Staying motivated

Whether your goals actually motivate you or not may be a matter of ensuring the goals you set are actually winnable. 

According to the blog, SHIFT eLearning:

“The secret to eLearning success is not only setting goals, but setting the right goals.”⁴

In addition to your academic goals, set easily achievable motivational ones relative to your personal challenges. It might be to log in every day for five days straight, complete a topic by the end of the day, or reach out to three of your fellow students about the programme by the end of the day. Use goals that will help you progress and give you pride as you achieve them. This pride will propel your motivation and progress.

Take a look at the photos you took at the beginning of Ready, Set, Go! (or your vision board if you made one) showing the reasons you have taken on your area of study. Remember to use those ideas when creating your goals and fueling your motivation.

These tips should help with focus and motivation:

• Take 5-15 minute breaks from study. (Remember the Pomodoro Technique?) 
• Exercise right where you are: do some chair exercises. 
• Find ways to fit in incidental exercise — everyday activities that count as exercise.
• Take steps to battle digital eye strain from monitor use. Try eye exercises!
• Set sleeping hours and stick to them.
• Enjoy a healthy and balanced diet to avoid sugar crashes.
• Plan to grab some vitamin D from the sun for 10-30 minutes every day.
• To perk yourself up, take a shower — you'll return to your learning feeling refreshed.
• Manage your motivation, and take steps to get that spark again if you are feeling a bit flat.
• Control any anxiety you may feel.
  • Mentally find your happy place, look at some art or even just a colour you love — this will lift your mood.
  • Take a break to move your body by:
    • taking a walk
    • putting on a song you love and dancing like nobody's watching
    • doing some chair yoga
    • moving your body in a way that makes you happy. 
  • Stick to your schedule – take genuine time off.
  • Stay connected to others.
  • Take time to reflect, count your wins, tick off your goals and share the joy with your whānau and friends.

While learning on your own has benefits, you may find you need to employ strategies to keep your mental health clean and positive. Connecting with others on your same learning journey will prevent you from feeling isolated.

Our Online Campus allows you to use group and personal messaging, forums for discussions, and live sessions where you can virtually meet with some of your fellow students and the tutor in real-time. Unlike a traditional campus, where people are all around you whether you like it or not, your Online Campus provides the tools to focus on the relationships you want to become part of your success.

Seek help academically – so you don’t fall behind

One of the genuine benefits of our online learning model is that you have a tutor assigned to help you reach your academic goals. You can use the online messaging system to let them know you need extra help, and they will reach out to offer guidance. You don’t have to figure out everything on your own!

Protect your mental wellness

For issues that are not related to your subject of learning, Online Learning Support is there for you. They will pass on messages and requests to the right person if this is necessary. This might include aspects of your study such as learning support (strategies to study, support tools to use) but also extend to areas such as pastoral care, taking a break from studies, StudyLink problems, visa questions and many more. You can book a one-on-one video session with them. Reach out to your tutor to put you in touch. 

For additional information, see the Student Success Hub in Ready, Set, Go!

External services and pastoral care help

Please refer to the Student Handbook and the Student Success Hub here in Ready, Set, Go! — there is information on all the relevant services within New Zealand.

Creating an environment that is comfy and conducive to learning will help keep you mentally and physically healthy.

For long learning sessions protect your body from repetitive strain injury by sitting in a proper chair with a desk at the correct height. Consider getting a separate keyboard and mouse — rather than using the trackpad on your laptop. While short, study sessions from your mobile phone or sitting on your bed are a huge bonus of online working — also remember your workstation is ideal for long periods of time.

Watch this short video for some quick inspiration:

This image provides specific details to help prevent repetitive stress injury (RSI), a sore neck, or back.

For specific information about setting up your workstation, read How to be more comfortable sat at your desk at Business Health Services and 7 Things You Need for an Ergonomically Correct Workstation from the nytimes.com.

As part of your commitment to connection, share your goals with the important people in your life, like your whānau, close friends, and even through social media. Sharing goals means others around you can help you stay accountable to your dreams. They can even make their own goals to help you achieve yours! When they do, everybody wins!

Akomanga.com teaches Te Reo Māori and uses the Māori principles of wellbeing to guide their students on their journey of learning te reo. They invite you to get on board their waka of learning. The principles applied to learning a new language work just as well in our setting for your learning journey.