It’s so Hard to Concentrate: Starting too Soon

Currently I’m in the middle of my first exam period at university, not a majorly important one because it doesn’t count to our overall grade at the end of the course, but it does count towards placements, better first year marks show your willingness to try, and also I like to achieve big and therefore need to set my sights high.

But there’s a Problem…

I’m finding it hard to concentrate. Now that I have two exams out of the way and my next one is in a week, I’m finding it very hard to stay motivate and read these books again and again. I’ve got the motivation to do well, but I haven’t got the motivation to keep me going, I’ve been revising for about 6 weeks now, and when you have been working on the same thing for that long, no matter what it is, your mind tend to wander and you think there must be an alternative. Hence why I am writing this post at the moment, I’m more interested in doing this then learning more theories of Organisational Behaviour. This is meant to be my little break so that in an hour, I’ll find myself wanting to learn some more and get the information stuck in my head.

Starting too soon…

I think the main problem which came across me was the fact that I started doing revision too soon… I wanted to be prepared, so I started as early as I felt possible, but looking back on it now, it was too early. You must have felt like this at some point? You started a project and it went on far too long, without any real progress and because of this you found yourself unmotivated and wanting to complete that project as soon as possible.

It may seem like I’m going nowhere with this, but it has got a point. Quite a big point.

Starting Out on Projects

When you are starting out on a new project you will probably be quite excited and just want to get straight into doing it. However, don’t get too carried away, you need to try and plan ahead so that you can maintain your work ethic and stay motivated.

Plan Ahead

When you first start out plan what you will be doing, and when you will be doing it. Not only does this help you see where you are heading, but it allows you to feel like you are making progress and this should help motivate you when you start getting a bit tired. The end is in sight.

Set Targets

This is a little like planning. Give yourself targets and bonuses when you meet these targets. This is another motivational aspect of having a project on the go, you need to feel like you are heading somewhere, and by giving yourself targets you will see what is ahead of you better. Also having targets should make you work harder, producing better work and in turn this will lead to better returns for you, whether that is a better mark in an exam, more money from a client, or more work in the future.

Don’t Start Too Soon

You may be eager to get it done, but starting too soon may make you bored, like I am with doing my revision. Make sure that you give yourself plenty of time, but not too much time, or you will start slacking and this will lead to work which isn’t up to the appropriate standard.

Have you got any more tips to stay motivated on something which is started to get a bit boring? Tell us in the comments section.