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To stay motivated during your work to become studious, you shouldn't think you've failed if you didn't go from having a C-average in Calculus to an A-average. Instead, you should be proud of yourself from moving from a C to a B-minus, and so on. When it comes to being studious and feeling motivated to succeed, you should work in increments or get disappointed and lose steam. Compare your progress to yourself, not others. Chart your progress. When you see how much you've improved since the beginning of your commitment to be studious, you'll be truly proud of yourself. Though not every subject in school will fascinate you, you should try to find something you care about in each and every class. Maybe English isn't your favorite subject, but you've found that A Separate Peace or Catcher in the Rye is your new favorite novel; you don't have to like everything in school, but you should still look for something that truly fascinates you and motivates you to keep working. If you find just a few things to care about in each class, you'll be much more motivated to be studious. Remember that you're not just studying to pass tests, but to truly acquire knowledge, and caring about what you're learning can really help that. Though working with a partner or a group doesn't work for everyone, you should consider mixing it up and working to be studious with others, sometimes. You can learn a lot from working with other people, and they can help keep you focused and on-track. You may also find that you learn more from a close friend than from a teacher, and that you gain mastery of a subject after trying to teach it to your friends. Consider this study technique the next time you hit the books. Some people are more social learners and they learn a lot better with others. If this is you, then you should try working with one friend first, and then opening your studies up to a study group. Just make sure that your study groups actually spend most of their time studying with occasional breaks; you don't want to get sucked into a situation that keeps you from learning the material. Being studious isn't all about work, work, work. If you really want to make a lifelong goal of being studious, then you have to remember to take breaks, and to reward yourself for taking them. Every time you get your goal grade on a test, celebrate with ice cream or a night at the movies with your friends. Every time you study for three hours, reward yourself with your favorite trashy reality TV show. Find a way to motivate yourself to keep working and to reward yourself for all of the hard work you've put in along the way. Any amount of work should be rewarded. Don't feel like you don't deserve a reward because you didn't get the grades you were hoping for. Though you may think studious people never have fun, it's actually very important to remember to relax and take a break every once in a while. If you're only focused on your studies, then you'll feel burned out and like you're under a lot of pressure to keep up. Instead, reward yourself for studying by making time for your friends, your hobbies, or even some mindless activities like watching The Bachelor every once in a while. Taking breaks for fun will actually lead you to enjoy the learning experience more when you return to it, and will help you become studious. Another way to stay motivated is to remind yourself why you're studying. It may not seem to have a meaning when you're learning about the French Revolution or reading "The Raven," but all of the little things you study can add up to make you a well-rounded, and interesting person. Getting stellar grades can also help you reach your ultimate education goals, whether you want to graduate college or get a PhD. Remind yourself that, while not every page you study will be fascinating, it will help lead to your future success. If you get too hung up on the details, or think too much about one test at a time, you'll take yourself too seriously. It's about committing to study in the long term, not about working hard for an individual test. If you look at it as a marathon and not a sprint, then you won't be putting too much pressure on yourself and you'll still be able to study in the process.
Make small improvements. Find a way to be excited about the materials. Get a study buddy or study group. Reward yourself for your hard work. Remember to have fun. Think about the big picture.