How to Get Back on Track for Moms Losing Motivation in College

Tips to help moms stay on track with their college goals when they lose some motivation

Lots of moms in college find themselves losing motivation for one reason or the other. Loss of motivation is one of the reasons the graduation rate for moms (especially single moms) in college is pretty low.

As a mom in school who has to wear so many different hats, it can be pretty difficult to juggle everything without feeling overwhelmed. So, how can you stay on track with your college goals without losing motivation? What steps can you take to prevent failing or dropping out of college?

That’s what we are going to look at in this post. Some things you can do to stop you from losing motivation, and what you can do if you are thinking or saying “I have no motivation for college anymore.“

If you have lost motivation for school and in need of some pick me up, here are some tips to help you regain your motivation. But, before we jump in, let’s look at some causes of lack of motivation in college.

WHAT CAUSES LACK OF MOTIVATION?

Before we can look at some ways to prevent a lack of motivation or ways to stay motivated in college, it’s important to look at what causes a lack of motivation. Lack of motivation can happen when you feel overwhelmed because you lack support, or you have been doing too much without taking a break, you feel uninspired, or you are not getting the results you want. Lack of motivation sometimes happens when you get to the end of a project or semester.

Can you identify with any one of these reasons?

Now, let’s look at some ways you can stay motivated in college.

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1. YOUR WHY CAN STOP YOU FROM LOSING ALL MOTIVATION IN COLLEGE

You might have heard me say this quite a few times, but my “why” was one of the biggest reasons I was able to finish college when I did. Without a strong reason or purpose, I would have given up when things became unbearable. But, I had a sense of duty to myself and my kids that didn’t allow me to quit.

Some moms lose their motivation to study because of their parenting or work responsibilities. They struggle to find time to study or when they try to study, their kids keep distracting them or demanding their attention. As a mom who went to school while having very young kids, I know all too well, how distracting kids can be, but ask yourself “what’s the alternative if I quit or fail?”

If the alternative feels unpleasant or undesirable to you, then you have to use that as fuel to stay motivated to achieve your college goals. So, don’t use your kids or your parenting responsibilities as an excuse. Yes, it’s tough and life could be better, but you must focus on what’s truly important and the future benefits.

So, keep reminding yourself of your why or reason for going back to college, and hopefully, that should be enough to fire you up and keep you inspired.

2. SET PERSONAL GOALS

If you have been in college for a while or even if you have just started, you have probably hit some bumps on the road that set you back or caused you to lose motivation to complete a class, a course, or some assignments.

You may also be struggling to balance your academics with all the other tasks and responsibilities in your life. It’s no wonder you feel unmotivated and maybe even thought about quitting. However, the key is not to quit but to find a way to get your motivation back. And, one of the ways to do that is to set some personal goals.

So, grab a piece of paper or your phone and make a list of some goals you’d like to achieve. Whether it’s handing in your final paper before the due date, completing two more assignments, or waking up at a particular time to study, setting some personal goals can help you rediscover your motivation and help you to stay on track.

No goal is too small or insignificant, so write down whatever you think will help you to keep pushing on.

3. VISUALIZE THE FUTURE

If you are saying to yourself right now “I have no motivation for college anymore,” I want you to take a step back and visualize what your life will look like once you are done with college.

How will a college degree help you to improve your life? Think about how your degree will help you meet your future and long-term goals or how it will improve your family’s life. When you pause and focus on the benefits of your education, all of a sudden, things don’t look so bad and you will find renewed energy to keep working towards your dream.

Being a mom in college is very hard, and I can assure you that the reason many moms don’t quit is that they know a college degree will make life better for them. Some are in stressful jobs or low-paying jobs, and the only way out is a college degree.

So, don’t get too bogged down with your present circumstances, instead think about the future and what lies ahead.

4. DON’T ALLOW YOURSELF TO GET TOO OVERWHELMED

If you are in a place where you have no motivation for school or no motivation to study for exams, then it’s possible you are burned out or you have allowed yourself to get too overwhelmed.

It’s always better to prevent burnout if possible than it is to come out of it, so if you can, don’t allow yourself to get too overwhelmed. Try to pace yourself and schedule your tasks or assignments so you always have enough time to complete them.

Lack of motivation sucks but it’s something that can easily happen to you. One moment you are on a roll, the next thing you know, you hit a roadblock and you can’t summon up any energy to get things done even though you know they need to be completed.

If you really feel tired or exhausted, another option is to get a checkup with your doctor to make sure everything is alright. You can also seek counseling for other issues that may be bothering you or affecting your academics.

But, it’s really important that you don’t allow yourself to get burned out from juggling too many responsibilities.

5. HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED AS A MOM IN COLLEGE: GET HELP

There are lots of moms out there asking this same question “Why am I losing motivation in college?” and the answer very well could be, because you are working so hard and not getting the results you want.

Trust me, anyone would lose motivation if they put a lot of effort into something and it feels like they are not making any headway. So, if you find yourself in this type of situation, the best thing for you to do is to seek help.

For example, if you are struggling with a particular class, you may need to ask for some tutoring help. It’s very demotivating when you study, attend classes, and work really hard on a particular class yet you are still not doing well. It makes you want to quit!

But, quitting isn’t the solution especially if it’s a class you really need to graduate. So, ask for help from your professors, classmates, or an adviser at your college.

Don’t get frustrated or rage quit. You have worked so hard to come this far, and you are not going to throw all your hard work away. No, ma’am!

6. LOSING MOTIVATION IN COLLEGE? BE FLEXIBLE AND ACCEPT CHANGE IS PART OF THE PROCESS

Lots of moms don’t like change, that’s why so many of them drop out of college. However, being flexible will allow you to keep your motivation no matter what the circumstances are.

For example, you may need to change your study time from morning to night time. While this might make things a little bit more stressful for you, you have to accept that it’s all part of the process.

Instead of losing motivation to study because you can’t study at your preferred time, a better option is to adapt and choose a study time that fits with your current circumstances.

Going to college as a mom is all about being flexible and making sacrifices, so that’s how you should approach things so you don’t end up feeling frustrated or losing motivation in college.

7. REWARD YOURSELF FOR ACHIEVING SOME OF YOUR GOALS

You deserve some reward for all your hard work, so feel free to reward yourself anytime you achieve some of your personal goals. You can reward yourself in any way or fashion you feel like.

Whether it’s a little reward for handing in all your assignments before their deadlines or getting the grade you wanted on a test, there’s no shortage of opportunity for you to celebrate or reward yourself as long as you don’t go overboard.

Below is a very helpful post on the benefits of rewarding yourself. Why don’t you check it out?

The Special Benefits of Rewarding Yourself You Need to Know

And, here are some ideas for rewarding yourself.

Take a nice bubble bath and just unwind
Get a massage
Eat your favorite ice-cream or chocolate
Invest in some new pens, notebooks or a journal
Watch a movie
Have a date night
Buy and drink a fancy coffee or your choice of beverage

As you can see, there are lots of ways for you to reward yourself. If you have something that isn’t on this list, go ahead and use it. The only thing that’s important is for you to treat yourself once in a while as long as you don’t bust your budget.

8. HOW TO REGAIN MOTIVATION IN COLLEGE: CREATE A PRIORITY LIST

Do you know one of the most frequent questions moms ask? It is “How do I regain motivation in college?” If you are one of those moms asking this question, then the answer is you need to scale back. And, you can start by creating a priority list.

If trying to do everything is causing you to lose your motivation, then you are going to have to let some things go. There are times when the smartest thing to do is to pick and choose your battles.

For example, if trying to keep a clean home, maintain good grades and a high GPA while spending enough time with your family is causing you to lose motivation, then you have to prioritize some of the things and let others take a backseat (at least for now).

A priority list will help you reduce and manage your workload so you don’t get too overwhelmed and lose your motivation.

9. AVOID CONDENSED OR SUMMER CLASSES

Now, let me say that I usually encourage moms to accelerate their degree if they can because no one wants to spend many years in college before graduating. Now, with that said, accelerating your degree by taking condensed classes or summer classes may not be the best option for everyone.

Summer classes tend to be really intense, and if you take more than one class at a time, the workload might become too overwhelming which will cause you to lose motivation especially toward the end of the class.

Lots of moms sign up for summer classes and at the beginning, they are enthusiastic and rearing to go, but toward the end, they start struggling to complete assignments or lose motivation to study. You really don’t want to be in that situation.

So, think long and hard before signing up for summer classes or condensed classes especially if you have a lot going on. If you must, maybe take only one class for the first six or so weeks of summer, then allow yourself to rest and recover before starting back in the fall.

I took only one summer class while in college and still managed to complete college (prerequisites and nursing program) in three years. So, there are other ways to accelerate your degree without burning out or losing motivation.

10. TAKE ONE DAY/CLASS/SEMESTER AT A TIME

One reason some moms lose their drive for school is that they feel like it’s never going to end. This happens to moms who have been in school for a while or moms who just started.

Instead of focusing on how much longer you have to spend in college, try focusing on one class or one semester at a time. While it’s good to look at the future, it can also cause you to lose motivation if you focus too much on how much time you have left before graduation.

For example, if you keep thinking of the fact that you still have two more years of college left, you may start to feel hopeless or deflated because of all the things you have to go through. Thinking of how much longer you have to go through the grind can cause you to lose some motivation, so don’t duel on it.

Yes, have a plan for college, map out how long it will take you to complete college and the courses you need to take, then take it, one class, at a time. I know it’s hard but focusing on the present can help you to enjoy the process a bit more and stop you from losing your drive.

11. WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU HAVE NO MOTIVATION FOR SCHOOL: DIG DEEP

When all is said and done, you will have to dig deep and push through whatever it is you are going through at the moment. Being a mom and a student is pretty tough and you have to be resilient if you want to achieve your college goals.

A lot of people underestimate how tough or strong they really are, but you are stronger than you think and you can do this. It’s okay to lose motivation sometimes as long as you don’t quit or let a feeling of hopelessness consume you.

Whether it’s losing motivation to study for exams or losing motivation about everything to with college, I want you to remember that this is temporary and if you can hang on just a bit longer, it will be over before you know it.

Lots of college students lose motivation for different reasons, but they usually find a way to regain it. Digging deep and drawing on your inner strength is definitely one way you can regain your motivation for school.

Closing thoughts on how to get back on track for moms losing motivation in college

Losing motivation as a college student and mom is pretty common for a variety of reasons. But, it isn’t all doom and gloom when you lose motivation for college because you can also regain it.

I have listed some ways you can regain your motivation including reminding yourself of your why, setting personal goals, pacing yourself, and asking for help if you are struggling with your classes.

So, I hope these tips can help you rekindle the spark so you can continue the work of earning a college degree. Staying motivated as a mom in college is all about being smart, picking your battles, and prioritizing.

You have got this mama!