Finding motivation through the last month

It’s the beginning of November and both the semester and 2023 are wrapping up. 

It can be difficult for us to find the motivation to get through the last few assignments, tests and projects. The idea of being home for Thanksgiving and winter break seems so close and yet feels so far away. We need to find the boost to get through the last few weeks of the semester to do well academically and enjoy our break fully. 

Remember there are only a few weeks left before a month-long break and a few short weeks before a five-day break for Thanksgiving. Seeing how little time is left can help motivate us by seeing how much progress we’ve made. Setting a countdown on our phones or planners can be a motivating factor and it gives us something to look forward to. Additionally, it’s a motivating factor for us to go into classes we may be struggling in to see if there are any last-minute ways to boost our grades so we can end fall classes on a high note.

Distracting thoughts of traveling back home, plans to see your hometown friends and family and holiday festivities can crowd your brain, limiting your ability to focus in the last few weeks. Setting goals for yourself during the remaining weeks is crucial to being successful. We should write down all we need to accomplish in the next few weeks, be it on our phones, planners or any place we’ll remember. It doesn’t just have to include homework, either. It could be making travel plans, shopping for presents and cleaning our apartments before we leave for a month. There’s nothing more satisfying than checking off one of the many things on our to-do lists and this is an efficient way to keep ourselves on track. 

Now with all of the responsibilities on our to-do lists, it can bog down our minds and make us lose even more motivation with the thoughts of all we need to get done. We need to make sure we set aside time for fun events to participate in as well. As finals draw nearer and nearer, our plates will become more occupied. As the holiday season starts to roll around, we can find little ways to incorporate fun into our schedule. Whether it’s treating ourselves to a fun holiday drink or setting aside time to hang out with our friends for a few hours, mental breaks from classes are important in making sure we return to our work with a renewed mindset. 

With nothing but a month of fun in the near future, we need to find every bit of motivation we can to get all our work done.