Introduction: why it is important to understand motivation and procrastination

As an independent, self-directed student you will, by now, be getting used to ways of organising, managing and balancing your study and personal life. In addition to the art of planning effectively by setting clear goals and prioritising, as covered in the unit, Planning: setting goals and prioritising, the unit, Organising and managing your time, identified ways of developing a better sense of control over time through the act of scheduling. However, the story does not end there! At the end of the latter unit you had a chance to review your schedule and assess your progress. You may have discovered that you are wasting time, have difficulty staying motivated or spend a lot of time procrastinating. It is natural to lose some of your motivation and enthusiasm from time to time when a project lasts as long as a degree. This is not something to worry about but it does need to be addressed. This unit will provide some strategies to help you to increase your motivation, work more effectively, and gain a more positive outlook on your university experience. Content in this unit can be transferred to a wide range of situations throughout your life.

It is important to point out that the guidelines provided in this unit are introductory and generic (in so far as that is possible!). As you read through each of the issues and strategies outlined below, you need to be aware of your discipline-specific context and assess the relevance of the strategies presented. All learning skills should ideally be developed within the particular parameters of your discipline(s). As you engage in the university learning experience you will progressively develop knowledge of subject-specific discourse, and through participating in it come to understand its particular conventions. In the meantime, if in doubt, check with your School/Faculty.

Learning objectives

At the end of this you will understand:

• what motivation is
• why it is important
• the factors that affect motivation (including procrastination)
• how to apply possible remedial strategies
• how to establish whether or not these strategies are suitable for your subject-area
• how to recognise if you need further help in this regard

If you have answered yes to some or all of the above questions you may benefit from working through this unit.

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