1 - Bribe -
I have a major problem with procrastination so whenever I think of a large intimidating project that I have to start on or the 40 pages of theoretical rambling I have to get through, it helps to bribe yourself. In other words make the prospect of studying more enticing. For example tell yourself, "Okay I will let myself go to that trendy coffee house and splurge on a frapuccino if I sick around and read my book for at least an hour". Or, "I so don't want to work on this project, but if we start early we'll have enough time to schedule several fun meetings by making them half work and pizza party!" Be warned though, If you have no self control this might not be the method for you.
2 - Blackmail -
This method is a little depressing, but could work for you if you are the type of person that is able to handle this kind of punishment. So you get home from school from a long day. You have a major assignment that you are probably going to be up late working on. But you are starving. So you telll yourself, "I won't allow myself to eat anything until I write one page of this paper!"
3 - Be Odd -
A great way to motivate yourself is by coming up with a hilarious or creative spin on your project. In my high school English class we read "The Secret Life of Bees" and had to do a character profile for one of the characters in the book. So I chose to do mine on the cold racist father T. Ray, in the form of a dating site profile! If was very funny and I used a picture of a deranged looking Nick Nolte. However it was still very informative, since people want to put as much information about themselves as they can in a dating profile. I had to really analyze the book for little tid-bits and clues that gave away information about his character. Anyway, this was a really fun project that I enjoyed working on because I thoroughly enjoyed what I was creating. This worked because I love comedy, but this method can work if you simply incorporate something you love! For example, use that Lauryn Hill song you love in your poem analysis assignment.
4 - Be Coy -
A weird method that works for me is being noncommital. For example if I am just sitting around my house bored or waiting for my soap opera to come on, I'll tell myself "Okay since I am not doing anything useful right now, I'm going to pull out this book I have to read by next week and just read like three pages. Then I'll put it down and watch my show when it comes on." Chances are that that tiny start will be worth it, because your interest will be piqued and later you will pick up that book with genuine interest. Learning is fun, usually it is just the THOUGHT of a project that you dread.
5 - Learn... Like a Boss -
Studies have shown that when you have to explain a concept or project to someone else, this helps you understand the concept better yourself and it will be committed to memory for a longer time. So strap on your tie and comb-over toupe like the saucy CEO you are underneath, and perform a mini presentation of what you are learning or have to memorize. Younger sibblings/relatives, pets that can't run away, and house plants are perfect for this because they are usually happy to have the attention (especially house plants :( because no one ever pays attention to them).
I hope some of these tips are helpful And I hope that, if you never knew it before, learning can be fun! Usually it is all about the way you approach something that will determine how enjoyable or boring it is.
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