How To Remain Motivated As Well As Productive Every Bit A College Educatee Alongside Chronic Illness

Whether you’re an undergraduate college educatee or a grad educatee together with pedagogy assistant similar me, it’s impossible to deny that staying motivated for schoolwork tin live challenging at times. Add inwards a chronic illness or two, together with staying motivated together with productive inwards college tin experience fifty-fifty harder.

I should know: also existence diagnosed alongside celiac illness a few months earlier my freshman yr inwards college, I’ve also been living alongside fibromyalgia (and all the chronic hurting together with fatigue that goes along alongside it) since historic current 11. Despite my chronic illnesses, though, I graduated college alongside a 4.0, together with I’m currently attention grad schoolhouse to have an MFA inwards creative writing. And, today, I’m sharing the productivity hacks I purpose to continue checking items off my to-do listing all yr long.

re an undergraduate college educatee or a grad educatee together with pedagogy assistant similar me  How to Stay Motivated together with Productive as a College Student alongside Chronic Illness

Ready to kicking college’s booty - whether yous have got a chronic illness or not? Then continue reading to larn my exceed 5 secrets to staying productive together with motivated as a college student! 

1. Every day, build a listing of little goals together with big goals - together with celebrate each ane yous cross off.

If I had to squall ane slice of college schoolhouse supplies that I can’t alive without, it would live my planner. I don’t worry virtually buying a sure as shooting build or type of planner; for me, all that matters is that it has plenty infinite for me to write out a to-do listing each day. 

It’s of import to mention, however, that I listing to a greater extent than than merely the homework I demand to create or the extracurricular activities I have got that day. My to-do listing also involves self-care activities related to my chronic illnesses. For instance, since I have got celiac disease, I have got to consume a strict gluten gratuitous diet together with I build all my ain meals. As a result, my planner is oft total of reminders to repast prep my favorite gluten gratuitous snacks, bake veggies for that night’s dinner or grocery shop. 

re an undergraduate college educatee or a grad educatee together with pedagogy assistant similar me  How to Stay Motivated together with Productive as a College Student alongside Chronic Illness

The benefits of listing out everything are twofold. First, it ensures yous won’t forget anything. Second, question has found that writing to-do lists tin increase productivity past times reducing people's distracting anxiety virtually uncompleted tasks. As an added bonus for college students, listing to-do listing items that aren’t direct related to schoolhouse lets yous accept a interruption from your traditional “homework” but silent live productive (by making a big batch of issue energy balls, for example).

No daily particular is too little to add together to your listing (heck, I fifty-fifty write downwards “refill your pill case” or “take out the trash”), together with don’t forget to pat yourself on the dorsum alongside every particular yous tin cross off, no thing how minor.

2. Prioritize self care and don't experience guilty virtually taking breaks.

As hinted at above, making fourth dimension for self tending as a college educatee is super important, particularly if yous have got a chronic illness. College - together with grad schoolhouse - offering then many activities that it’s piece of cake to remain busy from the fourth dimension yous acquire upwardly to the 2d yous lastly become to bed. However, if yous don’t build fourth dimension for breaks, you’re setting yourself upwardly for major burn downwards out...in trunk and motivation.

For me, taking breaks is easier said than done. As a result, inwards the past times few years, I’m oft a stressed zombie past times the fourth dimension summertime arrives, together with it takes me weeks to recover together with experience “normal” again. 

re an undergraduate college educatee or a grad educatee together with pedagogy assistant similar me  How to Stay Motivated together with Productive as a College Student alongside Chronic Illness


This semester, I’m trying to live to a greater extent than intentional alongside taking breaks together with scheduling self tending activities into my day. Practicing self tending doesn’t have got to live complicated or accept a long time; it tin live as uncomplicated as going for a 15-minute walk or taking a bubble bathroom instead of a shower. Not to advert that, according to diverse studies, taking a interruption from operate tin truly better your motivation, increase your productivity together with fifty-fifty plow over your mental together with physical wellness a boost. So the side past times side fourth dimension you're feeling tired or have got been difficult at operate for several hours straight, build sure as shooting yous honor your trunk (and brain) past times taking a break! 

3. Establish your ain Definition of "productive."

Before nosotros fifty-fifty speak whatever farther virtually productivity hacks, it’s of import to define “productivity” inwards the showtime place. According to Dictionary.com, productivity is “the quality, state, or fact of existence able to generate, create, enhance, or pick out forth goods together with services.” However, whether you’re a full-time employee, a full-time college educatee or a mixture of the two, when yous have got a chronic illness, it’s of import for yous to come upwardly up alongside your ain Definition of productivity. 

To me, “productivity” agency “setting myself upwardly to compass ready goals.” I similar this tweaked Definition for a distich of reasons. First, it agency that productivity doesn’t require finishing or fully producing anything. As a writer, I pass a frightening amount of fourth dimension tweaking pieces I’ve written without e'er having a finished production to exhibit for it. Does that hateful I’m wasting my time? Of course of report not! 


re an undergraduate college educatee or a grad educatee together with pedagogy assistant similar me  How to Stay Motivated together with Productive as a College Student alongside Chronic Illness
Equally important, my Definition of productivity also includes non-project related actions. Most people powerfulness non visit sleeping inwards or going to bed early on acts of “productivity.” However, as someone alongside fibromyalgia who needs at to the lowest degree 10 hours of slumber to constituent optimally, this extra snoozing fourth dimension is setting me upwardly for success the next day. 

Now, I'm challenging yous to come upwardly up alongside your ain “productivity” Definition together with endeavour to persuasion your activities through that lens. For me, it’s easier to avoid feeling “lazy” or guilty for “wasting time” when the activities demanded past times my chronic illnesses - similar nutrient prep, extra sleep, doc appointments, etc - agree nether my umbrella Definition of productivity. Maybe establishing your ain persuasion of productivity volition plow over yous an as awesome sense of freedom! 

4. Get creative spell checking items off your to-do list!

If someone has figured out how to remain motivated for college classes together with homework together with other academic obligations 100% of the time...that somebody unfortunately isn't me. However, I have got discovered several tricks together with tips to acquire everything done, fifty-fifty when I don’t desire to - together with getting creative alongside my homework is my metro weapon. 

Case inwards point: as a graduate educatee inwards an MFA program, I demand to create a lot of reading. When I’m struggling to continue turning the pages of a mass that isn’t my thang, I endeavour to combine the reading alongside something I create enjoy: working out. Of course, non all practice tin live done spell reading together with it’s of import to build sure as shooting your exercising shape is silent correct. However, reading spell walking on the treadmill or pedaling piece of cake on the bike helps me focus, together with it's a lot harder to acquire distracted when I’m “trapped” on a workout machine!

re an undergraduate college educatee or a grad educatee together with pedagogy assistant similar me  How to Stay Motivated together with Productive as a College Student alongside Chronic Illness

Think of what yous savor doing together with run into how yous could creatively contain those activities into your to-do list. Hate studying? Study exterior or somewhere alongside a pretty view, or vantage yourself alongside a five-minute solo trip the low-cal fantastic toe political party after every xxx mins of studying. Need to stretch regularly during the solar daytime because of fibromyalgia or closed to other chronic illness, but abhor how dull stretching tin be? Do closed to of your reading for degree (or for fun) spell stretching on your chamber floor. 

You’ll live amazed at how much easier or quicker your homework volition experience when yous experiment alongside creative ways to acquire it done! 

5. Don't forget to admit your ain awesomeness.

For me, one of the most challenging parts of going to college alongside a chronic illness is comparing myself to other, to a greater extent than “normal” students, finding myself lacking together with feeling discouraged virtually the side past times side day, calendar week or fifty-fifty side past times side semester of college. 

When yous start to autumn into this comparing trap, remind yourself how awesome yous truly are. The harsh truth is that yous are non a “typical” college educatee when you’re going to schoolhouse alongside a chronic illness. You may have got limitations other students don’t have got to bargain alongside (like needing to a greater extent than sleep) together with yous powerfulness non live able to juggle all of the same activities that other students can. 

re an undergraduate college educatee or a grad educatee together with pedagogy assistant similar me  How to Stay Motivated together with Productive as a College Student alongside Chronic Illness

However, balancing college alongside chronic illness also agency yous have got BeyoncĂ©-level educatee swag. After all going to college is difficult enough. Going to college spell also dealing alongside doctors appointments, a special diet, medical procedures, novel medications or countless other chronic illness challenges? That’s pretty dang impressive! So don’t forget everything you’ve accomplished, together with purpose that noesis to motivate yous through closed to other awesome semester. 

It’d live a prevarication to say that acing college is easy, fifty-fifty when yous don’t have got chronic wellness conditions. However, it is possible - together with I promise these motivation together with productivity hacks assist yous acquire the most of college...and life afterward!



How create yous remain motivated or productive? Tell me inwards the comments! 
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