How do I stay motivated/avoid burnout?

The senior years of high school are a marathon, not a sprint. You might have heard this before and rolled your eyes. Yes, obviously your final years are going to be hard, obviously they take some time. The phrase holds truth, but it doesn’t really offer any usable advice about maintaining motivation and avoiding burnout.

Being told to ‘stay positive’ and ‘take breaks’ doesn’t really hold up under the pressure of two massive academic years. Instead, it’s important to treat motivation and burnout as systems, not personality traits.

1. Stop relying on motivation and build structure instead

Motivation is inconsistent, especially over a 12- or 24-month period. Students who do well don’t feel motivated all the time, they have routines that carry them through low-energy days. Think; set study times/spaces, smaller/specific tasks, and habits that reduce the need to ‘feel like it.’ Remember that when study is more focused, you spend less time studying.

When I was in Year 12, I relied heavily on to-do lists. For each subject I wrote one, specific, achievable task I wanted to complete in that study session. To keep my brain moving, when I was finished that task, I crossed it off and moved onto something different subject-wise. It kept me focused and study interesting.

2. Break overwhelming workloads into specific, achievable tasks.

Speaking of! Burnout typically comes from the sensation that there is too much to do and no clear starting point. A list that says ‘study biology’ is not easy to tackle. One that says “complete 15 multiple choice questions on cell respiration” is actionable. Clarity reduces avoidance and makes progress visible.

Back to my Year 12 to-do lists. I often felt as if I wasn’t getting anywhere, and that I hadn’t made any progress. TO combat this, I kept all my to-do lists. When I was feeling particularly unproductive, I would have a look through them to remind me of all the progress I had made over the past weeks/months.  It was a small thing, but it actually worked wonders in helping me internally acknowledge the hard work that was happening when nobody else could see.

3. Build recovery time that actually recharges you

Not all study breaks were created equal. If you spend 15 minutes scrolling mindlessly on your phone, you are likely to return to study as drained and when you paused. The very best thing you can do for your brain in the midst of a heavy study period in the term is to be getting consistent and high-quality sleep. This means timing your study so you can go to and get out of bed at a reasonable hour – we’re aiming for 8 hours here people. If you can’t just toddle off to bed (maybe you are mid study session) the best option, you have is move your body. Jump up from your seat, have a stretch, go for a quick walk around the block, take the dog to the dog park. A bit of vitamin D and movement is miles better for your brain than moving from one screen to another.

It’s also important to give your brain some separation from what is ‘study time’ and what is ‘rest time’. The easiest way to do this is to have these times in separate locations. Try and avoid studying in your room or another part in your house you also like to relax. If you have a go-to study spot, your brain quickly learns that you are there to work, and focuses in.

4. Manage pressure by focusing on what you can control

A lot of the time, stress comes when you start thinking about long term goals (ATARs, big exams, university, rankings etc). Your focus should be on what is in front of you, the daily tasks and actions you have, things like practise questions, revision, consistency. It reduces that mental load and gives you a sense of control.

5. Watch for early burnout signs and adjust before it crashes

Students will often push through until they hit a wall, ignoring earlier signs. Be on the look out for;

• Constant fatigue (even long stretches of sleep don’t feel restful)
• Loss of focus (in class, at work, while doing co-curriculars etc)
• Increased procrastination. Tasks that were once simple now feel insurmountable.
• Feeling detached from your work. It becomes harder and harder to figure out the reasoning behind why you are doing this.

Catching it early lets you scale back, reset routines and avoid a full crash and burn during vital busy periods. For me, when I began to feel disillusioned towards my English class (my very favourite subject with my favourite teacher!) I knew that I was working myself too hard. I decided I needed to spend more time studying with friends rather than by myself, to improve my mood when I was studying and get real time feedback from my peers.

So, are your senior years of high school a marathon? In some ways yes; you need to pace yourself. But in other ways, not so much. Marathons have a set path to a finish line, whereas high school has a million different ways you can get to your goal. And speaking of finish lines – that finale looks different for everyone.

Focus on what is in front of you, before you know it, the finish line will be here.

Happy studying!