How do I get motivated to study?
By No Rush · Updated November 9, 2026
The short answer
Start before you feel like it, with a small and clear first task. Motivation often shows up once you're working. Make that task one that shows you what you already know: quiz yourself on yesterday's material for ten minutes. In a large review by John Dunlosky and colleagues, testing yourself and spreading study over several days worked best.
Why am I not getting motivated to study?
Studying has the features that make people put things off. It often feels dull or hard, the reward comes weeks later at the exam, and your phone is right next to you. Piers Steel combined 691 findings on procrastination, and these were among the strongest links. So a lot of the trouble sits in how the task is set up, and you can change that.
Does putting off studying really matter?
A little, on average. Kim and Seo combined studies on procrastination and school results. Students who put things off more had somewhat lower results. The link was small, so putting off is only part of the story. It does make the start of a study session worth some attention.
Which way of studying works best?
John Dunlosky and colleagues rated ten common study methods on the evidence. Testing yourself, with flashcards or by writing down what you remember, came out on top, together with spreading your study over several days. Rereading and highlighting did poorly. Testing yourself also shows you what you already know, so you can see your progress.
How do I motivate myself to study every day?
Tie studying to a fixed time and place, so you don't have to decide it again each day. Peter Gollwitzer and Paschal Sheeran combined 94 studies of if-then plans, such as "when I get home on a weekday, I sit at my desk for twenty minutes". Plans like that helped people do what they intended. Pick a session short enough to manage on a bad day.
In the No Rush app
In the app, a goal is one small thing you'll actually do, so concrete that you can tick it off. The app asks you six short questions about it, such as when and where you'll do it. After that it's under Steps, and later the app asks how it went.
No Rush app
An iPhone app for people who feel stuck. It sets out one small next step at a time and tells you why that one. It is not therapy.
Sign up free Take the test For iPhone. Coming soon to the App Store. The first seven days are free in the app. After that, you choose whether to subscribe. Sign up now and the app stays free for you, for life.
Sources
- Steel (2007). The nature of procrastination: a meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential self-regulatory failure. Psychological Bulletin, 133(1), 65-94. doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.133.1.65
- Kim & Seo (2015). The relationship between procrastination and academic performance: A meta-analysis. Personality and Individual Differences, 82, 26-33. doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2015.02.038
- Dunlosky, Rawson, Marsh, Nathan & Willingham (2013). Improving students’ learning with effective learning techniques: Promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4-58. doi.org/10.1177/1529100612453266
- Gollwitzer & Sheeran (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69-119. doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(06)38002-1
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