Motivation plummets to a minimum
Jana Hill
Issue date: 11/11/09 Section: Forum
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After a while all that build-up of studying and test-taking can lead to the dreaded but very common case of "un-motivation" that usually starts to appear during this time of the semester.
Students start the semester with gusto and enthusiasm, intent on getting good grades and staying motivated.
But when the weeks start to go by and Thanksgiving break and Winter break grow closer, we forget what motivation looks like, and some students fall into a slump.
This is where I find myself lately knowing I have to do homework and study for tests, but not wanting to at all. I will put it off or try to find something else to occupy my time until the very last minute when I know I have to get started.
I have wondered many times what causes this inevitable slump that seems to entrap many students and how we could avoid it. So I sat down with someone who I knew would give honest and direct answers, even though many of them are very basic and common sense.
"I think probably the biggest factor is fatigue," said University Success Center Director, Dana Steward. "I think as the semester goes on students wear down and they get less sleep. That creates a lack of motivation and that attitude that would say, 'I just want to do the minimum I have to do to get whatever it is I want to get, whatever grade or reward that is.' But I think fatigue is probably the biggest factor."
As Steward brought to light this reality, I thought to myself, "Well, duh. Of course it's fatigue." We wear ourselves out trying to attend every event and do every activity on campus.
We know how important sleep is to our bodies, not only physically but mentally as well. Sleep is needed for function and without it, it makes sense that we start to become less motivated. Sadly, the lack of motivation is still very common for many students.
"I think the last five weeks of the semester you see it a lot. Students-because they are tired-begin to shut down," said Steward.
"It's interesting from my perspective in the seminar courses working with first year students because I actually see it start around the end of September. You can just see the glazed over look in the eyes of the students. I can see that's when the fatigue is starting to set in, and then I think it's hard to recover from that."
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