motivation

Hey everyone!

Just watched my beloved cats get over the line at Sydney today so not exactly in the worst mood at the moment, but overall it wasn't the most flash day for me. Today I just couldn't really muster up much motivation to do any kind of homework really, which seriously worries me. It was stark contrast to yesterday, where in the double private study I just stuck my head down and wrote for the entire double to the point where when the bell went I wanted to stay and finish it off. It got me wondering, what prompts a desire to study and what doesnt?

Today, I had my iPod, my laptop and just about every other kind of distraction I could possibly have. Yesterday in private study, I didn't have any of those; pretty much all I had was pen and paper. It seems easy to draw the conclusion that I was distracted by other things, but I don't really think that this is the case. I opened up facebook, opened up random games, but none of that really appealed to me; it was all pretty boring stuff. song's werent exactly distracting either; they were just there, and I often get my best work done with them. So what is it?

I remember a few days ago, a friend of mine was talking about his lack of motivation, despite it being already near the end of year 12. He seemed pretty exasperated, and to be honest I couldn't really believe it either- WE ONLY HAVE ANOTHER 10 WEEKS OR SO OF SCHOOL, and you cannot concentrate?!

and yet here I was in exactly the same position.

I think that perhaps I am a person who works best with rigid structures in place; maybe that's why I prefer physics, specialist maths, and chemistry over english. With the first 3 subjects, you just see the problem, apply the formulas and just plug in the numbers and definitions.

Everything is just clear cut and a general procedure is followed.

However, I would always have a major fear of starting english essays; unlike maths and science problems, thought about what is the best way to go about things is required, and it is this lack of a path which deters me. Despite this, time and time again I plan english essays, and with such a plan in place I just write!

I write and write and pretty much don't stop until I have finished my essay at breakneck pace, after which I usually just try to fix up my messy handwriting. At such times, essay writing is just as simple and straightforward as maths at its best can be.

It made me realise that planning really is the best way to work efficiently, whether it is planning for a piece or planning for a weekend. Last week, I had one of my best weekends: I went out with friends on friday night, lost a whole afternoon on saturday because of shopping with my family, and yet I still got an absollute tonne of homework done.

Why? because I laid out what I had to do. Here's what I wrote in my diary:

1. Spec task
2. Chem worksheet
3. English questions
4. Chem questions
5. Physics assignment
6. Uni maths practice paper

True, I only finished the first four and started the fifth, but this wasn't a list of what I had to get done over the weekend; it was just what I could do. I had sunday pretty much all to myself, and it was just incredible how I just kept working and working, at the very desk which I could not work at today.

For me, it was a revealing moment; it proved to myself that I can actually focus on tasks for extended periods when
it is required.

Yes, I have wasted a whole day today, but I still have all of tomorrow to hopefully salvage what was a promising weekend. As for motivation for these crucial few months ahead, I keep thinking about nickelback- sometimes their lyrics don't make much sense, but I think some sections of 'If today was your last day' are particularly apt for us year 12'ers:

'every second counts 'cos there's no second try,
so live like you're never living twice'

Thanks for reading,

Loz