At the beginning of every school year, I always tell myself: this will be the year that I’m extremely productive and positive. The first few months of school go by and I’m going strong. Then BAM! That amazing mindset has vanished. If you’re like me, and you make the beginning of the school year resolutions but never stick to them, these tips are meant for you!

Tip #1: Create goals

The first step to being motivated is having something to be motivated about! You’ll want to make goals specifically for you, regarding school-related improvements. Remember, these goals will be the foundation of staying motivated, so make sure your goals are realistic, relevant, specific, and time-manageable!

Tip #2: Be positive

If you want to stay motivated, you’re never going to receive it with a negative mindset. You have to bring positive thoughts into your brain to stay motivated and enjoy what you’re working for.

Tip #3: Envision yourself achieving your goals

Yes, this is a complex tip. Nevertheless, you will not, I repeat, will not achieve anything in life, if you can’t even imagine yourself accomplishing your goals. This will not just allow you to envision completing your goals, but also prove to yourself that you can accomplish anything!

Tip #4: Use other successful students as inspiration

Although this tip is pretty self-explanatory, it is still so important. Sometimes you just need a person to mirror in order to make yourself better. Now, I’m not saying act exactly like this person, just take their qualities that inspire you, match them to your own goals, and use it as motivation.

Tip #5: Develop the mindset that education is important

Everyone will agree with me on this, or at least, everyone should agree with me on this, but most of us still don’t have school ranked as our number one priority. For example, if you had a test tomorrow and you’ve reviewed the topic before, just not that night, would you choose to study? Or would you just tell yourself “I know the topic enough, I’ll be fine.” From now on, you need to program your brain to understand the importance of education.

Tip #6: Extrinsic motivation

Extrinsic motivation is reward-driven behavior. Yes, achieving success is rewarding. But staying motivated to receive some type of reward is helpful and exciting too! For instance, if my goal was to practice public speaking daily, in return I would treat myself to a shopping spree. This type of motivation is even more fulfilling.

Tip #7: Remember why your goals are crucial

My final tip is to remember the importance of your goals. This strategy will affirm that sense of importance and keep you on track towards success, which is beneficial whenever you’re feeling unmotivated.

I genuinely hope that my tips work as well for you as they do for me! Remember, they will ONLY work if you consistently put in the effort 24/7. Just think of it like a language: if you don’t use it, you lose it. Good luck!