11 Powerful Tips on How to Stay Motivated in College

Understanding how to get motivated in college is essential. We′ve all had times when our enthusiasm takes a dip and we aren′t sure how to keep going. It′s completely normal. Yet, like most of us, you probably just want a way to turn those feelings around and start moving forward with confidence again.
These 11 tips for staying motivated in college can revitalize you and help you stick to the goals you′ve set.

1. Explore your surroundings.
It may sound strange, but one of the best ways to appreciate the path you′re on is to walk along a different one now and then. Take time to discover some of the hidden gems in your area—like fringe art galleries, quirky cafés, and less-traveled walking and hiking paths. Step beyond your usual interests and expose yourself to new kinds of art and music. Stake out your own nook in a place you haven′t explored before.

2. Do the work anyway.
Maybe you′re afraid of failing. Maybe you fear criticism. Maybe the very idea of success makes you nervous because it means that you have to grow and change to reach it. All of these fears are unnecessary—and you can defeat them. So face your fears head on. Then chase them away by doing the stuff you′re in school to do. Successful students sometimes call it practicing stubborn persistence. It′s one of the biggest secrets in any student′s success. You have to push on. You have to keep showing up. You have to do the work anyway.

3. Don′t wait for permission.
One of the greatest things about college is that you get to steer your own ship. You don′t need permission to pursue the things that will make you successful. Other people might have reasons to wish you weren′t in your position—like jealousy—but you don′t have to seek their approval. The momentum to succeed starts within you. And only you.

4. Beware of self-help overload.
Good advice can be helpful. But only if you follow it by taking action. Some students binge on self-help and personal development advice so much that they eventually burn out and lose the motivation to do anything. They never bother applying any of it to their own lives. Instead, they use it as a way to daydream about success rather than actually doing anything about it. So take advice in small doses, but be skeptical of it also. Not all so-called good advice will be good for your individual situation.

5. Turn self-doubt into a positive.
Getting a bad grade isn′t the end of the world. And having a few negative thoughts isn′t so bad either. The truth is that an obsession with self-esteem can work against you. It can blind you from your weaknesses and give you an unjustified sense of your greatness. It′s more helpful to embrace the fact that you are not perfect. Experiencing a little self-doubt can help you stay focused on more of the details and avoid mistakes. Self-doubt can also motivate you to work harder. It exists to remind you that you′re learning and still have plenty of room to grow. That′s a good thing.

6. Slow down your expectations.
College isn′t a sprint. It′s more like a marathon. So you may have to lessen your expectation for instant gratification. Successful students tend to understand that part of learning how to stay motivated in school is learning how to stay patient and trusting the process. Avoid getting too far ahead of yourself so that you can enjoy the present and keep up your momentum.

7. Focus on what you truly want.
It′s easy to feel out of control, like you′re doing a bunch of stuff that isn′t leading anywhere. Your enthusiasm for school might decrease. So it′s essential to keep refocusing your motivation. But the key to getting motivation in the first place is to have a clear vision of what you′re trying to achieve. That′s why you have to define what success means to you. What does it look like? Every day, write down a reason that you are in school. Write down the main things you want to get out of the experience.

8. Keep a daily progress journal.
Building self-awareness is one of the best ways to stay motivated in college. You need to be able to evaluate how well you′re doing each day. So set daily goals. Then, before going to bed each night, take a moment to write something simple like "All Done" if you′ve completed all of your tasks for the day. If you didn′t, then quickly jot down why you weren′t able to. This way, you build a system for being mindful of your actions and holding yourself accountable.

9. Put away your past.
Reminding yourself of your previous achievements can certainly provide a confidence boost from time to time. But you don′t want to get stuck on them. People who become masters at what they do get there by acknowledging how much they still don′t know. They operate from a mindset of never being fully satisfied. They know there is always more room to grow. It′s what keeps them moving forward instead of just relying on past achievements and eventually losing ground.

10. Recognize guilt for what it really is.
Feeling guilty about something can actually be a sign that, on some level, you expect to gain pleasure from it. Your brain is telling you that it should feel good. Then it′s making an irrational moral judgment about it. (We often feel most guilty about things that are pleasurable.) But that can have a dampening effect on our willpower to tackle things that involve hard work. So, when you feel guilty about not following through on a school-related goal, it′s a good idea to stop and recognize that this is what might be happening. Once you do, you may feel a lot more like taking action.

11. Tackle the hard stuff.
Understand that the most difficult projects or goals can only be accomplished step by step and over time. It can be hard to recognize any results while you′re still going through the process. But, just like building muscle, conquering your hardest challenges increases your strengths and abilities so that the challenges that follow get a little easier. That′s one of the secrets to sustaining a passion for what you do.