Revision – Motivation for the unmotivated.

Many students have a difficulty with motivation: they will start a piece of work or an activity with enthusiasm, only to quickly lose interest. Pupils with ADHD and ASD often experience a particular problem with tasks they find tedious, and revision can fall into this category. The pupil will be aware of the importance of revising adequately, but this will not be enough to motivate them.

Twenty self-motivating tips:-

1. Add pressure and immediacy to the task. Make arrangements to hold a ‘Question and Answer’ session with a friend after school tomorrow. If you do not devise your share of the questions tonight, you will be letting your friend down. 
2. Create a checklist. Use a ‘to do’ checklist and just start somewhere / anywhere. This will reduce the danger of procrastination. 
3. Remove physical distractions. If the room is too bright, noisy or stuffy for you to be able to concentrate, take steps to solve the problem. Wear sunglasses, noise cancelling earplugs or headphones, and open the windows. 
4. Have visually appealing resources to hand. Coloured paper and files for different subjects, neon highlighters, a variety of pens, pencils and felt tips, and coloured post-it notes.
5. Use different revision methods. Create mind maps, timelines or Q and A cards, play computer-based revision games, record facts on your phone or work with friends. 
6. Be spontaneous. If you suddenly find yourself in the mood to tackle revision, go for it; don’t wait until you’ve had a shower, walked the dog, watched the news or checked your phone for messages. 
7. Think flexibly. Feel free to do the most appealing tasks first. Don’t imagine that you have to tackle revision in any particular order or sequence.  
8. Work with or alongside others. Revising with friends may help you to focus for longer periods. Working alongside other pupils in a Library may be helpful because of the library’s quiet atmosphere.
9. Make lists. Ticking completed tasks off a list will give a sense of progress.
10. Alternate topics and revision approaches. Work on a Maths past paper for 30 minutes, then watch a video of a set text for 30 minutes, then test yourself on Spanish vocabulary for 30 minutes. 
11. Make revision competitive. Computer games are good for testing yourself in a competitive way. See if you are able to improve on previous scores.
12. Try out new methods. Stick with any new revision approaches for a period of time before evaluating their success or failure. 
13. Ensure an appropriate level of challenge. If you are revising a topic that is unfamiliar, pitch your revision at a basic level. If the revision covers a topic where you’re more confident, make the tasks more challenging. 
14. Link the revision to personal interest. If you enjoy creating cartoons, pictures or diagrams, try to translate written text into a visual format. 
15. Remind yourself why you’re revising. Why do you need to pass this exam or test? Why do you need a good grade? Who do you want to prove something to? Family? Friends? Teachers?
16. Give yourself small rewards. Allow yourself rewards you’d enjoy, perhaps 30 minutes TV when you’ve done two hour’s work, a short bike ride or a jog round the block. (Physical exercise is always preferable choice, as it will raise your energy levels.)
17. Make rewards immediate. If I revise this morning, I can go shopping, to the cinema, see a friend, play football this afternoon.
18. Encourage others to check and keep you on task. Ask your Mum to test you when you have completed a section of revision. She will be expecting you to have retained some of the information.
19. Don’t be hard on yourself. There are certain to be times when you feel tired, disappointed or simply find a task too hard. Be as understanding and kind to yourself as you would be to a friend. Minor hiccups do not mean a whole plan must be abandoned. 
20. Take something from every experience. When an approach doesn’t work, think about why that might be and how you could adapt the technique in the future.