Maintaining Motivation
Going into year 12, one thing I never expected was to not finish it. I never expected the whole of the UK to come to an almost standstill and I also never expected it to be because of a global pandemic. When I first heard of the COVID-19 outbreak I thought it would be gone as quickly as it appeared, but my initial theory was promptly disproved. On March 23rd 2020, the UK lockdown was announced and I saw directly how much COVID-19 was going to affect not only myself, but the entire world. Admittedly, the idea of a break from school for a few weeks seemed exciting. However, about a total of 48 hours into quarantine, boredom onset and only then was I fully able to acquaint myself with the reality of what was going on. We weren't going to be going anywhere- at least not for a long while- and more importantly, school would most likely resume in September. For year 12s like myself, this meant no work experience, no help with writing our personal statements, missed subject content and no mock exams to determine our predicted grades. Yet for the most part, we were not seen as a priority, compared to year 11s and 13s.
Studying at home has been both a blessing and a curse. A blessing, because I'm able to plan my own day (getting maximal sleep) and learn new content at my own pace. A curse, because I'm unable to have my teachers on hand to answer questions and maintaining concentration at home is incredibly difficult. However, in order to stay motivated I have been: ensuring that I wake up early and work within the normal school day hours before having any type of free time and creating a list of tasks to complete each day and plan activities that I enjoy doing to look forward to after work.
If you're reading this and experiencing similar problems to do with motivation and productivity, I would advise a few things you could try:
Download the Pomodoro app, which implements 5-minute breaks for every 25 minutes of work you do
Schedule 4-6 hours of work a day to create a routine that reflects the school day
Download the adapt app to help plan your day by breaking down each of your subject courses into individual topics,
Plan your workspace (ie organising a quiet and comfortable workspace),
Create a timetable
Ensure that you keep your sleeping pattern regular if you want your allocated work time to be effective.
Go on walks, sit out in your garden or complete 30 minutes of exercise to keep physically healthy and boost your mood.
Your mental health should be of utmost importance at this time.
For help regarding your personal statement, visit the indigo website for guidance.
For help on selecting a university or course, visit prospects, universityfinder.org.uk, universitysearch.com or check for virtual open days on individual university websites.
For work experience, check for webinars and MOOC courses on the Futurelearn website.
Finally, don't be too hard on yourself! It is natural to not get as much work done as usual but view your tasks with a can-do attitude and stop focusing on what you haven't done.
Stay safe and I hope this week's TAMS tips is useful!
Omolano Dada, Year 12 student and Aspiring Medic