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Motivation is the key to getting your day started. Some people may know what motivation is, and others may not. So, what is motivation? Motivation is the desire or ambition to do something. Without this, one may feel defeated and overwhelmed.  

A lack of motivation is especially seen in the middle of our third semester in the pandemic.  Going back to school after time off or keeping going at midterm can be a dreadful feeling for many students. Sometimes, it can be hard to find the motivation to learn and complete schoolwork.  

Luckily, there are many things you can do to regain motivation. Utilizing these tips may encourage you to push past this inadequate feeling of emptiness.  

Stay Optimistic  

Going back to school with a negative mood will only hinder you from getting your work done. This will make it harder for you to be engaged and will only stress you out even more. If you go back to school with a more optimistic mindset, you will be more motivated to learn. You will be less stressed and will even enjoy going to your classes.  

Surround Yourself with Encouraging People  

After winter break, you may not be encouraged or inspired to work on any assignments or responsibilities. Surrounding yourself with people who will motivate you is a great way to overcome this problem. Having an amazing support system can help you stay on track and accomplish your goals.  

Reward Yourself  

It is a great idea to occasionally reward yourself. It can be difficult to stay on track, but if you treat yourself at the end of the week, you may be more motivated to reach your next goal.  

Reach Out 

If you truly feel overwhelmed or unmotivated, reach out to a family member, friend, professor, or advisor. At Widener, you can get an academic coach. These people can work with you to create a schedule and help you set up small goals that you can accomplish.  

I recently had the opportunity to interview Mrs. Karen Daly, an academic coach here at Widener. She took the time to explain what an academic coach is, how students can get an academic coach, and why students should take advantage of this resource.  

What is an academic coach?  

“All of the academic coaches on campus are part of The Office of Student Success. An academic coach works one on one with students. It could be weekly, biweekly, or monthly. It’s really driven on what the need of the student may be. Based on what the student need is, that’s what we work through. So, for example, a lot of the work that we do with first year students is around time management and getting better organized. We work with them to structure a routine that is in line with those practices and will help position them for academic success. An academic coach helps students to, not only make the transition from high school to college, but also provide them with some assistance in developing necessary skills or competencies to allow them to work to their abilities. Time management is a large part of what we do, but it can also be working through test anxiety or breaking down a college textbook.”  

How can students go about getting an academic coach?  

“When we are on campus, a lot of students just bounce on over to the Pineapple House and say ‘I need help,’ and we connect them to a coach. The other way is through myWidener. Click on Office of Student Success, which will take you to The Office of Student Success website. Select Academic Coaching at the top of the site, then click Academic Coach Request Form. Students can fill out this form and when they hit the red button, we get that in our office and then one of our academic coaches will outreach to the student, identify times that are mutually convenient, and set a date for the first appointment.”  

Why should students consider getting an academic coach?  

“It depends on what your goals for the semester are. I always say there’s all these resources on campus available to students. If there’s a part of what you’re doing that you’re dissatisfied with, and there’s something out there that might be able to help you improve in that area, why as a student would you not want to take advantage of that. Leaving no stone unturned as a student is why I say all students should consider getting an academic coach. We’ve had many students over the years who connect with us one time at the start of the semester to go through some basic time management recommendations and then we may not connect with them again until the end of the semester to say, ‘Well, how did it go? What worked? What didn’t work?’ The nice thing about academic coaching is that we get to partner with the student. It’s about trying different things and then you decide what works and what doesn’t work. Academic coaching is all about working with the student and meeting them where they are and saying this might help you. I would encourage students to evaluate where they are and ask themselves the critical questions, ‘Am I satisfied with my current performance? Are there things that perhaps are areas I could improve in?” Can I do that on my own, or does it make sense for me to connect and get some different thoughts and ideas?” It’s really an individual preference. An academic coach is another touchpoint to have. It’s a whole partnering and teamwork approach. It’s a good resource to at least consider tapping into and then deciding on your own whether or not it adds any value on your personal front.”  

Create Realistic Goals  

Sophomore Zora DeSeignora knows how difficult it can be to regain motivation after winter break. I recently had the opportunity to ask her if she had any methods to lose this unmotivated mindset.  

She says, “It’s really hard to gain motivation after break, but something that helped me was formulating a schedule so that I’m not overwhelmed. I also make a small to do list each day or every week. Just write down things that need to get done this week so that you can have ideas on what to focus on.”    

Don’t overwhelm yourself by procrastinating and leaving assignments until the last minute. Instead, set realistic goals for yourself at the beginning of each week. Doing this will help you stay on top of your work. 

It is also important to focus on one thing at a time. Trying to complete seven different assignments at once is unrealistic. Focus on what is due first, then work on any remaining assignments. Just remember, completing any of your goals, whether small or large, is a major accomplishment!