How To Study When You Feel Unmotivated

We hope your AP Exams are going well and your studying is leaving you feeling rewarded! But, at this point in the week, it’s not surprising if you just feel tired and unmotivated. That doesn’t have to be the end of your studying, however, and you can keep working hard, even in short bursts. We’ll show you how ⬇️

Study by energy

To explain it simply, motivation is fully psychological, but energy is a real feeling. Meaning, you might never be motivated to do something just because you hate it, even if you fully have the energy to do it. So, flip your metrics. Instead of saying that you’re unmotivated, assess how much energy you have, and let that measurement guide you. Then, you can see what you can (and should) get done.

• If you have low energy, try reading notes, studying topics you find a little harder, and highlighting key concepts

• If you have medium energy, try blurting, mind mapping, quick note taking, or a short version of the Pomodoro Method

• If you have high energy, try practice questions, mock exams, or teaching other people material

What not do to

However, that isn’t to say that there aren’t days where you just feel unmotivated, because there are. And, as part of this, there are certain things you shouldn’t do that are just going to drain you out more, not help. Don’t:

• Rewrite notes

• Force long study sessions

• Study everything all at once

• Open social media “just for a little”

• Multitask

What you should do

To make studying just a little more enjoyable and motivate you to work hard, there are certain things you can try out.

• Before studying, get a drink, prepare your desk, and put your phone in another room

• While studying, focus on understanding, put on soft background music, and don’t try to be perfect

• After studying, give yourself a small reward (whatever you think fits) and take a guilt-free break

Hopefully, these tips can make you feel just a little more ready to study, especially going into week 2 of AP Exams and finals a little bit after. And, if you liked this, check out our other posts below or in the Blog page.