Episode 11 - How To Motivate Yourself For Exams (Ep. 11)

In this episode I talk about a huge topic for students, motivation and how to develop it. Get listening and take note!   Transcript below:   Hello, this is James Davey, The Exam Coach and Welcome to Episode 1 of a new podcast series I'm putting together in time for the 2016 Exam Season. I've decided to call it Davey Discusses - innovative and cutting edge I know.   So this short podcast series is designed to tackle everything to do with exams from preparation to performance. I'll talk about what I believe is necessary in order to do well and deliver a cracking set of results and also how to avoid some of the common mistakes I see students making.   These episodes are slightly longer than the short, punchy video format I choose to deliver my usual Exam Coach tips and that's because these episodes are intended to be easy listening, they're more conversational, I'd recommend listening to them when you're on the move, for example on the way to school, college they're intended as Kipling put it 'to fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds worth of distance run'    I wouldn't want you to sit through a video and unnecessarily take up your time and attention when the same value can be delivered through spoken word only. It's the Exam Coach Way of doing things, lets keep stuff simple and double down on the few ways that deliver the greatest results most efficiently and effectively. Without much further a due, lets get crack on.     So let's start by smashing out a few thoughts and solutions to a question I'm asked very often 'How do you get motivated for exams?'   This is huge. If you can't find the reasons why you want to do well in exams then that's the equivalent of falling at the first hurdle in a 60metre hurdle race - you're just not going to win no matter how hard you try.     I'd recommend three very simple things to help with motivation. Take note and act on them, don't just listen.    1). Take the time out to think seriously about the big picture.   Most people lack motivation for exams because they can't see beyond the temporary short term pain associated with revision, study and all things exams. All they can see is a wall of revision and a whole load of exams waiting for them at the top.   The motivated students look beyond this - they can see over the wall, beyond the exams and into the distance. They see the road map ahead and how great exam results are going to allow them to travel certain roads that people without the results just can't go down. These are the facts, you will not be able to gain entry into certain places or land a particular job if you do not have the grade requirements they are asking for - that's why, for those you who follow me on Snapchat, I always talk about A Town and D Town - these are the made up places where people with certain grades end up - you need a ticket to get into each town - an A grade can get you in anywhere - but you won't be entering A town when all you've got is a ticket to D Town - you'll either have to take on the bouncers or find another way in. It's not meant to divisors or harsh - it meant to be a bit of fun but a bit of fun that also highlights an important truth about exams and the bearing they can have on your future. Many students fail to consider this properly and therefore experience the long term pain of not actually being able to do what they want to do or be where they want to be because of a poor set of exam results. They made the mistake of not seeing the bigger picture and deceived themselves by thinking they were avoiding short term pain by not taking exams seriously and working hard towards them - instead they booked them self a whole load of unnecessary worry and inconvenience in the future.    Also, by looking at the bigger picture it helps us put exams in context regarding how much time they actually take up when we are students and young people. The answer is they dot take up much time at all, you probably spend about 3 to 4 months max every 3 or so years really going at exam revision hard. That totals to about 1 year of hard work out an average of around 15-20 years people spend in education Its between 5-8% of your total time spent as a student. The rest of the time you're in cruise control. In the grand scheme of things the time you are giving up to exam preparation is really not that much. Therefore, you should be able to become motivated for the short period of time when paying attention to your exams matters. The effect they can have on what you do in the future can be huge. Think of them like a ticket, it just depends what letter you want to have on your ticket depending on what you want to do in life - its up to you.... Part of getting motivated is realising how much time, hassle and worry exams can save you down the line in return for comparatively little time and effort in the present moment. The trick is to realise this and then actually have to presence of mind to implement a strategy to achieve great results.    Life is longer than you think and I'm only 22 its worth taking a step back in order to think properly about how exam results are going to assist you in where you want to go and then once you've made a decision, take two steps forward by being pushed on by what the future holds and how you are willing to work hard towards the realisation of how you want it to be.    2). What would your role models do?    The next thing you can do is think about a role model or person you admire. Think about what they would do faced with the challenge you currently have. I use a lot of these principles like this in The FUN Exam and its because i think students need to rethink how they think about the people they admire. I see too many students admiring someone for what they have achieved instead of what can really make a difference to them, that is, the behaviours that person they admire adopted in order to achieve what they achieved.    Whether it be a sportsperson, artist or business person they have almost definitely shown a level of persistence, hard work and skill in their pursuit of what they wanted to achieve.   So my challenge for  you is think about the attitude a person or people you admire would take on to face the challenge you face...Think about the attitude they would have were they in your situation. Would they just give up and throw the towel in? I don't think so, they'd find a way to get what they wanted.   And don't think they would just not bother about their exams and go and do the thing they want to do, that's not an accurate reflection of your current situation, and t's not an option for either you or them, you need to do your exams, there's no getting out of them, they're compumplsory.   Be prepared to replicate the behaviours and actions of those people you admire, this is far more useful to you and others than simply admiring an achievement from a distance. Put pictures of these people whoever they are  where you can see them, have a few to pick from, each with different traits and talents and successes. When you are struggling to find motivation, think about what they would do...the answer is most probably they'd keep going and find a way to succeed and move forward in a positive direction even if it was tough going to start with.   3). Then third thing you can do is to take what I like to call Motivation medication   These are little bitesize 3 to five minute motivational videos on you tube and perhaps also a handful of inspirational pictures on Instagram. Now, it's important not to think digesting this material is progress,  never make the mistake of believing that thinking about what you are going to do is the same as actually doing it. You see this behaviour all the time with things like motivational videos and inspirational pictures, there are scores of people who comment, like, subscribe and shout from the rooftops about what they are going to do but never actually execute. Talk is cheap, there's really no need for it, digest the material then start doing things as a result of taking the medication.   That's why I call it medication, its supposed to be taken in small doses at particular times in order to give you a quick boost. Being reliant on it for a false sense of accomplishment is no good to you or anyone else. Have a few of your favourite videos and motivational pictures to hand - they'll help you out when you really need it. Once you've got the dose you need get back to work.   In summary motivation for exams is simple.    First up it's about seeing the big picture both in terms of your future and the time you have as a student. Then its about setting up a few safety measures to put you right when your motivation starts to drop off. This will help to keep you focus on that thing you really want, the end goal, that reason why you are willing to put all the work in, rather than all the less attractive stuff in between.   That's all for this episode, remember implement this stuff and you will find yourself in strolling into A town on results day   Stay in touch! Add the exam coach on Snapchat and follow the exam coach_tv on Instagram and Twitter. It's inevitable that you are going to procrastinate during exam revision on social media - we all do it. My job is to catch you whilst your on it and remind you of what really is important and send you back to work with a few more tips and tricks up your sleeve to make your work easier and the delivery of great results more achievable. Finally check out The FUN Exam Plan, it is exactly what I needed when I was at school preparing for my exams - it is the step by step exam preparation and performance plan to achieving great results, it comes in three sections, Foundation, Understanding and Nailing It and all of it is relevant, easy to understand and quick to put into practice. Keep working hard, the road to A town is a long one, it full of ups and downs, but those who get there never regret it. Until next time.