learn basic things first. Then, once you know how to do the basic stuff, you start to work your way up to more responsibilities.

REDUCE THE STRESS IN YOUR LIFE

Stress can make it difficult to maintain any interest in school. The more stressed you are, the harder it is to figure out how to motivate yourself to do the tasks you don’t want to do. Things will start to pile up, you’ll begin to get more stressed, and then you’ll be at risk of suffering from burnout syndrome before you even get into a routine.

Here are a few ways you can reduce the stress in your life to help you stay focused and motivated:

• Declutter your space. Clutter causes stress and can also cause distractions when you’re trying to focus. Make sure your study space and living spaces are decluttered before you dig deep into tackling that to-do list.
• Practice self-care regularly. Taking care of your well-being will keep you at the top of your game and make sure you’re in the right place to be productive. Use our core list of self-care ideas for students to get ideas that will work for you.
• Keep a healthy work-life balance. Maintaining a good work-life balance helps you stay happy, productive, and healthy mentally and physically.
• Go outside and get some fresh air. Take a walk around the block, work on your paper at the park, or even go for a hike with some friends. Fresh air is great for the mind and the body and keeps your stress levels down.
• Do some breathing exercises. Whether you need to meditate, take a few deep breaths, or close your eyes for a few minutes, practicing your breathing is a good way to promote mindfulness and wellbeing.
• Eat well and stay healthy. Giving your body the right nutrition is an important step in the making sure your brain has the fuel it needs to stay motivated. When you constantly eat junk, you might enjoy it at the moment, but your brain won’t be getting those powerful nutrients that help you concentrate, focus, and be productive.

Female student in a tank top using running to practice self-care

DEVELOP GOOD STUDY HABITS AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE

The earlier you start to adopt good study habits, the easier it is to get yourself into a routine that will help you stay motivated. When studying and schoolwork become part of your routine, you’re more likely to stay motivated because it’s a core part of your daily life.

Forming a good study routine is also a task in and of itself. But the sooner you start, the earlier your way will become a habit. If you start forming these habits and routines at the beginning of the semester when you come back from break, you’ll be in excellent shape when the big mid-term projects, essays, and final exams start to roll in. Eventually, it will be easier to get motivated because it’s already part of your daily routine.

Once upon a time, it was a popular belief that it takes 21 days of repetition to form a habit. However, scientific research has shown that it takes up to 66 days, but it depends on the person. So, if you’ve been going at this for a couple of weeks and don’t feel that it’s working, be patient and don’t give up.

WORK ON YOUR TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS

It’s much easier to figure out how to motivate yourself to stay focused when you have the time to do everything. When you aren’t managing your time properly, it’s easy to fall out of your routine and become extremely stressed. To fix that, you need to work on your time management skills.

We could write 100 articles on time management, but in the meantime, here are a few tips you can try while you’re trying to form those good habits and routines.

• Make a schedule and stick to it. Include your time, social time, school work, part-time job, and anything else going on in your life so you can make sure you have time for it all.
• Give yourself a reasonable amount of time to get tasks done. Be realistic. You’re doing this for yourself, so no one’s going to know if it takes you 3 hours to do something most people do in 2. It helps to add an extra block between tasks if there’s an overflow.
• Do a “time audit” on yourself. Use a time tracker app or even a stopwatch to time yourself while working on various tasks. This will help you figure out how long it takes you to complete each task, where your time is being wasted, and where your limits need to be.
• Start your assignments as early as you can. Leaving everything to the last minute is a common mistake students make, but this can be detrimental to your time management routine (and the quality of your assignment).
• Work on your biggest tasks first. Starting with smaller jobs might make you feel like you’re being more productive, but hammering out those big projects last can add extra stress you don’t need in your life. On the contrary, finishing a huge project can give you a major sense of accomplishment that will motivate you to keep going through the rest of your to-do list.
• Remove any distractions and time-wasters. Put your phone on airplane mode while you are studying, or lock it up in a drawer, so you are not tempted to stop and scroll through Instagram every few minutes.
• Plan out your week on Sunday evening. This way, you will wake up Monday morning ready to go, and you can get right into the swing of things.

About the Author

I am Oliver Brown. I am a professional homework helper, associated with top-class homework help provider organization called Assignment Achievers. If any student need help with homework can contact Assignment Achievers.