Lacking Motivation

[rlw74]

Just here to check in (procrastinate <cough, cough>). I'm mentally tired...I've completed 39 credit hours in just under 11 weeks (plus several other continuing education class outside of this process). I only need ONE more class. I've started it - it's not hard - and I actually don't need, need it (only if I want the social science concentration, otherwise I'm fine on credit hours for LS) but I want to finish it. I want the concentration just because I can and I'll kick myself if I don't make the extra effort.

So I need to complete 78 more quizzes and the final exam. But I just can't seem to get motivated. I feel like if I watch one more video, take one more quiz my head will explode. I've literally (I just counted) completed 999 lessons on study.com alone- will be at 1,077 when I'm finished with this course (yes, some overlapped so maybe the number is slightly off but you get the point - its a lot of videos, quizzes).

Technically I have until April 9 before my study.com scholarship ends but ideally I would like to finish now so I can kick back for a few weeks before the capstone starts. I already spent most of last week working on my capstone paper and doing research for it so I'm already a week behind as it is.

Any suggestion for a major case of burnout / senioritis? (Or just an excuse for me to camp out here and not work on my last course -lol)

[Regards]

I think we can all relate when you mention about hitting an "academic rut" in your educational pathway. I find the best way to stay motivated is to think about the reward day in and day out. Thinking about how better my life will be after obtaining something I've worked really hard for keeps me chugging away. If you must, take a week off to just clear your mind, and remember why you are doing what you are doing. Good luck!

[yb1]

I hear you.

I was there during my 6th study.com course. It was a challenge getting through it. The quizzes became too much. It gets old quick.

I wish they'd change the format so, if you know the material. It would be a game changer if you were allowed to take the final and if you hit a particular score you get credit. Otherwise back to quizzes you go.



What class is it?

[Mamasaphire]

You can do it!!!! You've done an AMAZING job so far!!!

I know what you mean though, as I will admit, I got pretty burned out after a while with the Study.com because of the endlessness of the videos/quizzes (especially the ones I didn't technically "need")... so I know what you mean.

Can you take a break/breather, come up with a reward for yourself for when you complete the course, and then jump back in & just plow through?

[gremlinbrawler]

I am in such a similar boat! I've gotten 39 credits from study.com since mid January. At the beginning of this year I had 60 credits and nowI have 99 which feels awesome but I'm so exhausted. I only have 7 more courses to go and then I'm done with my bachelors degree so i just have little further but I am so burnt out.

One thing I like to do is break the courses up into chunks, if you haven't already tried that. I usually do chunks of 10 or 15 quizzes. So if a Course has 100 quizzes then I just have 10 "chunks" I have to get done and that makes it a little less stressful I guess. I also give myself temporary rewards - like If I do 10 more quizzes then I can take a bath or have lunch. Kind of silly but it works for me. I also started using Trello, a few weeks ago and it has helped me SO much to see what I have left and manage my day to day tasks so that I don't fall behind.

[cookderosa]

Yeah....you should just stop. 39 credits in 11 weeks? Total slacker. You're probably not cut out for this.



HA HA HA
You're miles ahead, but the only way to the end is to keep putting steps in front of the other. I tell my kids ALL THE TIME that the only reason people finish college is because they keep going through the crap. That's part of the reason a college degree checks a box, because it means you're willing to put up with the crap necessary to hit a target. Go for a walk, eat some ice cream, meditate/pray, get a massage, do whatever helps you recenter - but then get back on it. Quitting is super easy. Finishing, not so much.

[ndelco]

I am right there with you. I have barely touched my computer over the past 7-10 days because I'm just sick of using it. The constant monthly deadlines are getting old and the types of courses I have left are very uninteresting and my brain is having trouble caring. I hoped taking a few days off would help, but they haven't.

[rlw74]

On a side note, I started working on my capstone paper and I am really enjoying it. I feel like I'm finally allowed to think, which I know may sound strange. But, so far in the courses I've taken I feel like all I've done is memorizing a bunch of information to spit it back out in a test format. It's not the same thing as analyzing, processing,and synthesizing information over a period of time and then creatively applying it in some way.

On the weekends I take a master's level three hour language class where its a combination of lecture and discussion. I so much more prefer that because I feel engaged. I also have to come to class prepared because participation is required.

I'm going to take the suggestion of just doing 10 lessons at a time. I've been trying to do 30-40 a day and mostly in one sitting. I think if I break it up into chunks like that I'll do better. I am 50% through the course since yesterday (Psy 105: Research Methods in Psychology). It isn't a hard class. It is actually very repetitive so I'm not sure why there isn't more overlap on the quizzes. It's mostly all info from the other courses I took. But oh well, it should make it easier to pass the final exam without a great deal of study.

[Mamasaphire]

But, so far in the courses I've taken I feel like all I've done is memorizing a bunch of information to spit it back out in a test format. It's not the same thing as analyzing, processing,and synthesizing information over a period of time and then creatively applying it in some way.

On the weekends I take a master's level three hour language class where its a combination of lecture and discussion. I so much more prefer that because I feel engaged. I also have to come to class prepared because participation is required.

I love the interaction part of college. That's the main reason I finished my AA at the CC. It was local and I interacted a LOT with the teachers/profs which was empowering (especially since my view and theirs typically opposed each other drastically, lol).

Are you doing your Master level course as a credit bearing course?

[rlw74]

No, it's an unaccredited institute. I've been studying Koine Greek for five years and it's a way I can keep doing that without the benefit of being in a seminary. If I had a bachelor's degree I could at least take it at a credit-bearing institution but the lack of a bachelor's degree has held me back. I really love it though and someday - maybe- I'll get a piece of paper that's shows my credentials. But it's not a top priority for me. Right now I have over 450 classroom hours in Greek language but none of it from an accredited source (although both my professors in the last five years are top in their fields - one of them is a Princeton grad and the classes they have taught are the same exact ones they taught at seminary). I could have had a master's by now if situations were different.