working you just seem to lack motivation? It's like your 'get up and go' has got up

and gone. Oh yeah me too, sometimes. Well don't you worry because I have ten study

hacks that are gonna help you to get motivated but before we get started I do

want to say a huge thank you to today's sponsor. A sponsor that helps me to stay

motivated as an entrepreneur, someone who's self-employed and working alone, and

could help you to stay motivated as an independent learner. They are Skillshare

Skillshare is an online learning community with over 17,000 classes to

choose from. Now you don't pay per class you pay for an overall membership and

there are a couple of options when it comes to membership. If you go for their

premium membership then this can offer you unlimited access to high-quality

classes with experts who are working in their fields so that you can improve

your skills and unlock new opportunities to do the work that you love, and this is

what I am using them for. I am literally doing about 17 different courses with

them at the moment. I'm doing business, marketing, accounting, photography,

software courses in things like Adobe Illustrator. If you're anything like me

and you like to take lots of courses and learn lots of different things then

Skillshare is definitely one of the more affordable learning platforms. An annual

membership will cost you less than ten dollars a month but the really exciting

thing is if you are quick off the mark and click on the link in the description

box below, the first 500 people to click that link and sign up will get two

months for free. So if you do decide to take a look and sign up, then do check

out the English classes they have on offer as well as the business courses

they have available, things like how to write a good CV,

how to speak well, have to sound confident, these kinds of things can be

really helpful in all lines of work.

Study hack number one is to mix up or change your resources. If you use exactly

the same method and exactly the same resources to learn all the time then

eventually you'll become disinterested. So every now and again you should mix

things up, change your routine, perhaps introduce something new, like a

new class perhaps studying with someone different, studying in a different place,

buy a new book, find a new teacher on YouTube to listen to, take a class with

Skillshare. There are lots of different options just to refresh your learning

experience and to keep you motivated.

Number two, and this goes for absolutely anything that you're struggling to get

motivated for, just get started. Even if you really really really don't want to

do something, sometimes all you need to do is take that first step and then

everything becomes a little easier. For example if you really want to go for a

run in your head but your body is saying "no no no" if you just put on your

trainers and step outside and start to jog to the end of the road

then usually within a few moments you start to feel better about being outside

and being active and then the rest of the run becomes so much easier. So if

you're putting off your study session then just sit down open a book and get

started.

Study hack number three is to set yourself short-term achievable goals. Now

I'm not saying it's bad to have a big ultimate goal or to have a big dream.

It's important to know what you want to achieve eventually to have a bigger

picture but in the short term in order to stay motivated you need small

achievable steps. Focusing on one thing at a time. By doing this you'll

continually feel a sense of achievement and be able to measure your progress. So

for example you might decide that by the end of the week you would like to be

able to confidently have a conversation about a certain topic, perhaps you'd like

to be able to easily describe your day in English without hesitation.

So that whole week you'll spend time learning the vocabulary and the phrases

that you would need to have that conversation. Study hack number four

follows on very nicely from study hack number three and that is to reward

yourself. Give yourself a reward every time you do achieve one of those

short-term goals. Even if it's something as simple as: once I finished this

particular chapter and completed the quiz then I can take myself off for a

nice walk in the park. Or, something that I like to do, once I finish this part of

my work I can have a snack and a nice cup of tea.

Study hack number five might seem obvious but so many people neglect this

particular point and it's get enough sleep. You can't effectively learn when

you're tired, everything slows down and it's hard for any information to reach

your long-term memory. So rather than pushing through and trying to study hard

even when you are exhausted what you're actually doing is slowing yourself down

so it's better to have a power nap or get an extra hour sleep every night and

have a more efficient effective study period. Study hack number six is another

common sense tip and it is to make sure you're hydrated. Goodness me, so many

people do not drink enough water and what you may not realise is when your

brain is dehydrated it slows down, so if you want your brain to be at its

absolute best for your learning period then make sure you've had enough to

drink and do keep sipping water throughout

your study period to keep it fresh and awake.

Study hack number seven is to work in a suitable environment. Now everybody is

different so it might change from person to person but if you are struggling to

get motivated then perhaps you just need to change where you're working. That

might be as simple as opening up the windows and letting fresh air in, turning

on the lights and making sure that you can see clearly, and maybe even having a

tidy up will make you feel clearer in your mind and more motivated to work.

Perhaps you need to change your environment altogether and go somewhere

else to study. You just need to find what works for you, and that brings me on to

study hack number eight know your learning style. If you know your learning

style then you can create methods to help you learn effectively. There are

many learning styles that people talk about but mostly we would refer to the

visual learners, the oral learners, and the kinesthetic learners. People who

learn through what they see, people who learn through what they hear, and people

who learn through feeling and through experience. Once you understand the type

of learner you are and this is really going to help you to make the best

decisions in your studying.

Study hack number nine if you are really struggling to get motivated then buddy

up find someone that you can work with. Maybe someone who's in your class or a

friend someone who is studying the same subjects or who doesn't mind giving you

a hand during your study sessions. Having someone to help you can really make all

the difference and last but not least study hack number ten short study stints.

Hmm there's a little bit of alliteration for you. If you study for hours and hours

at a time you are doing yourself a disservice, after around 20 to 40 minutes

of study your brain really starts to slow down and the rate at which you can

understand, take on, and retain information really slows down so it's a

waste of time doing very long study stints. The best thing to do is to study

for 20-30 minutes perhaps, and then have a short break just a few minutes get up

walk around, go and have a drink, listen to your favourite song, get some fresh air

then come back and do another short study stint. By doing this you're

refreshing your brain every time and you'll have a much more effective study

period. Well there you go ten study hacks to help you to stay motivated. If you

have any study habits of your own then please do write them in the comments box

below so that we can all benefit from them. Also if you decide to sign up for

Skillshare then do let me know which classes and courses you're taking

because we might end up being classmates. I mean I'm taking so many courses

already and I plan to take lots more. Anyway thanks for joining me until next time, take care and goodbye.

time take care stay motivated and goodbye

you