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'In lockdown, motivation has slowly dwindled into oblivion'

Young people write about life and the challenges of school and learning during the pandemic.

The need for purpose is one of the defining characteristics of human beings, writes Georgia Schmolke

When the third national lockdown was declared, like millions of other exhausted students, I felt coronavirus was depriving me of my purpose, my future and so many other things. 

Crucially, I was robbed of my routine which has always been so important. Is it a surprise that with no purpose, no routine and no social interaction we became severely demotivated? 

Who would have believed we would miss face-to-face contact with our teachers? I think we took for granted how important they are in inspiring us.  

Now, with no choice, we must find motivation ourselves. 

In this lockdown, motivation has slowly dwindled into oblivion. 

In previous lockdowns, it was an opportunity to get ahead, strive, study, and succeed, not to mention stay healthy and fit. I don’t believe students were fully prepared for the severity of this nightmarish pandemic. 

My least favourite words have become: ‘Your coronavirus updates for today’. 

Each day, was I expected to leap out of bed, brimming with motivation on a dark, dreich morning, motivated for six hours of online learning? 

How could I when there was no glimmer of hope about when this could likely end. 

Everyday has felt like groundhog-day, except I was not Bill Murray and there was no Punxsutawney to explore because I was stuck in my house. 

Georgia is studying Advance Higher Art
Georgia is studying Advance Higher Art

I’ve been locked in a perpetual cycle of waking up, staring at my computer, and then falling asleep again. 

It was all too tempting to spend my time on my phone. I have to say I’d prefer to sit an exam on the phenomenon of potato Tik Tok than higher trigonometry. 

But I know this lifestyle, this pandemic and these feelings won’t last forever. 

Studies have shown that positivity and self-belief promote improve student motivation. 

It can become overwhelming to motivate yourself when faced with all the work you need to do, and that’s when procrastination and negativity creep in. So, I’ve tried to regain control and motivation by setting more attainable goals. 

When the third national lockdown was declared, like millions of other exhausted students, I felt coronavirus was depriving me of my purpose, my future and so many other things' 

Georgia Schmolke

I remind myself this is only temporary and I’ve put routines in place, like making my bed every day - something I definitely did not do before Covid. 

This gives me my first objective of the day, creates a comfortable environment to work in and allows me to begin my day on a positive note. 

The most important lesson I’ve learned during the pandemic is resilience. 

I’ve gone from losing all my motivation and hope to adopting a more positive mindset which I believe will stay with me beyond the pandemic. 

I’m proud that despite all the obstacles, I’ve managed to face these head on and rediscovered my positivity and worth ethic, no matter what the challenges were.  

This will have a lasting impact, to higher education and beyond. 

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