Transcript Main presentation title goes here.

Motivation Workshop
Angela Gallagher-Brett ([email protected])
PGR Training
Your motivation
It’s important to distinguish between
your motivation for starting a PhD in
the first place and the motivation you
will need to keep going to the end.
2
Your motivation
• Why are you doing a PhD?
• What key benefits do you
associate with doing a PhD?
3
Your demotivation
• What kinds of motivational
barriers and difficulties have you
experienced during your PhD?
4
Key principles in motivating
yourself
• Manage your time
• Look after yourself
• Know where & when you work best
• Plan and manage your tasks
• Collaborate
• ‘Flow’
• Develop strategies to help you through the tough times
• Remind yourself of why you are doing a PhD in the first
place
5
Managing your time
• Work back from your milestone deadlines
• Identify what you need to do and when it needs to be done
by & also:
– What a task involves
– How long it’s going to take
– When you are actually going to do it
– Who you might need to help you
– What resources/materials you need to do it
• Can you break the big task up into smaller tasks?
6
Managing your time
• ….don’t forget about tasks that are important but
not urgent
• Remember .. writing always takes longer than you
think
• Learn to make use of little pieces of time – it
improves your efficiency & keeps you motivated
• Pomodoro Technique http://pomodorotechnique.com/
7
Time and place elements of
motivation
• Identify the time of day when you are at
your best
– For many of us it is the morning
• Ensure that you’ve worked on your PhD
before you lose control of your day
• Location matters – find somewhere to
study that suits you
8
Look after yourself
• Seriously…
–Take regular breaks
–Get some relaxation
–Eat well
–Sleep well
–Get some fresh air and exercise
9
Plan and manage your tasks
• Set yourself some goals – long-term & short-term
• Define your goal clearly
• List the steps to take to reach the goal
• Think of possible problems that could interfere
• Think of solutions to the problems
• Set a timeline for reaching the goal
• Evaluate your progress
• Reward yourself for your achievements
(from McCombs & Pope, 1994: Motivating hard to reach students)
10
Goal-setting
• My specific goals for this month are…
• Actions or steps I will take to accomplish these goals are…
• How I will know I have accomplished my goals is by…
• Possible difficulties that may interfere with my goals are…
• I can overcome these difficulties by……
(adapted from Dörnyei, 2001: Motivational strategies in the language classroom)
11
Collaborate
• A PhD can be lonely
• Work with your peers – form studying groups or
partnerships
• Talk about your research
• Look out for & attend events which could help you
to meet people with similar interests
• Ask for help when you need it
12
The concept of ‘flow’
Work of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi http://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow
How does it feel to be in ‘flow’?
• Completely involved in what you are doing
• Highly focused
• You are finding the task challenging but achievable – you
know you can do it
• You forget about the time
• You are enjoying yourself
13
To achieve a feeling of ‘flow’
• You need a clear set of goals
• You need to perceive your task as challenging
• You have the confidence that your skills are good
enough to complete the task
• You find the task enjoyable for its own sake
14
Develop strategies to help you
through tough times
• Which motivational strategies have
you used to help you in the past?
• Take time for reflecting & reviewing your progress
• Keep your notes organised & your research plan up-to-date
• Have your support network ready for when you need it
• Even doing a small amount of work will help you progress
• Persist
• Remind yourself of the reasons why you are doing a PhD
15
Questions
16