Grad School & Motivation

Hello all! Whether you're in front of one of the city halls staging an #occupycithall protest, at work trying not to fall asleep, or in a library finishing an assignment- I appreciate the time you took out to escape to our page.

Source: http://pfiesterpfit.wordpress.com/2011/08/02/fitness-the-need-for-more-than-motivation/

First I'm going to let it be known that I might be M.I.A. from the blog more often than not. I love this blog like I would my child-that I don't have. However, I'm a graduate student (Clap for em) and have a job (payday baby!) and find myself more and more strapped for time. I remember those days (only a few months ago) where I wished I was back in school taking classes. Now those days are long gone and in only my third week of classes, I'm ready for a break.Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it), I won't have a break until Thanksgiving. So my posts will be few and far between. I hope my fellow ladies can keep trucking without me. We're all professional ladies, so please bear with us when our postings become sporadic.

I find the work extremely interesting and even find myself reading state budgets with pleasure. I really didn't know when I stepped into the world of social science and policy that I would be hooked, but so far so good. I was worried that I wouldn't enjoy my degree (M.S. in Professional Studies with a Concentration of Education Policy) but have found the various assignments to be extremely informative and have found myself becoming a much more engaged citizen with regards to education. As an education student with minimal experience tutoring or teaching, I live vicariously through Le Chele. I readily admit that I will probably end up being one of those policy makers with limited experience in education, but with a whole lot of heart regarding making the suffering education system work. I want to help create standards of equality in education, because the students always being left behind are the poor, minority, esl, and disabled. It has been this way since the start of education in America and it remains a struggling system of inequality.

Source: http://lifesabusiness.wordpress.com/introduction/ok-im-needing-motivation/

 

That being said. During my second week of classes I hit a road block of sorts. I found every possible way to procrastinate and made every possible excuse to hold off doing my assigned readings and writings. And then on Sunday at 3pm I found myself with 2 discussion posts due that day, with no research done and no idea what I was going to write about. I was reminded of college, where I would party or laze around until Sunday then find myself doing an allnighter. Luckily I was able to push it out and finished everything by 11pm. I don't know if it was as good as it could have been if I hadn't rushed, but I stick by my belief that I work better under pressure. Then again, that might just be another excuse.

As the end of my third week approaches I find myself in a better place: with one assignment already under my belt, some of my books needed for research already on my desk, and a mindset ready to work. I'm definitely under some pressure with all the assignment still due: another discussion, 1 quiz, and 2 papers. But I think I can handle it, if I don't fall back into my lazy ways. I just need to stay motivated. And when I lack that motivation, I just need to do what I need to do to get it back.

But my question for you all is: What things do you do to remain motivated? What gets you out of that lazy funk and back to business? Any suggestions for a habitually lazy student?