UndergradSkiller: Skill Set Map for Undergraduates and Their Educators

LEARNING AND SELF-MANAGEMENT: Time Management and Focus

Staying Motivated

Maintaining motivation throughout a degree requires strategies for setting goals, building habits, and taking care of oneself physically and mentally. These resources address the practical and psychological dimensions of staying on track.

Useful Resources on Staying Motivated:

The Learning Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (n.d.). Motivation. https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/motivation

Annotation: Strategies for improving self-motivation as a university student organized into categories including: goal-setting (SMART goals), focus strategies, self-care (sleep, nutrition, routine), metacognitive strategies (reflection, visualization, self-talk), and accountability strategies (study groups, peer tutoring, academic coaching).

Rothschild, A. (2024). What staying up all night does to your brain [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idrbwnWLJ7w

Annotation: Brief TED-Ed animated lesson exploring how pulling an all-nighter affects cognitive function, including attention, memory, and decision-making.

Peer Review: None

Table of contents:

4.1. Finding Help and Support
4.1.1. Seeking Support
4.1.2. Communicating with Professors

4.2. Learning and Study Skills
4.2.1. How We Learn
4.2.2. Metacognition
4.2.3. Study Strategies
4.2.4. Studying in STEM
4.2.5. Note-Taking and Lectures
4.2.6. Exam Preparation

4.3. Time Management and Focus
4.3.1. Time Management Strategies
4.3.2. The Pomodoro Technique
4.3.3. Understanding Procrastination

4.3.4. Staying Motivated

4.3.5. Digital Focus Tools

4.4. Reflective Practice
4.4.1. Growth Mindset
4.4.2. Reflective Practice Tools

4.5. Wellbeing
4.5.1. Mental Health
4.5.2. Personal Wellbeing
4.5.3. Digital Wellbeing
4.5.4. Stress Management
4.5.5. Budgeting
4.5.6. Finding Friends

4.6. Adapting Your Study Approach
4.6.1. Neurodiversity and University
4.6.2. Studying with ADHD
4.6.3. Studying with Dyslexia and Assistive Tools

4.7. Skills and Career Planning
4.7.1. Identifying Your Skills
4.7.2. Setting Goals
4.7.3. Career Planning
4.7.4. Postgraduate Study
4.7.5. Internships and E-Learning

 

Author: Leeanne Irwin

Peer Reviewer(s): None