Motivation level: 0

I'm sure anyone reading this who knows me even a little, knows I am really lazy and lose motivation very easily. I still get good (well for me they are) grades at school because of my ability to make shit up. I actually have to physically force myself to write essays and other assignments that need to be handed in. If an assignment isn't for grading or is oral, I most probably won't do it. Studying for tests is also a thing I barely ever do. And it's bad, because I won't get any of the things I want in life if I keep being a lazy ass and procrastinating from all of the schoolwork.

And I'm sure many people can relate to this so I thought about writing a post about raising motivation? I thought maybe it would help others who struggle with this, but also give me some motivation back and urge me to get cracking on the three literature assignments that were due weeks ago.

So without further ado, here are my tips on gaining/preserving/raising motivation!

1. Set yourself little goals and rewards!!! This might be the thing that has helped me the most. If I set myself an achievable goal and a reward for reaching that goal I will be so much more motivated. Let's say for example I have a chemistry test the next day for which I have exercises I can do. I make a deal with myself that I can get a bath or eat a whole chocolate bar or read a good book for 30 minutes, if I do ten exercises. Helpful af.

2. Plan ahead!!!! Ahhhh... I'm the worst at this. I always start with the assignments the night before they're due. That makes for a lot of stressful nights and half assed works. So I try to plan ahead. I try to divide my work on days so I don't have to cram everything in one evening. I really do try.

3. Positive mindset! If there's one thing that's for sure, it's that it will take me three times more time to finish an assignment if I start doing it in a bad mood. If I start it thinking I'll never get it finished and even if I do finish, it will be very bad and will get me a shitty grade, I will not finish it. But if I just think about what great things I will do when I finish this quickly and how amazing I will feel when I know I've finished this big thing, then I am so much more efficient. This also brings us to the last point.

4. SOUNDTRACK YOUR LIFE. Seriously, nothing will get you in the mood for an in depth analysis of "Oedipus the King" by Sophokles than "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor. I know there are people who can't concentrate if there's music playing, so you can just skip this point and yeah, but I really work best when I have a killer soundtrack to my work. For those that are like me, here are my favourite work/motivational playlists and songs and soundtracks and such.

• shitty pop music you can't help but to dance to 
• simply epic
• is anyone over the guardians of the galaxy soundtrack already because im obviously not
• who wouldnt love eurovision
• one of my absolute favourites tbh, dont be scared by the name of a character you might be unfamiliar with in the mix name its actually just dumb songs and a lot of pop punk
• for people that like instrumental motivational music
• my love for this song is eternal
• idk why i like this song so much im sorry for everyone who has to hear me singing this every second of every day 

That's all the tips I have, well maybe also drink lots of tea, because it tastes good, it keeps you calm and it's all healthy and stuff. I hope you all have lots of motivation for whatever you're working on!

Til next time,

Ingrid